Emerging Infectious Diseases

Over the past century unprecedented gains in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease have allowed people to live longer and healthier lives. But our health and wellbeing is being challenged by the emergence of diseases that are resistant to antimicrobial drugs and new infectious diseases that spread quickly in our increasingly connected world. Global responses are necessary to tackle the emergence of new threats, contain outbreaks and coordinate efforts to ensure people have access to healthcare and that current treatments remain effective. One of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all ages. This resource has been developed by the British Council in partnership with the Royal Society. It is centred on how to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and has lots of activity ideas to help students aged 7 to 14 investigate and explore the subject in more depth. Examples of activities include:

• When is influenza most common? - research activity.
• Coughs & sneezes spread diseases - investigating how diseases can spread.
• How effectively do you wash your hands?
• Evaluating the effectiveness of health education poster messages.
• Finding out more about scientists working in this field.