Exhibition Guide for Infectious Disease: Evolving Challenges to Human Health
 THE CONTENT OF THE INFECTOUS DISEASE: EVOLVING CHALLENGES TO HUMAN HEALTH EXHIBITION
1. Overview Rotation: Orientation to Infectious Diseases
The main messages of this rotation are:
- Bacteria, viruses and parasites evolve continuously – they grow and mutate more quickly than humans – and present new challenges to human health
- Microbes are found almost everywhere
- Global burden of disease is uneven around the world.
- Disease prevalence is correlated with environmental, socio-economic, nutritional and cultural factors (e.g. human population growth, poverty, increasing contact with animals, speed and volume of international transport) and can be used to trace emerging diseases
- Public health strategies like vaccinations, clean water, and sanitation significantly reduce the burden of infectious disease
This rotation provides an introduction to microbial evolution, where microbes live, how disease is transmitted, and the role of public health in global burden of disease. Students can use an interactive exhibit to see the great variety of microbes and their interaction with people. Using examples such as HIV, TB, malaria and cholera, students will explore where in the world different diseases are most prevalent, particularly as they are overlaid with other factors such as poverty and population and learn how scientists trace emerging diseases. Finally, students will be introduced to the concept of public health—including clean water, sanitation and vaccination programs that have drastically improved life expectancies in developing countries.
2. Expert Rotation: Vaccines
The main messages of this rotation are:
- Vaccines have led to dramatic improvements in human health.
- Vaccines stimulate the immune system to protect against future infection without causing disease.
- Vaccines protect communities as well as individuals from infectious diseases.
- Vaccines eradicated smallpox and have nearly eradicated polio.
- New vaccines will always be needed for protection against emerging and evolving pathogens.
In this rotation, students will learn how vaccines work and what diseases have been successfully curbed by vaccination campaigns. Using interactive displays and videos, students will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines as a control measure for various diseases presented in the exhibit.
3. Expert Rotation: Therapeutic Drugs
The main messages of this rotation are:
- The development of therapeutic drugs has changed the relationship between humans and infectious diseases.
- The widespread and improper use of therapeutic drugs accelerates the rate at which drug-resistant pathogens emerge.
- Prudent use of therapeutic drugs can delay the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens, yet new drugs will also be needed as pathogens evolve.
- In most cases, patients must be vigilant about taking their medication properly in order to prevent the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains.
- Inequities in the distribution of medications compounded with cultural, geographical, technological barriers allow some diseases to thrive in certain parts of the world
Students will explore how drug-resistant pathogens evolve. Using interactive displays and videos, students will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic drugs as a control measure for various diseases presented in the exhibit.
4. Expert Rotation: Public Health
The main messages of this rotation are:
- Public health measures that minimize exposure to disease-causing organisms can be an effective way of preventing the spread of many infectious diseases
- Many diseases, such as malaria, are carried by multiple hosts and persist because the pathogen successfully infects two host species.
- Diseases can be eliminated from much of the world through a combination of public health measures.
- Vaccines and therapeutic drugs can be important components of a public health strategy.
This rotation focuses on the use of public health measures to prevent exposure to disease causing pathogens. Using interactive displays and videos, students will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of public health measures as effective tools for preventing the spread of various diseases presented in the exhibit.
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