H1N1 the virus adventure

I have been taking a class called Cure; it is a STEAM class in which we have learned about disorders, diseases, the spread of diseases, and the mathematics behind the spread of such diseases. While taking this class we even worked through a choose your own adventure mystery disease problem. We were given a fictional situation in which an island was being plagued by an unknown disease. We were to identify the disease and find out if a vaccine was enough to stop it. By the end of this adventure, we all felt like certified disease researchers and we really enjoyed the activity. So when the time to decide on an Action Project (AP) to complete, we decided to get into groups and create our own choose your own adventure version. Each group would then play through each other's puzzle. So with this project being assigned, each group embarked on the journey of creating their very own puzzle adventure.

In order to start, my group and I had to decide on which type of format to use. At first we decided on a website Joonbot.com which allowed us to create a text bubble and choose your own adventure type of thing. Then we decided maybe Google slides was the better simpler choice. This is due to the fact that we had to implement mathematical charts which we simply couldn't do on joon bot. After deciding on which format to use, we opened up a Google doc to first draft out our ideas. We based our basic ideas on the puzzle we solved in class together. After I had written out the rough draft of our story line, one of my group mates went through and fixed any spelling, grammar, or wording errors. Then my other group mate went in and started to format the story on the google slides, meaning she organized the story line and actually put it on google slides. Afterwards altogether we added fonts, visuals, and gifs. Finally our project was ready to go through a test run. In this test run we would go through the other groups puzzle and they would go through ours, this way we could get feedback on what to fix, and what was solid. So we did.

Before we continue, why did we pick H1N1? Well aside from already having big pandemics involving this virus, or variants of this virus, it is more likely we will have more in the future. For example influenza investigators have noticed a recent strain of H1N1 from pigs in China that will very likely spread to humans. It is simply a matter of time. While it has not been detected here in the Americas according to Sciencemag.com “The researchers found antibodies to the G4 strain in 4.4% of 230 people studied in a household survey—and the rate more than doubled in swine workers”. Meaning prior infection has already occurred and we were lucky it did not spread much further or into other countries and continents. Following the past major outbreaks such as in the years 1918, 1976, and 2009 we cannot make a certain prediction, but from seeing the time differences between these outbreaks we can definitely expect one in the next few decades. It is just a matter of being prepared, bringing awareness, and making sure the next pandemic is treated in a more organized matter.

Going back to our project, during the feedback session we realized we needed to change a few things such as our mathematics because it left the people going through it a bit confused. We also had some spelling mistakes we had missed. After polishing our puzzle we were finally done and now I invite you the reader to play through it. Can you save the Iowa pig factory before the disease spreads too much?

We also got to go through the other groups adventure puzzle. It was straightforward and entertaining. It was their short explanations which caught my attention. When going through the puzzle it was set up in a way where I didn’t get lost and the organization was good. Although there was a technical issue on a slide where I thought I could interview both patients but after one it just sent me straight to the doctor. I wasn't sure if that was on purpose or if it was a technical issue. This same issue was also brought up in class and it was addressed by them meaning they fixed it. Then the mathematics were explained in a way anyone could understand if they took the time to read through the explanation. After solving the math and deciding on if the vaccine would work, we got to the end of our ending and I liked their simple concluding ending. It gave a feeling of satisfaction. Overall I really enjoyed playing through another team's math/disease puzzle adventure, in the future I would love doing something like that again.

In conclusion, this unit we learned much about viruses. It is always good to be educated on potential threats to our world. Being prepared and ready to face any challenge without panic and with organization will definitely help us in the future. 

sources

“2009 H1N1 Flu (‘Swine Flu’) and You.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm#:~:text=The%20symptoms%20of%202009%20H1N1,%2C%20headache%2C%20chills%20and%20fatigue.

Biggerstaff, Matthew, et al. “Estimates of the Reproduction Number for Seasonal, Pandemic, and Zoonotic Influenza: a Systematic Review of the Literature.” BMC Infectious Diseases, BioMed Central, 4 Sept. 2014, bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2334-14-480.

“CDC Takes Action to Prepare Against ‘G4’ Swine Flu Viruses in China with Pandemic Potential.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 July 2020, www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/2019-2020/cdc-prepare-swine-flu.html.

Jon CohenJun. 29, 2020, et al. “Swine Flu Strain with Human Pandemic Potential Increasingly Found in Pigs in China.” Science, 30 June 2020, www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/swine-flu-strain-human-pandemic-potential-increasingly-found-pigs-china.

“Symptom Checker with Body from WebMD - Check Your Medical Symptoms.” WebMD, WebMD, symptoms.webmd.com/.

“Symptom Checker: Check Your Medical Symptoms: Everyday Health.” EverydayHealth.com, 25 Apr. 2019, www.everydayhealth.com/symptom-checker/.

“What Is the History of H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) Pandemics?” Latest Medical News, Clinical Trials, Guidelines - Today on Medscape, 18 May 2020, www.medscape.com/answers/1807048-166821/what-is-the-history-of-h1n1-influenza-swine-flu-pandemics.