In this module, you were introduced to infectious diseases. Use what you learned about this topic to review the scenario and participate in the discussion.
Instructions
Read the scenario. In 200–250 words, respond to it in an initial post using the discussion prompts to guide your content. Then, respond to at least two of your peers’ posts in a substantive manner. “I agree” or “Good point” are not accepted as substantive responses to your peers.
Scenario
You are an epidemiologist and/or healthcare communications expert for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You are responsible for disseminating information to your peers regarding an infectious disease in a professional but educational way. The dissemination should include graphics or videos to highlight a specific disease.
Using your local health district website, look up the statistics or surveillance reports for infectious diseases in your community. Locate your local health district using the NACCHO website Here is an example for the Southern Nevada Health District
Choose one disease in the latest report. Then, use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d.) and/or other government (.gov) or organizational (.org) websites to answer the discussion prompts provided.
Discussion Prompts: Initial Post
- What disease did you choose, and why?
- What is the causative agent (bacteria, virus, fungus, etc.) of this disease?
- Describe the causative agent. Where can it be found? How can it be transmitted? What are the risk factors attributed to getting this disease? This is where a graphic or video will help!
- Discuss the signs and symptoms of the disease.
- Discuss the diagnostic testing of the disease.
- Discuss the possible treatments of the disease.
- If there are statistics related to the disease, please include these as well. For example, how many people may have had this disease in the last year? In the last 100 years? Have there been any recent outbreaks?
Discussion Prompts: Responses Posts
- Incorporate additional information related to the disease you are responding to. This should include statewide or even worldwide statistics of the disease you choose from the World Health Organization (n.d.).
Remember: You are the “expert” on this disease, and you should communicate reliable information to your peers from reliable website sources (CDC, .org, .gov). It is recommended that you also utilize the LIRN Library when conducting research for this activity. You can access the LIRN Library in your Canvas navigation bar. It is always helpful to add videos, pictures, and/or infographics for your initial and response posts, but please be sure to cite them. All discussion posts should include citations from a website or textbook, and all citations should be in APA 7th edition format.
In addition, you may NOT replicate another student’s disease. This will be a great showcase of other infectious diseases that you may currently see in your county or city!
Citations:
National Association of County and City Health Officials. (n.d.). Directory of local health departments. https://www.naccho.org/membership/lhd-directory
read through the posts, and supply meaningful reactions that extend the conversation.
My repsponse is attatched in word doc:
Peer #1:The illness I chose is influenza. I chose this illness because last year, records from Pasco County showed that 518 asthma patients were hospitalized in the county (Florida Health Chart, 2024). While this number isn't large, the impact is significant for a small county like Pasco. Influenza is an illness that infects the nose, throat, and lungs—all organs of the respiratory system. Influenza is caused by a virus (mayo clinic). The flu season typically occurs during the transitional months of each year, known as flu season. Common flu symptoms include sore throat, runny nose, or nasal congestion—similar to the common cold. However, while colds usually have a slow onset, the flu often develops rapidly. Everyone experiences flu symptoms differently, and most flu patients recover at home without needing medical attention. However, if you experience any unusual symptoms, you should see a doctor. All flu tests require a respiratory sample, most commonly collected from the nasal cavity (cleveland clinic). According to the CDC, flu patients can transmit the virus to others, primarily through droplets produced when the patient coughs, sneezes, or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths and noses of nearby people or be inhaled into the lungs (CDC, 202). This necessitates taking precautions during flu season, such as wearing masks and washing hands frequently. Regarding the treatment of influenza, doctors usually prescribe antiviral drugs to help kill the flu virus in the body (CDC, nd). Influenza is a deadly virus; don't assume it's harmless. Disregard for the virus can lead to serious consequences. Vaccination is also a good way to prevent influenza, and more and more people are getting vaccinated to protect themselves. However, vaccination does not guarantee immunity from the flu virus, so basic habits like wearing masks and washing hands should still be maintained.
Reference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, March 14). 2023-2024 flu season. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/2023-2024.htmLinks to an external site.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, September 9). Treatment of flu. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/treatment/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, September 17). How flu spreads. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/spread/index.html
Cleveland Clinic. (2025, May 12). Flu test: Types, how they work & results. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22716-flu-influenza-test#results-and-follow-up
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2025, October 22). Influenza (flu) — Symptoms & causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/symptoms-causes/syc-20351719.causes of death and chronic diseases (County Health Dashboard – Chronic Diseases and Leading Causes of Death Reports). Florida Department of Health. https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsDashboards/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=CountyHealth.LCDAndChronicDiseases&tabid=LCDAndChronicDiseases&islCounty=5
Peer#2:I live in Hillsborough County, and the infectious disease that I chose was dengue fever. I chose this disease because a couple of years back, my grandma went through this disease when she was visiting family in Cuba, so I was interested in learning more about it. The causative agent of this disease belongs to the Flaviviridae virus group (Martínez et al., n.d.). This virus is composed of a single strand of RNA that serves as a messenger (Martínez et al., n.d.). This disease is transmitted by a mosquito bite, most commonly with Aedes aegypti mosquitos (FreeMedEducation, 2021). The mosquito gets the virus from an individual’s blood, and it spreads it onto the next person (FreeMedEducation, 2021). These mosquitoes also like to lay eggs in containers with water (FreeMedEducation, 2021). A very high-risk factor is traveling to or living in hot and humid areas, as this is the mosquito’s habitat, particularly southeast Asia and the Caribbean (FreeMedEducation, 2021). Getting infected again after having the dengue virus prior can cause the infection and symptoms to worsen this time around (FreeMedEducation, 2021). The signs and symptoms are very variable, from none to really severe. Some symptoms are high fever (over 104 degrees Fahrenheit), nausea, vomiting, rash, aches and pains usually around the eyes, and muscle and joint pain (FreeMedEducation, 2021). These symptoms can last from a week to developing severe health setbacks. That is called dengue hemorrhagic fever, which is when your blood vessels start to become leaky, causing excessive bleeding in the individual (FreeMedEducation, 2021). The blood will be present everywhere, from the nose, urine, vomiting, under the skin, etc. (FreeMedEducation, 2021). A diagnostic test that can be performed is a nucleic acid amplification test, which can be done with a serum sample (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). Or a non-structural protein 1 test can be done because this is a protein that your blood secretes when fighting dengue; if present, then you are combatting the virus (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). Now, with either one of these, an IgM antibody test should be done because it can show if your body has/ is fighting with dengue (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). If any of these are negative, it does not rule out the possibility of having the virus; maybe your body is still incubating it. There is no treatment directly for the dengue virus. Though, some medications are prescribed to patients to help with some of the accompanying symptoms, like antipyretics for the fever and acetaminophen for the aching (FreeMedEducation, 2022). It is crucial to avoid anti-inflammatory drugs as they usually thin the blood, causing symptoms and changes of hemorrhaging, increasing (FreeMedEducation, 2022). Also, keeping the patient hydrated and with all the necessary vitamins and minerals is important (FreeMedEducation, 2022). Countries where this outburst is more common have approved the vaccine, Dengvaxia, to help with the spread. Last year, about 13 million cases of dengue fever were reported (CDC, 2024).
References
CDC. (2024). Current Dengue Outbreak. Dengue. https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/outbreaks/2024/index.ht...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 14). Clinical testing guidance for dengue. Dengue. https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/hcp/diagnosis-testing/i...
FreeMedEducation. (2021, October 30). Dengue Explained in 5 Minutes. Www.youtube.com.
FreeMedEducation. (2022, July 14). Treatment and Prevention Against Dengue. Www.youtube.com.
Maher, C. (2025). DOH-Hillsborough Issues Mosquito-Borne Illness Advisory | Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough. Floridahealth.gov. https://hillsborough.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/20...
Martínez, D., Gómez, M., Hernández, C., Muñoz, M., Campo-Palacio, S., González-Robayo, M., Montilla, M., Pavas-Escobar, N., & Ramírez, J. D. (n.d.). Emergence of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 Cosmopolitan Genotype, Colombia - Volume 30, Number 1—January 2024 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC. Wwwnc.cdc.gov. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3001.230972