Future Focused Issue - Zoonotic Viruses

Uncategorized Jun 16, 2020
Part of the mission here at Future Focused Teaching and Learning is helping teachers to create a better world for future generations. In order to do this, we need to delve into the types of issues our future generations will face so that we can have more of an idea on how to prepare them. 
 
Each month we will focus on one future focused issue. A future focused issue is a problem, challenge, obstacle or hope for the future, that our students will likely have to deal with within their lifetimes. We will discuss what the issue is, why it is a problem and why it is important that we equip students with the skills and knowledge to tackle it. We will also discuss ways that these issues can be incorporated into the curriculum, in order to make learning more relevant and meaningful for our students. 
 
June 2020
This month, we will discuss the topical issue of viruses. At the moment, the world has been in lockdown for the last 3-6 months, depending on where you are in the world, due to the global pandemic that is called Covid-19. It has shaken the world, collapsed economies, and to date has caused 7.69million confirmed cases and 430,000 deaths worldwide. Our globalised world is no longer the same, with strict travel restrictions in place and trade partnerships disrupted. In many parts of the world the virus is nowhere near under control, whereas in other countries restrictions are starting to ease. However it is fair to say that it will be a long time before things return to ’normal’, and it’s possible that they never will completely. 
 
Whilst it took the world by surprise, in reality it has been expected by the scientific community for quite some time. 
 
Covid-19 is the name of the illness that is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which belongs to a family of viruses called ‘Coronavirus’. Coronaviruses are classes as ‘zoonotic’, meaning that they originate in animals. Animals carry many viruses (as do humans), many of which are not harmful to them, due to developing immunity over time. However in some cases, when these viruses pass from animals to humans, they can then mutate, meaning that they can then pass from human to human. Being a novel (new) virus, humans have no immunity to it and can develop severe illness and in some cases death. 
 
In the case of Covid-19, the current evidence is pointing towards the virus jumping from a bat to a pangolin, which then jumped to humans, possibly at a wet market within the province of Wuhan, China. Viruses from animals can jump to humans in a number of different ways, as shown in this infographic: 
 
The world has experienced many pandemics and epidemics due to zoonotic viruses throughout our history. Here are just some from over the last century or so: 
  • Spanish Flu (1918 - 1920) - this was caused by a H1N1 virus thought to be of Avian (bird) origin. The reason it managed to spread so fast around the world back then is due to the many soldiers returning home after WW1. It is estimated to have caused 50 million deaths, although some estimates are up to 100 million (this is in comparison to around 20 million deaths during WW1). 
  • The HIV-Aids virus is also zoonotic, believed to have originated in chimpanzees. 
  • More are outlined in this infographic:
 
So far, we have only discussed Zoonotic viruses, however there are many other diseases that also originate from animals. Diseases such as rabies, measles, tuberculosis, and small pox are all of animal origin. According to the CDC, around 75% of all new or emerging diseases are zoonotic in nature.
 
As you can see, the potential for zoonotic viruses and other zoonotic diseases to be a constant problem in the future is huge. Even if we manage to get Covid-19 under control, it is likely that a similar virus will cause havoc yet again. Several factors are contributing to this, such as: 
  • Animal agriculture: we currently kill approximately 60 billion land animals per year for human consumption. To do this, animals are often kept in close proximity to each other, in unhygienic conditions, where viruses can easily spread from animal to animal. Farm workers, abattoir workers and butchers then handle these animals and their faeces, and of course the rest of the population eats these animals. In addition, as there are no requirements for sewerage systems for animal faeces, run-off from fields and factories often end up in our waterways, and contaminate ground water. This may then be sprayed on plant crops which are then consumed by humans. 
  • Hunting wild animals: wild animals also carry many diseases and viruses, so when people hunt and butcher wild animals there is risk of infection. 
  • Deforestation: when workers go into wild habitats for the purpose of clearing land for housing, mining, crops and animal agriculture, they may come into contact with wild animals. 
 
INCORPORATING THIS ISSUE INTO THE CURRICULUM
It’s important that our students have a deep understanding of the causes and impacts of Zoonotic viruses such as this current one, so that they can better know how to deal with it and prevent it from happening again in the future. There are many possibilities of using this topic throughout the curriculum, for example: 
  • Humanities and Social Studies: there are many environmental, social, political, economic, legal, ethical impacts and historical lessons related to zoonotic diseases. The options are endless here really. Some examples: when studying Geography and Economics, you could look at our food system, globalisation, tourism, migration and transnational corporations in relation to this issue. In regards to history, you could look at the Spanish Flu or Bubonic Plague and draw any relevant connections. You could also look at how this current phase will be looked at in the future as a moment in history, and what conclusions they may draw from various primary and secondary sources. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. 
  • Maths: very relevant when studying statistics or exponential growth. Also in relation to analysing or interpreting various types of graphs. 
  • Science: incorporate into learning about biology and infectious diseases. Create hypothesis and investigate/ analyse data to prove or disprove. 
  • English: use as an example of the role of the media, the impacts of language in creating fear, spreading of misinformation/ ‘fake news’, documentary analysis, newspaper article analysis, social media analysis, and so on. 
 
In terms of 21st century skills, the main skills that could be developed through the context of this issue is: 
  • Critical thinking/ discernment: there has been so much misinformation in regards to this issue, so teaching students how to find objective, factual and reliable information is really important here. 
  • Problem solving: in particular, teaching students how to look not just at how we can solve the symptoms of the problem through things like social distancing and vaccinations, but also looking at the root causes of the problem and working out how we can prevent future outbreaks from happening. 
 
There is so much to explore within this issue, that you could easily create a project-based task centred on this issue and bring in your curriculum links where they are relevant. You could even do an integrated project, where two or more learning areas join together to work on the problem. 
 
If you are interested in further exploring how you can create teaching and learning programs based around future focused issues, then register your interest in the Cut Curriculum Chaos course, where I will teach you how to create innovative programs and projects that will help you to streamline the curriculum through relevant contexts that help to make learning more meaningful for your students and allow time and opportunity for your students to develop important 21st century skills. 
 
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