Open AccessEpidemiology, Secondary School Curricula, and Preparing the Next Generation for Global Citizenship
Author(s) -
Charles E. Basch,
Corey H. Basch
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
jmir public health and surveillance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2369-2960
DOI - 10.2196/36006
Subject(s) - misinformation , context (archaeology) , pandemic , epidemiology , global health , infectious disease (medical specialty) , medicine , public health , population , public relations , disease , environmental health , covid-19 , political science , geography , nursing , archaeology , pathology , law
Because COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases are likely to play an increasingly important role in shaping American and global society in years to come, there is a need to prepare young people to make informed decisions in this changing global context. One way to do so is teaching and learning about basic principles of epidemiology in secondary schools. Improved understanding about the agent of infection, mechanisms of transmission, factors that increase or decrease susceptibility, place variation and environmental factors that facilitate or hinder transmission, reservoirs of infection (where the agent lives and multiplies), and when the disease is more or less likely to occur comprise the main facts about an infectious disease relevant to prevention and control. Improved understanding of these basic concepts could help future generations make informed decisions in a changing global context with emerging infectious diseases and a plethora of widely disseminated misinformation and disinformation. This viewpoint considers why learning about epidemiology in secondary school would benefit population health using COVID-19 as an illustration.