Infectious disease outbreak control (Years 11 - 13)

Class capacity: 90

Year group: 11 - 13

Subject: Biology/Microbiology

Attendee requirements: Attendees should be studying Biology or a related subject

About: Students attending this masterclass will take part in an exercise centring around the control of an outbreak of infectious disease in a hospital setting. In this scenario, some cases of diarrhoeal disease are detected on two surgical wards in a hospital. Students will work in teams taking on the roles of key hospital staff: General Manager, Clinical Microbiologist, Nurse in Charge and Director of Infection Prevention and Control (DIPC) to control the outbreak. At each step of the process the teams will make decisions which have consequences for the number of cases in the next round. Which team will control the outbreak most effectively?

This is an interactive exercise which supports aspects of the Biology curriculum (particularly microbiology) but also has aspects of careers education.

Additional information: Schools will be limited to 20 places for this class. Individual bookings can be made by students in Years 12 and 13.

To find out more about any of the masterclasses, please email masterclass@contacts.bham.ac.uk.