Measles Outbreaks in the U.S.

Elisa Deegan

IS 52M

Introduction:

Recently, there has been an outbreak of measles occurring across the United States. Measles cases have been on the rise since a low in 2004 where there were only 37 cases reported. In 2014, there was a high of 644 cases reported. Since the outbreak broke on December 28, 2014 to February 6, 2015, there have been 114 people from 7 states reported to have contracted measles, possibly linked to an amusement park in California. New York reported one case in Dutchess County in 2014. This individual exposed people while traveling on Amtrak to Penn Station in NYC. In 2000, the US achieved measles elimination according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the Mayo Clinic, measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. Measles can almost always be prevented with a vaccine. Signs and symptoms of measles include cough, running nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash. Also called rubella, measles can be serious and even fatal to small children. As a result of high vaccination rates, measles have not been widespread in the US for more than a decade. Today the US averages about 60 cases of measles a year, most of them originate outside the country.

Our principal, Ms. Leon has selected our class to examine and evaluate this issue. You will

develop a new policy and submit the recommendations to the Mayor and NYC Health Commissioner. How amazing is this! You will have the opportunity to develop policy, and save lives of fellow New Yorkers!

The Task:

Each group will create a Power Point on Public Policy to present to the class and our Principal, Ms. Leon. You will research this topic using the suggested websites from the internet provided to you. You will read the current NYC policy and make suggestions based on your research

The Process:

*Students will be divided into groups of four to complete the task. Each student in each group will be assigned a role in the group.

* Roles of the group:

Facilitator

Reporter

Researcher

Recorder

*Using Microsoft Power Point, each group will create a Power Point with a maximum of 12 slides. Graphics and text must be used.

*Charts, graphs, pictures, etc. can be used from the Internet.

*Rubric will be provided.

*The Public Policy Analyst Worksheets (Six Steps) must be completed. Each step has a worksheet that has to be completed.

Resources:

· http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/02/health/measles-how-bad-can-it-be/

· http://www.cdc.gov/measles/multi-state-outbreak.html

· http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/02/02/us/measles-facts.html?_r=0

· http://abcnews.go.com/Health/measles-cases-climb-102-cdc/story?id=28669137

· http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/04/24/cdc-reports-13-measles-outbreaks-in-the-u-s-most-cases-since-1996/

· http://news.sciencemag.org/health/2014/04/measles-outbreak-traced-fully-vaccinated-patient-first-time

· http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/disneyland-measles-outbreak-confirmed-to-be-linked-to-low-vaccination-rates/

· http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/05/measles-vaccine-immunization-health/22916079/

· http://www.nyccharterschools.org/sites/default/files/resources/School_Immunization_Requirements_0.pdf

PPA

SIX-STEP Public Policy Analyst

Click to Follow the Links before Going on to the Process

Remember, you will follow these steps before making an evaluation.

1. Define the Problem: Worksheet#1

2. Gather the Evidence: Worksheet #2

3. Identify the Causes: Worksheet #3

4. Evaluate an Existing Policy: Worksheet #4

5. Develop Solutions: Worksheet #5

6. Select the Best Solution: Worksheet#6 (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)

EVALUTION & RUBRIC:

You will receive your score based on the following Rubric:

Category	Exceeding 4	Meeting 3	Approaching 2	Far Below 1
Content	In-depth coverage of topic, topic is appropriate to assignment, strong basis in sound, research-based information, outstanding clarity, hyperlinks to credible sites	Good coverage of topic, topic is appropriate to assignment, basis in sound, research-based information, clear and understandable, hyperlinks to credible sites	Topic in adequately covered, topic is appropriate to assignment, not based on research-based information clear and understandable, hyperlinks to non-credible sites	Coverage of topic, topic is inappropriate to assignment, not based on research-based information, unclear and difficult to understand, no hyperlinks
Presentation	Attractive, easy to interpret, pleasing colors with high contrast, slide presentation well-organized, excellent use of bullets, graphics, transitions, and slide effects which enhance the presentation of the content	Attractive, easy to interpret, pleasing colors with good contrast, slide presentation organized, good use of bullets, graphics, transitions, and slide effects which enhance the presentation of the content	Attractive, difficult to interpret, pleasing colors with high contrast, slide presentation disorganized, bullets, graphics, transitions, and slide effects detract from the content	Unattractive, difficult to interpret, poor color choice and slide contrast, slide presentation unorganized, bullets, graphics, transitions, and slide effects detract from the content
Mechanics	No misspellings or grammatical errors	Three or fewer misspellings and/or grammatical errors	Four misspellings and/or grammatical errors	More than four misspellings and/or grammatical errors
Organization (presenter and oral presentation)	Presenter and oral presentation are well-organized, he/she discusses content seldom referring to notes to conduct presentation	Presenter and oral presentation are organized, he/she discusses content occasionally referring to notes to conduct presentation	Presenter and oral presentation are poorly organized, he/she relies frequently relies on notes to conduct presentation	Presenter and oral presentation are well-organized, he/she reads slides and or notes to conduct presentation
Appearance (presenter)	Engages the audience well, displays professional appearance, uses volume and elocution appropriate to setting, maintains excellent eye contact, posture and composure	Engages the audience, displays professional appearance, uses volume and elocution appropriate to setting, maintains good eye contact, posture and composure	Engages the audience poorly, displays a poor professional appearance, uses volume and elocution inappropriate to setting, maintains minimal eye contact, posture and composure	Presenter does not engage the audience, displays unprofessional appearance, is inaudible, does not maintains eye contact, displays poor posture and lack of composure

Standards:

Social Studies: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 and RH.6.8.7

English: Reading Informational Text RI.6.1 - RI.6.10

Conclusion:

Upon completion of your Web quest, you will be familiar with the research on the current spread of the measles. Based on the research that your group did, you were able to establish a policy to address the spread of measles in the United States, especially in the NY area. You summarized your group work through a slide and oral presentation. You and your peers should now have a clear understanding of the research that you conducted. Congratulations!