Overview

This mission can accommodate up to five teams: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. Each team includes three pairs of students called Specialists.

Each team of six students works together on a variety of tasks and independently on other tasks to solve the outbreak. Each pair needs one computer with a mouse.

Task instructions for each specialist pair are delivered on screen during the mission.

Specialist Descriptions

Each Team is comprised of three pairs of specialists who have specific responsibilities during the mission as well as frequently collaborating on tasks with the team’s other specialists. Successfully combating a disease outbreak requires specialists to analyze specific data, and the entire team to collaborate, review and make decisions.

The three specialist teams work collaboratively to:

  • review case reports
  • write a case definition
  • make an initial diagnosis
  • analyze histograms with demographic and epidemiological information
  • confirm a final diagnosis
  • write a public health report

Specialists also have tasks which they complete independently from other specialists.

Infectious Disease Specialists

The Infectious Disease Specialists graph and analyze age data from the case reports and gender data from line listings of people affected by the disease outbreak to look for clues to help identify the disease and to determine how to contain it. The Infectious Disease Specialists are also responsible for ordering tests to confirm the team’s diagnosis of the disease, and for preparing a treatment plan for patients.

Epi-Analysts

This specialist pair is responsible for the analysis of the epicurve (a plot of the number of new patients over time during an outbreak) that provides critical information about the progress of the disease. The pair also calculates the case fatality rate of the outbreak and uses a mathematical model of the disease spread to evaluate the impact of vaccines on outbreaks.

Disease Transmission Specialists

The Disease Transmission Specialists are responsible for graphing and analyzing gender data from the case reports and epicurve data in the line listings and for mapping the locations of patients to track the spread of the disease. Based on this knowledge the pair develops a plan to limit the transmission of the disease so that it can be contained.