Overview
Communicable diseases transmit from human to human or animal to human. They form a major component of the global burden of disease, thus presenting a significant public health challenge. Developments in health technologies, pharmaceuticals and other preventative approaches and treatments have decreased the impact of communicable diseases over the last century particularly. However, this is countered by an increasing risk of emerging and re-emerging communicable disease outbreaks across borders, in part due to the exponential increase in global travel and the expansion of the human-animal interface. This unit explores the knowledge, principles and skills required to address communicable diseases prevention and control. You will examine the epidemiology of communicable diseases and its relationship to prevention, management and control strategies from a public health perspective. Surveillance and other public health strategies on communicable diseases control are studied. Case studies are used to develop insights into public health responses to communicable diseases control, challenges and facilitators. The unit applies a critical lens to the essential role of cross-sectoral collaboration and partnerships in effective communicable disease strategies and policies.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
- Identify and explain the major types and modes of transmission of communicable diseases.
- Interpret and critique risk factors contributing to the burden of communicable diseases from a public health perspective, using a socio-ecological model to focus on at-risk populations.
- Explain and apply methods of measurement, monitoring and surveillance of communicable diseases and evaluate how they are used to safeguard public health.
- Critique public health strategies and programs used in the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
- Appreciate and critique the factors and contexts driving collaborative and coordinated approaches to communicable disease prevention and control.
N/A
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Group Work - 50% | |||||
| 2 - Report - 50% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
Communicable Disease Control and Health Protection Handbook
Edition: 4 (2019)
Authors: Jeremy Hawker, Norman Begg, Ralf Reintjes, Karl Ekdahl, Obaghe Edeghere, and Jim E. van Steenbergen
Wiley
ISBN: 9781119328056
Ebook version only required.
Ebook version only required.
Additional Textbook Information
No
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Word processing and Spreadsheet applications
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
g.a.vaughan@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction and Unit overview
- Teaching, learning and assessment structure
- Communicable diseases (CD) intro and concepts
- Epidemiological triad
- CD within a socio-ecological framework
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Principles of disease causation and transmission. Classification of communicable diseases (CD)
- Transmission of CD
- Basic epidemiology of CD
- Infections, vector-borne diseases, sexually transmitted disease, food-borne disease, vaccine-preventable disease - overview
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Epidemiology: Measuring the patterns of communicable diseases
- Principles and types of CD surveillance
- Measures of frequency and spread
- Measures of mortality and morbidity
- Measures of association and risk
- Absolute risk and standardising data
- Reading and interpreting data: tables, visualisation
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Prevention and control principles and strategies 1
- General principles
- Host factors and focus
- Populations at risk - social determinants of health and CD
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Communicable disease outbreak investigation
- Managing a communicable disease outbreak – general principles
- Steps of a communicable diseases investigation
- Investigating the outbreak
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Prevention and control principles and strategies 2
- General principles
- Agent factors and focus
- Vector transmission
- Vaccination and immunisation
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Outbreak investigation – Assessment 1 workshop
[No lecture this week, Work in your Assessment 1 groups]
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Preventive and control principles and strategies 3
- General principles
- Environmental factors and focus
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Assessment 1 DUE this week Friday 11:59PM AEST
Assessment 1 Group Project Due: Week 8 Friday (6 Sept 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Module/Topic
One Health and communicable diseases – why it matters
- Principles of One Health
- One Health and Planetary Health in the context of CD
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Advocacy; health promotion and equity: working with communities
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Policies and legislation
- Public health law, vaccination, quarantine & bioterrorism
- Pandemic and epidemic responses: strategies and infrastructure
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Communicable diseases in emergencies and disasters. CD and equity issues.
- Setting strategies and priorities
- Challenges in low and middle income countries
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Module/Topic
Bringing it together: Communicable diseases within a healthy public policy context
- Examples of healthy public policy in a CD context
- Significance of the Health in All Policies approach and SDGs in CD
- Unit review
Chapter
See weekly Learning Activities and e-Reading list in Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In addition to online lectures and resources, tutorials provide the opportunity to complete individual and group activities; and build your skills and knowledge base related to Unit content.
Assessment 2 DUE this week Friday 11:59PM AEST
Written Report: responding to an outbreak (Individual) Due: Week 12 Friday (4 Oct 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
1 Group Work
The group assessment task responds to a communicable disease outbreak (topic and focus group to be allocated by week 3), from a public health perspective.
It comprises an a) Media release and b) Presentation, outlining your strategies and priorities to address the outbreak for the chosen population. In addition to the group work assessment, an individual reflection and peer review marking process will be submitted.
Week 8 Friday (6 Sept 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
(AEST)
- Media Release: follows newsworthy principles (15%)
- Presentation: provides a background to the communicable disease outbreak (10%)
- Presentation: reviews and analyses available evidence to support strategies and responses, incorporating data and figures (15%)
- Presentation: addresses considerations and collaborative strategies for different stakeholders including higher risk population/s (10%)
- Presentation: gives clear recommendations and conclusion (15%)
- Media Release and Presentation: both adhere to appropriate language and recommended structure (10%)
- Correct referencing (Harvard style) (10%)
- Individual Reflection: Insight and description of experience working in a group, and lessons learnt (10%)
- Peer review: (5%)
Further information regarding structure and assessment criteria is available in the 'Assessments' section in Moodle.
- Identify and explain the major types and modes of transmission of communicable diseases.
- Interpret and critique risk factors contributing to the burden of communicable diseases from a public health perspective, using a socio-ecological model to focus on at-risk populations.
- Explain and apply methods of measurement, monitoring and surveillance of communicable diseases and evaluate how they are used to safeguard public health.
- Critique public health strategies and programs used in the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
- Appreciate and critique the factors and contexts driving collaborative and coordinated approaches to communicable disease prevention and control.
2 Report
This individual assessment task builds on the topic selected in week 3 (and your group assessment) to develop a formal report that responds to an outbreak. You will imagine you are working as a public health advisor for your Department of Health, and write the report addressing the following:
- Brief background, including causality and burden from a public health perspective, with a focus on your chosen population to provide context.
- Describe key issues to consider, including resourcing, control measures, operational issues
- Identify key stakeholders across disciplines, community(ies), public and private sectors. Describe their roles in the outbreak response.
- Identify and describe potential challenges to controlling the outbreak
- Based on these findings, make recommendations to improve the response to the outbreak, including strategic, advocacy, operational, policy and (potentially) legislative implications.
Week 12 Friday (4 Oct 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
(AEST)
- Provide an Executive Summary (15%)
- Provide background to the communicable diseases outbreak (15%)
- Review and analyse available evidence to support a policy initiative or change (25%)
- Address considerations and strategies for different stakeholders including higher risk population/s (10%)
- Present findings using the report template, incorporating data and figures, recommendations and conclusion (15%)
- Appropriate language and structure (10%)
- Correct referencing (10%)
Further information regarding structure and assessment criteria is available in the 'Assessments' section in Moodle.
- Interpret and critique risk factors contributing to the burden of communicable diseases from a public health perspective, using a socio-ecological model to focus on at-risk populations.
- Critique public health strategies and programs used in the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
- Appreciate and critique the factors and contexts driving collaborative and coordinated approaches to communicable disease prevention and control.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
