Flu Vaccine News Assignment

Risk Assessment of the Flu Vaccine – Should You Be Immunized?
Chemistry 111 Spring 2004

Many news articles this winter focused on the flu vaccine. In this assignment we will use newspaper articles and other resources to investigate the risks associated with being immunized against the flu in an effort to articulate an answer to the question posed in the title above.

The assignment will begin Thursday, February 12, will continue in class on Tuesday, February 17, and culminate with the position paper you turn in on Thursday, February 19. As individuals and as a class, we will work together to explore the science and policy behind the flu vaccine by following these steps:

1. Read the assigned information about the flu vaccine.
Each class member will read some information about the flu vaccine. Not everyone will read the same material. The resources you are assigned should be read thoroughly before coming to class on Tuesday, February 17.

Information sources:

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

2.    Identify the Scientific/Technological Issue
In an effort to help you deepen your understanding about the information you read in step 1, above, identify the issue(s) raised in the reading. To do this, answer the questions for your group before coming to class on Tuesday, February 17. Write your answers on the sheet provided, it will be turned in with your position paper on February 19.

3.     Formulate opinion of author; identify alternative opinions
This step will be carried out in class on Tuesday, February 17. Other students in the class read the same information about the flu vaccine as you did. Form a group of 3-4 students that read the same material. Based on the reading of the assigned information, your analysis of the issues, and the contributions of your group members, write a single sentence that summarizes the authors’ opinion about being vaccinated against the flu virus. The group should agree upon a single sentence. As a group, speculate about alternative opinions that individuals other than the author(s) might have on the title question.   Each group member should write down on the sheet provided your group’s sentence and the alternate opinions raised in your group.

The collection of sentence summaries from our class can be found here.

4.     Find and summarize opinions and factors from other sources
Other students in the class read other information about the flu vaccine. By combining with students that read different material, form a heterogeneous group with one representative having read each of the sets of materials. Take turns conveying the summary sentences your group arrived at in part 3. Summarize the opinions from the various sources and articulate a single sentence (if one opinion emerged) or several sentences (if multiple opinions emerged). Again, each student should record the group sentence on the sheet provided.

5.    Write a position paper stating and supporting your position on the scientific issue or course of action
Based on your reading, discussions within the student groups in the classroom, and general class discussion, formulate your own opinion about the flu vaccine. Write a one-page position paper stating and supporting your position. Staple the sheets you wrote on above to your paper (put the paper on the top). This paper is due on Thursday, February 19 and will be graded according to the rubric described on the course web page.

Group 1:

Information Sources	Questions
The influenza (Flu) Viruses	What type(s) of flu virus is responsible for the flu disease in humans?
Who Should Get the Influenza (Flu) Vaccine: Interim Recommendations, December 2003	What do the H and N designations refer to in the naming system for flu viruses?
	Why are health officials particularly concerned when a species (e.g., a pig) is infected simultaneously by viruses that cause disease in other species?
	What recommendations do the health authorities make regarding who should be immunized this year (2003-04)? On what basis do they make that recommendation?

Group 2:

Information Sources	Questions
Vaccine is Said to Fail to Protect Against Flu Strain by Lawrence K. Altman	How do the health authorities decide which flu virus strains will be included in the vaccine prepared for an upcoming flu season?
Questions & Answers: The 2003-2004 Flu Season	Why flu strains are included in the 2003-04 vaccine?
	What recommendations are given to deal with the vaccine shortage?
	What conclusions about the effectiveness of this year’s vaccine can be drawn from the study of Colorado healthcare workers?

Group 3:

Information Sources	Questions
Influenza A (H5N1) Outbreak	Why is the avian influenza A H5N1 virus outbreak occurring in Southeast Asia a concern to the world’s health authorities?
Virus Spreads by Keith Bradsher and Lawrence K. Altman	What is different in this strain in comparison with those included in this year’s flu vaccine?
Spread of Flu Across Asia Laid to Birds that Migrate by Keith Bradsher	What means are available to prevent the spread of this influenza strain among birds? Among humans?
China Finds Birds with Virulent Strain of flu in 3 Provinces by Keith Bradsher	Dead migratory birds have tested positive for this influenza. Why is this finding significant?

Group 4:

Information Sources	Questions
Flu Has Killed 93 Children, but Comparisons are Difficult by Lawrence K. Altman	When did the United States flu season peak? What percentage of the States still report widespread flu activity?
The Big Bad Flu, or Just the Usual? By Lawrence K. Altman alternate source for Big Bad Flu Article	Is the death rate in 2003-04 due to pneumonia and influenza within the limits of a “normal” year?
Weekly Report: Influenza Summary Update	Is this year’s flu season significantly different from recent years? If so, in what ways?
	How many people die from the flu each year in the United States? How many (or what percentage) of these are children?

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