• Go to the website using this link: Outbreak at Watersedge
• Click the Play button to start the game.
• Follow the instructions. They will lead you on a search for an infected organism.
• Once you have found the infected organism, write a three- to four-page review of the process you went through and the results you obtained. You must identify the disease found and define the epidemiological process you used. Make sure to describe how you used it. This paper must be written in APA format, typed in Times New Roman with 12-point font, and double-spaced with 1” margins. Use at least two references that support your findings.

Due: Sunday, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time)

Points Possible: 75

This game was developed by the Midwest Center for Life-Long-Learning in Public Health (MCLPH) funded in part by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS, Public Health Training Center Program. MCLPH is part of the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Outbreak at Watersedge

Outbreak at Watersedge, a Public Health Discovery Game, is an interactive activity in which public health professionals collect data through a disease mapping system, lab work investigation, and study the population affected, in order to identify an epidemic of diarrhea and similar symptoms with group of individuals that visited a park. Consequently, once data was collected, the infecting organism that produced the disease, and its source, were identified. As a result, modes of transmission were recognized, general factors that are related to the susceptibility to this condition became known, environmental exposures known, and public healthcare providers took the appropriate measurements to resolve the issue of contaminated waters.

Disease mapping is a systematic gathering, examination, understanding and dissemination of data for use in public health. Disease mapping provides a means for public healthcare workers to monitor disease developments in order to reduce health issues and death (Garba & Gadanya, 2017).  Disease mapping was the method utilized at the Outbreak at Watersedge Park to help healthcare professional to analyze the collected data for making decisions about an outbreak of an illness. Disease mapping was an important method because it generated data with details about the outbreak patterns, with time, geographic distribution, and the risk to individuals. Subsequently, these data was organized in order to analyze changes in health status (Garba & Gadanya, 2017). Additionally, in the case of Watersedge Park disease mapping was an excellent tool to determine: the geographical distribution of the health issue and its related symptoms, depict the source of the disease, detect changes in the sources of the infectious agent, and once detected facilitated planning for its elimination. What is more, the process of disease mapping is directly related to activities associated with public health. In this case, disease mapping was an easy way to respond quickly to the outbreak that occurred at the park (Gebbie, Rosenstock, & Hernandez, 2003).

The search for this infectious organism required team work among a number of agencies such as: state and local, hospitals, pharmacies, and urgent care centers. Such collaboration promotes the development of all-inclusive plan to identify the infecting organism. Additionally, in this case, the strategies to identify the organism were determining the cause, patterning with similar cases to give meaning to the data collected (Sistrom & Hale, 2006). What is more, in this case, it was necessary to solicit information from other professionals in order to establish links during the investigation (Beale, Abellan, Hodgson, & Jarup, 2008).

Consequently, after the disease mapping, the team of healthcare professionals with the analysis of the lab results, determined that the focus of infection was at the water fountain near the beach and the concession stand. Additionally, after interviewing the attendant of the concession stand it was proven that the fruit punch that was made used water from the fountain located by the beach. Furthermore, the majority of the individuals that were sick consumed the fruit punch. In view of that fact, the water from the water fountain was tested and came back as positive with Cryptosporidium (Buehler, Hopkins, Overhage, Sosin, & Tong, 2004).

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Cryptosporidium causes a diarrheal disease, which also produces other symptoms such as: nausea, vomiting, dehydration, fever, fatigue, and weight loss. Symptoms are noticeable within two to ten days after being exposed to the parasite. Cryptosporidium is not identified just by the symptoms of common intestinal disease; therefore, specific test is performed to test for the presence of cryptosporidium (Buehler et al., 2004).

 

What causes that Cryptosporidium to be present at the water fountain was contamination and the fact that the filter was broken allowed the parasite to be present in the drinking water. Additionally, the root of the issue was that water pipes were not changed when the park was remodel. Moreover, waters run-off from cattle farms were the source of the parasite; transported with the substantial rains of the season to the well system. The result of the investigation demonstrated that individuals that got sick went to the park that Saturday, drank water from the fountain or drank fruit punch from the concession stand.

In conclusion, a rapid intervention by public health professionals made it possible to detect the issue at Watersedge Park, and to have a constant monitoring in place to make sure that this event will not happen again. Indeed, disease mapping was an excellent tool to monitor this issue when information was not really available. In addition, in this case was good to appreciate how public healthcare professionals got involved and worked together to address the upsurge in the number of individuals affected with diarrhea and similar symptoms. Indeed, the goal of all of the team members was to identify why this issue was taking place, and by monitoring the data from water analyzed in the labs, to determine if public health interventions are effective in eradicating incidents of the health outbreak. Week 4 Outbreak at Watersedge: A Public Health Discovery Game

References

Beale, L., Abellan, J. J., Hodgson, S., & Jarup, L. (2008). Methodologic issues and approaches to spatial epidemiology. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116(8), 1105-1110.

Buehler, J. W., Hopkins, R. S., Overhage, J. M., Sosin, D. N., & Tong, V. (2004). Framework for evaluating public health surveillance systems for early detection of outbreaks: Recommendations from the CDC working group. Retrieved from https://cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5305a1.htm.

Garba, R. M., & Gadanya, M. A. (2017). The role of intervention mapping in designing disease prevention interventions: A systematic review of the literature. PLoS One, 12(3), e0174438.

Gebbie, K., Rosenstock, L., & Hernandez, L. (2003). Who will keep the public healthy? Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Sistrom, M. G., & Hale, P. J. (2006). Outbreak investigations: Community participation and role of community and public health nurses. Public Health Nursing, 23(3), 256-263. Week 4 Outbreak at Watersedge: A Public Health Discovery Game