Ethical dilemmas in fighting infection
In this activity, students explore ethical issues related to fighting infection. Students learn about the science involved and the associated ethical dilemmas. They have opportunities to discuss and deliberate before making their own decision that they can justify.
Rotavirus
Dr Joanna Kirman leads a team at the Malaghan Institute investigating rotavirus. Rotavirus is a common but nasty disease that affects young children.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
explain some of the science involved in the issue
explain some of the ethical aspects of the issue
be able to make a decision about the ethical issue
be able to justify their decision.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do.
Nature of science
Discussions about ethics in science are strongly associated with the nature of science. In the nature of science strand, the 2007 science curriculum states students should use their growing science knowledge when considering issues of concern to them. They should explore aspects of an issue and make decisions about possible choices.
Related content
Explore futher – take a look at vaccination, the story of David Vetter and the history of vaccination, as well as current immunisation in New Zealand.
For more on our immune system see the The body’s first line of defence and The body’s second line of defence.
Use these articles below to find out more about research being undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand:
Discover more about Vaccines and therapies and Infection.
Read about this historical case of fraudulent research. The discredited and retracted study around vaccines and autism continues to have ramifications today.
Activity ideas
These articles also have a focus on medical research and ethics: Exploring medical research and Managing classroom discussions. The Ethics thinking toolkit uses common ethical frameworks to help you explore ethical decision-making and judgements with your students.
See the two unit plans: Fighting infection – the immune system and Fighting infection – reducing infection.
Useful links
More information about the Boy in the bubble on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) website.
Watch this animated video of the Edward Jenner story on YouTube.
The Our World in Data website provides research and data with the goal to make progress against the world’s largest problems, including global vaccination data.
