Whooping Cough

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It is a highlight contagious coughing illness. It is very serious in babies and young children. Whooping cough in babies can lead to short of breath, pneumonia, feeding problems and weight loss, seizures, brain damage and, in some cases, death (NSW Government Health, 2015). 

The symptoms

• Begins with a cold, sneezing, tiredness and a runny nose.
• Increase in coughing episodes, experiencing the ‘whoop’.
• ‘The whoop’ can be hard to identify in babies and young children.
• Coughing is followed with gagging or vomiting.
• Coughing can be persistent for months after treatment.

Treatment

-       Can be easily treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early. This reduces contagiousness.

-       Antibiotics need to be given within 21 days.

Prevention

-Immunization reduces the risk of infection (Not 100 percent)

- Avoid contact with people carrying the disease.

Figure 1

Retreived from www.whoopingcough.co.nz

Year 4 Students

Discuss and interpret health information and messages in the media and internet (ACPPS039)

Your task is to research  Whooping Cough looking at the effects it has on people (particularly children).

Main questions to cover:

Discuss what is Whooping cough?

What does it look like?

What are the consequences of whooping cough?

How to prevent it?

Useing your researach knowledge to create an informative poster/fact sheet

Making an informative poster/fact sheet through postermywall

see the below diagram

Must contain

- information - what is whooping cough, prevntions, treatments and facts.

use diagrams and picutres to grab peoples attentions

Each student will print their poster to be laminated. All year 4 student's posters will be distributed throughout the school pinned on walls. This will bring awareness about whooping cough to all grades and staff in the school community.

Formative assessment

- Students will be assessed on their research skills

- Students will be assessed on their engagement in the task

- Students will be assessed on their group work and participation 

Summative assessment

- Students will be assessed on their final product

Students working in small groups creating an informative poster on Whooping Cough searching for information helps the students  articulate roles and strateges to promote healthy choices and create awareness. 

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA}. (2016). Health and Physical Education Curriculum v8.1 years F-10. Retrieved 12/04/2016 from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/health-and-physical-education/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level7-8

NSW Government Health (2015). Whooping Cough (Pertussis). Retrieved from

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/Pertussis.aspx