Write a report on an emerging infectious disease of concern to Australia

Task

The Department of Health has commissioned you to write a report on an emerging infectious disease of concern to Australia (choose ONE disease from the list below).  The purpose of the report is to:

• Provide an overview of the disease and its aetiological agent
• Describe the risk factors for transmission
• Outline the current or potential strategies for preventing the disease
• Argue why resources should be directed to the prevention and control of the disease
• Provide a basis for developing policies and response plans specific to the chosen disease
• Inform a broad range of audiences including policy makers, scientists, researchers, public health practitioners and clinicians, about the disease risks

List of diseases

• Mycobacterium ulceransinfection
• Dengue
• Monkeypox virus
• Nipah virus

If you have another disease in mind, please contact the unit convenor for approval.

Report content

Your report should contain the following sections:

1. Title (make it interesting!)
2. Background

• An overview of the disease (causative agent, symptoms, modes of transmission, reservoirs)
• A description of the major factors which contributed to the emergence or re-emergence of the disease, including any outbreaks of significance
• Current distribution of the disease

3. Analysis of key issues

• Risk factors for disease transmission relevant to the Australian context
• Identification of at risk populations
• Tools for monitoring the disease (i.e. legislation, surveillance, etc.)
• Strategies for controlling the disease, (i.e. environmental controls, biosecurity measures, vaccination, treatment, health communication, etc.)
• Potential implications of disease for different groups (e.g. populations, regions, industries, etc.)

4. Stakeholders

• A list of key government and non-government stakeholders who may be impacted by the development of a policy or a response and why they should be consulted (consider using a table).

5. Recommendations

• Recommendations for future work

6. References- APA 7 at least 10 -15 peer review articles

Report format and presentation

When preparing your report, please ensure that you:

• Use appropriate subheadings
• Write in a style that is suitable for the intended purpose and audience (remember, the audience may not be experts in the subject matter, so avoid jargon)
• Stick to the word limit. Penalties apply for Tutorings that are very brief or over the word limit by more than 10%
• Be creative in your presentation – consider including a visually appealing title page and using colour, different sized text, columns, bulleted lists, figures, tables, etc. to add emphasis/interest where appropriate