Lessons Direct

Today, students will model a vaccination program using an online game (found at https://mrcwimm.itch.io/the-vaccination-game).

Pre-Laboratory Questions:

1. What is a vaccine?
   
2. What types of vaccines are available?
   
3. What does a vaccine do?
   
4. What part of the immune system responds to vaccines?
   
5. Who should get vaccinated against certain pathogens?
   

Data Collection:

1. What was the first vaccination method that you tried?
   
2. How successful were you at preventing the spread of a global pandemic?
   
3. What was the second vaccination method that you tried
   
4. How successful was your second attempt at preventing the spread of a global pandemic?
   

Post-Lab Questions

1. What was frustrating about this game?
   
2. What did you like about this game?
   
3. Scientists are working on pan-vaccines. (“Pan” means “all” in Greek). A pan-influenza vaccine would immunize a person against nearly all influenza strains.
   
   If millions of people were already immunized against this pathogen before the pandemic, how would it affect your vaccination strategy?
   

Future Directions

1. What would you change about this game to make it more life-like?
   
2. If the pandemic pathogen mutated as it was spreading across cities, how might that affect your vaccination program?