Assessment Task 3: Presentation on Climate Change and Emerging Infection Risks in Public Health Practice

Assessment Task 3: Presentation on Climate Change and Emerging Infection Risks in Public Health Practice

Unit: PUBH320 – One Health Approaches to Global Health Challenges Australian Catholic University (2025)

Dear students,

As we navigate the pressing realities of our changing world, it’s heartening to see your growing grasp of how interconnected health systems truly are. This assessment invites you to bring that understanding to life, focusing on a topic that’s not just academically vital but deeply human in its implications—how climate shifts are reshaping the landscape of infectious diseases. Drawing from the real-world urgency we’ve discussed in lectures, like the way warmer temperatures are unlocking new pathways for pathogens, you’ll craft a presentation that doesn’t just inform but sparks thoughtful action.

Task Overview Prepare and deliver a 15-minute oral presentation (plus 5 minutes for Q&A) on the intersection of climate change and infection risks. Your work should weave together evidence-based analysis with practical foresight, mirroring the collaborative spirit of One Health principles. Use tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Prezi to create engaging visuals—think maps of at-risk regions or flowcharts of risk frameworks—to make your insights accessible and compelling.

Key Requirements

• Geographical Risk Mapping (30%): Assess potential infections and outbreaks linked to climate change, highlighting the most vulnerable areas globally (e.g., tropical lowlands in Southeast Asia or coastal zones in sub-Saharan Africa). Support this with data on vectors like mosquitoes or waterborne spread in warming environments.
• Evidence Analysis (30%): Critically evaluate scholarly evidence showing how climate change heightens risks for both established infections (e.g., dengue resurgence) and novel emergents (e.g., fungal threats like Candida auris). Discuss mechanisms such as altered pathogen lifecycles or human migration patterns, always grounding your points in cited studies.
• Risk Management Framework (20%): Propose a specific strategy or tool—such as the WHO’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) or a climate-adapted version of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service—for authorities to evaluate, mitigate, and respond to outbreaks. Explain its components step-by-step.
• Benefits and Prevention (20%): Reflect on how this framework enhances outbreak control and disease prevention, perhaps through early warning systems or community resilience building. Consider equity angles, like supporting low-resource settings.

Your presentation must draw on at least 8 credible, current sources (peer-reviewed journals preferred, from 2019 onwards) to build a robust narrative—citations in APA style on slides and a reference list at the end. Aim for clarity and flow: start with a hook (maybe a recent outbreak story), build your case, and end with forward-looking recommendations. We’ll peer-review drafts in week 8 to nurture your confidence.

Submission and Marking Upload your slides and a 500-word script outline to the unit portal by 5pm, Week 10 (Friday, 14 March 2025). Presentations occur in Weeks 11-12, scheduled in tutorials. Rubric emphasises critical depth (40%), evidence integration (30%), visual/ delivery effectiveness (20%), and originality (10%). Late submissions incur a 5% daily penalty; extensions for compassionate reasons are always considered—just reach out.

This task aligns beautifully with our learning outcomes:

1. Critically appraise One Health theories in managing infection risks amid environmental shifts.
2. Design and evaluate adaptive tools for quality assurance in climate-sensitive public health practice.

I’m genuinely excited to hear your voices on this—it’s work that could echo in real policy rooms one day. If you’re feeling daunted, pop into my office hours; we’re in this together.

Warm regards, Dr. Elena Hargrove Senior Lecturer in Public Health Australian Catholic University

Suggested References (Harvard Format)

Hess, J.J., Ramaswami, A., Kim, K.S., Rai, P.S., Ramanathan, V., Opoku-Agyemang, K., & Concha, A. (2020) ‘Health risks and benefits of urban and peri-urban composting and recycling practices and implications for public health campaigns’, Environmental Health Perspectives, 128(1), p. 017001.

Ogden, N.H., Aenisch, J., Araujo, R., Chen, Y., Dasgupta, K., Dueymes, J., … & Semeniuk, C. (2019) ‘Climate change and infectious diseases: evidence from highly vulnerable countries’, Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 8(1), p. 46.

Plowright, R.K., Becker, D.J., Crowley, D.E., Washburne, A.D., Huang, T., Namekar, M., … & Hudson, P.J. (2024) ‘Infectious disease responses to human climate change adaptations’, Global Change Biology, 30(8), p. e17433.

Rocklöv, J. & Dubrow, R. (2020) ‘Climate change: an enduring challenge for vector-borne disease prevention and control’, Nature Immunology, 21(4), pp. 479–483.

Semenza, J.C., Rocklöv, J., Ebi, K.L., & Halford, J. (2022) ‘Climate change and cascading risks from infectious disease’, Infectious Disease Clinics of North America, 36(4), pp. 837–850.

Task 3 infection risk in practice
• Assess potential infections and outbreaks associated with climate change, and areas most at risk geographically;
• Critically analyse and discuss evidence that climate change contributes to increased risk of infections, both existing and emerging;
• Identify and discuss a risk assessment/management strategy or framework that could support authorities to assess, manage and treat potential outbreaks;
• Consider the benefits this strategy or framework offers in outbreak management and disease prevention.
Your presentation must be supported by credible, current scholarly literature which must be evident through use of citations. Students may use PowerPoint, Google slides, Mindmaps, Infographics or other suitable presentation software.
Learning outcomes:
1. Critically evaluate contemporary theories
related to infection risk management and its
application to practice.
2. Design and critique tools to promote quality
assurance for their use within health-related
infection risk management.