Kent State holding mock disease outbreak event for high school students

KENT, Ohio - Kent State University's College of Public Health will hold an event  for high school students enrolled in the university's Upward Bound program as a way to show them what public health is all about.

The event is a mock disease outbreak investigation. Members of the media are welcome to attend and cover it.

This event is designed to be a real-world outbreak investigation and promises to be a learning experience for those involved.

Approximately 12 Kent State undergraduate and graduate public health students will have "contracted" salmonella from one of the food facilities on or near campus.

The Upward Bound students will be acting as 1) the epidemiologists, who will interview the sick students and determine a common exposure; 2) the health inspectors, who will be conducting an inspection of the food facility on campus; 3) a diagnostic lab unit, who will be in the lab working to determine what the infectious agent is; and 4) the health commissioners,were located at the Portage County Emergency Command vehicle coordinating the investigation and fielding questions from the media.
 
Kent State is coordinating this activity and has secured participation from the Portage County Health Department and Emergency Management Agency.