Overview
The prevention of disease is recognised internationally as being of fundamental importance to quality of life and is a core skillset for any public health professional. This unit covers the important public health topic of communicable diseases and their control. Students will learn the value of participation by engaging in team activities and tutorial activities. They will learn about prevention by exploring the aetiologies, risk factors, epidemiological trends and underlying issues relating to a wide range of communicable diseases. Students will critique the public health literature and public health campaigns to discover the importance of partnerships in the effective control of communicable diseases. Topics will include the aetiology, transmission, epidemiological trends and control strategies relating to a range of communicable diseases, including enteric, vaccine preventable and sexually transmitted infections. The impact of communicable disease upon individual and population health will be explored, with particular emphasis on the indigenous community and global context. Students will develop skills in disease surveillance and/or the prevention or management of disease outbreaks. Residential school will be compulsory for Environmental Health students but optional for Health Promotion and other students.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
48 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Office of Deputy Dean Learning & Teaching; personal observation
Short answer quizzes provided opportunity for students to use generative AI to answer the questions.
Redesign quizzes to limit the opportunity for academic misconduct using generative AI.
Feedback from Discussions between Head of Course and Head of College (Science & Sustainability).
International students will be enrolling in this unit on campus in Melbourne from Term 1 2026. Face to face structured tutorials will need to be delivered to meet student needs.
Commence development of structured tutorials so that these are ready for deliver in Term 1 2026.
- Describe risk factors and aetiology for a range of communicable diseases important to public health.
- Explain the impact of communicable diseases in the context of individual and population health.
- Identify and analyse primary, secondary and tertiary approaches for the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
- Evaluate the social and cultural impact of notifiable diseases.
- Explain the methods of measurement, monitoring, prioritisation and surveillance of communicable disease and how they are used to safeguard public health.
The learning outcomes of this unit relate to the enHealth Skills and Knowledge Matrix:
Part 1- all generic attributes
Part 2- underpinning skills and knowledge in the areas of
-
Science
- basic human anatomy and physiology related to identifying disease causation and exposure pathways
- microorganisms of significance for human health
- transmission mechanisms and likely carriers
- infective dose levels
-
Public & Environmental Health Concepts
- The points of impact to influence environmental health determinants and related methods of impact
-
Research methods
- Effective design and implementation of studies, policies and programs to protect public and environmental health and minimise risks
Part 3- Applied Skills and Knowledge
- Prevention and control of notifiable and communicable conditions.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online Test - 15% | |||||
| 2 - Online Test - 15% | |||||
| 3 - Online Test - 15% | |||||
| 4 - Written Assessment - 55% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| 1 - Online Test - 15% | |||||||||||
| 2 - Online Test - 15% | |||||||||||
| 3 - Online Test - 15% | |||||||||||
| 4 - Written Assessment - 55% | |||||||||||
Textbooks
Control of Communicable Diseases Manual
- Edition: 21 (2022)
- Authors: David L Heymann
- APHA Press
- Washington Washington , DC , USA
- ISBN: 9780875533230
This is a highly useful resource, published by the American Public Health Association. An online subscription for 1 year of use costs US$95. Students are NOT required to purchase this text but may wish to do so if they plan to make a career in communicable disease control. Older editions may be available and would remain useful.
- Binding: Paperback
This is a highly useful resource, published by the American Public Health Association. An online subscription for 1 year of use costs US$95. Students are NOT required to purchase this text but may wish to do so if they plan to make a career in communicable disease control. Older editions may be available and would remain useful.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom Capacity (microphone required; webcam optional)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.bricknell@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 10 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Principles of disease causation
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 17 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Disease transmission and the immune response
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 24 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Enteric diseases
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 31 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Parasitic Diseases
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 07 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Vector-borne diseases
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 14 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 21 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Vaccine Preventable Diseases
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 28 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Disease surveillance and epidemiology
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 05 May 2025Module/Topic
Outbreak investigation and management
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential School Rockhampton Campus
Wed 7 May - Friday 9 May 2025
(compulsory for EH majors only; other students are welcome)
Assessment 2: Immunisation and vaccine preventable diseases Due: Week 8 Monday (5 May 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Week 9
Begin Date: 12 May 2025Module/Topic
Blood-borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 19 May 2025Module/Topic
Public health measures - historic and contemporary approaches
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 26 May 2025Module/Topic
Public health measures - emerging approaches
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 02 Jun 2025Module/Topic
Communicable disease in pandemics and emergencies
Chapter
Selected readings from e-reading list.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The residential school for this unit will be held in Week 8, from 7-9 May. This residential school is compulsory for students majoring in Environmental Health. Other students are also welcome, but attendance is not compulsory.
1 Online Test
Assessment task 1 is an online test covering the content covered in Weeks 1-5. The questions will be selected randomly from a question bank.
- The test will open on the Monday of Week 6 and remain open until 9:00am on the following Monday (Week 7).
- You have 60 minutes to complete the test.
- You will get your final result from the test showing which questions you got right or wrong. This will let you know which areas you need to study/revise.
- For multiple choice questions, you should choose the most correct answer.
Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available on the Moodle site for guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI for this assessment task.
Week 7 Monday (28 Apr 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Week 9 Monday (12 May 2025)
This test will assess the student's knowledge of the principles of disease causation, disease transmission and the aetiology, prevention and control of enteric, parasitic and vector-borne diseases.
- Describe risk factors and aetiology for a range of communicable diseases important to public health.
- Explain the impact of communicable diseases in the context of individual and population health.
- Identify and analyse primary, secondary and tertiary approaches for the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
2 Online Test
Assessment task 2 is an online test covering the content covered in Week 6. The questions will be selected randomly from a question bank.
- The test will open on the Monday of Week 7 and remain open until 9:00am on the following Monday (Week 8).
- You have 60 minutes to complete the test.
- You will get your final result from the test showing which questions you got right or wrong. This will let you know which areas you need to study/revise.
- For multiple choice questions, you should choose the most correct answer.
Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available on the Moodle site for guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI for this assessment task.
Week 8 Monday (5 May 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Week 9 Monday (12 May 2025)
This test will assess the student's knowledge of the principles of vaccination, the immune response and the aetiology of vaccine preventable diseases.
- Describe risk factors and aetiology for a range of communicable diseases important to public health.
- Explain the impact of communicable diseases in the context of individual and population health.
- Identify and analyse primary, secondary and tertiary approaches for the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
- Explain the methods of measurement, monitoring, prioritisation and surveillance of communicable disease and how they are used to safeguard public health.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
3 Online Test
Assessment task 3 is an online test covering the content covered in Week 9. The questions will be selected randomly from a question bank.
- The test will open on the Monday of Week 10 and remain open until 9:00am on the following Monday (Week 11).
- You have 60 minutes to complete the test.
- You will get your final result from the test showing which questions you got right or wrong. This will let you know which areas you need to study/revise.
- For multiple choice questions, you should choose the most correct answer.
Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available on the Moodle site for guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI for this assessment task.
Week 11 Monday (26 May 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Week 12 Monday (2 June 2025)
This test will assess the student's knowledge of the aetiology, prevention and control of blood borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections.
- Describe risk factors and aetiology for a range of communicable diseases important to public health.
- Explain the impact of communicable diseases in the context of individual and population health.
- Identify and analyse primary, secondary and tertiary approaches for the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
- Evaluate the social and cultural impact of notifiable diseases.
- Explain the methods of measurement, monitoring, prioritisation and surveillance of communicable disease and how they are used to safeguard public health.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
4 Written Assessment
There are two options for this assessment task. Option 1 is for Environmental Health students and students from other disciplines who have attended residential school for this unit. Option 2 is for Health Promotion students and students from other disciplines who have not attended residential school.
Option 1: Environmental Health majors and other students who have attended residential school
While at residential school, you will be involved in the investigation of a simulated outbreak of a communicable disease.
For this assignment, you will write a report including:
- a description of the disease, its aetiology and the mechanism of the outbreak
- factors leading to the outbreak
the actions taken to control the spread of the disease - a critical evaluation of these actions
- future public health interventions that could prevent the outbreak from reoccurring.
Although you will work as a team while investigating the outbreak, you will need to submit an individual report. Students will be evaluated on their critical evaluation of the outbreak, drawing on the core themes and topics presented throughout the unit. If you use any information provided by your team members, you should reference these appropriately in your report. Report writing will be addressed at residential school and an exemplar will be provided on Moodle.
Word count: 2500- 3000 words
Option 2: Health Promotion majors
For this assignment, you will need to write a report which argues for a Communicable Disease to be given priority as part of a State Health Strategy. Students will be given a disease and will need to choose a priority population "of concern" based on trends in diagnosis, prevalence and morbidity reported in Kirby Institute’s 2024 Annual Surveillance Report . Links to specific State policy/strategy documents will be on Moodle. You must refer to one of these strategies for your home state. Guidance will be provided on Moodle and discussed in the Assessment 4 online Zoom session.
The report will include the following:
- a background to the disease, including
- the nature of the problem (description of the disease and a brief aetiology);
- the extent of the problem (trends in diagnosis, prevalence and morbidity); and
- the risk factors and protective factors.
- a description of the population of concern, including
- a definition of the population group at risk;
- an explanation of the extent of the problem in the population group (eg. trends in diagnosis, prevalence and morbidity); and
- an investigation of the factors contributing to trends in population group.
- a rationale for inclusion in State policy, including
- the impact of the disease (eg. cost to individuals and community); and
- the potential for prevention and early intervention in reducing this burden.
Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available on the Moodle site for guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI for this assessment task.
Week 12 Friday (6 June 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Submit online through the unit Moodle page
After confirmation of grades
Option 1: Environmental Health majors and other students who have attended residential school
Relevance (30%)
- summarises relevant disease information from credible and reputable sources
- report is relevant to the outbreak under investigation
- interventions are appropriate
- interventions are thoroughly explained
- effectiveness of the intervention is evaluated
- public health interventions to prevent future outbreaks are presented
- citations are relevant to the outbreak under investigation
Validity (50%)
- depth and extent of discussion of the investigation
- evaluation is thorough and logically presented
- accuracy of the information used to support statements
- recommendations for future public health interventions have been based on critical thought, analysis of the evidence and synthesis of new ideas
- discussion aligns with unit content
- depth and range of research from relevant sources
Organisation (10%)
- flow of information
- coherence and clarity of expression (spelling, grammar, syntax)
- all sources attributed
- structure aligns with unit guidelines
Presentation (10%)
- style and formatting of report
- typographical matters (types, font, headings etc)
- referencing is consistent and in accordance with Harvard style
- length
Option 2: Health Promotion majors and other students not attending residential school
Relevance (30%)
- summarises relevant disease information from credible and reputable sources
- population group is appropriate and justified
- impact of disease is thoroughly explained
- potential for prevention and early intervention in reducing burden has been thoroughly explored
- citations are relevant to the disease under investigation
Validity (50%)
- depth and extent of discussion of the disease, priority population and rationale for inclusion
- argument for rationale is thorough and logically presented
- accuracy of the information used to support statements
- depth and range of research
- citations are relevant to the context of task
- discussion aligns with unit content
Organisation (10%)
- flow of information
- coherence and clarity of expression (spelling, grammar, syntax)
- all sources attributed
- structure aligns with unit guidelines
Presentation (10%)
- style and formatting of report
- typographical matters (types, font, headings etc)
- referencing is consistent and in accordance with Harvard style
- length
- Explain the impact of communicable diseases in the context of individual and population health.
- Identify and analyse primary, secondary and tertiary approaches for the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
- Evaluate the social and cultural impact of notifiable diseases.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
