Circle of Life HIV/AIDS/STI and Hepatitis Curriculum
Chapter 4: Learning about Diseases
A turtle is displayed on the screen, and is talking to a girl. Her name is Tasha.
The turtle starts the conversation:
Turtle: Today we are going to learn about diseases. There are two basic types of
diseases and they both impact our health. “Communicable” diseases are those we can
transfer to other people through personal contact. So Tasha, what do you think “noncommunicable” diseases are then?
Tasha: Disease we don’t pass on to other people?
Turtle: Exactly! We cannot transfer a “non-communicable disease”, such as cancer.
Turtle: We’ll also talk a bit about acronyms.
Tasha: Whatcha-nyms?
Turtle: They can sound confusing but they are actually words made up from the first
letters of several words in a name.
Tasha: Huh?
Turtle: Like AC for Air Conditioning.
Tasha: Oh I get it! Or OJ for Orange Juice!
Turtle: Correct! Some acronyms we’ll discuss are HIV, AIDS and STIs or sexually
transmitted infections.
Tasha: Whoa, sounds complicated.
Turtle: Well, they can be complicated and serious diseases.
Turtle: AIDS is caused by the HIV virus and since it can be transferred to others, it is a
communicable disease.
Tasha: Not good!
Turtle: No. But there are ways we can protect and prevent ourselves from getting
infected. Now, let’s get started!
1
Learning about Diseases
Disease is just a fancy way of saying “sickness.” You probably know there are lots of
different kinds of diseases. Some just make you feel bad for a little while. Then they go
away. But, other diseases are very dangerous. Certain diseases can be passed from
one person to another. We call those diseases communicable.
Everyone gets a cold or the flu sometimes. Those are sicknesses that can be passed to
your friends and family. They are communicable diseases. You can get them from
someone else if that person coughs or sneezes on you.
The chicken pox and measles are other kinds of communicable diseases.
Usually, when one kid at school gets the chicken pox, lots of other kids do too.
But, some other diseases cannot be passed from one person to another.
Those diseases are called non-communicable.
You don’t get those diseases from other people even if a sick person sneezes right on
you or touches you with dirty hands.
Diabetes and asthma are two kinds of non-communicable diseases. You probably know
someone who has one of those diseases. Don’t worry, because you can’t catch those
diseases from them. No matter what.
It’s really important to learn more about diseases that are communicable. The more you
know, the more you can be sure to keep yourself safe and healthy.
The Claw Game
Round 1: What are three communicable disease conditions from the list below?
1. Chicken pox: Causes itchy, fluid filled blisters that burst and form crusts. It is
caused by a virus.
2. Lice: Tiny insects that live on the skin on the top of your head.
2
3. Broken arm: If more pressure is put on an arm than it can stand, it will break.
4. Asthma: A breathing disorder that causes shortness of breath, chest tightness
and coughing.
5. Pink eye: swelling or infection of the membrane lining of the eyelid.
The answers are chicken pox, lice and pink eye.
Round 2: What are three non-communicable disease conditions from the list
below?
1. Asthma: A breathing disorder that causes shortness of breath, chest tightness
and coughing.
2. Type 2 Diabetes: A chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high levels of glucose
(sugar) in the blood.
3. Pneumonia: A respiratory condition in which there is infection of the lung.
4. Acne: A skin condition that causes blemishes commonly known as “pimples” or
“zits” to form.
5. Head Cold: Often involves runny nose, cough, congestion, sneezing, sore throat
and sometimes headache.
The answers are asthma, type 2 diabetes, and acne.
Virus Game
How do you control the spread of an infection such as a virus or bacteria from a cold?
1. Use tissues when you sneeze
2. Wash your hands
3. Sneeze on other people
4. Cough on your hand and then shake hands with someone without washing it
If you choose number 1 and 2, you are correct. Even though you may not fully protect
yourself from an infection, you can try to not spread the virus or bacteria.
3
What’s in a Name?
Do you know what an acronym is? An acronym is a word made from the first letters of a
series of words. People use acronyms because they are a lot easier to say than lots of
long words.
Here’s an example. You probably know the word NASA, right. You know it has
something to do with space. And, it’s an easy word to say. Well, NASA is really an
acronym. It stands for:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Here’s another example. Have you ever heard of people going scuba diving in the
ocean? Scuba is an acronym too. It stands for
Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
Isn’t saying “scuba” a lot easier than saying all that?
Acronyms are used for lots of different things. They’re even used to name diseases.
Like the disease aids. AIDS is an acronym. It stands for:
Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome
That’s a real mouthful! No wonder people just say “aids.” It’s a lot easier to remember.
Do you know about the disease aids? It’s a very serious disease. So, it’s an important
disease to learn about. The more you know about it, the safer you will be from ever
getting it.
4
Acronym Game: Journey into a Word
The journey into a word game below will ask you to define what each letter of the word
“aids” means. Each level will get harder to determine what word or order is correct.
Level 1 of the game means that you will pick the correct word in the acronym AIDS
under each column. Level 2 of the game will have you pick the acronym out of the list of
scrambled words. Finally, level 3 will ask you what the correct order of words make the
acronym for AIDS.
Level 1:
What does each letter in the AIDS acronym stand for in the listing of words below?
Table 1: List of AIDS Acronym Words
A words
I words
D words
S words
nti
Important
Delicate
Sample
Ankle
Initial
Decoy
Sibling
Acne
Inside
Deaf
Syndrome
Acquired
Immuno
Deficiency
Solution
The answer is, acquired, immuno, deficiency, syndrome.
Level 2
Try again, this time the words will be all mixed together. What does each letter in the
AIDS acronym stand for?
a) Initial
b) Immuno
c) Deficient
d) Immunization
e) Syndrome
f) Defy
g) Acquire
h) Acquires
5
i) Sample
j) Definitely
k) Acquired
l) Immune
m) Symptom
n) Deficiency
o) Act
p) Syndromes
The answer is acquired, immune, deficiency and syndrome.
Level 3
Which order is the AIDS Acronym correct?
a) Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome
b) Immuno Acquired Syndrome Deficiency
c) Acquired Deficiency Immuno Syndrome
d) Syndrome Immuno Acquired Deficiency
The answer is number one; the AIDS acronym stands for acquired immune deficiency
syndrome.
Learning about Communicable Diseases: HIV, aids, hepatitis, and
STIs
In school, you’ve already learned that diseases are caused by two kinds of germs: virus
and bacteria germs.
When germs get inside your body, they can multiply and cause an infection. Your
body’s immune system fights off the germs with special cells.
Some diseases, such as Hepatitis and aids, can be very dangerous to our health.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to protect yourself from these communicable
diseases.
6
One very dangerous virus is called HIV. That’s the virus that causes aids.
You don’t say “HIV” as a word. Instead, you say each letter, one by one HIV. HIV stands
for Human Immuno deficiency Virus.
However, you can say “AIDS” as a word, which also stands for Acquired Immuno
Deficiency Syndrome.
What is Hepatitis?
The word hepatitis simply means an inflammation of the liver. We’ll learn about two
types of hepatitis today, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Hepatitis B (also called serum hepatitis) is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by direct contact with an infected person’s blood.
What are STIs?
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also called sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),
affect people of all ages, backgrounds, and from all walks of life.
One reason STIs spread is because people think they can only get infected if they have
sexual intercourse. However, a person can get some STIs, like herpes or genital warts,
through skin-to-skin contact with an infected area or sore.
STIs also spread easily because you can't tell whether someone has an infection. In
fact, some people with STIs don't even know that they have them. These people are in
danger of passing an infection on to others without even realizing it.
7
Some of the things that increase a person's chances of getting an STI are:
● Sexual activity at a young age. The younger a person starts having sex,
the greater his or her chances of becoming infected with an STI.
● Lots of sex partners. People who have sexual contact — not just
intercourse, but any form of intimate activity — with many different partners
are more at risk than those who stay with the same partner.
● Unprotected sex. Condoms are the only form of birth control that reduce
your risk of getting an STI, and must be used every time to work.
Spermicides, diaphragms, and other birth control methods may help
prevent pregnancy, but they don't protect a person against STIs.
8