e-Bug

20 January 2010

HPA helps children fight back against bugs - This month every school in the south west will be armed with the innovative teaching pack 'e-bug' to help students fight back against infections such as swine flu and Norovirus.

The e-Bug pack features hands-on activities, like a "snot runway", and a website featuring cartoon characters with games to educate children. The interactive activities show children the effects of poor hygiene and teach the science behind bugs in a fun, easy-to-grasp way. Using e-Bug, children can learn how to protect themselves against common infections and swine flu.

The pack, which has been sent to over 20,000 schools in England, covers topics on microbes, hygiene, antibiotic use and vaccines.

It was developed by a team of healthcare experts at the HPA's Primary Care Unit after research in English and European schools found teaching about antibiotics and drug resistance varied widely. It also found the majority of hand hygiene and antibiotic campaigns were targeted towards adults, with few school-based resources available for children.

Dr Cliodna McNulty, Head of the Primary Care Unit that developed the resource said: "e-Bug provides practical information in a fun, hands-on way  which means children are more likely to retain and use what they learn.

"With the current swine flu pandemic as well as seasonal flu, we have seen how children are not only more susceptible to acquiring viruses, but are also more infectious to others.

"Since many swine flu cases have been centred around school outbreaks, it is particularly relevant for schools to use e-Bug.

"e-Bug is also part of our battle to fight against antibiotic resistance, it educates children - our future generation of antibiotic users - about the importance of the prudent use of antibiotics. Antibiotics are currently the most common medicines given to children, and increased antibiotic use is linked to increased resistance.

"The more bugs that become resistant to antibiotics, the fewer medicines we'll have to treat infections."

e-Bug is endorsed by the Department of Health, Department for Children, Schools and Families and the European Commission. It features educational games for primary and secondary school-age children (9-11 year olds) and (13-15 year olds). This is to ensure that the concepts taught in the resource are appropriate for different age groups and that the messages are reinforced twice in a child's schooling.

Notes for Editors:

The e-Bug website is www.e-bug.eu

e-Bug is being launched in ten EU countries with some of the highest antibiotic use and largest populations, making up 55% of the EU population. The 10 countries which will be implementing e-Bug are Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain. Eight countries are seeking funding to implement it are Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Slovenia and Slovakia

e-Bug is sponsored by the European Commission Director General for Health, and Consumer Protection Directorate General. 40% of funding is contributed by the ten countries implementing e-Bug.

e-Bug has been endorsed by the Ministries of Health and Education in 10 EU countries while not formally included in the English school curriculum e-Bug is available for all schools to use from this year and has been evaluated within schools in Gloucestershire and London.

 

Last reviewed: 11 March 2010