7-12
© 2011, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. A graphic story about how human papillomavirus (HPV) attacks the body and creates runaway infection. This is the story of Dede, an Indonesian fisherman, and the HPV that turns him into The Terrible Tree-man! Read about his transformation through the help of an American doctor, who discovers that Dede’s warts are due to an HPV infection, and who treats him by boosting his immune system.
Activity Duration: 30-60 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: The HPV might be a little more "attention-getting" to middle-level students. Definitely scary/gory artwork/story. Rating: Recommended
High school teacher: Excellent explanation of HPV in well-organized graphic version. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
This is a great comic, based on the true story, to educate about HPV. The plot covers the significant biological properties of HPV very well. The graphic is excellent. Rating: Highly recommended
7-12
© SOGC 2009. Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Through a series of questions, students gain knowledge of HPV, how to prevent it, and how it is transmitted.
Activity Duration: < 15 min
Cost: free
Standards:
Teacher comments:
Middle school teacher: The game is loaded with HPV content. Presented in a student-friendly manner. This game is a nice reinforcement or introduction activity. Probably best suited for a health classroom. Rating: Recommended
High school teacher: This is a targeted education activity to inform adolescents about HPV. It moves fast and supplies good information that is easily understood by average readers. Rating: Recommended
Virologist comments:
The HPV Challenge is an excellent educational tool, which uses a flash animation quiz to test the user's knowledge. The content is scientifically accurate to an acceptable extent. The final question seems to imply that the vaccine would protect against all High Risk HPVs, and this is simply not yet the case. Rating: Highly recommended
9-12
© 2011, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Explore HPV biology through a graphic story. Learn how HPV attacks the body and creates a runaway infection. This is based on the true story of Dede, an Indonesian fisherman, who was transformed into the Tree-Man by HPV. An American doctor discovers the cause of Dede’s illness and proposes a cure. Learn about HPV transmission, prevention, and risk factors by playing an interactive card game. Download “Attack of the P Virus” and discover entertaining and quirky facts about HPV. Open the virus to see inside and learn about the parts. This app includes an essay and 30-minute radio documentary.
Activity Duration: 60-75 min
Cost: free from the App Store
Standards:
Teacher comments:
High school teacher: Very interesting radio documentaries with real-life applications make this module particularly applicable to adolescents. This activity would work in biology, anatomy, physiology, and health classes. Good explanation of virus penetration into the human system and subsequent reprogramming of cellular reproductive mechanisms. Great connections with real life and current issues. Rating: Highly recommended
High school teacher: The mutation that caused Dede's immunodeficiency is interesting as a real example of what a mutation can do. I like that the comic is about the balance a virus needs to achieve with its host--i.e., it is not good for the virus if the host dies. Great factoid is "more viruses than visible stars." Radio program has a nice discussion on the effect of viruses on naive hosts. Nice detail about smoking increasing risk factors. Gardasil info is outdated since it says it is approved for females. The comic fits the evolution standard. Rating: Highly recommended
Virologist comments:
The comic had a fun edge, which will likely be popular with high school students. My favorite part of this activity is the radio spot, "HPV and Men," which suggests (contrary to some strategies for vaccination against HPV) that young men and boys as well as young women and girls should be vaccinated. This is consistent with widely accepted theories of herd immunity. I think that this information in general might be good to introduce to students at a younger age, in order to help foster a better understanding of vaccination among the next generation of parents. Rating: Highly recommended
