SCIENCE

STRAND ONE: NATURE OF SCIENCE
STRAND element: SCIENCE IN SOCIETY
Main Learning Outcome = 10
Students should be able to ‘appreciate the role of science in society; and its personal, social
and global importance; and how society influences scientific research’.
Background Information:
Science is a public good and is critical in developing real-world solutions for global challenges,
such as ensuring energy, water and food security, or health in a sustainable world with a predicted
nine billion inhabitants. Some global challenges, like environmental threats to human health, are
well-known (e.g. the damaging effects of air pollution). Other health threats appear suddenly (e.g.
the Ebola Virus Disease – EVD), causing untold physical, psychological and economic damage, and
sparking new scientific research and development.
One of the first known Ebola outbreaks happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near the
River Ebola. The virus can be transmitted to humans from infected wild animals (fruit bats, monkeys
and apes), and then spreads via human-to-human transmission. Ebola symptoms include the
sudden onset of fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting,
diarrhoea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, internal and/or
external bleeding. People remain infectious so long as their blood contains the virus (2-21 days).
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 28,646 cases of Ebola, including 11,323 deaths,
between March 2014 and March 2016. The worst affected countries in this latest outbreak were
Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. These three countries have very weak health systems, lack basic
infrastructure and have recently emerged from long periods of conflict and instability – all factors
affecting human health in the region.
Scientific researchers have genetically traced the Ebola virus in these 3 countries. Tracing the
genetic lineages of Ebola may help researchers better understand the spread and evolution of the
virus and help control outbreaks in the future. Scientists are also working on an Ebola vaccine.
Clinical trials for several candidate vaccines are ongoing, but it is hoped that a safe and effective
vaccine will be available shortly. Improved ‘rapid diagnostic tests’ to be used in mobile labs to
quickly tell whether people have contracted Ebola, so that they can be treated and/or isolated to
prevent further spread, are the focus of further scientific research and development.
When science responds to the needs and interests of the societies in which it takes place, like in the
case of Ebola, the consequences often include societal benefits (fewer cases and improved chances
of survival) together with improved scientific understanding (for example, of viruses and vaccines).
It is important to remember, however, that many life-saving scientific discoveries and advances
never reach the poorest people most in need of them (e.g. in treating cases of TB and smallpox). For
example, current levels of maternal mortality are unacceptably high: 830 women die every day from
preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 99% of these cases occur in developing
countries, primarily due to infection or lack of access to obstetric care.
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