Bird flu is a serious virus that has infected and killed millions of birds across the globe. Scientists say that it has the potential to become a pandemic among the human population, but only if the virus mutates.

Following the outbreak at a Suffolk turkey farm, and subsequent cull, young people may be curious and even worried about the virus and whether it could affect them. The performance in this kit is an informative drama based on facts about the virus. It is also intended to stimulate students to consider the virus’ implications on both a personal and worldwide level.

For a quick assembly, all you need to do is photocopy the script, decide who is going to play each of the four roles, then have a read through or rehearsal before the performance.

If you have the time, you can enhance the performance by including some of the add-ons.

The follow-up activities offer a range of simple activities suitable for exploring the issues in more depth in class after the assembly. Try to build in time for these to give students time to explore the issues and ask their own questions.
 

This assembly kit is suitable for young people aged 9 to 16.

• To help students look behind sensational headlines and make sensible risk assessments based on facts.
• To help students to see that even if bird flu doesn’t become a human pandemic, its effect on poor countries is already being felt.
• To give students an understanding of how governments and communities, both in the UK and in other countries, prepare for and cope with a health scare.

The performance consists of three scenes. You’ll need to cast the following parts:

• Jack, a school student whose family keeps chickens
• A fellow student – male or female
• Jack’s father
• A vet

Decide who is going to play each role and distribute the scripts. Depending on your group, you may like teachers to take the parts of the father and the vet.

You’ll want to go through the script with your group to make sure everyone is comfortable with the language and meaning and knows when to speak.

Narrator
You’ve heard the news stories – ‘Bird flu could kill millions’, ‘UK braces for bird flu’. So, what do you think about the risk? Are you worried or do you think it’s all a fuss about nothing?

Take a look at this scene in a playground in a school in the UK. This is Jack. His family keeps chickens and they’re not well. The vet has been called.

> Scene 1 – in the school playground

Student A
What’s all this then, Jack? Are you contagious? Have you caught bird flu from your chickens?

Jack
No, I haven’t. Our chickens got ill and the vet’s going to take a look at them, that’s all.

Student A
I bet they’ve got bird flu, like those turkeys in Suffolk! And it can spread to humans and kill them, you know. Aren’t you worried?

Jack
We don’t know if they’ve got bird flu. My dad says it’s very rare for humans to get infected – that’s why it’s called bird flu, because birds get it.

But then there’s reports on the news of people who’ve caught it and died.

Student A
I heard on TV that bird flu could kill millions of people. Your chickens might be the first in the UK to get the virus, just like those turkeys.

Jack
[worried] I know. And people have died from it – people who keep birds. It’s really scary.

[optimistic] But it might be nothing to worry about. Have you heard the story of Chicken Licken? An acorn fell on his head and he thought the sky was falling down. He convinced everyone the sky was falling down and they were all terrified, when it was just a little acorn. I’m going to wait to hear what the vet has to say.

> Scene 2 – Jack’s house

Vet
I’m prescribing anti-biotics to clear up your chickens’ symptoms, but there’s nothing to worry about. They tested negative for H5N1, so they haven’t got bird flu.

Dad
Well, that’s a relief. We’ve started to worry though. I mean, I handle the chickens all the time, and Jack usually collects the eggs. Would we have been at risk if they did have bird flu?

Vet
Well, you’re right that it is possible for the virus to cross over to humans. The people who’ve caught bird flu had been in close contact with infected birds. Nearly half of them are children who had been playing with infected birds. So if you do find a dead bird, you mustn't touch it. Stay away and call a vet.

You’ve kept chickens for years though. I’m sure you have high standards of hygiene. Do you always wash your hands after handling the poultry?

Dad
Yes. We always wash our hands and I keep a special hand wash outside the chicken coop.

Jack
But we eat chicken. Can we catch it from eating chicken?

Vet
No, eating chicken is safe. Just make sure you always cook meat and eggs thoroughly.

Jack
Do you think bird flu could kill millions of people?

Vet
Scientists are thinking about the worst-case scenario so that we can be prepared. They say there is a very small chance that the virus will change or mix with human flu and then get passed from person to person. It hasn’t happened yet, but if it does, they predict it could claim millions of lives.

Dad
I never thought flu could actually kill people.

Vet
Certainly. People regard flu as an everyday illness but in fact it kills hundreds of thousands worldwide each year. With bird flu, though, people are worried about a flu pandemic. This would mean the virus sweeping across the world. Scientists say a flu pandemic is long overdue. There were three major pandemics in the last century. The biggest, the 1918 flu, killed at least 20 million people.

Jack
What will happen if we have a pandemic, then?

Vet
If the virus breaks out in humans, the government’s emergency plans will kick in. We would have to avoid large public gatherings such as in cinemas and at football matches. That’ll stop the virus spreading quickly.

Dad
Are there drugs being developed to combat it, if it does reach humans?

Vet
Scientists are working hard to make a vaccine. There are antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu and Relenza, which the government has bought in huge quantities just in case. The idea of these is to limit symptoms and reduce the chances of the virus spreading.

> Scene 3 – in Jack’s house, later that evening after the vet has left

Dad
I feel better after talking to the vet. How many people have died after catching bird flu, Jack?

Jack
Just over a hundred and fifty.

Dad
Well, that’s not many is it? I mean, if you think about the global population, hardly anyone’s been affected.

Jack
Well, hardly anyone’s caught bird flu, but you have to think about the farmers around the world who are having to kill their chickens. Bird flu is in Indonesia, Hungary, Turkey, Egypt, India Thailand – all over the place. They said on TV that a farmer in Nigeria had to destroy his whole chicken farm – 15,000 chickens – overnight. His business is ruined.

Dad
It’s really important that infected birds are culled to stop the spread of the virus. Besides, he must get compensation.

Jack
The report said that not all governments are giving compensation, and many of the governments that are, can’t give enough so people are left out of pocket and struggling.

Dad
In that case, if you’ve got a business based on poultry, you’re not going to want to report your birds being ill. You’d have to kill them and then you’d be left without a way of making money. But if you don’t report it, it will spread, and you risk getting bird flu yourself.

Jack
It must be an impossible decision. Whether there is or isn’t a human pandemic of flu in the future, the virus is damaging people’s lives right now.

End of performance

Pick one or several of the add-ons to incorporate into the performance. They’ll give your assembly extra impact so you and your students will get more out of the experience.

Reflection add-on
Lead a discussion on the various themes of the role-play – health scares and pandemics, developing countries and poverty. Do this to prepare students performing or to round off the assembly.

• What struck students most about the script – the personal story or the bigger themes, or a particular fact?
  
• Ask students to imagine depending on chickens for their livelihood. What are the consequences of bird flu for a farmer in Nigeria?
  
• In what ways might wealthier countries be able to cope better with the various effects of bird flu than poorer countries?

Map add-on
To introduce the assembly, project a map showing how bird flu has spread over time from Asia westward to Africa and Europe. Use the maps to highlight how many countries have been affected. Click here for an interactive map.

Headline add-on
Look at newspapers and internet news sites and put together a montage of headlines. Use the most recent headlines at the start of the assembly.

Talk to students about the media’s role in presenting and at times sensationalising bird flu.

These follow-up activities can be used after the assembly to explore some of the issues in more depth. You might use these directly after the assembly, or as a way to come back to the topic later in the term.

Media follow-up
Use the story of Chicken Licken, mentioned in the script, to discuss health scares and how they are reported. Look at the recent media coverage and the language used in the reporting. Can students find emotive language that adds to a feeling of hysteria?

What previous health scares, e.g. Sars, BSE and foot and mouth disease, do students remember. Look back to see how the media handled them. Can they draw any parallels?

Discussion follow-up
Ask students to tell you the bird flu jokes they have heard. Look for cartoons in the newspapers. Have a discussion about why we often joke about things that worry us.

What do students think? Have they told jokes themselves? Do they think it makes us worry less, or is it dangerous to make light of a serious subject?

Speaker follow-up 
As bird flu has the potential to affect everybody, many people in the community have been arming themselves with information and learning about precautionary measures to take. There may well be someone in your area who would be happy to meet your group and talk about their involvement. Ideas might include:

• a local poultry farmer who is monitoring his livestock
• a vet who is supporting the community
• a local representative from a health and safety committee on the local council.

Research follow-up
Divide students into groups and give each group a country that has had an outbreak of bird flu. Ask them to research how their country has been affected. They can look for statistics as well as individual case studies and produce a poster.