KS4: Vectors & Vector-borne Diseases
Help students explore the growing global challenge of vector-borne diseases and the actions that can be taken to reduce their impact on human, animal, and environmental health. Designed to be flexible and adaptable, these resources can be tailored to suit your class and delivered over one or more lessons.
For your lesson planning, we created a curriculum mapping document showing how the resources align with the statutory programme of study and relevant schemes of work.
These resources have been piloted in schools across England. Here's what Key Stage 4 teachers had to say:
- "It was a really good lesson, really positive…I particularly liked the fact that it was very kind of independent based." Teacher, Kent
- " really straightforward to deliver in a classroom." Teacher, Hampshire
- "A lot of discussions worked really well, even just comparing the tick cycle to mosquitoes and actually this is what we teach in terms of this specification for the Science GCSE, but actually this is something that's actually quite useful as well. " Teacher, Hampshire
Scroll down to learn more and download the resources.
Learning objectives
All students will:
- Understand the lifecycles of mosquitoes and ticks.
- Understand how mosquitoes and ticks transmit infections and how to prevent this.
- Understand how climate change, global travel and urbanisation has affected the spread of vectors and vector-borne diseases.
- Understand the global risks of vector-borne diseases.
- Be able to identify and differentiate between the various signs and symptoms of VBDs.
- Understand the effect of VBDs on human health, animals, and the wider environment.
Background Information
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) are illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites that are transmitted by living organisms known as vectors. Mosquitoes and ticks are among the most common vectors and are responsible for spreading diseases such as malaria, Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and tick-borne encephalitis. VBDs are a significant global public health challenge, accounting for more than 17% of infectious diseases worldwide, and can affect both humans and animals.
The distribution of VBDs is shaped by a range of environmental and social factors, including climate change, global travel, urbanisation, land-use change, and access to healthcare. As vectors expand into new areas, understanding how diseases spread and how risks can be reduced is becoming increasingly important. Prevention focuses on reducing contact with vectors through protective measures and environmental management, while a One Health approach recognises that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are closely interconnected.
This lesson will support students in understanding how human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected, and how informed decisions can help reduce the risks posed by vector-borne diseases locally and globally.
Activities
Main activity:- Health heroes: facts about vector-borne diseases
- Vector impact: exploring global health challenges
- Disease discovery
- Mosquitoes vs ticks
Curriculum links
Science/Biology:
- Health, disease and development of medicines (Vaccination and body defence/immune system
- Infection and response (Communicable diseases)
- Ecosystems
- Evolution, inheritance and variation
Geography:
- Challenges in the human environment (Urban issues and challenges)
- Living with the physical environment (The challenge of natural hazards)
PSHE:
- Health and wellbeing (Disease prevention, vaccination, risk management)
Supporting Materials
Teacher sheets- Last updated 27.08.2026
- English