1. What is an epidemic?
It occurs when new cases of a certain disease spread throughout a determined human population.
2. What is a pandemic?
Epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population
3. What is an infectious disease?
such a disease communicated by germs carried in the air or water, and thus spread without contact with the patient, as measles.
4. What is a virus?
an ultramicroscopic, metabolically inert, infectious agent that replicates only within the cells of living hosts, mainly bacteria, plants, and animals: composed of an RNA or DNA core, a protein coat, and, in more complex types, a surrounding envelope.
5. What makes the H1N1 virus a "novel" or "new" virus?
It is a mutation of another virus, but this one is different and immune to the medicines that were used in that virus.
6. How do viruses mutate?
Viruses mutate by taking control of the host cell and creating many of them by replicating their RNA that's why this viruses are called ribovirus.
7. What does it mean that this virus has "parts" from other known swine flus, human flus and American bird flus?
It means that there aren't any new elements in this virus, it is juast a combination of other viruses that cause in the human population a completely new reaction never controlled before.
8. How does that process happen?
If an organism has many influenza viruses at the same time, in the replication process these could create a new kind that has parts from one virus and parts from the other.
9. How is the flu vaccine created?
Even though there isn´t a vaccine ready for swine flu, vaccines are created by injecting the virus to an organism in a small quantity, and let the body have this kind of antibodies for when the real virus comes.
10. Why are some viruses transmittable from human to human while others are not (avian flu)?
Because some organisms, when they get infected the first time they become imune to the virus so they eliminate it, in this case humans; and birds do not become imune so they can still transmit it.
11. How does Tamiflu work?
Tamiflu is antiviral that has shown some response to the swine flu virus. It blocks sialic acid found on the surface of cells, so it blocks the spread of the virus.
12. Scientists worry that H1N1 might become resistant to Tamiflu. How might that happen?
A mutation of the virus can occur by being imune to oseltamivir.
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the most predictable thing about influenza?
The nature of virus that created it.
2. How many people have died in Mexico? (based on the article as well as on latest news)
66
3. Name 3 countries where swine flu has been confirmed in the last three days.
Turkey, Malaysia and India.
4. What are the symptoms of the swine flu?
Nausea, headaches, sore throat, fever, cough.
5. When was the outbreak of the Spanish flu?
In 1918
6. What percentage of the world population died of influenza then?
1% of the world population.
7. Why was there an emergency vaccination program in 1976?
Because of the flu outbreak in that year.
8. Name a few actions the Mexican government has done to curb the spread of swine flu.
Schools were closed, cultural activities like concerts, games, and shows were cancelled. Restaurants were closed for some days and reopened with some conditions.
9. What were the consequences for Mexico and Mexicans due to the actions taken by the government?
The economy has received a great impact because of these actions.
10. What industries were particularly hard hit?
Industries that focus on the population like movie theatres, restaurants and places where many people go.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Mexico has shut down schools and other public spaces; do you think that was the correct thing to do? Why or why not?
Yest, it was the correct thing to do because even if the disease is just starting to spread, many students were infected and these could infect others exponentially.
2. More people die from the regular flu then from swine flu, why do you think this became a big news story?
Because no one ever worries about regular flu, and just because it was a new disease everyone freaked out.
3. Why did people stop visiting Mexico? Why have Mexicans been discriminated? Do you think the fear of the disease is justified?
People stopped visitting Mexico because they were afraid of getting the disease. Mexicans have been discrimminated because of the same reason, and I think the fear of the disease is justified even Mexicans are afraid. What is not justified is the discrimmination to Mexican people.
4. What questions about individual and human rights does preventing the spread of flu raise?
That human rights are being violated because of the nationality of the peopleeven if thare aren't any proof of their infection.
