Flu+hw-+kat

(1) Why keep the 1918 flu virus in the freezer? Scientists keep the 1918 flu virus in a freezer, so today we can see how it was made and use it to gain more information about the bird flu and why it's so deadly to humans.
 * __10 minute video__**

(2) Where do all fly viruses get their start? All fly viruses get their start from the digestive tract of birds. __**10 minute video**__

(3) How does the avian flu and 1918 flu kill people? The avian flu and the 1918 flu killed people by the hemagglutinin of the type of flu attacking cells in the body and replicating themselves inside the cells. Then the neuraminidase leaves the cells, the replicate, which then attacks other cells infecting the body all over. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1

(4) Why can't the bird flu transfer from human to human? The bird flu can't transfer from human to human because the virus doesn't have the correct hemagglutinin to transfer from human to human.
 * __10 minute video__**

(5) Why would someone in the lab want to give the bird flu the ability to go from human to human? They would want to give the bird flu the ability to go from human to human to figure out a way to stop the flu and stop it from becoming an epidemic. __**10 minute video**__

(6) How are they are trying to give bird flu that ability (in the lab)? They give the bird flu that ability by changing the type of hemagglutinin the bird flu has with the 1918 flu. __**10 minute video**__

(7) How many people were killed in th 1918 flu epidemic? About 50 million people were killed in the 1918 flu epidemic.
 * __10 minute video__**

(8) How many people were killed by the plague-"The black death"? There was an estimated 75-200 million deaths due to the "The black death". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

(9) What is an epidemic? An epidemic is a disease that affects lots of people at the same time, and spreads from one person to another in a locality where the disease is not permanently prevalent. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/epidemic

(10) What caused the plague and how did it spread? The plague was caused by a bacteria called Yersinia pestis. It was spread by people traveling from country to country, which infected more and more people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death