Epidemic+Question-+Homework+DB

(1) Why keep the 1918 flu virus in the freezer? The 1918 flu virus has been kept in the freezer to be study to learn about viruses we face today. We want to know what made the 1918 flu deadly to prevent today's viruses from becoming that way.

(2) Where do all flu viruses get their start? Most flu viruses get their start in animals.

(3) How does the avian flu and 1918 flu kill people? These flus kill because they infect the lower part of the lungs. When the lower part of the lungs becomes inflamed and swells, oxygen cannot be taken up by the alveoli and the person cannot live.

(4) Why can't the bird flu transfer from human to human? The bird flu can't transer from human to human because it has discovered the correct HA ad NA lock and key to move from human to human.

(5) Why would someone in the lab want to give the bird flu the ability to go from human to human? Someone would want to give the flu the ability to go from human to human in able to prevent that from happening in real life.

(6) How are they are trying to give bird flu that ability (in the lab)? They are mixing samples of the bird flu with samples of the flu of 1918.

(7) How many people were killed in th 1918 flu epidemic? The 1918 flu epidemic killed about 20 million people.

(8) How many people were killed by the plague-"The black death"? "The black death" killed 75 million people and wiped out nearly 1/3 of Europe's population.

(9) What is an epidemic? An epidemic is the rapid spread or increase of something.

(10) What caused the plague and how did it spread? The plague was caused by a bacterial infection believed to be first experienced by fleas on rats. The rats spread the disease as they boarded trading ships. The infection then got passed on to humans.



Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death#Causes_of_bubonic_infection

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/96/4/1651

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/epidemic