The Killers Among Us

DIRECTIONS: After reading The Hot Zone, and the two articles: The Killers All Around (Time, Sept. 12, 1994) and Outbreak of Fear (Newsweek, May 22, 1995), answer the following questions.

1. Define infectious diseases. What are the four main types of organisms capable of causing infectious diseases?

2. Name and describe 6 ways infectious diseases can be transmitted. Why are diseases being transmitted more quickly in today's world than they were in the world of over 100 years ago?

3. Diagram or explain how a virus replicates. What does extreme amplification mean?

4. Make a chart of past and present plagues. For each, indicate when and where they struck or are striking and if they are still a menace. Example:

5. Scientists have speculated on many reasons why there have been outbreaks of new diseases in the world in the past 30-40 years. For each of these 6 reasons, explain how they could be responsible for the rash of new outbreaks.

a. mutation (in terms of "host hopping" and in terms of rate of opportunity of mutation)

b. resistance to antibiotics (among bacteria)

c. larger numbers of people encroaching on untouched land

d. climatic changes

e. density of population increasing

f. faster and more networked travel

6. What is a filovirus? Name the four types of filoviruses discussed in the book The Hot Zone. Compare the four filoviruses in terms of kill rate, biosafety containment level, and symptoms.

7. So far, the outbreaks of Ebola in 1976, 1989, 1991, 1994 and 1995 have been considered to be microbreaks. Could there be another outbreak of a new strain of Ebola in the future? Is it likely that there would be a more explosive outbreak of Ebola worldwide? Why or why not. What precautions should mankind take to prevent such a worldwide outbreak from occurring?

8. Explain how fear is one of the biggest reasons that the efforts to stop infectious diseases such as AIDS, Ebola, Bubonic Plague, etc. from reaching epidemic levels have been unsuccessful.

9. Create a visual that represents the ever present battle humanity wages against the killer viruses among us.