INFLUENZA

1. What is an epidemic?

A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time.

2. What is a pandemic?

The worldwide outbreak of a disease in numbers clearly in excess of normal.

3. What is an infectious disease?

A disease that can be transmitted from person to person or from organism to organism, and is caused by eg viruses and bacteria.

4. What is a virus?

Ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts.

5. What makes the H1N1 virus a "novel" or "new" virus?

That it didn't exist before, it's a new disease that was recently discovered and has been spreading worldwide.

6. How do viruses mutate?

 A virus is a bit of genetic information (RNA or DNA) packaged in an envelope of proteins and/or lipids sometimes including sugars. Viruses cannot live by themselves but must be able to quickly get into eukaryotic (Plant or Animal) cells to survive. They use the energy metabolism and biosynthetic machinery of the cell to replicate themselves. During the phase of replication inside the eukaryotic cell, a virus makes a copy of its RNA or DNA and from that copy duplicates itself. The RNA or DNA in a virus usually encodes enzymes involved in this process in addition to gene sequences that encode the envelope proteins.

7. What does it mean that this virus has "parts" from other known swine flus, human flus and American bird flus?

The swine flu could combine with the bird flu, and is much more deadly. The only advantage would be that it's less easily transmitted, but still, if it gets to the humans, then it would be easily transmitted.

8. How does that process happen?

The flu has spread all the way to the Norhtern Hemisphere, where the bird flu is present, and if the swine flu infectates someone that already has the bird flu, the diseases could combine, forming stonger and more dangerous virus.

9. How is the flu vaccine created?

Currently, 20 companies worldwide are working on it. Right now, there hasn't been a production of swine flu vaccines, they're currently experimenting. The experiment consists in injecting a small amount of virus into each egg, since eggs are ideal for growing up flu viruses, and incubate them over the weekend. Then, they try to reverse the genetics, injecting another virus known as PR8.

10. Why are some viruses transmittable from human to human while others are not (avian flu)?

Because in the case of birds, it would need few mutations to spread rapidly between mammals by respiratory droplets.

11. How does Tamiflu work?

By binding to and inhibiting one of the surface enzymes the virus uses to exit infected cells.

12. Scientists worry that H1N1 might become resistant to Tamiflu. How might that happen?

Since there are not enough Tamiflus for everyone, we might have to reduce the doses

1. What is the most predictable thing about influenza?

I think that scientists will find the cure and the whole world will cooperate for Mexico to get cured.  Even though it will take some time, at the end we will live happily ever after hahaha till the next problem appears.

2. How many people have died in Mexico? (based on the article as well as on latest news)

There have been 66 confirmed deaths.

3. Name 3 countries where swine flu has been confirmed in the last three days.

Malasia,Turkey and India.

4. What are the symptoms of the swine flu?

Feber, pain in the joints, throat pain, headache and cough.

5. When was the outbreak of the Spanish flu?

After WWI in 1918.

6. What percentage of the world population died of influenza then?

1% of global population, that is a lot if you compare it with the flu of today, besides we have much better technology.

7. Why was there an emergency vaccination program in 1976?

One person died and they wanted to prevent another catastrophe like the one that happened 50 years before.

8. Name a few actions the Mexican government has done to curb the spread of swine flu.

All public services like schools and restaurants were closed, also the gave out masks in the subway for people to prevent getting sick.

9. What were the consequences for Mexico and Mexicans due to the actions taken by the government?

Tourism lost a lot of money as well as restaurants.

10. What industries were particularly hard hit?

Tourism

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?

Schools yes, because it was very easy to get infected there, but restaurants I think it was an exaggeration because people still gathered together.

2. More people die from the regular flu then from swine flu, why do you think this became a big news story?

This virus came from animals, and it was very strange.

3. Why did people stop visiting Mexico? Why have Mexicans been discriminated? Do you think the fear of the disease is justified?

No, the way Mexicans got treated it is so unfair, not all of us were sick and that is called discrimination.

4. What questions about individual and human rights does preventing the spread of flu raise?