Epidemics

Millions of people living all over the world have cancer. Is cancer a pandemic?

• No, because cancer is not contagious.
• No, because cancer is not always fatal.
• Yes, because millions of people have cancer.
• Yes, because people all over the world have cancer.

A city has an outbreak of a disease that affects an unusually large portion of its population at the same time. Which term BEST describes the outbreak?

• pandemic
• plague
• epidemic
• infection

The bacteria B. anthracis causes the deadly disease anthrax. Here is one way humans can contract the disease:
1.The bacteria form tough endospores that rest in soil indefinitely.
2.Grazing animals such as sheep inhale the endospores from the soil.
3.Once inside the sheep, the spores reactivate and cause infection.
4.Infected sheep then pass the bacteria to humans who become infected.
In this scenario, what is the vector of anthrax?

• endospores
• soil
• sheet
• humans

Which is a distinction between an epidemic and a pandemic?

• the symptoms of the disease
• the geographical area affected
• the species of organisms infected
• the season in which the disease spreads

In 1918, an outbreak of influenza infected 500,000 people all over the world. Tens of millions of those infected died. In 1994, an outbreak of pneumonic plague spread quickly through the city of Surat in India, killing 52 people.
Which statement BEST describes the two events?

• Both outbreaks were pandemics.
• Both outbreaks were epidemics.
• The influenza outbreak was a pandemic. The plague outbreak was an epidemic.
• The influenza outbreak was an epidemic. The plague outbreak was a pandemic.

Which tool is MOST responsible for preventing future pandemics of smallpox?

• worldwide vaccination for smallpox
• global education about smallpox
• better worldwide urban sanitation
• improved global quarantine facilities

Tags

NGSS.HS-ETS1-3

Which tool is MOST responsible for preventing future pandemics of smallpox?

• worldwide vaccination for smallpox
• global education about smallpox
• better worldwide urban sanitation
• improved global quarantine facilities

Tags

NGSS.HS-ETS1-3

Which has made the most significant difference to reduce the spread of epidemics and pandemics worldwide?

• water treatment
• decreased pollution
• increased medical aid

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-7

Which best describes how an outbreak of cholera begins?

• Fleas bite animals and humans causing the disease to spread.
• A bacterial organism contaminates the drinking water of a community.
• An infected mosquito penetrates the skin of several humans, causing them to contract the disease.

Which epidemic could best be treated by antibiotics?

• flu
• AIDS
• cholera