Influenza H1N1

1. What is an epidemic?
Epidemic: an epidemic (from Greek epi- upon + demos people) occurs when new cases of a certain disease occur in a given human population, during a given period, substantially exceed what is "expected," based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during a specified period of time is called the "incidence rate"). (An epizootic is the analogous circumstance within an animal population.)
2. What is a pandemic?
Pandemic: a pandemic (from Greek παν pan all + δήμος demos people) is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide.
3. What is an infectious disease?
Infectious diseases: an infectious disease is a clinically evident disease resulting from the presence of pathogenic microbial agents, including pathogenic viruses, pathogenic bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular parasites, and aberrant proteins known as prions.
4. What is a virus?
Virus: a virus (from the Latin virus meaning toxin or poison) is a sub-microscopic infectious agent that is unable to grow or reproduce outside a host cell. Viruses infect all types of cellular life.
5. What makes the H1N1 virus a "novel" or "new" virus
It’s considered new because in some way it is. The previous virus did not affect humans, but a recent mutation became dangerous for humans.
6. How do virus mutate?
To survive: unlike plants, animals and other organisms, the only way a virus can reproduce is through a host cell, which it does by attaching its surface proteins to the cell's membrane and injecting its genetic material into the cell. This genetic material, either DNA or RNA, then carries with it the instructions to the cell's machinery to make more viruses. These new viruses then leave the cell and spread to other parts of the host organism.
7. What does it mean that this virus has "parts" from other known swine flus, human flus and American bird flus?
Because it has different shards of two already existent viruses, Which are the swine flu and the human Influenza, which suffered a fusion (in some way) and the result was the virus now known as H1N1.

8. How does that process happen?
Well first of all we need a animal, of any kind, that shares genetic patterns with another animal. Then we need two animals with a disease that share the genetic pattern. Then we need a contact off those two animals with the other that’s going to work as a type of vessel. Finally the vessel gets infected with those two viruses that attack the same cell, after both of them leave their genetic codes and mix up comes up and finally a new virus is created. This is in the case of the H1N1 virus.
9. How is the flu vaccine created?
Usually they simply put you a very small and weak does of the virus, the body learns how to defeat it in a safe way and in the future when that virus comes up it will be easier to attack.
10. Why are some viruses transmittable from human to human while others are not (avian flu)?
If we don’t share a similarity with them, there’s no way the virus knows how to affect the cell.
11. How does Tamiflu work?
Tamiful (Oseltamivir) is an antiviral drug that is used in the treatment and prophylaxis of both Influenzavirus A and Influenzavirus B infection. Like zanamivir, oseltamivir is a neuraminidase inhibitor. It acts as a transition-state analogue inhibitor of influenza neuraminidase, preventing progeny virions from emerging from infected cells.
12. Scientists worry that H1N1 might become resistant to Tamiflu. How might that happen?
1. What is the most predictable thing about influenza?
1.- Its unpredictable nature
2. How many people have died in Mexico? (based on the article as well as on latest news)
2.- 150 but the WHO only recognizes 78 up to date.
3. Name 3 countries where swine flu has been confirmed in the last three days.
3.- Ireland, Portugal and Denmark
4. What are the symptoms of the swine flu?
4.- The same as flu, only that in a few hours you get a chest pain, headaches and muscle pain (if that’s how it’s called).
5. When was the outbreak of the Spanish flu?
5.- Between 1917 and 1919.
6. What percentage of the world population died of influenza then?
6.- Around 1% of the population.
7. Why was there an emergency vaccination program in 1976?
7.- Because two people at New Jersey had similar symptoms to the ones of the Influenza pandemic of 1917.
8. Name a few actions the Mexican government has done to curb the spread of swine flu.
8.- Close schools, prohibit big concentrations of people, release many ways to prevent it by announcing on TV, radio and newspapers.
9. What were the consequences for Mexico and Mexicans due to the actions taken by the government?
9.- Well, everything really got more controlled, although it wasn’t the perfect plan it worked out pretty well, there were almost no consequences now that I think it.
10. What industries were particularly hard hit?
10.- Perhaps all the stores that don’t sell food and medicines.
1. Mexico has shut down schools and other public spaces; do you think that was the correct thing to do? Why or why not?
1.- I really think it was the correct way of control it, maybe not the best way to turn it down, but still very good and fast action.
2. More people die from the regular flu then from swine flu, why do you think this became a big news story?
2. - Flu is something that’s always everywhere and kills slowly, but the swine flu comes from nowhere and kills a large amount of people in almost no time, also it is more contagious.
3. Why did people stop visiting Mexico? Why have Mexicans been discriminated? Do you think the fear of the disease is justified?
3.- People fear what they don’t understand, ignorant people discriminated Mexicans thinking they were the source of all this, but they aren’t, simply they were the unlucky people to get it, can happen anywhere and still I don’t think it’s bad, because it is the best way to keep the problem in a specific place.
4. What questions about individual and human rights does preventing the spread of flu raise?