Avian Flu To Spread Summary
Assignment 1: Biology Article
Marquis C. Saddler
Professor Nolan
SCI115
February 26, 2013
The title of this article is, “How Hard Would It Be for Avian Flu to Spread?” In this article two teams of scientist genetically altered a deadly flu virus (H5N1) to make it more contagious. The two teams consisted of scientist from Erasmus Medical Center, in the Netherlands, and the other at the University of Wisconsin (McNeil & Grady, 2012). Some argued that the research should have never been done, while others believe that the research may be beneficial for finding vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the virus. There is one point on which the factions agree: The ability of a virus to spread easily from person to person is the key to determining whether it can cause a pandemic (McNeil & Grady, 2012). The main risk factor for catching bird flu is working at a chicken farm or a live bird market (McNeil & Grady, 2012). According to McNeil & Grady, (2012), “The rare cases of apparent human-to-human transmission have usually involved long, close contact, like a mother caring for a sick daughter with the flu”. The new virus which has been tested by both teams was used in …show more content…
I have read many stories in history books and television about the Bubonic Plague killing a third of the world population before they figured out how and why people were getting sick, and figured out a cure. My health and my family’s health is important to me, so naturally knowing that there is a new strain of flu that can potentially harm us would be important to know. I often wonder if something like the Plague would come along again and how long would it take for the world to find a cure. Hopefully the people of the world will never have to find out, because this time it could be way
Marquis C. Saddler
Professor Nolan
SCI115
February 26, 2013
The title of this article is, “How Hard Would It Be for Avian Flu to Spread?” In this article two teams of scientist genetically altered a deadly flu virus (H5N1) to make it more contagious. The two teams consisted of scientist from Erasmus Medical Center, in the Netherlands, and the other at the University of Wisconsin (McNeil & Grady, 2012). Some argued that the research should have never been done, while others believe that the research may be beneficial for finding vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the virus. There is one point on which the factions agree: The ability of a virus to spread easily from person to person is the key to determining whether it can cause a pandemic (McNeil & Grady, 2012). The main risk factor for catching bird flu is working at a chicken farm or a live bird market (McNeil & Grady, 2012). According to McNeil & Grady, (2012), “The rare cases of apparent human-to-human transmission have usually involved long, close contact, like a mother caring for a sick daughter with the flu”. The new virus which has been tested by both teams was used in …show more content…
I have read many stories in history books and television about the Bubonic Plague killing a third of the world population before they figured out how and why people were getting sick, and figured out a cure. My health and my family’s health is important to me, so naturally knowing that there is a new strain of flu that can potentially harm us would be important to know. I often wonder if something like the Plague would come along again and how long would it take for the world to find a cure. Hopefully the people of the world will never have to find out, because this time it could be way