| Story:
Health Officials Prepare For Bird Flu Pandemic, 10/12/05
Reading Comprehension Questions: 1. What major threat has health officials working together?
2. How likely is the threat of a flu pandemic?
3. What is avian flu and whom does it infect?
4. Can humans get bird flu? Why is this a threat?
5. What are officials doing to stop the threat of bird flu?
6. Is there a bird flu vaccine? What other drugs are available? What do they do?
7. What do critics have to say about international and domestic efforts to prevent a bird flu pandemic?
Discussion Activity (more research might be needed): 1. Do you think the world health community is doing enough to prevent a bird flu pandemic? What would you do differently and why? Explain your answer. 2. How do vaccines work? How are they made? What technologies are being investigated to improve this process? Why don't many companies want to invest in vaccine production? 3. Research the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. What are scientists learning about the virus that caused so many millions of deaths? What lessons can be learned from that great pandemic? Write a 300-500 word essay on any of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org]. Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site. |