Reference no: EM132710927

In 1997, several thousand chickens died at three farms in Hong Kong.

Soon afterward, humans began getting sick as well, and the illness was determined to be H5N1 influenza from chickens. Out of a couple hundred people in Hong Kong with the infection, 18 people were hospitalized and 6 died. Most people who were affected lived in direct contact with chickens, and approximately 1.5 million chickens in Hong Kong were slaughtered to prevent further spread of the disease. With the emphasis on avian flu in the media, it surprised many that the next influenza pandemic was an H1N1 strain from swine in 2009. The virus spread to 198 countries, with 2.1 billion people infected and over 40,000 deaths by summer 2010.

1. Would it be efficient to vaccinate against yearly swine and avian flu at the same time? Why or why not?

2. What is the significance of a virus that can directly infect humans from chickens? Why do you think that the 1997 threat did not turn into a pandemic?

Part II - Yearly Flu

NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE

It is January and the beginning of a new semester. Just as you get settled in to your new routine, you begin to notice that illness is spreading across campus and other students in your classes are succumbing in droves. People are saying that it's the flu, and your friend describes having a fever, chills and body aches. It doesn't sound fun, and you begin to wonder if you should have gotten your flu shot when they were advertised at the Health Center last semester. You were just too busy at the time, and you're not a big fan of needles, in any case. Besides, you had one friend last year that got the shot and still got the flu. You had another friend that said they got the flu from the vaccine. So, you are just a little leery of the whole idea.

Questions

1. What are the components of the yearly influenza vaccine? How is it manufactured? How do you explain your friends' experiences with the flu vaccine?