Our Enemies and Our Friends!

Transcription

1 Our Enemies and Our Friends! by Carole Marsh Author of The Official Guide to Germs AGES 9 and UP Get FREE updates and reproducible activities at our website

2 The Team Carole Marsh Michael Longmeyer Cecil Anderson Diana Sullivan Victoria DeJoy Chad Beard Jeff West Billie Walburn Sherry Moss Bob Longmeyer Steven Saint-Laurent Michele Yother Copyright 2002 Carole Marsh/Gallopade International Permission is hereby granted to the individual purchaser or classroom teacher to reproduce materials in this book for non-commercial individual or classroom use only. Reproduction of these materials for an entire school or school system is strictly prohibited. Published by G GET TM Gallopade is proud to be a member of these educational organizations and associations: 2

3 Table of Contents Page 5 A Word From the Author Page 6 AIDS: The Germ of the Century! Page 7 Animals are Germy! Page 8 Anthrax Attack! Page 9 Antibodies Come to the Rescue! Antibiotics to the Rescue, Too! Page 10 Bacteria, Good (& Bad) Old Germs! Page 11 Bio-warfare: Not Something New! Page 12 Blood Tests! Testing, Testing... Page 13 The CDC: The Place For Germs to Be! Page 14 Childhood Diseases You May Be Lucky Enough to Miss! Page 15 Cholera Comes Calling! Page 16 Colds-ACHOOOO! Page 17 Do You Know About Disease? Page 18 Environmental Concerns Page 19 Genetics and the Human Genome Project Page 20 The Geography of Germs! Page 21 Hand Washing 101 Page 22 Immune System Smarts! Page 23 Immunizations! Page 24 Kuru is Quite Curious!... But Don t Ask, What s for Lunch?! Page 25 Leprosy, Not Long Gone But Better Understood Page 26 Malaria, Disease of the Jungle Page 27 Plagues Plagued the Past! Page 28 Smallpox Is No Small Thing! Page 29 Trivia About Germs! Page 30 Viruses Are Very Virulent (Powerful!) Page 31 Glossary / Further Resources / Answer Key Page 32 Author s Biography 4

4 !! AIDS: The Germ of the Century! One of the worst germs to come along in ages is one that can end up causing the disease AIDS. AIDS is short for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. An infection with the HIV virus attacks the immune system, leaving it vulnerable to a variety of diseases. This vulnerability is AIDS. You see, people don t die of AIDS, but of all the other illnesses they get because they have no way to fight them. At present, there is no cure for AIDS, although new drugs are helping those infected to live fairly normal lives. Source: Believed to have come from African chimpanzees, which can carry the virus, yet have no symptoms Spread: Via sexual contact with an infected person and infected blood on needles; newborn babies can also get AIDS from their mothers, if they are infected Symptoms: Pneumonia, rare cancers; being constantly sick and not able to get better Prevention: Practicing only safe sex; avoiding any needle that has already been used (that s why when you get your shots at the doctor s office, the nurse always gets a brand-new needle for each immunization) Pandemic: worldwide epidemic FACT! AIDS is a major medical problem in many parts of the world. HIV and AIDS are pandemic, with more than 34 million people believed to be infected by the year 2000, resulting in three million deaths annually. This is why you hear so much about AIDS in the news! CIRCLE THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU CANNOT GET HIV INFECTION/AIDS: Drinking from a cup Kissing Hugging! Brushing your teeth Shaking hands 6

5 ANIMALS ARE GERMY! Many infectious diseases live in animal hosts. These animals act as reservoirs of infection. An animal host makes the disease difficult to get rid of. The microbes (germs) that live on or in the animals infect other animals through bites, contaminated food, soil, or water, or from fleas, ticks, flies, mosquitoes, or lice that bite the animal. The animals become infected, then go on to bite humans and transmit the disease. Fortunately, most animal germs do not adapt well to living in humans. Just a few diseases gotten from germs in the bites of infected animals include anthrax, cat-scratch disease, hantavirus, plague, rabies, and tularemia. So, if an adult warns you to stay away from certain animals, it is a good idea to listen to them! The Germ Cycle: Uh, oh! (START HERE) Infected animal Hungry mosquito Was that a mosquito? Traveling mosquito Mealtime again! 7

6 Anthrax Attack! In the autumn of 2001, anthrax was a germ word we heard all about after someone mailed letters containing anthrax to a few people. When they opened these letters and the white powder the anthrax was in poofed out, some people became infected with the anthrax disease. Several people died. Some government and media offices were closed until they could be examined for anthrax, then decontaminated. Thousands of people, especially postal workers, received the antibiotic Cipro. Anthrax had previously appeared in American news when soldiers were inoculated against its use as a possible bio-warfare agent. Anthrax also occurs naturally in the environment. It can be found in soil. People who work with animal hides are sometimes exposed to anthrax. The country of Afghanistan has soil which contains anthrax. Anthrax Island, off the coast of Scotland, got its nickname as the location of explosive testing of anthrax weapons during World War II. It is widely believed that anthrax was the cause of the 5th and 6th plagues in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. Anthrax was a disease of Roman farm animals. In medieval times, anthrax was called the Black Bane for the deadly skin lesions that appeared on a person. Anthrax comes from the Greek word for coal, anthrakis. Answer the following TRUE/FALSE questions. Circle your answer. TRUE/FALSE I should be afraid to open my mail. TRUE/FALSE Everyone who gets anthrax dies. TRUE/FALSE Lots of letters were contaminated by anthrax. TRUE/FALSE Anthrax is everywhere. TRUE/FALSE I should be afraid to play in the dirt. Answers: Hopefully, you answered FALSE to all these questions. This anthrax event was limited and affected only a few people. 8