In the News VOCABULARY. Quiz. Quiz. (Lower Level) Summarizing. Summarizing (Lower Level) Vocabulary. Video. Quiz. Print This Level.

Transcription

1 In the News LEXILE 550L The Zika Summarizing Vocabulary Print This Level (Lower Level) Summarizing (Lower Level) Video Lesson Plan JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ/REUTERS CLICK WORDS FOR MORE! VOCABULARY infected: given a disease abnormally: extra, unusually thrive: to do well, to grow vaccine: a medicine that protects people from a disease crisis: a time of great danger or difficulty Vocab Slide Show THE ENEMY Workers use chemicals to kill mosquitoes that might carry Zika. 4 November 2016 Scholastic Action

2 Virus What You Need to Know Zika is an illness caused by mosquito bites. It is spreading around the world and America. What is this illness, and what does it mean for us? BY LAUREN TARSHIS This past summer in Brazil, an army went to war. It fought a dangerous enemy. The army roamed the streets. It hunted, attacked, and killed the enemy. This enemy was not a person. It was mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are spreading a virus called Zika [ZEE-kuh]. Thousands of people have been infected. The virus has even come to the United States. What is Zika? And what does it mean for you? PAUSE AND THINK: What spreads the Zika virus? Continuedâ CLICK LISTEN BELOW FOR AUDIO! November

3 THE ENEMY This is one of the two kinds of mosquitoes that can carry Zika. Mosquitoes carry and spread many diseases around the world. The insect is considered the most dangerous creature on Earth. BRAIN-DAMAGED BABIES More than 1,500 babies in Brazil have been born with brain damage caused by Zika. This boy is one of them. His head is very small because the virus did not allow his brain to grow properly. Who Is at Risk? Here s some good news: Most people who get Zika don t even know they re ill. Others may get a fever and a rash. They usually get better after a few days. But Zika is still dangerous. That s especially true for pregnant women. The Zika virus can harm their unborn babies. More than 1,500 babies in Brazil have been affected by Zika. They were born with abnormally small heads. Their brains are badly damaged. Many of these children will not be able to walk or talk as they grow up. They won t be able to care for themselves. PAUSE AND THINK: What happens to most people when they get Zika? How It Spreads Zika is not a new disease. It was discovered in 1947 in the African country of Uganda. Zika is spread by mosquitoes. First, a mosquito bites a person. It drinks some of the person s blood. If the person has Zika, their blood has Zika germs. When the bug bites someone else, it passes on those germs. Mosquitoes spread other serious diseases too. The most dangerous is malaria. Malaria kills about 1 million people every year. It s found mainly in poor countries in Africa and Asia. The mosquito is thought to be the most dangerous creature on Earth. PAUSE AND THINK: Why are mosquitoes the most dangerous creatures on Earth? JIM DAMASKE/TAMPA BAY TIMES VIA AP IMAGES (MOSQUITO); [E]AE XINHUA/EYEVINE/REDUX (BABY) 6 November 2016 Scholastic Action

4 SPREAD OF ZIKA-CARRYING MOSQUITOES IN THE U.S. Currently, Zika has spread to only a few states in the U.S. Experts don t know exactly where Zika will spread next or how quickly. They do know that there are two types of mosquitoes that can spread the virus. Those mosquitoes could be in the purple areas on the map below at some point in FINDING ANSWERS Scientists have been studying mosquitoes carefully. They hope to figure out how to stop the insect from spreading the disease. Experts also want to create a vaccine to protect people from Zika. SOURCE: CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION GRAPHIC: GARLAND POTTS, SEATTLE TIMES/TNS SAM HODGSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX (LAB); STAFF/TNS/NEWSCOM (MAP) The Rise of Zika Until recently, few scientists had heard of Zika. The disease was rare. Then it popped up in Brazil about two years ago. But people still didn t think it was serious. That changed last summer. Doctors realized that Zika was causing brain damage in babies. Soon Zika spread beyond Brazil. Now there are cases in 60 countries. Many of those cases are in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Zika is also in some states in the U.S. Florida has been the hardest hit. Zika could soon be anywhere the weather is warm and moist. That is where mosquitoes thrive. PAUSE AND THINK: How many countries has Zika spread to? Protecting Babies Scientists are working hard to beat Zika. The best weapon would be a vaccine. Any person who got the vaccine would be safe from Zika. With the vaccine, people would not have to worry about being bitten by mosquitoes that carry Zika. But creating a vaccine can take a very long time. It could be years before there is a vaccine for Zika. Right now, experts are fighting Zika in other ways. Doctors are warning pregnant women to stay out of areas with Zika. Some countries are warning women not to get pregnant until Zika is under control. PAUSE AND THINK: What would be the best weapon against Zika? Continuedâ November

5 Killing Mosquitoes The most important step in fighting Zika is to target mosquitoes. Many experts use strong chemicals against them. They also destroy areas where the insects breed. Mosquitoes lay eggs mainly in shallow water. Getting rid of water in small containers will help reduce the number of mosquitoes. This includes flowerpots and watering cans. And don t forget to wear bug spray. This will protect you from getting mosquito bites. Experts agree that Zika is a health crisis. Action Activity It does the most harm in poor countries. These countries don t have enough money to fight mosquitoes. America has won the fight against mosquitoes before. Malaria once killed tens of thousands of Americans each year. The disease is now rare in the U.S. We hope someday Zika will be rare too. PAUSE AND THINK: How can mosquitoes be fought? GO FURTHER! FIND MORE ACTIVITIES 5 Questions About Zika WHAT TO DO: Answer the questions below. Use full sentences.?how 1. How is the Zika virus spread??why 2. Why is the Zika virus dangerous??when? WHERE 3. When did people realize that Zika can cause serious problems? 4. Where are people at the greatest risk of catching Zika??WHAT 5. What is being done to fight Zika? 8 November 2016 Scholastic Action