Due October 19th, 2015
Erin Gibbs: 200270053
Dr. Andrew Cameron
Bio 222 Written Assignment 1
1. Health officials realized that the mysterious illness was not caused by a bacterium because the pathogen would be identified quickly in comparison to a virus, which is more complicated (CBC, 2013). 2. It was hard to identify the infectious agent because SARS presented as flu-like symptoms with a rapid onset and is similar to the common flu (CBC, 2013). People who had other underlying health problems made it difficult to identify symptoms of SARS because it made it hard to differentiate (CDC, 2013).
3. Scientists believed the newly infected individuals produced quality specimen and it was impossible to detect the microbe once the infected individual started to recover. Scientists wanted to compare patients blood antibody test from early in their illness to the end of their illness in which they found that
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The community is scared of patients in quarantine and health consequences occur such as the inability to get food from the grocery store, go to the bank or write cheques and the victims are encouraged to stay indoors. This puts victims at risk for mental consequences such as depression and mental illnesses related to isolation. Health care workers risked their lives to interact and treat the victims in the story as well as an anonymous nurse who showed Bruce their support by leaving groceries outside his door (CBC, 2013).
5. The Ebola virus is spread through infected body fluids that get in your mucous membranes or breaks in the skin and it is only contagious when the infected individual presents with symptoms know as droplet spread. Ebola spreads less easily than SARS because transmission can be stopped with proper PPE and can only be passed with direct contact of infected persons. SARS is an airborne viral disease that can float in the air for long periods of time even after the infected person has left the room, making it highly contagious (CDC,