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Disease X is a 'big risk' to the world
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Disease X - Level 0
The WHO says the world is in danger. There is a virus called 'Disease X'. Scientists don't know what it looks like. It could spread around the world before we know about it. The WHO said the name 'Disease X' represents any international epidemic from an unknown virus. It has a plan if there is an outbreak.
Disease X could come from many places. A disease could get stronger; terrorists could make bio-weapons; technology could make new viruses. Scientists in the U.S. say that 60 per cent of infectious diseases come from animals. Today, we live in cities and travel the world more. This will make diseases spread quickly.
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Disease X - Level 1
The WHO says the world is at risk from a deadly disease. They do not know what it looks like. They called it 'Disease X'. It could come from an unknown micro-organism. Disease X could spread around the world before we know about it. The WHO is putting a lot of money into research. It is preparing a plan for an outbreak. It said: "Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by [an unknown virus].
Disease X could come from many places. An existing disease could get stronger; terrorists could make bio-weapons; DNA-changing technology could make totally new viruses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said: "Scientists estimate that...6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people are spread from animals." Today, people live closer together and travel the world more. This will make it easier for diseases to spread.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Disease X - Level 2
Slowest
Scientists from the WHO say the world could be at risk from a deadly disease. They do not know its name or what it does. They have called it 'Disease X'. It could come from a virus or micro-organism that scientists don't know about. Disease X could go unnoticed until it is too late, when it is spreading around the world. The WHO says the threat is serious. It is putting a lot of money into research. It is preparing a plan for an outbreak. It said: "Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a [virus] currently unknown."
Disease X could come from various sources. It could come from existing diseases becoming strong enough against our vaccines; it could come from terrorism and bio-weapons; it could also come from DNA-changing technology that makes totally new viruses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said: "Scientists estimate that more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people are spread from animals." Today, people live closer together in cities. There is more international travel and tourism. These will make it easier for diseases to spread.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Disease X - Level 3
Scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO) say the world is possibly at risk from a deadly disease. However, they do not know its name or what it does and looks like. They have called it 'Disease X'. It could be caused by a virus or another micro-organism that scientists don't yet know about. The WHO said Disease X could go unnoticed until it is too late and it is quickly spreading around the world. The WHO is taking the threat of Disease X seriously. It is putting a lot of money into research and is preparing a plan for a sudden outbreak. It said: "Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a [virus] currently unknown to cause human disease."
The scientists said that Disease X could come from many different sources. It could come from existing diseases changing and becoming strong enough to resist our vaccines; it could come from terrorism and bio-weapons; it could also come from scientists using DNA-changing technology to make entirely new viruses. The biggest threat could come from animals. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said: "Scientists estimate that more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people are spread from animals." These include Ebola, avian flu and mad cow disease. Everyone living closer together in cities and increasing international travel and tourism will make it easier for diseases to spread.
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25 online activities | 27-page printable | 2-page mini-lesson
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