A Party Animal
The flu was believed to have originated in birds before spreading to us. In which common farmyard animal did the virus first appear?
Ducks
What is the scientific name for the flu?
Influenza
Japan
Which species of poultry are most likely to be contaminated with flu viruses?
Chickens and turkeys
H1N1, commonly referred to as the Spanish Flu, caused the infamous 1918 Flu Pandemic, the fourth deadliest pandemic ever. In which country did the Spanish Flu actually first appear?
The US
This threatened species of bird tested positive for bird flu on South Georgia Island, causing scientists to be increasingly worried about its extinction.
Penguins
Flu viruses are divided into subtypes based on two compounds on their surface, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. This gives them their scientific name (for example, one type of flu strain is called H2N2). What type of biological molecule are these chemicals?
Proteins
How long can the flu survive outside the body?
1-2 days on hard surfaces (doorknobs, tabletops) and 12 hours on soft surfaces (clothes, blankets)
This popular beverage is often contaminated with the flu if not properly pasteurized.
Raw milk
How many major flu pandemics have occurred so far?
5
In Arctic Canada, this species of whale tested positive for the flu.
Beluga whales
How many types of flu are there?
130 (though only a few infect humans).
True or false: if you are sick with the flu, you should take an antibiotic.
False. Antibiotics only kill bacteria; however, antivirals can kill the flu.
165 degrees Fahrenheit
There is some concern that bird flu may cause the next major pandemic, even though the current risk is low. In what places are an outbreak most likely to oringinate?
Factory farms
Recently, two new strains of flu were found in bats (these bat viruses do not infect humans). In which South American country was this discovery made?
Guatemala
The flu can infect so many different species thanks to a process known as reassortment, where two different viruses infect the same host cell and exchange their __.
Genetic information
Get a flu shot
True or false: H3N2 and other seasonal flu viruses are capable of infecting all species of domesticated birds.
True
Is the flu epidemic in Japan likely to cause a pandemic?
No. The virus has not developed dangerous enough mutations to spread rapidly or cause enough deaths to do so.
In 2009, this cuddly species of Asian animal was infected by the flu at a conservation center.
Panda
Is the flu an RNA or DNA virus?
RNA
Washing your hands with soap and water is important to get rid of the flu and other harmful microbes. Does soap kill the flu, or just help wash it away?
Soap kills the flu by destroying the fatty layer around the virus, breaking it apart.
These animals are responsible for causing a flu pandemic in 2009 that resulted in 280,000 deaths.
Pigs
The Purple Death