How deadly is Ebola?
Teacher’s key
Check your understanding
1 If everyone dies of a disease (for example untreated and unvaccinated rabies), what is the CFR? What about 4 out of 50 people?
100%; 8%
Answer 2 According to our study, what is the main factor determining the severity of Ebola?
Age, young adults and teenagers are most likely to survive, unlike children under 5 and elderly over 75. Answer
3 Burial teams are a form of disease control. Why do you think that is?
In the beginning of the outbreak many people got infected by the virus due to unsafe funerals and burials. Organizing teams who know how to handle the dead bodies greatly reduced infection Answer rates.
4 If CFR of Ebola is similar among different hospitals, what does this say about medical care?
Medical care in all hospitals is similar or doesn’t have any influence on survival rates at all.
Answer 5 Can you think of any other infectious diseases with high CFR if left untreated?
Rabies, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Bubonic Plague; also Marburg, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Smallpox Variola major, Anthrax, Tuberculosis, HIV, etc. (HIV is 100% deadly if untreated, but people can survive long term if treated early and with effective drugs). For more info on diseases with high CFR that are not necessarily the deadliest check out the Answer following link: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2014/09/16/347727459/which- contagious-diseases-are-the-deadliest
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