Infectious Disease Quiz Answers and Explanations 1. What is the number one global killer?
	a. Circulatory diseases b. Infectious diseases c. Cancer The number one global killer is infectious disease.
2. Which infectious disease kills the most people worldwide?
	a. Acute lower respiratory infections b. Dengue fever c. Tuberculosis According to the WHO World Health Report 1998, the leading causes of death from infectious diseases were acute lower respiratory infections (3.7 million), tuberculosis (2.9 million), diarrhea (2.5 million), HIV/AIDS (2.3 million) and malaria (1.5 - 2.7 million).
3. In an average season, how many people die of the flu nationwide?
	a. 200 b. 2,000 c. 20,000 The CDC reports that in an average season, 20,000 people die of the flu nationwide.
4. To date, how many cases of Ebola virus have been reported?
	a. 1,096 b. 10,096 c. 100,096 According to the CDC, there have been 1,096 known cases of Ebola since its initial recognition in 1976. All cases have been in Africa, with one reported laboratory infection in England.
5. Antibiotics are effective against:
	a. Bacterial infections b. Viral infections c. Both According to the CDC, antibiotics work by either killing bacteria or by inhibiting its growth.
6. What is a common disease in parts of Latin America, Africa, and Asia due to inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water?
	a. Ebola b. Cholera c. Lassa Fever The CDC reports that cholera, although rare in industrialized nations for the last 100 years, is still common today in other parts of the world.
7. E.coli 0157:H7, which can cause severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps, is transmitted by what method?
	a. Vector transmission (organism like animals, insects) b. Air transmission c. Food transmission According to the CDC, E. coli 0157:H7, which causes an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 cases of infection in the United States each year, is an emerging cause of food-borne illness. People can prevent infection by cooking all ground beef and hamburger thoroughly, washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly, and washing their hands carefully with soap after bowel movements.
8. In the U.S., which childhood diseases have been significantly reduced due to vaccine programs?
	a. Measles, rubella, and polio b. AIDS, smallpox, and the common cold c. Polio, AIDS, and chicken pox The CDC reports that vaccines have dramatically reduced the number of people who get measles, rubella, and polio.
9. How many people have been infected with HIV since the pandemic's onset?
	a. 4.2 million b. 42 million c. 84 million WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) report that 42 million people have been infected with HIV since the pandemic's onset.
10. What region of the world accounts for 83% of the world's AIDS deaths? In this region, what is the most common method of HIV transmission?
	a. Sub-Saharan Africa; heterosexual intercourse b. North America; homosexual intercourse c. Europe; intravenous drug use According to WHO, 83% of the world's AIDS deaths have been in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the very start of the epidemic, HIV in this region has mostly spread through sex between men and women.

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At the Museum

Banner microbe: Adenovirus (virus causing common cold)
from the American Museum of Natural History Epidemic! exhibition

Teacher's Guide | Epidemic! | Exhibits