SARS

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sars

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the causative agent?Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)
2. What is the natural reservoir?Bats
3. Why did SARS spread so quickly around the world?It spread fast because it travels in droplets when people cough or sneeze, and some people can spread it to many others in a short time.
4. How did scientists find out what caused SARS?Scientists used new laboratory tools like PCR to quickly grow the virus from patient samples and learn its genetic code.

Pathogen: A microorganism, such as a virus or bacterium, that can cause disease.
Epidemiology: The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations.
Zoonotic Spillover: The transmission of a pathogen from a non-human animal population to a human population.
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): A severe lung condition where fluid builds up in the lungs, making it very hard to breathe.