The World Health Organization and the U.S. government are taking action to keep a new contagious virus from spreading. The coronavirus is transmitted by air and can quickly infect large populations. To help prevent its spread, the U.S. government is restricting travel to and from China, where the outbreak began, and putting some travelers in quarantine, which means separating them from other people for a few weeks. Listen to learn how this virus compares to others, where it has already spread, and how the government plans to contain it.
This audio story was recorded in early February. The news about COVID-19 is changing rapidly and parts of this story may be dated.
Story Length: 4:05
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June 6, 2017
5:42
Doctors around the world are worried about the threat of the global spread of bird flu, or avian influenza. In Hong Kong, scientists studying the virus are also concerned about how quickly the virus is evolving. The latest mutation of the virus is able to kill chickens in the lab within 24 hours. A leading scientist worries that a future mutation could be transmitted more quickly between humans, leading to a global pandemic. Listen to learn more about this research and the threat of bird flu.
Read MoreMay 31, 2015
4:34
A new and deadly strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, has hit poultry farms in the Midwest. This outbreak is new and surprising because infectious disease experts don’t know how it is spreading. The old theory that the disease is spread between birds in close contact has not been consistent with this mutated strain of bird flu. Millions of chickens and turkeys have died so far, impacting both farmers and consumers. Listen to learn more about this disease and its transmission.
Read MoreMay 26, 2015
4:03
Ebola, Swine Flu, Lou Gehrig’s - all of these illnesses were named after places, animals or people. In fact, most disease are named in an ad-hoc or random way, and that can have unexpected consequences for individuals and communities associated with the diseases. The World Health Organization is hoping to change this by establishing new guidelines for disease naming that are based on medical factors. Listen to learn more about the current way diseases are named and this suggested alternative.
Read MoreJuly 23, 2014
3:59
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently lost track of dangerous samples of anthrax and the flu. Investigation into lab safety shows a breach of protocol, especially since scientists continue to experiment with more dangerous types of viruses. Listen to this public radio story to learn why lab safety is important.
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