Where Illness Spreads and Why · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Why the same germ kills unevenly

Geography · People & Environments · ages 16-18
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which explanation links geographical factors to possible ways an infection spreads?

    • Crowding increases contact; travel only affects care; sanitation only changes reporting
    • Crowding increases contact; travel moves infections; poor sanitation can contaminate water
    • Crowding only changes symptoms; travel only changes treatment; poor sanitation only changes reporting

  2. Which list names possible routes by which germs reach people?

    • Shared air, contaminated water, contact, food, or infected insects
    • Latitude, temperature, rainfall, population density, or household income
    • Incubation time, symptom severity, recovery time, immunity, or access to treatment

  3. A map placing reported cases at home addresses shows exactly where each person became infected.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Tests confirm that drinking water from local wells carries the outbreak germ. Which action targets this route?

    • Improve ventilation while keeping the wells in use
    • Provide bed nets for sleepers while leaving the contaminated wells in use
    • Provide safe drinking water and address the well contamination

  5. Two districts have the same treatable infection. In one, more patients have poor nutrition and effective care arrives later. Which explanation of a possible survival difference is supported?

    • Care timing can affect survival; nutrition affects exposure only
    • Both poor nutrition and delayed effective care can reduce survival
    • Nutrition can affect survival; care timing changes only exposure risk

  6. Infected mosquitoes bite mainly at night in a district. Which exposure can bed nets reduce while people sleep?

    • Breathing infection-carrying particles in shared bedroom air
    • Bites from infected mosquitoes while people sleep
    • Swallowing germs in drinking water taken from an unsafe well

  7. A crowded district has an infection spread through shared air. Which pair of actions targets this route?

    • Safe drinking water for every household and bed nets for sleeping residents
    • Food-safety checks in local shops and repairs to contaminated neighbourhood wells
    • Better ventilation and support for infectious people to isolate

  8. A headline ranks districts' infection risk by their reported case totals. What must be checked before accepting that ranking?

    • Population sizes and differences in testing and reporting
    • Population sizes alone; all infections are counted
    • Testing methods alone, since the totals do not depend on population size
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Why the same germ kills unevenly W1-mt_U2Hkw5FbiV-s1

  1. Crowding increases contact; travel moves infections; poor sanitation can contaminate water · Crowding can increase contact, travel can move infections between places, and poor sanitation can contaminate water. Their effects depend on the infection.
  2. Shared air, contaminated water, contact, food, or infected insects · Air, contact, contaminated water or food, and infected insects can carry germs to people. Different infections use different routes.
  3. False · A home address locates a reported case's residence. The person may have become infected somewhere else.
  4. Provide safe drinking water and address the well contamination · The confirmed route is contaminated drinking water. Safe drinking water and action on the contamination reduce exposure through that route.
  5. Both poor nutrition and delayed effective care can reduce survival · Poor nutrition can increase the risk of death after infection, and delayed effective care can reduce survival. Both can contribute to a difference; the prompt does not establish its size or guarantee an outcome.
  6. Bites from infected mosquitoes while people sleep · Bed nets can reduce mosquito bites during sleep. They do not clean drinking water or remove germs from shared air.
  7. Better ventilation and support for infectious people to isolate · Ventilation can reduce shared-air exposure. Supported isolation reduces opportunities for infectious people to expose others while they receive care.
  8. Population sizes and differences in testing and reporting · Reported totals depend on population size and on which infections are detected and reported. A larger count alone does not establish higher infection risk.
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