Unit 23 Vocabulary: Epidemics, Viruses, and Pandemics

Proper noun (thing)
CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
US agency based in Atlanta, Georgia whose main goal is to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease
The CDC does not generally issue advisories or restrictions for travel within the United States.
Noun (thing)
Contagion
the spread of disease from one person to another by close contact
Hospitals are optimized to prevent the spread of contagions.
Verb (infinitive)
Dodged a bullet
avoided a danger
The traveler really dodged a bullet when he missed the train that ended up crashing.
Adjective
Easily overtake
to overcome or pass without difficulty
A sports car can easily overtake a truck on the highway.
Noun (thing)
Genetic material
DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses)
Some scientists believe that much of the human genome is composed of genetic material from viruses.
Proper noun (thing)
H1N1
virus strain responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic known as "swine flu"
The H1N1 virus spread worldwide and has caused 18,500 laboratory-confirmed deaths.
Verb (past tense)
Had succumbed to
yielded to something they've tried to fight off such as a disease
The researchers found that after a tough struggle he had succumbed to pancreatic cancer.
Noun (thing)
Host
an organism on which a parasite derives benefit such as food
A living cell is the host in which a virus multiplies.
Verb (infinitive)
Inject
to drive or force into
The doctor injected a painkiller into the patient's veins.
Noun (thing)
Microscopic
not visible with naked eye
Protozoa are microscopic, amoeba-like organisms that live in liquid.
Adjective
Miniscule amount of
extremely small number of something
A minuscule amount of rat excrement is found in common foods such as chocolate or peanut butter.
Verb (infinitive)
Multiply
increase in quantity
Mammals multiply by means of sexual reproduction.
Verb (infinitive)
Mutate
change or adapt in nature
Viruses sometimes mutate and grow resistant to vaccines.
Adjective
New strain
a new breed, stock, or variety of something
A new strain of virus can be immune to treatment.
Proper noun (thing)
Organism
an individual life form
The study found that crawfish, frogs, and other organisms had been destroyed over a large area of the estuary.
Noun (thing)
Pandemic
a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease with global health implications
Life expectancy statistics from 1918 may have been skewed by an influenza pandemic.
Noun (thing)
Progression
the moving of something towards a more advanced state
Disease can halt the progression of a human from childhood to adulthood.
Proper noun (thing)
WHO (World Health Organization)
an international agency established in 1948 by the United Nations to promote health and control communicable diseases.
The WHO is a generally neutral and trusted authority in cases of pandemics.
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