Biology 9700 · AS & A Level · Infectious diseases

Infectious diseases — practice question

Worldwide, measles is a major disease that chiefly affects children. A large number of measles deaths happen in children below five years of age. Table 3.1 gives the population of six countries in Africa in 2009 and the number of measles cases per $100\,000$ people for the four years 2009 to 2012. All six countries are classed as low-income countries.
(a(i))[2]

The true number of measles cases in Chad in 2009 was $165$ and in Eritrea it was $82$. Calculate the true number of measles cases in Ethiopia in 2009. Show your working.

(a(ii))[3]

Use the data for Chad, Eritrea and Ethiopia to explain the benefits of presenting the data in Table 3.1 as number of measles cases per $100\,000$ people instead of the actual number of cases.

(b)[4]

Vaccination is known to protect populations against infectious diseases. Some of the data in Table 3.1 (on page 4) and Fig. 3.1 (on page 6) support this statement. Describe the data that support this statement and comment on the data that do not support this statement.

(c)[2]

The successful eradication of smallpox depended on an intensive global vaccination programme. It is hoped that the same can be achieved for measles. Outline two features, apart from cost, of the smallpox eradication programme that may have made it easier to eradicate than measles.

(d)[1]

State precisely the type of immunity gained by receiving a measles vaccine.

(e)[2]

Planning the prevention and control of measles using a vaccination programme means that financial costs must be considered. State two examples of these costs.

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