Epidemiologists Have Long Debated the Pandemic Potential of H5N1, aka Bird Flu GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

Epidemiologists have long debated the pandemic potential of H5N1, aka bird flu. On one hand, the virus spreads too inefficiently between humans to seem like much of a threat: it has caused fewer than 600 known cases of human flu since first emerging in 1997. On the other hand, when it does spread, it can be pretty deadly: nearly 60 percent of infected humans died from the virus. For years the research has suggested that mutations that enhanced the virus’s ability to spread among humans would simultaneously make it less deadly but in a batch of studies submitted for publication late last year, two scientists—Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Ron Fouchier of Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands—have shown otherwise. Working separately, they each hit on a combination of mutations (five, in Fouchier’s case) that enables H5N1 to spread readily between humans without making it less deadly.

Efforts to publish those findings have been fraught. Critics say that making the methodology or gene sequences widely available amounts to giving would-be bioterrorists an easy recipe. They also worry that these man-made strains might escape from the lab.

Proponents counter that the threat of a global pandemic, were this mutated strain to arise in nature, is far greater than the threat of bioterrorism. Understanding what combination of mutations could transform H5N1 into a human pandemic virus gives epidemiologists a leg up on preparing countermeasures ; they can, for example, test existing vaccines against the new strain.

As of mid-December, both papers were being reviewed by the government’s National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). In the meantime, most experts agree that we need a better way. “Physicists have been doing sensitive, classified work for 70 years,” says Michael T. Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota and a member of the NSABB. “We have to find a way to do the same in the health sciences, without compromising our safety and security.”

“Epidemiologists have long debated the pandemic potential of H5N1, aka bird flu.”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 4 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. According to the passage, the reason that pandemic potential of H5N1 was debated was:

1. even though the virus once contracted was deadly, it did not spread very efficiently from a sick person to a healthy person.
2. the mutations that enabled the virus to spread readily were not invented yet.
3. there were strains of the same family of virus that had not proved to be deadly.
4. the researchers did not want to give bioterrorists an easy weapon by labeling the virus deadly.
5. with nearly 60 percent of infected humans dying there was little to be gained by labeling the virus deadly.

2. What do the proponents imply when they argue “the threat of a global pandemic, were this mutated strain to arise in nature, is far greater than the threat of bioterrorism”?

1. If this particular deadly strain were to occur naturally, it may impact countries that may never be target of bioterrorism.
2. If this particular deadly strain were to occur naturally, bio terrorists may leverage it to further their cause.
3. If this particular deadly strain were to occur naturally, it may cause many more deaths than would be caused through bio terrorism.
4. Even though it’s possible to contain bioterrorism, it’s extremely difficult to contain a virus if it occurs naturally.
5. Those who are only concerned about the threat of bioterrorism – the critics – are unlikely to test the existing vaccines against the new deadly strains.

3. The author’s main purpose of writing the passage is to:

1. Present a new discovery in the field of health sciences that has led to a big debate.
2. Advocate an approach to solve a commonly occurring problem in scientific research.
3. Alert the readers of a potential possibly lethal epidemic.
4. Describe a scenario in which an invention leads to a further research.
5. Evaluate the various options using which a set of research findings can be securely shared.

4. What can be inferred about the mutations reported by Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Ron Fouchier?

1. Their reported mutations were more deadly than prior deadliest known mutations.
2. There was little evidence that the mutations they reported were found in nature.
3. Their reported mutations spread more readily amongst humans than any known virus.
4. Each of their reported mutation was more deadly than the deadliest known mutation of H5N1.
5. It was highly likely that these mutations existed on earth sometime in the past and could be revived if possible.

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