Welcome back teachers and students! Please note that the “Daily News Article” generally focuses on national news. However, in an attempt to give you an overview of some major world events that impact the U.S., we are posting a few world articles this week in this “Daily News Article” category. (Also, check out “Background” and “Resources” below the questions each day.)  ALSO NOTE:  "Answers" emails resume Tuesday, September 2nd.

1. Define quarantine, epidemic, hemorrhagic fever and contagion as used in the article.

2. a) When was the Ebola virus originally identified?
b) List the countries which are currently experiencing outbreaks of the Ebola virus.
c) In which country was the disease first discovered this year?

3. What two steps did the Liberian government take last week in an attempt to prevent further spread of the disease? (see para. 3)

4. a) Why are the countries experiencing outbreaks of Ebola seeing shortages of basic supplies?
b) Why are people in the West Point neighborhood of Monrovia especially experiencing such immediate shortages of food and water? (see para. 17)

5. What did Liberian authorities do on Wednesday to calm tensions in the West Point neighborhood?

6. a) Define contain as used in para. 14.
b) What needs to be established in order to contain the Ebola outbreak Western Africa?

7. UPI reports:

The quarantine and curfew in West Point, an impoverished area of Liberia's capital, ensures no one can enter or leave. Residents attacked an Ebola observation center there Saturday (Aug. 16), in the mistaken belief Ebola victims from around the country were brought to the center for treatment. Dozens of people awaiting Ebola screenings fled, and looters carried off materials that could further spread the virus.

In declaring the nighttime curfew, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said:

"We have been unable to control the spread due to continued denials, cultural burying practices, disregard for the advice of health workers and disrespect for the warnings by the government. As a result and due to the large population concentration the disease has spread widely in Monrovia and environs."

Consider President Sirleaf’s remarks, as well as what you have learned about Ebola. Do you think imposing the quarantine in the West Point neighborhood without alerting residents beforehand was the best way to prevent the disease from spreading in Monrovia? (If the residents had been warned, do you think they would have stayed in their neighborhood, cut off from the rest of the city? Should the government have established a routine for distributing supplies to this neighborhood before they closed it off? Could the government have done this differently?) Explain your answer.

8. The disease cannot be detected until a few weeks after the person is infected. What steps should the U.S. government take to ensure the disease does not enter the U.S.? (Should flights from these affected West African countries be temporarily blocked? Should travelers entering the U.S. who have recently visited these countries be quarantined for two weeks and then tested before being permitted to travel freely in the U.S.?) Explain your answer.

DID YOU KNOW?  StudentNewsDaily now has an app. Go to studentnewsdaily.com/current-events-app/ for the links.