Ebola Infographics
She kindly shared an ABC News (AU) piece that does a far better job explaining some of the basic information about Ebola to the public.
The overall lay out of the information is user friendly – much less crowded and intimidating than the CDC page.
What really caught my eye were the visuals ( Infographics ) about Transmission , and interactive Affects on the Body, and for those inclined to read charts, a chart.
The language used on the site is not anywhere close to the high barrier grade 13-14 reading level the CDC language uses. But I couldn’t help from fiddling with it a bit. A few tweaks here and there would make this an even more accessible piece.
Original
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A Rewrite for more universal comprehension
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What is Ebola, and how does this highly contagious and deadly disease spread?
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[vocabulary]
What is Ebola and how does this very contagious and deadly disease spread?
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First discovered in 1976, the virus has periodically spread through parts of Africa, killing thousands in the process.
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[activate the verb and flip the order of info]
The virus was discovered in 1976 in Africa. From time to time Ebola starts and spread in parts of Africa and kills thousands of people as it spreads.
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There is currently no vaccine, and due to its fast onset and horrific symptoms it has become one of the world’s most feared diseases.
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[clarify the reference(Ebola); unpack an overly complex sentence into 2 sent.]
There is no vaccine for Ebola virus. It makes a person sick very quickly and the sick person suffers very horrible symptoms. For these reasons Ebola is one of the world’s most feared diseases.
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How does it spread?
There are five strains of Ebola: Zaire, Sudan, Tai Forest, Bundibugyo and Reston. The Zaire strain, which is involved in the latest outbreak, is the most lethal with a fatality rate of up to 90 per cent.
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How does it spread?
There are five strains of Ebola: Zaire, Sudan, Tai Forest, Bundibugyo and Reston.
[simplify sentence by losing the embedded clause (which is involved…..]
The current outbreak (or the outbreak that is happening now) is the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus. Zaire is the most lethal (deadly) strain and 90% of the people who get sick with this strain die.
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Humans can catch the virus from animals through close contact with infected animals’ blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids.
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OK
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The virus is thought to reside within the region’s fruit bat population, with the bats carriers of Ebola, but unaffected by it.
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[Voc; activate verbs]
Scientists think the virus lives in the fruit bats. And even though the bats carry the virus they do not become sick.
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The bushmeat trade (the catching and eating of wild animals, including primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees) is thought to play a role in outbreaks of the disease.
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[avoid nominalized verbs – “the catching”; activate]
Some people in the region catch and eat wild animals, including gorillas and chimpanzees (called “bushmeat”). Experts believe this is part of the way the virus spreads
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