Section: Module 3: Lesson 1: Viral Mutation in Pandemics | Pandemic Etiology, Preparedness, and Response | NextGenU.org

  • Student Learning Outcomes:
    Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
    • Differentiate between antigenic shift and antigenic drift.
    • Identify factors that affect virus mutation rate.
    • Summarize the societal impacts of rapid virus mutation during pandemics.
    Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 48 minutes.
    Click here to start this lesson
    • Required Learning Resources and Activities
    • url icon
      How the Flu Virus Can Change: "Drift" and "Shift" URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire page. (4 minutes)

      CDC

    • url icon
      Could Environment Affect the Mutation of H1N1 Influenza Virus? URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content under the heading "Discussion." (7 minutes)

      NCBI

    • url icon
      SARS-CoV-2 Variants URL
      Students must
      View

      Read from the beginning of the page up until the heading "WHO risk assessment" (9 minutes)

      WHO-2020

    • url icon
      The Effects of Virus Variants on COVID-19 Vaccines URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the content and watch the video under the headings "What causes a virus to change to a new variant?" and "What impacts do the new variants of the COVID-19 virus have on vaccines?". (5 minutes)

      WHO