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3.1 Communicable diseases

3.1 Communicable diseases

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Question 14
a.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a communicable viral disease. How is the HIV virus primarily transmitted from one person to another? Select one option:

  • By droplets released during coughing or sneezing
  • By direct exchange of bodily fluids, such as through shared needles
  • Through the consumption of water contaminated with sewage
[1]
b.

The table below shows the annual number of new HIV diagnoses recorded in a specific urban clinic.

YearNumber of new HIV diagnoses
20141200
20171550
2020450

Describe what happened to the number of new HIV diagnoses from 2014 to 2020.

[2]
c.

What could cause a significant decrease in the number of new HIV transmissions in the future? Select one option:

  • A decrease in the distribution of sterile needles to drug users
  • A rise in the consistent and correct use of condoms in the population
  • An increase in the rate of international travel
[1]
d.

Vaccines can be developed to prevent the spread of viral pathogens. The statements below outline the sequential stages of how a vaccine stimulates active immunity in a person.

  • A - The produced antibodies bind to the antigens on the inactive pathogen.
  • B - Memory cells remain so that if the live pathogen enters the body in the future, antibodies are produced extremely rapidly.
  • C - A weakened or dead form of the pathogen is introduced into the body.
  • D - White blood cells detect the foreign antigens and produce specific antibodies.

Write the stages A, B, C, and D in the correct sequence to show how vaccination works. The first stage has been completed for you:

C→‾→‾→‾ \text{C} \rightarrow \underline{\quad\quad} \rightarrow \underline{\quad\quad} \rightarrow \underline{\quad\quad} C→​→​→​
[2]
e.

Before any new antiviral drug or vaccine is approved for clinical trials on humans, it must undergo preclinical testing. After testing on laboratory-grown human cells and tissues is complete, what is the next stage of preclinical testing? Select one option:

  • Testing on healthy human volunteers
  • Testing on live animals
  • Testing on volunteers who are already suffering from the target disease
[1]
f.

Many modern drugs are synthesized by chemists but were originally discovered in plants or microorganisms. Match each medicine to the correct source from which it was originally derived:

  • Digitalis
  • Penicillin

Sources:

  • Foxglove plants
  • Willow bark
  • Penicillium mould
  • Deadly nightshade
[2]
Markscheme

3.1 Communicable diseases Questions

  1. GCSE
  2. /Biology
  3. /3.1 Communicable diseases

25 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Biology 3.1 Communicable diseases, covering 3.1.1 Communicable (infectious) diseases, 3.1.2 Viral diseases, 3.1.3 Bacterial diseases, 3.1.4 Fungal diseases, 3.1.5 Protist diseases, 3.1.6 Human defence systems, 3.1.7 Vaccination, 3.1.8 Antibiotics and painkillers, and 3.1.9 Discovery and development of drugs. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.

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