Plagues: Viruses

This course will cover 8 of the most deadly viruses in human history.  From pandemics that wiped out entire civilizations to rare but deadly infections.  We'll discuss the key features of the virus, the illness it caused, how it can be treated or prevented, and interesting history surrounding it.  
The class is structured around a 5 minute discussion of each virus.  I will have a slide show, and a group discussion. In my experience students love to talk about infectious disease, what they know or heard, what they're interested in finding out.  The goal is for the class to be as interactive as possible.  We'll see some pictures of the virus, some pictures of the disease, and learn some interesting science about humans and the world we live in.  It should take about 4-5 minutes per disease.

The Viruses are...
1. Smallpox (Variola major)
2. COVID (Coronaviruses)
3. Flu (Influenza)
4. Measles (Measles morbillivirus)
5. Ebola (Ebolavirus)
6  AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency virus)
7. Rabies (Rabies lyssavirus)
8. Polio (Poliovirus)

2 of these are 100% lethal if left untreated. Do you know which two?  Come take my class and find out.
If we have some time we can get to two honorable mentions that we'll cover if we have time.

Yellow Fever (Yellow Fever Virus)
Dengue (Dengue Virus)