Bird Flu Pandemic?

[Hugh R]

Have you been reading about this? Apparently there have been 3 in the last 90 years or so and they killed millions. This newest one apparently transmits from birds to humans and other mammals and has a 50% mortality rate. It doesn't transmit from Human to Human YET. Nature may be doing a little pruning of the human tree soon.

[dd74]

Scary as *****, if you ask me.

Here's something else: The dogs from New Orleans that have been adopted everywhere might carry transmittable diseases received from the soiled water - some which aren't treatable.

It really shows the fragile cusp of life we have begun to live on.

[nostatic]

H5N1 is likely gonna be bad. And we are not ready. Not even close.






Then again, it isn't like I'm trained in biochemistry or anything...

[vash]

dont they have a working vaccine? just not enough?

all the asian news channels talk about it. this is not a good thing. like all of these types of viruses, i imagine that it will decimate the elderly and the young. all this would go away if we all switch to vegetarians. mmmm...tofu.

[nostatic]

no, this virus is equal opportunity. Perfectly healthy adults in their 20's and 30's can die. There is no vaccine. There is an antiviral that works, but dollars to donuts the virus evades it pretty quickly.

[Hugh R]

I read somewhere that in 1918 the Pandemic took a month to circle the globe. Now, I give it a few days.

[dhoward]

Originally posted by Hugh R
I read somewhere that in 1918 the Pandemic took a month to circle the globe. Now, I give it a few days.

Well, yeah.
With jetsetters like you fliting in and out of everywhere...

[vash]

sorry, i am poor at dates. 1918? how long did it take for a ship to get across, say the atlantic? wouldnt the host be dead already? maybe disease had a longer incubation back then.

last time i was in asia, i saw what i thought looked like scanners on the ceiling. what i think they were were infrared temperature scanners. they would created a bottleneck and funnel us sheep right under them. people are definately scared. our kids better be smarter than us.

[Hugh R]

I'll probably be patient Zero on this pandemic!

[jyl]

On the optimistic side - the virus may not mutate to a human-to-human transmissible form this year, by next year the US may have purchased adequate stocks of antivirals, the mutated virus may not be as deadly, and with the additional time the government may have organized an effective response.

All kind of speculative, but here's hoping.

[nostatic]

Originally posted by jyl
with the additional time the government may have organized an effective response.

hey, this isn't the joke thread...

[techweenie]

I hope at some point, medical experts are brought in to help run scenarios. Quarantines aren't likely to work, since flu victims usually become symptomatic days after they are infectious. So, apparently healthy people will walk around spreading the flu... I'm going to try to get a flu shot before going to SEMA.

In my experience, large shows and conventions (and airline flights to get to them) have been very effective distribution points for the flu.

Edit: I was listening to Dr Dean Edell yesterday, and according to him, one flu that will likely strike this year is a Northern California strain that he (Edell) apparently contracted last year. He said it was the sickest he'd ever been in his life.

[pwd72s]

Sad to say, there is currently NO WAY to cure, or prevent a virus disease. If there were, there would be no more "common cold", no more AIDS, no more M.S., the list goes on. My great Aunt "Daisy" was one of the 1918 Pandemic victims...I have family writings & old photos of her. She was a young beauty, the family was devasted. All that said, I'm pi$$ed at our mainstream press for making it such a media event. It's as if they, the network and print media both, love scaring the krap out of us, without offering any meaningful solution... Vash? For many decades, the British square rigger, "Cutty Sark", held the sail record for crossing the Atlantic...I forget the exact time, but it was around 3 weeks. Sailing ships were fast enough...steam ships were much faster, and they were around in 1918. Ever hear of the Titanic?

[Nader]

Sad to say, there is currently NO WAY to cure, or prevent a virus disease. If there were, there would be no more "common cold", no more AIDS, no more M.S., the list goes on.

How much polio have you seen lately? Measles? Mumps? Rubella? the list goes on.

[dhoward]

I just saw some polio the other day. Man, those horses are fast...

[1967 R50/2]

You guys are quite alarmist. Read an article in Forbes on a possible "pandemic flu". They estimated total world wide casualties at 1.5M. While nothing to sneeze at, with a global population exceeding 3 billion, that is a very small %.

[dhoward]

Originally posted by 1967 R50/2
You guys are quite alarmist. Read an article in Forbes on a possible "pandemic flu". They estimated total world wide casualties at 1.5M. While nothing to sneeze at, ....SNIPPED.

Just had to say it, didn't you...

[CJFusco]

Originally posted by Hugh R
Have you been reading about this? Apparently there have been 3 in the last 90 years or so and they killed millions. This newest one apparently transmits from birds to humans and other mammals and has a 50% mortality rate. It doesn't transmit from Human to Human YET. Nature may be doing a little pruning of the human tree soon.

While listening to a decidedly alarmist radio show last night (Coast to Coast), Mr. Noory claimed that the bird flu has killed only 65 people so far. Or did I hear it wrong?

[gaijindabe]

The problem (what I have read) with this "bird flu" is that it is a "new" strain - unlike any flu you have ever had or gotten a shot for. Therefore, your body has got to start at square one for making the anti-bodies to beat it back.. With most flus - most of the dots have been connected and your body only needs to complete the puzzle. This tamiflu stuff hold promise - but it is on short supply for this year.

[RickM]

They've been studying the virulence of the Spanish/1918 flu which killed at least 40 million. Hopefully they'll be able to isolate the genes that make it spread so quickly. The creepy thing is that many of these organisms show up, wipe out millions and then quickly disappear .