Bird Flu!

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

Has this subject been discussed here?

Anybody paranoid about it?

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

Has this subject been discussed here?

Anybody paranoid about it?

[nacktman]

No discussion I am aware of yet Greenman.

I'm not paranoid about it, even if they are all trying to get me! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/freak.gif

[Nude in the North]

Paranoid?? No.
Skeptical?? Yes.

It seems to me that it's just another way for the Media's Fear Mongers to stir the nest.

Every Virus on the planet could Mutate and become more dangerous to humans. Don't lay awake worrying about it.

Steve

[krcNY]

This is just hype for the pharmaceutical companies. They already have a cure, and when the "flu" comes here they will hit us with high prices for the vaccine.

Money Maker...that is all it is.

[hootowl]

Good point KRC ny. REmember the killer bees that were coming our way 15yrs ago??

[krcNY]

gas prices too! The oil companies are not paying any more per barrell yet, but they are making bundles of money of the "Oil Shortage" scare.

These companies know how to use the media to their advantage and screw the little guys.

[bonnie dundee]

i din't think you should get paranoid about bird flu! but remember it has killed about 80 people! it's thought to have been caught by handling invected bird's.
as for being skeptical to think it's only not being curied so people will have to pay high price's for a vaccine now thats rich, as i think the parents of those turkish kids would have gave every thing they had so they didn't have to watch there kids die.
but who knows!!!!!

[krcNY]

I believe the bird flu is out there and a few have died from it. I also think that a cure has already been found but is too costly for folks who don't have insurance. Most of these companies do exploit the people.

[fred950]

Anybody on this thread familiar with Lenny Bruce's rutine called "Kid in the Well'?

When a doctor didn't get paid for treating a kid whom fell in a well. The doc complained to the AMA.
The AMA replied, "Will you knock it off? We'll come up with a new disease next year and get even!'

Doc 'But what will we call it?'

'Just a working title... Asiatic Flu."

'Where do we say it came from?'

'You ninny. It's going around... There's not too much we know about it but it's going around"


Sound familiar? http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/sad3.gif

[usmc1]

After reading what you guys have written here. Wow, I am so glad that Texas is a right to carry state. No wonder I stay strapped, there are some really weird thought processes out there. Wow!

Folks, gather round me and listen up.

Viruses are nasty, unpredictable little critters. They are the world's greatest survivalists and can exist in conditions which would destroy man, roach and rat--the world's other top survivalists.

The problem for us with the the so-called bird flu virus is that it is demonstrating the ability to jump species, from bird to mammal. What is not certain is whether or not once it is in mammals how it might mutate. If it mutates into a airborne virus (like the cold or influenza)that can be transmitted through sneezes and coughs and retains its virulence--well podner no matter how well you're strapped, could be a Desert Eagle loaded with Glasers, you're gonna be in trouble.

A virus based disease, transmitted worldwide by migrating birds, which mutates into an airborne mammal to mammal disease with fatal virulence could develop into a very a very serious threat to an over populated planet.

The wishful thinking that "THEY" have a potent, secret stock of antidotal or preventative serum is baseless. Viruses mutate, the serum that works on birds in China, most probably would not work on homo-sapiens in Europe. The serum that works today, might have no effect tomorrow.

Remember, viruses mutate--that's how they perpetuate themselves.

Paranoid no. Living under migratory flight paths, maintaining chickens, livestock and family pets and wary, yep!

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

So....do we dig ourselves another bomb shelter yet or what?

[usmc1]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by R.M.GREENMAN2:
So....do we dig ourselves another bomb shelter yet or what? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well......not exactly. But...

If this does go nasty, you'll probably just reach down and grasp your ankles, reach up and kiss your butt goodbye.

All seriousness aside, probably what will happen, if it does get nasty: stays virulent, goes airborne, and readily jumps mammalian species; we'll be asked to isolate, stay home, stay out of crowds, practice stringent sanitary procedures and such.

On a darker side, we might have to destroy lifestock and pets. Already some parts of the world have panic sticken people declaring war on feral cats and dogs.

The thing of it is, with a virus you just never know. But, on the other hand, we do know much more about public health than we did during the last great pandemic of the early 1900s.

Right now, we're seeing outbreaks, but the outbreaks are spreading from country to country and around the world. It is not yet an epidemic, and let us hope it does not become one.

The only thing that has me edgy, is that there now seems to be two viruses at work and taht at least one of those has also shown up in mammals in Europe. That is not good--but, right now it seems to require contact with contaminated feces, scat, food, and etc. It is not airborne.

If it mutates and goes airborne, then the isolation protocol will happen.

No need for paranoia, we've always been vulnerable to this sort of thing. But, as the world shrinks, it becomes more and more a possibility.

Avoid crowds, stay indoors, practice good sanitary practices, stay healthy, eat right, exercise, and keep your pets secure in the house and don't let them run free. And by all means take advantage of any innoculations which local public health officials might offer.

Don't lose any sleep, it may just blow by, kill some fowl and skip over most mammals.

[usmc1]

Here, this link should provide all the answers you'd ever need.

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/issues/

[R.M.GREENMAN2]

Thanks for the link...but just to let you know...I, myself am not paranoid over it yet.
Some people are, and I haven't seen it discussed here yet, so.....

Hopefully being fair centralized in this country, I hope to have some warning.

[nacktman]

I saw the bird, flew right by my truck, he did! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/bonk.gif

[sknny_dipper]

Very, very well put, usmc1. You said it all extremely well.

For those of you, gentlemen who dismiss this virus as something dreamed up by the medical profession just to get a few extra bucks. Think again, the death toll to humans because of this is now over the 100 mark. This virus has now spread across Europe and reached the shores of Scotland. The next stop could well be Ireland, normally a staging post for migrating birds to Canada and N America.
By the way krcNY, I do realise what you are saying, but not all countries are the same as the USA with regards to relying on medical insurance. There are other countries that do provide state medical cover without the need for private medical insurance.

[brainyguy9999]

I've been reading up on the possibility of a Flu pandemic as part of my involvement in my company's Disaster Recovery planning. I've been reading a lot about the Flu pandemic of 1918-1919. The numbers are staggering.

The so-called "Spanish Flu" killed about 675,000 people in the US alone in that two year period. For comparison, an estimated 620,000 Americans died during the American Civil war. In October, 1918, there were over 200,000 deaths in the US (One month!!!). They estimate that it killed between 20 million and 40 million worldwide. 200,000 in Britain. 400,000 in France.

Now, I'm far from an alarmist, but to deny that it could happen again is very dangerous.

And being in Denver doesn't protect you as much as you might think. A recent study concluded that the Spanish Flu actually began in Fort Riley, Kansas when a variation of a flu virus carried in poultry jumped to a soldier and began the 20-40 million person kill-off. It spread quickly through the US troops and was transported to the major Navy port cities as the soldiers departed for overseas deployment during the war.

What do you do if a pandemic begins again? Practice common good hygiene - cover your mouth with a tissue or handkerchief when you cough or sneeze, wash your hands well with hot water and soap before touching your eyes, nose, mouth, or food you are eating. Stay home if you are sick and keep your kids at home if they are. A hundred little things that fight the every-year flu will help against a flu pandemic.

Mostly, if the news begins to report that a pandemic is underway, do what CDC experts say to do. Forget all of the conspiracy theory crap and think about saving your family's and friends' lives.

I've done a lot of thinking on this the last couple of months. It is pretty scary to think how bad it could be, but hopefully a mutation to a human-to-human transmittable form will also decrease its fatality rate.

Sorry for the long-winded post. Lots to think about and say...

Stay nude!

bg

[usmc1]

Thanks for a well-thought post BG9-etc, the thing of it is that viruses do mutate, rapidly sometimes, and some have the capacity to leap from species to species.

Recently, within the past few days, I have read that Brit researchers believe they've developed an uber flu vacine. One which will innoculate against all flu viruses. Costs will be tremendous to develop and deliver this drug.

One of the not-so secret dreads of CDC and other researchers is that a filo virus such as Ebola or Marburg will mutate and become airborne. If that happens, then we have a health crises the like of which has never before happened. Those are the proverbial bad bugs.

As to the concerns about the current strain of avian flu: well, I'd suggest your company is smart to include its potential in your disaster plans.

[KetchumMaine]

The bird flu/pandemic is nothing to sneeze at. I am the coordinator of the local Medical Reserve Corps, and have attended a number of trainings and planning sessions around the topic. It is essential that people educate themselves about this. There are precautions that can be taken, and preventitive measures available.

Consider the number pf people you see everyday, then consider where they came from, and how many people they contact. Unless you live a solitary life on a rural farm, the number become staggering. If this flu starts passing from person-to-person it will spread very quickly across the globe. Every airplane will be filled with infected people. Every visitor from out of town will potentially be bringing the virus to your community. Those who interact with people will be suceptable to exposure to it thousands of times a day.

I don't want to scare everyone, but the skeptics need to be aware that this is no hoax. It can kill you, your neighbors, and your family.

Plans are underway to minimize the spread of such a flu. I encourage everyone to visit http://birdflu.gov/.