Threat Of 'Superflu' Rampage As Mutant Viruses Resist Drugs

"And Bush is going to make sure there is no flu vaccine available for senior citizens in the US."

I don't understand this statement. Are you being sarcastic?

You can't be series.

Right On, Brother!

Killer flu, of whatever strain, has since the 1970s been recognized both as inevitable, and the #1 biological threat to the United States. It is a vicious, murderous disease, and has almost unpredictable possibility for human mortality. It has maintained between a 50 and 60% mortality rate, and there are no documented cases of "mild" infection.

On average, about 30,000 Americans die every year from typical influenza. If avian flu mutates to a Human to Human (H2H) strain, anywhere from 300,000 to 5 Million Americans could die, and an equal number could have permanently scarred lungs.

Officially, the WHO world mortality estimates by their top epidemologist was ordered reduced from 300 Million to only 3 Million. This was done with no scientific justification.

Already, the disease has been proven to cause the "cytokine storm" effect in the lungs, an overreaction of the immune system to the virus which results in severe lung damage, with blood and fluid entering the lungs, and oxygen deprivation to the entire body. This cytokine storm effect may actually be more lethal than the disease itself. For this reason, healthy young people with strong immune systems may have a far higher mortality rate than everyone else.

Once a sample of the actual H2H virus has been obtained, in the US it will take six months to produce 30 Million vaccinations. This is peak production, enough for 1 in 10 Americans.

Because of the serious potential of the avian flu, the vaccination scheme has been modified so that instead of vaccinating the very old, very young and infirm, the emphasis will be on school aged children most likely to spread the disease, and outbreak areas.

Other critical medical supplies in the US are manufactured on a "push" basis with almost no reserves. For example, the US has about 102,000 ventilators, 100,000 of which are needed for a typical flu season. In surge production it is unlikely manufacturers would be able to produce more than a small number more, in time.

The two major advantages that we have today, that we did not have during the 1918 Spanish flu, is a good awareness of public hygiene and good electronic communications.

In the last few years it was discovered that hand contamination, not coughing and sneezing, was by far the greatest means by which colds and flus are spread. It is now calculated that if you are out in public during an epidemic, if you wash your hands or use hand sanitizer about six times a day, you reduce your chances of catching a disease by almost 60%.

This is especially important because a typical cold or flu virus needs far more contamination to infect most people, because they have limited immunity. But since there is no known immunity to avian flu, much less virus is needed to cause an infection that will overwhelm the immune system.

The reason avian flu has not become H2H yet is because other than in internal organs, it concentrates in the lower trachea, rather than the upper trachea and sinuses, which is typical. Thus it is harder to get on the hands with coughing and sneezing. For it to adapt only needs one or perhaps two mutations.

Electronic communications will do much to prevent the spread of the disease. Even small communities can set up phone banks to systematically call every residence in their town or city, both to spread information and to determine if emergency medical and mortuary services are needed.

It is still not known how many animals may act as vectors of the disease. Certainly wild and domestic foul, which could wipe out much of our chicken and turkey industry. Dogs have been proven to catch and die from the disease, and pigs are also known to carry most flus.

The disease may last as long as two years, coming in two "waves". Entire communities may be missed, and some could almost be wiped out.

It sounds like Captain Trips.

A freeper recommended Sambucol.......it's an immune booster for upper respiratory issues......

But will it make me smell of elderberries? I'd hate to be taunted by the French as a "silly English Ki-nig-it!"

Thanks! I'll check it out!

Mark

"Remain calm, all is well."

The information online about Sambucol was enough to sent me to the store. At first I bought the sugar free, but we've since switched to the original. Can't tell you how quickly my husband's cold was gone. He is usually at death's door with his upper respiratory illnesses. This time it was gone in two days.

Thanks for the info on it... While I was using the common Freeper ploy of referring to Monty Python (Sambucol is derived from Elderberries, so I was forced to refer to Monty Python & the Holy Grail - It's a rule I think, maybe even a law). After doing a bit of reading I ordered it from Amazon last night, but this morning, I found that it's not going to ship for at least 3 weeks. So, I'll be off to that commie grocery store, Whole Foods Markets, because they're the only place in KC that carries it.

Thanks again for the recommendation!

Mark