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46 new cases of West Nile confirmed in IL today(211 total..90 the last 2 days)
Posted on 09/04/2002 1:45:54 PM PDT by newsperson999
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To: steve-b
"Why the devil would an enemy go to the trouble merely to introduce a disease that has so little effect? No one ever said the "Foreign Sources" were very smart, but on the other hand who's to say this isn't a test run for something else? On another note, two more cases have been confirmed in MD today. At the rate cases are being discovered, by the end of the year a "Few cases" could end up being in the thousands if not hundreds of thousands plus.
To: Trust but Verify
"Don't you just love it? Do you think these people look under their beds every night for the bogeyman?" Oh you mean like the people on here that were predicting something like 9-11 would happen and were passed off as tinfoilers or just plain looney's? The problem as I see it, is there are some people, that no matter what the facts are, just refuse to see beyond their own nose. I will mark this thread for a "Told you so" revisit. Just like I did the thread that predicted that cases of WNV might hit the low hundreds if that many. Needless to say that thread was debunked a while ago.
To: JustAnAmerican
Then please explain for those of us who aren't cowering in fear, why on Earth anyone would use something as benign as WNV to attack America when they have far more lethal substances at their disposal? How, when and why would they do this to us? You can't make a convincing case.
To: Trust but Verify
"Then please explain for those of us who aren't cowering in fear, why on Earth anyone would use something as benign as WNV to attack America when they have far more lethal substances at their disposal?" I really think no amount of talking will change your mind, thankfully most Americans do not pass everything off as coincidence since 9-11, the Terrorists just love folks who, unless thousands of people die in one fell swoop, pass death from other then natural causes, off to coincidence. But just for the sake of argument lets do a fact listing here.
(1) persons over 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease version of WNV
(2) An estimated (using census figures) 56 million people in the US are over 55 years old. This doesn't even include the number between 50-55.
The above two statements were in response to your "Benign" statement, you might want to check your facts before making such a statement.
Now tell me again who would want to put an estimated 56 million people in the USA at risk of unnatural death? Especially with people who pass the WNV off as just something that happened to occur out of the blue. I do not run around cowering in fear at everything that happens, however I do pay attention to details. You might want to check the CDC's website for info on the WNV. Mighty strange that almost 800 people have contracted the disease and 40 have died.
And lets not forget where WNV originated from West Nile virus has been commonly found in humans and birds and other vertebrates in Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia, and the Middle East, but until 1999 had not previously been documented in the Western Hemisphere.
SO for thousands of years, 60 of which planes and other high speed methods of transportation have existed, we never had WNV, now all of a sudden we do? For you or anyone else to say that WNV could not possibly have been introduced into the US population deliberately, given the facts I have outlined, and many more, if you do a bit more searching, in just plain lunacy. Or maybe in some way you really do believe Human beings are not capable of doing such a thing. Denial will get us all killed, but then again that is also what caused 9-11.
To: Pure Country
I am sorry to hear about your son and glad that he's feeling a little better. I've been concerned about WNV for several years now b/c my daughter has asthma and anything can be life threatening. Even colds usually necessitate a steroid injection before she even begins to recover. When I went to the CDC website recently to get more info on WNV, I noticed that they call it West Nile Encephalitis. That did not give me any reassurance! We used to sit outside and eat. Now we never do. After we move, we hope to screen in the porch so that we can once again enjoy our outdoor dinners.
25
posted on
09/05/2002 9:45:55 AM PDT
by
twigs
To: JustAnAmerican
800 people diagnosed, 40 people dead. But how many people infected who will NEVER KNOW IT? Why will they never know it? Because it is RARELY lethal.
But let's cut to the chase. How would a terrorist organization have any control over the spread of such a disease? And why would they waster their time and resources doing so?
Why not a disease both contagious AND lethal, like smallpox or the plague?
To: Trust but Verify
"Rarely" lethal -- if 5% is rare, well maybe, but still more commonly than the cold or flu. That's why we would care about how many people catch it even if the vast majority don't die. Skeeters can carry it from one person to another, and now it appears to be an issue in organ donations as well.
To: JustAnAmerican
the Terrorists just love folks who, unless thousands of people die in one fell swoop, pass death from other then natural causes, off to coincidence Some ghoulish souls might rejoice in this, but not "terrorists." There is, by nature, no terror in such a thing.
To: Pure Country
My prayers are for your son.
29
posted on
09/06/2002 12:00:02 AM PDT
by
fatima
To: JustAnAmerican
Bump
30
posted on
09/06/2002 12:07:29 AM PDT
by
fatima
To: newsperson999; I'mAllRightJack; All
31
posted on
09/06/2002 1:02:45 AM PDT
by
backhoe
To: HiTech RedNeck
Your math is not very good. Where do you get 5% morbidity rate? The rest of your argument is flawed as well. There are far more deaths each year due to flu. Why not hypothesize that terrorists are responsiblr for that 'deadly' disease? I guess it fits your argument, though, so ignore all the facts.
To: Trust but Verify
I can't take your argument seriously because you said morbidity when you meant mortality. The trouble with West Nile is that, gee, it SPREADS. And apparently not just by mosquitos. Want to wait until it's a rival to the flu?
To: HiTech RedNeck
Sorry about the grammatical error. It was very early in the morning. What is your excuse for claiming there is a
mortality rate of 5%?
I'm not saying there shouldn't be concern, am I? My argument was that to think that such a non-lethal disease is the work of terrorists is far-fetched.
The media hype on this subject has been just short of hysteria.
To: Trust but Verify
9 deaths out of 211 reported cases (some of which are not recovered yet and may result in more deaths), from the very head article itself, comes close to this. Quibble and call it 4% if you want but it does not change the concern materially.
To: HiTech RedNeck
I guess you aren't aware of the fact that a very tiny percentage of the people who contract the disease ever become ill enough to go to the doctor. The vast majority either have no symptoms or pass whatever symptoms they do have off as a cold or flu.
So your nine deaths are not out of 211 people, but thousands and thousands of people.
To: JustAnAmerican
You're not going to convince me with your argument, nor am I going to convince you with mine. I guess we will have to agree to disagree.
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