disney is also complicit.....Fidget...Ratigan's peg legged lackey
Posted on 03/24/2020 1:17:09 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly, but it turns out that they have other unique characteristics that separate them from most (if not all) other mammals. In a project headed by Dr. Peng Zhou, an international research team did extensive studies on bats. Bats are hosts to 100 different viruses, many of which are harmful or even lethal to humans.1 The team wanted to discover how bats can carry so many, and such deadly, viruses without getting sick themselves.
Turns out that bats have a special ability. When humans or mammals encounter a virus or other disease causing agent, their bodies “turn on” an immune system response that begins to fight the danger. When no such dangers are present, the body “switches off” the system. The reason for this on-off switch is that when the immune system is on, it fights threats, but it also poses risks to the animal. Michelle Baker, a member of the team, stated, “In other mammalian species, having the immune response constantly switched on is dangerous—for example it’s toxic to tissue and cells.”2 Bats, however, never seem to turn off their immune defense system. Even when no viruses or diseases threaten bats, they always have their immune response switched on. Baker noted that, in contrast to other mammalian immune responses that seem to harm their cells and tissues, “the bat immune system operates in harmony” with its body.3 What we see, then, is a mammal that can carry 100 viruses without getting sick, but that can easily transmit those viruses to other mammals and people.
These findings shed illuminating light on the biblical food regulations that Moses penned in approximately 1450 B.C. In Leviticus 11, Moses instructed the Israelites to avoid certain animals. He referred to those animals as “unclean” and told the Israelites to avoid contact with live unclean animals or with their dead carcasses. Leviticus 11:19 lists the bat as one of those unclean animals. Moses’ instructions would have kept the Israelites from getting viruses transmitted by bats.4 An in-depth look at the list of all unclean animals shows a remarkable knowledge5 by the author for avoiding potentially toxic and dangerous food sources.6 There is no way that Moses could have figured these things out himself. He must have been guided by an all-knowing, supernatural Being.
As we further explore the prohibition against eating or touching bats, a modern reader might wonder why even make such a law, because who wants to eat bats anyway? The fact is, however, bats have historically been “on the menu” in a number of countries. Lucy Maddox, writing for Science, penned an article in 2003 titled “Don’t Eat the Bats,”7 an instruction that sounds remarkably like what Moses said more than 3,000 years before she wrote her article. Maddox reviewed the history of the Chamorro people who live on Guam. This group was known to have unusually high chances of falling prey to a neurodegenerative disorder that can be debilitating and fatal. One reason suggested for this fact was that Chamorro people eat the seeds from the cycad plant. These seeds are known to have the neurotoxin BMAA in them. By washing the seeds thoroughly, however, most of the toxin can be removed. So, researchers were still baffled by the high rates of the disorder.
Turns out that the Chamorro people like to eat “flying foxes,” Guam’s large fruit bat. The bats also enjoy eating the seeds of the cycad plant, but they, of course, do not wash them. Because of this, BMAA builds up in bat flesh. Researchers found toxin levels in bat flesh to be “hundreds of times higher than in cycad flour.”8 Avoiding eating and touching bats is a great idea. We did not know why until recently. Moses’ most likely did not have all the details either. But the fact that he included bats in his list of unclean animals provides yet another piece of evidence for the divine inspiration of the Bible.
I like bats becuase they are so useful; essential really. I’ve read fruit bats do not mess with good fruit, they like over ripe fruit, so they are useful too.
We always have a couple bat houses up for them, as often ignorant people kill them. I like watching them swoop around at dusk swallowing bugs.
But eating??????????????? Even my cats wouldn’t eat them.
Interesting.
Thanks!
For later reference (batfood).
As stated by me last night: They {viruses} present a challenge to the body's immune system to formulate a countermeasure that does not injure or destroy the body's original structures. That is likely why viruses cause body aches, headaches and organ function disruptions.
Viruses can be extremely dangerous and often difficult to defeat. Likewise, antiviral meds must weaken or destroy the invading pathogen, not the host body. In a sense the science is still rather new.
Bacteria are less prone to mutation, by my understanding, and have been effectively dealt with via antibiotics. The problem there, after nearly a century of antibiotic therapies, is that those few bacteria that survive a dosing of a particular antibiotic then can prosper and will display an immunity to a dosing of the previous antibiotic. Thus the variety of antibiotics tends to broaden and multiply.
Dr's have been too prone to prescribe antibiotics, often due to pressure from their patients, which has led to patients sometimes being vulnerable to 'super infections' and extended hospital stays.
They {viruses} present a challenge to the body’s immune system to formulate a countermeasure that does not injure or destroy the body’s original structures. That is likely why viruses cause body aches, headaches and organ function disruptions.
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I missed that, will go back and check. I was under the impression that viruses caused aches, pains, and headaches (maybe the organ disruption) also because of the toxins virus create, and the large numbers of dead viruses the body has to eliminate. Is that part of it too?
2019-nCoV is not the first zoonotic virus or bacteria to have caused an outbreak. Here are others that caused worldwide outbreaks:
Ebola
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola was thought to have originated from fruit bats. Other animal hosts that could infect a human include chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines.
DRC Ebola
Most of the Ebola outbreaks since its discovery in 1976 occurred in Africa [File: Catherine Soi/Al Jazeera]
Transmission of the Ebola virus occurs upon close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or bodily fluids of infected animals found ill or dead in the rainforest. Blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola, as well as belongings that have been contaminated with their bodily fluids, can also lead to contracting the virus, the WHO said.
Most of the Ebola outbreaks since its discovery in 1976 occurred in Africa, based on the study conducted by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
So far, Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people.
HIV/AIDS
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is believed to have been passed to humans from a type of chimpanzee in Central Africa, according to the US CDC.
HIV infects the cells of the body’s immune system, rendering it more susceptible to infections and complications.
According to the WHO, the term AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is applied to the most advanced stage of HIV infection, as identified by the occurrence of an infection or HIV-related cancer associated with severe immunodeficiency.
HIV/AIDS continues to claim lives, with more than 32 million deaths as of 2019. Approximately 37.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2018, according to the WHO.
Transmission can occur after the exchange of body fluids such as saliva, breast milk, blood, semen and vaginal secretions.
Antiretroviral therapies can slow the progression of the disease but it is not accessible to millions living with HIV/AIDS.
PAKISTAN WORLD AIDS DAY
HIV/AIDS continues to claim lives, with more than 32 million deaths as of 2019 [File: Shakil Adil/AP]
Plague
Plagues have existed for centuries.
The Black Death, an epidemic of bubonic plague, killed an estimated 25 million people, starting from China and spreading to Europe, starting from 1334 to the late 1340s.
Throughout history, there have been three main forms of plague: Bubonic, septicaemic and pneumonic. They are caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis found in small mammals and their fleas.
Infection occurs through the bite of infected vector fleas, unprotected contact with infectious bodily fluids or contaminated materials, and inhaling another patient’s respiratory droplets.
All continents have gone through a plague - one of the deadliest diseases in human history - at some point except for Oceania.
SARS
Identified in 2003, the SARS - severe acute respiratory syndrome - coronavirus is believed to have originated from bats and later passed on to other animals such as civet cats.
The first report of humans infected with the virus was in Guangdong province of southern China in 2002, according to the WHO.
MERS South Korea
South Korean tourist assistants wear masks as a precaution against the MERS virus that started to spread in 2015 [File: Ahn Young-joon/AP]
From November 2002 through July 2003, a total of 8,098 people worldwide became sick with SARS that was accompanied by either pneumonia or respiratory distress syndrome (probable cases), according to the WHO. Of these, 774 died.
There is no cure for SARS, but there are treatments such as breathing assistance, antibiotics, steroids and antiviral medicines.
MERS
Identified in 2012, the origins of the MERS - Middle East respiratory syndrome - coronavirus are not fully understood, however, the genomes suggest that it originated in bats and passed to camels.
Studies have shown that humans were infected through direct or indirect contact with infected camels. The disease, which was reported in 27 countries, was not as widespread as SARS.
According to the WHO, there have been 2,494 laboratory-confirmed cases, 80 percent of which were reported in Saudi Arabia.
The fatality rate for the disease is approximately 35 percent, with 858 deaths since the outbreak.
Rabies
About 99 percent of transmissions of rabies is through dogs, though bats account for the majority of human rabies deaths in the Americas.
Most rabies-related deaths occurred in Africa and Asia, accounting for 95 percent of world rabies deaths.
Indonesia dogs
Approximately 95 percent of world rabies-related deaths occurred in Africa and Asia [File: Firdia Lisnawati/AP]
Transmission occurs through deep bites, scratches as well as infectious material, such as saliva, coming into direct contact with human mucosa and fresh wounds, according to the WHO.
According to the WHO, there are an estimated 59,000 human deaths annually in more than 150 countries.
Influenza
A number of animals can transmit influenza, as the world saw with avian and swine flu.
Direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments is how these viruses are transmitted, the WHO said.
According to the US CDC, symptoms of influenza include fevers, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headaches, body aches, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Worldwide, influenza results in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness annually, and about 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths.
Nipah virus
Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs), or contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah virus.
Although Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people, making it a public health concern
Michelle Baker, a member of the team, stated, “In other mammalian species, having the immune response constantly switched on is dangerous—for example it’s toxic to tissue and cells...
It is likely a cumulative effect. I took a narrow view as did Ms. Baker. The point is that a rather subtle solution is often required to defeat the viral intruder without interfering with normal body/cellular function. As I said, viruses can mirror a body's DNA threads (or, as Gray Whiskers pointed out, RNA strands.) My expertise doesn't extend very far. :)
A few months ago a Dr thought I had a vital infection and prescribed the antiviral acyclovir; it turned out that I didn't have the infection but the antiviral made me feel so irregular that I had to discontinue it after about 5 days - without completing the full dosing series.
A viral infection... autocorrect. :-/
I get that they are useful and needed for the balance of nature. I just think their faces look like little monsters. We have a friend in our subdivision who is trying to attract them to her garden as pest deterrents. It will be interesting to see how that works out. I used to work with someone who had a bat infestation problem in his attic.
disney is also complicit.....Fidget...Ratigan's peg legged lackey
While I do view the Bible as divine, it is not unreasonable that the concept of unclean animals would come from the observation of fatalities after eating them, over the generations.
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