Looming pandemic which could kill 10s of millions causing sleepless nights

cnews.canoe.ca ^ | November 20, 2004 | HELEN BRANSWELL

[PoorMuttly]

Just proves the ancient Muttly axiom...birds should be eaten....before they kill us.

...now about those squirrels........

[hgro]

Probably thru Condileeza Rice.

[Yaelle]

Maybe this is a stupid question. If all these weird flus come from animals sharing close quarters with humans, can't we spread the message through Southeast Asia that all homes need to be farther away from the chicken coop? They can surely reorganze their villages a BIT if it means saving the world.

Stopping people's sex habits (as in Africa and AIDS) is of course much harder because of biological desire. But surely we can get some basic "animals over THERE, humans over HERE" facts out there?

[Veto!]

Yes, of course money is always involved. However, viruses can mutate very quickly, while the human immune system adapts to them more slowly. With millions of people traveling to and from potentially "sick" countries every year, just a trip through an international airport like London will expose a lot of people to diseases they never heard of from countries they never heard of either. It is scary, and I'm glad someone is keeping an eye on developments, even if they are Canadians and/or looking for funding. Our CDC is watching too.

But I don't accept the assertion that everyone is at risk. Even during the Spanish Flu, the majority of people did not catch it. And we're smarter now about taking care of our health.

Those in any age group who are in excellent health, take precautions like handwashing and if it comes to it, face masks, and who routinely boost their immune systems with nutritional supplements would probably come through unscathed if a new deadly virus were unleashed.

[Black Powder]

Wonder how it spreads from China to the USA?

Through WalMart.

[Ditter]

Lets make a deal, I won't travel to SE Asia if you won't.

[Ginifer]

How does the disease spread from one country to another?

The disease can spread from country to country through international trade in live poultry. Migratory birds, including wild waterfowl, sea birds, and shore birds, can carry the virus for long distances and have, in the past, been implicated in the international spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Migratory waterfowl – most notably wild ducks – are the natural reservoir of bird flu viruses, and these birds are also the most resistant to infection. They can carry the virus over great distances, and excrete it in their droppings, yet develop only mild and short-lived illness.

Domestic ducks, however, are susceptible to lethal infections, as are turkeys, geese, and several other species raised on commercial or backyard farms.

[CTOCS]

I've been to Hong Kong and the mainland. Trust me, some of these homes "are the chicken coop!!!".........

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Ok. I'm badly frightened. If we don't fly then it cannot be said:'He flew for the flu!'

[lotusblos]

Trust in Mother Nature. She knows how to take care of earth's ills. We've got way too many people on this planet anyway. But, if you're really worried move to France where they have the best socialized medicine on the planet. Only fifteen thousand of them croaked the last time the temperature exceeded 100F.

[stboz]

>Wonder how it spreads from China to the USA? Airplanes laddie. All those 747s, 777s, and Airbuses full of free traders going back and forth bring home a gift that keeps on giving.

Oh, come now. It's transmitted by and through all the stuff we buy from China. Go to Wallyworld, catch the flu.

[Ditter]

Yeah, we won't be responsible for bringing the flu here. Of course, we can't control all those other people.

[steve86]

I think you have a slightly better chance of being killed by a falling meteor.

You sound like the type who would jump out of an airplane without a parachute, because someone once survived doing that.

[Nick Danger]

No one else seems interested, so I guess it's up to me to start People for the Ethical Treatment of Disease Organisms.

If we can introduce bears into New Jersey, we can certainly find a home for Streptococci. Probably in Boston, where both Kerry and Kennedy have mansions. Why should these, the smallest of God's creatures, have to hang out in lungs and livers and stuff, when all around them, the rich are prospering?

The prejudice against these poor creatures is just astounding. Fully 79% of Americans said that they would "run like Hell" if they learned that a single Ebola virus was in the room with them. What kind of a welcome is that?

Please join me in treating our disease organisms with respect and compassion. It's their Earth, too.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

This issue may turn into quite a flap.

[tet68]

"I had a little bird
it's name was Enza.
I opened up the window
and in flew Enza."

Childrens rhyme from time of the Spanish flu.
It's interesting how kids see this kind of thing.

Sort of like "Ring around the rosey,
a pocket full of poseys."

About the bubonic plague, the discolored skin
around the buboe, and a nosegay of poseys to
cover the smell of death.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I CAN FORSEE DISATER IN THE USA IN 2005!!!

OVER A MILLION PEOPLE WILL DIE!!!!

[kitkat]

***......now about those squirrels........***

You don't have to worry about the squirrels, Muttly. They're their own worst enemies, as proven by one of their relatives who stole two grapes off our patio table, and buried them in my garden for later munching. I don't know what he was thinking, but he was survived by a family of seven.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

I heard about "Ring a Round the Rosey" The version I heard was that the rhyme reflected the method used to fight the disease; i.e. putting ashes and flower petals in the pocket, joining hands and circling a rose bush etc.

[Feiny]

I will join you. I invite any germ to attempt to survive in my body. I have found that drinking vodka daily keeps germs happy & they don't bother me.