Posted on 10/16/2005 6:13:36 PM PDT by mdittmar
Inquiring minds want to know,and FR has the best minds.
I dunno.....
The MSM?
Somehow.......
Media sensationalism. I guess it is possible for this pandemic and government should take some measures to prepare but we all know how the media blows things up. Remember SARS? Victims only have a 98% chance of surviving that deadly virus.
SARS, Y2K, etc, etc.
I don't want to sound like I don't believe the MSM and the federal govt. BUT I DON'T.
I keep up to date on what is happening, (Thanks FREEREPUBLIC) and I just don't see this as a major issue. MSM is in the business to sell ad space. With MSM, the truth is not necessary.
I wish the dimwits in DC would just do the right thing and outlaw the flu and even possibly outlaw death.
I'm gonna start crappin' on peoples' windshields and say the "bird flu" made me do it. It's gonna be fun, especially on those cars with the goofy lefty bumperstickers.
Best post of the night. ROTFLOL!
How about, 'California gearing up to survive a 9.0 quake.' Or, New Mexico gearing up to stop the massive influx of illegal aliens jumping the border.'
Or 'Louisiana gearing up to handle another Cat 5 Hurricane.' Or Wisconsin gearing up to gear down when gas pump prices reach the $5.00 per gallon mark.'
Early results tersting Tamiflu are showing it's not nearly as effective as first thought.
Cha-ching,I'll have to recheck my 401k,maybe I have some ROCHE stock.
Correct. Tamiflu is the best "General" antiviral drug available BUT, it will not be the "Silver Bullet" for whatever the Avian Flu mutates into. We won't know exactly what we are fighting until it shows itself..., then it will take months (at best) to develop and manufacture a SPECIFIC antiviral drug.
In any event, it can happen but when is a total unknown! At least it seems that Asis is fully on board now in recognizing the danger and will not hide an outbreak to "Save Face"...
It's never happened and I doubt it ever will.
A giant meteor could hit the earth and wipe us all out,it can happen but when is a total unknown!
I would think that regular hand washing would do as much to protect the population as a massive effort to create and distribute vaccinations.
They won't even be able to start production until people start dying, to find out what the mutation is.
In the meantime, eating well, adequate rest, fresh air and handwashing could reduce illness and deaths from regular old non-avian flu.
Good grief, how many people SURVIVED the 1918 flu without ANY special vaccinations???
Pinz
The inquiring minds at FR are way ahead of you by many months. Check out...
1800+posts and it looks to be a media,drug company,enhanced crock of crap.
Every flu season a knew flu shows up,swine,bird,blah,blah,blah.
Flus make me sick;)
I got my tamiflu and relenza ready.. in my disaster kit...hubby wrote the prescriptions!
The millions that died in the 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic would be glad to here that! I personally had a Great-Grandfather and two Great-Uncles who died from that event.
I probably lost some distant ancestor eons ago from a meteor strike but..., that happens far less often!
The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed between 20 to 40 million people, worldwide. Approximately 675,000 Americans died of that flu. Recently, the 1918 flu was confirmed as an avian flu (done by DNA analysis of both old specimens and newly recovered frozen specimens of lung tissue of flu victims). So, that flu was an example of exactly what is feared now: an avian flu that mutated enough times to achieve human-to-human transmission. So that's how many people have died of a similar avian flu. Hope that answers your question.
Did you take the time to read some of it, perhaps the past few months' posts?
Practically nobody alive (except those who have already contacted it, over 50% of whom have died) has any immunity to this killer virus which is now spreading like wildfire among the world's wild and domestic bird populations. If it manages to mutate to an easily transmissible human-to-human form (it seems to be doing that as we speak) the end results could be catastrophic.
The Spanish Flu of 1918-19 was a similar type virus and was one of the largest disease killers in history. While it is possible the new H5N1 virus will not make the efficient jump to humans, most experts think it is more likely it will, probably soon. It seems to be doing so (or has done so) in several areas, such as Indonesia and possibly China.
This is not your normal flu "bug" which puts you in bed for a few days with misery and then you go on with life. This is an entirely new ball game, at least new to our generations. Our medical system is woefully inadequate and unprepared if it strikes within the next few years, despite all our wonderful medical technology - which is mostly ineffective against this virus. It is giving the experts nightmares with it's possibilities.
I recommend you read some of the referenced thread for your own knowledge, especially if you are going to make sweeping comments on the subject.
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