L
Posted on 01/15/2007 11:08:30 AM PST by Gritty
Common sense and knowledge of history.
Bird Flu: When you need MORE than global warming
All this time I have been curled up in the fetal position waiting on swine flu to get me.
I didn't suggest any such thing.
I am not one of those totally convinced that it will mutate into a human-human form. I pay attention to these threads because of my knowlege of the poultry industry and what an outbreak of a virulent strain will do to the industry.
One of the first lines of defense in this country, or at least in areas of the country that have a large poultry industry (like where I live), will be the poultry industry itself.
As others have mentioned about prep for Y2K having assisted in solving problems before they occurred, the preparations and precautions already in place by the poultry industry, and other ancilliary industries will do much in this country to help stem the chance of mutations.
The chicken farmers I know, and I know quite a few, take this threat very seriously and not just for selfish economic reasons. These people may be chicken farmers, but they are also businessmen and in some cases have scientific backgrounds themselves. They know what they have to do in the event of an outbreak and the first thing is destroy the flock.
As I said, a human-human trasnmission mutation is not of that a great concern to me right now. Any strain of AI showing up in these parts is.
Sodomy subtracts several decades from the lives of its practitioners, but the AIDS virus remains the only pathogen with civil right protections.
See http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2006/H5N1_avail.htm
The 1918 pandemic flu virus has been recreated at CDC. They are working on a H-to-H strain of H5N1, so it will be done, at least in a lab. Whether this mutation will occur in nature is another issue, of course.
Your strategy is exactly the correct one. The question is can politicians and civil authorities impose the draconian measures necessary to stop transmission in time to make a big difference? I think that this was easier to do in 1918 than it is today.
One of the problems is that we are not well prepared to deal with an outbreak, difficult and remote though it may be. We understand the science pretty well, but we don't have a handle on the policy and human behavior issues that will be at play.
oh please nothing is there that cannot be fixed by blaming the rich and taxing the he.l out of everyone
tax will trump any ailment that ills society
Oh No, Not A Challenge!!!!!!!!
"This is alarmist nonsense, pure and simple."
Yep. Evidently some people like the feeling of an impending doom. What exactly am I supposed to do to prepare for a virus that does not really exist yet. Let me guess, give the government money to protect me?
So typical. Invent monster. Warn townspeople of monster. Offer to slay monster for a fee. Take money and claim monster was slayed. Invent new monster...
Some states already have such draconian measures available and in place. Whether they have the guts to enforce them in a widespread manner is another question.
FYI, the following is a exerpt of our State's (NC) "Isolation Order". The parallel "Quarantine Order" is very similar in restrictions and penalties, the difference being whether one is exhibiting symptoms. The "Quarantine Order" does not require any symptoms, just "possible" exposure...
NC Pandemic Influenza Plan Appendix L-2 January 2006 ISOLATION ORDER ...
...
You may have been exposed or are reasonably suspected of being exposed to pandemic _____________ influenza...
...
If you fail to comply with this ISOLATION ORDER, you will be subject to prosecution pursuant to NCGS 130A-25, which provides for imprisonment for up to two (2) years, as well as pretrial detention without bail under NCGS 15A-534.5. ...
...
The authority of this ISOLATION ORDER to restrict your freedom of movement expires in 30 days from the date of this order unless extended or modified by a court pursuant to NCGS 130A-145.
People who may have been exposed (and that will be determined by the authorities, not your own say-so) are not just going to be able to pack up and head to the mall, even if they feel "OK". My guess is, if caught they will go to jail instead. Maybe with a lot of their newfound "friends"?
No doubt Clifford will get himself in the doghouse over this one.
"Bird flu will challenge to U.S. health system, expert predicts."
So will global warming. What's their point?
Y2K was a complete unknown - something that had no precedent in history so no one really knew what would happen. Flu pandemics, however, HAVE happened. And they will happen again. Why on earth would we NOT watch how this progresses? Perhaps it will not make the mutation to human-to-human transmission but, even though the numbers of cases are small, the fact remains that one half the cases of H5N1 end in death
No one here is in panic mode, but it never hurts to stay informed.
Actually, I have not yet seen anybody "paralyzed with fear and superstition".
And I believe it is naive to think that it could never happen again in this country.
L
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