Please tell me what no one will:
Why is this flu any worse than any other? Don’t say it’s because it hasn’t been around “before” per se; I’m not interested in that fact or that lots of people get sick.
I want to know why this is treated as if it is some deadly disease. Why is it a big deal?
No one answers that question. Sort of like “why is global warming a big deal?” I honestly don’t know why it’s so scary.
Maybe this will help. Viruses tend to re-assort (mix genetic material) when they coexist in the same vector(in this case, a person). This would become very dangerous in the co-infection with both the H1N1 swine flu virus(which has a .44% mortality rate) and the H5N1 avian flu virus(which has a mortality rate of about 60%). If the new re-assorted virus had a mortality rate of 60%, the mortality rate around the world would be in the BILLIONS.
The fear is, the more vectors (infected people), the more chance for a virus to re-assort. Because H1N1 seems to be easily transmitted and all influenza viruses mutate rapidly.... couple that with a high mortality rate of H5N1 and you have a big problem.
http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/83/16/8131?lookupType=volpage&vol=83&fp=8131&view=short
Presently, there are outbreaks of both viruses simultaneously in Indonesia and Egypt.
Perhaps because it is a golden opportunity to (re)introduce the idea of forced quarantine (home detention) for the sick.