World on verge of deadly pandemic, U.S. official says

Associated Press ^ | 2/20/05 | Associated Press

[steve86]

multiorgan failure

Yeah, I vaguely remember something about that recently. No one was paying much attention (including me).

[cajungirl]

Oh, and that virus was found in blood, feces, everywhere not just respiratory.

[Paul_Denton]

You are right, you are not a virologist and not a doctor. This disease has a high mortality, is affecting other species than birds and they think the victims die so fast that they have missed the early human cases where virus is in feces, blood, saliva and every organ fails. This is nothing to laugh about.

That's scary. How high of a mortality?

[Judith Anne]

Yes, I agree.

[djf]

I generally don't have much trouble with flu like diseases. In the last 15 years, got it twice.

Both times, I was in bed for days before it broke, and in bed a total of over a week each time.

It can be quite nasty, but the old remedies do have alot of positive effect, lot of Vit C., lots of fluid, and SOUP!! chicken soup, with huge amounts of garlic and pepper.

I normally consume large amounts of calcium, zinc, and potassium, so I know I have no deficiencies there.

[cajungirl]

I think mortality if 70 to 80 percent. It keeps reminding me of pneumonic plague.

[Gabz]

Chicken meat, even from an infected bird would be completely safe to eat.

You're right - but even that has a very slim chance of happening in the US because they destroy all the birds on a farm prior to them getting into the food chain.

That of course only relates to commercial poultry growers, not the guy raising a couple in his yard for home consumption.

[Alas Babylon!]

Last I heard it was around 76%. Now, whether or not a human vectored virus would be tht lethal is another thing. The 76% is for the H1 and that is actually hard to catch even from the birds. In most cases, IIRC, it took a lot of exposure.

[Judith Anne]

I don't want to upset you, but earliest indications are 70-80% mortality.

There is a study being done in Asia now, of poultry workers in areas where Avian flu has been found, to find out if there are people who test positive for the virus but who weren't ill, or weren't seriously ill. So far, it's not encouraging. Few if any healthy people have had a mild case, it seems.

A large number of mild cases verified would mean that the flu possibly isn't as deadly as it first seems, but that doesn't seem to be panning out.

[djf]

I think it has mutated and become much, much more infectious, and is appearing in other species, including mammals.

[Redcloak]

We're DOOMED!

[cajungirl]

Judith, did you read of five human cases in Taiwan?

[Judith Anne]

The 76% is for the H1 and that is actually hard to catch even from the birds.

If I remember correctly, the 76% is for the H5N1--am I mistaken?

[cajungirl]

I know you are joking, but some of us may be.

[Judith Anne]

No--I vaguely remember something, but the Cambodian and Viet Nam cases are the ones I recall.

Taiwan--!

[Paul_Denton]

I saw a blurb about a possible case on West Coast but nothing else, I will find out. I thinkk I did read of 5 cases in Taiwan. What my cdc person says is that they think they have missed the early human cases because they were all looking for a respiratory death but the entire body is affected and it is really bad. I will get an update. And CDC does send out surveillance papers.

I should probebly move away from Seattle then. Been thinking about it for the past few years.

[cajungirl]

I would wait on the move!! I am so sleepy, nite yall.

[WindOracle]

Yep, this sort of thing has happened before, with Canadian Goose droppings landing in feed troughs of hogs, and then passing on to humans. Typically that is how influenza was passed to humans in the past, thru an intermediary species rather than straight from the birds, which is why hog houses now are such disease controlled areas, with covered houses instead of open lots. Pork was the main offender in the past, but it is this ability of influenza's to pass to humans directly, which is a new development, that makes this so worrisome.

[djf]

Well, I don't have any livestock around.

But I imagine if it starts to get bad, as simple a task as filling your gas tank at the Shell station could infect you. Flu virus can live for days outside the body.

[DuncanWaring]

I think I read that one of the ones they are most concerned with is a swine strain, that if that combines with the avian,...

Seems there ought to be a way to work a "When pigs fly..." into this.