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

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

[metesky]

Washington — The Earth may be on the brink of a worldwide epidemic from a bird flu virus that may mutate to become as deadly and infectious as viruses that killed millions during three influenza pandemics of the 20th century, a federal health official said Monday

When their whole premise is based on weasel words, I just may not read the rest of the article.

[o_zarkman44]

How do we know that mankind has not interfered with nature?
This pandemic could be bioterrorism. Or it could be a genetically engineered strain that escaped from a lab.
Or it could be a test run for something even worse.
Microbiology is a hot item. And then there are all the dead scientists, dozens over the past few years, one as recent as early January 2005, who were top microbiologists. Most of them were either murdered or died an untimely death. hmmmmmmmmm

[drt1]

I vote for Nature's endless machinations as the culprit. Every one of the Billions of animals are potential bio labs, providing an environment where viruses and bacterias can grow nd mutate. Given this, I'm surprised there aren't more outbreaks of terrible diseases. IMO Man's trifling with nature pale in comparison.

[o_zarkman44]

ping.

I wonder what all the dead microbiologists knew about this?

[farmfriend]

Does make you wonder.

[WindOracle]

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[MomwithHope]

Oh yes Serbs are into garlic. My father always grew it and although he died in 1995 I still have some of his Chicago garlic growing in my Michigan garden. I also stuck a clove in his pocket when we buried him.And planted some on his grave.
Funny story - about a year after he died my mom was sitting in the local Wendys with some of her bingo buddies. She heard the table of men next to them mention the name Eddie. They started talking about whatever happened to him and she could tell from the details they meant her husband. One of the men said - yeah I remember he always smelled of garlic. That's when she chimed in and said that was her husband and that he had passed away the year before.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Are you God?

No, but evidently you think you are.

[Bear_Slayer]

which is why hog houses now are such disease controlled areas

I worked on a hog farm for a little while. The owner has a respectable business in the valley.

It's advertised as locally grown lean pork.

Anyhow, the place was a . . . well pigsty. What a mess. And I don't mean the pens. The whole outfit was unorganized and dirty. Dirty needles lying about. Manure piled higher than a fence. Equipment broken

He's still in business. that's because the slaughter house and butcher shop are very clean and presentable. But I doubt many would continue to buy from him if they could see the farm.

[Rudder]

The reason this is so ominous is because of the evolution of flu...

The flu was created on the sixth day---evolution is a liberal myth.

[John Valentine]

You can't reply to substance so you resort to empty sarcasm, since nothing I said implies my own omniscience.

Your remark thus lacks sting.

[WindOracle]

I am suprised he gets away with it. But then again, I am not cetrtain if there is any regulations regarding this, or if Tyson's, who I am familiar with, are doing it on their own. The latter may be the case, as I am sure Tyson's is aware of the monetary fallout if some of their pork ever was contaminated.

My wife works for Cobb-Vantress, which was recently purchased by Tyson's, where she collects semen, and artificially inseminates chickens (discussing her job is a great icebreaker at parties). They have such stringent quatrantine procedures that she is required to shower when she arrives at work, then another shower whenever she goes from one chickenhouse to another.

[Ronzo]

"Funny story - about a year after he died my mom was sitting in the local Wendys with some of her bingo buddies. She heard the table of men next to them mention the name Eddie. They started talking about whatever happened to him and she could tell from the details they meant her husband. One of the men said - yeah I remember he always smelled of garlic. That's when she chimed in and said that was her husband and that he had passed away the year before."

Many moons ago I used to work as a teller at the Bank of Ravenswood on Lawrence Ave. I can still remember being able to "smell" certain customers as they came in...not because of uncleanliness, but because of the curry and garlic in their diets! You don't encounter that sort of thing much in the suburbs.

[Bear_Slayer]

The flu was created on the sixth day---evolution is a liberal myth

microevolution is scientific and can occur within a species. The species remains the same, but some new 'kind' has developed due to dominant and recessive genes. It isn't evolution in the sense that out pops some new creature, but rather a new kind is developed within the species.

This is a scientific way to explain how Noah could have only two of each animal on the ark, but today, we have multitudes of kinds within a species.

[Seadog Bytes]

LOL!   ...VERY nice.

(Confidentially...I think maybe we BOTH ought to have stayed OFF this thread. They'll be coming for us, with the pitchforks and torches, ...SOON!)

[virgil]

I did not realize that the 1918 flu was so fulminant. I've heard people talk about how it killed so many, but not the details. It sounds more like ebola than flu. They don't seem too worried about this new avian flu for the US because we have a vaccination program (assuming they're able to make the vaccine properly this time), but the real concern is 3rd world countries.

[abner]

There was a kid in Philadelphia that died of the flu last week. He was fine in the morning and dead in the afternoon. I have been looking for more information but so far haven't found any.

[SwankyC]

Could be appropriations time, too.

Forgive my ignorance but what does that mean?

[auggy]

"So what happened to the AIDS in Africa? Thought THAT was supposed to be OUR problem....."

Aids is the disease of an immoral lifestyle that only 10% or less of the population practice, yet it receives more attention, more money, more research than the top 2 killer diseases, cancer & heart disease, combined.

In Africa, it may well be the number one disease due to a few immoral Africans and a few million un-educated Africans.

In North America the death numbers from Aids has to be way down the list compared to Cancer and Heart Disease.

Why then is it given priority over the other diseases?