NationStates Jolt Archive

story here. (http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/02/11/birdflu.wrap/index.html)With the recent discovery of Bird flu in Italy and Greece, are you more worried, not worried or apathetic to begin with.

I'm sick of carnivores ruining things for the vegetarians of the world.

I'm sick of carnivores ruining things for the vegetarians of the world.

Ruining things for vegetarians? Well, at least the avian flu has an upside. :p

Ruining things for vegetarians? Well, at least the avian flu has an upside. :p

And now England's relative proximity starts looking pretty neat as well.

Well I'm convinced that I (and my GF) had and lived thru SARS while living in CA although it wasn't reported to be there. This may be a MF'er of a virus but I do everything I can to be really healthy so I imagine those who don't take care of themselves are the ones that are really going to be suffering and perhaps perishing if this becomes some sort of pandemic. Thats where my worry comes in... friends and family who are not so up on staying healthy. If I catch it i'm pretty sure I will get thru it easier and with less suffering than most.

I was pretty apathetic, and I still am. At the moment, this is no worse (or even less bad) than the whole BSE thing. Or foot and mouth disease.

Once it gets from people to people you can start to get worried, but if it does, it'll start in Asia and it won't matter where the harmless strains are by then.

I'm in north Australia, south of Indonesia. There's birds flying all round the place and if they fall out the sky, I'm in trouble too.

Being in America, I'll be fucked pretty much only if/when it starts human to human.

This graphic displays the slow but inexorable spread of bird flu from its origins in Southeast Asia to the latest cases in Nigeria, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria.

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/1594/birdflu4le.gif (http://imageshack.us)

What are your thoughts? Will this become the new millenium's influenza pandemic?

Well, I don't know. It's also possible that the flu will become less virulent (IIRC, the mortality rate for new cases is a lot lower than the original ones) and will become nothing more than another flu strain.

I think it won't be a repeat of the 1918 pandemic, simply because many of the factors in place then are not as widespread.

What are your thoughts? Will this become the new millenium's influenza pandemic?
More like bubonic plague.

Maybe.

I'm sick of carnivores ruining things for the vegetarians of the world.

Pfft. Carnivores kick ass. I only wish I could be one and not have this human need for both meat and vegetables, making me an omnivore.

Oh - and if I happen to catch bird flu - don't worry, you won't be any safer over there in the US. I'll personally come deliver it to your state as divine justice in return for you gloating about the possibility of many people in England dying.

Well, I don't know. It's also possible that the flu will become less virulent (IIRC, the mortality rate for new cases is a lot lower than the original ones) and will become nothing more than another flu strain.

I think it won't be a repeat of the 1918 pandemic, simply because many of the factors in place then are not as widespread.

I certainly hope so. As I understand it the virulence will decrease further as it becomes more infectious. I remember somebody on the forum saying that if it becomes transmissable between humans then natural selection will weed out the most dangerous strains as they will kill before they get much chance to reproduce and spread.

I certainly hope so. As I understand it the virulence will decrease further as it becomes more infectious. I remember somebody on the forum saying that if it becomes transmissable between humans then natural selection will weed out the most dangerous strains as they will kill before they get much chance to reproduce and spread.

I've certainly heard that idea before as well used as an example in a book on evolution - but it was in reference to AIDs and not Bird Flu I think.

Hope it's applicable to it though.

I'm sick of carnivores ruining things for the vegetarians of the world.

Nice try, but we know you Vegetarians are behind this insidious plot! :mad:

;)

I've certainly heard that idea before as well used as an example in a book on evolution - but it was in reference to AIDs and not Bird Flu I think.

Hope it's applicable to it though.

It should be. Those with the most extreme symptoms will be swiftly identified and isolated before they can spread the infection, those with milder symptoms will be better placed to spread the infection.

Whee, pandemic on the way! [Starts plans for a disease-wave-surfing-device, shut up, of course it'll work]

Yes. I am very concerned about this avian flu.

Yes. I am very concerned about this avian flu.

Concern is good. But don't stress out over it. It's not very likely. It really isn't. It's just that a worst-case scenario is very nasty. 200 mllion people died worldwide in 6 months due to the 1918 pandemic. The preparations are in place. There are a couple of general vaccines that can combat the avian flu until a more well matched flu vaccine is developed should it mutate. There are plans to stockpile these vaccines.

We just have to make sure our respective governments take the necessary precautions and have a plan to implement them quickly. As unlikely as this stuff is, if it happens, it will happen very fast. Response has to be just as fast.

It'll be the poor sods in Africa and Asia who'll suffer most, we'll need all the vaccine we can produce and they haven't got the healthcare system to deal with it.:(

The virus is very unlikely to mutate in the west as there is a much greater standard of hygeine and education, it'll start in the far east or Africa. If a pandemic does occur then I can only hope that it'll wake the world up to the fact that we can only protect our own health by giving everyone around the world a decent quality of life to prevent such an event from happening again. We shouldn't need a reason to help the third world out of poverty but I doubt we'll see significant action without one.

It'll be the poor sods in Africa and Asia who'll suffer most, we'll need all the vaccine we can produce and they haven't got the healthcare system to deal with it.:(

The virus is very unlikely to mutate in the west as there is a much greater standard of hygeine and education, it'll start in the far east or Africa. If a pandemic does occur then I can only hope that it'll wake the world up to the fact that we can only protect our own health by giving everyone around the world a decent quality of life to prevent such an event from happening again. We shouldn't need a reason to help the third world out of poverty but I doubt we'll see significant action without one.

Actually, for them, dying quickly from the flu will be a refreshing change from dying slowly from HIV. :p

I don't see any reason to be worried, concerned, or even to pay attention to "avian flu" until it becomes human-human transmissible. Even then, why should I be so concerned or worried? Life is hard and it isn't fair--I'm lucky that I've come this far in the world. If I end up getting a lethal form of the flu, I'll count myself lucky that I didn't die before that.

Do I want to die? Of course not. But I don't see the purpose in wasting my precious life energies by worrying over some remote possibility of a disease that may or may not kill me if I even contract it.

Grow up, people.