Bird Flu 2.0

O

Ohaimerk

Venerable Relic of the Wastes
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14709024

Avian flu shows signs of a resurgence, while a mutant strain - able to sidestep vaccines - could be spreading in Asia, the United Nations has warned.
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So the bird flu has mutated and is resistant to current vaccines. And this time... it's personal! Not too much info on the new strain yet, but as I recall from the first go around, the news was all like "OMG PLAGUE WE GONNA DIE!" then nothing.

Virus circulation in Vietnam threatens Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, where eight people have died after becoming infected this year, they warned.
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Could this be the big brother strain that's back to finish the job it's little bro started? I was pretty young when 1.0 was going around and was scared out of my balls, scared to go into public places, convinced that this was it, something was about to end. The way it was shouted across the media I was convinced that the end was the world. Is it the plague? The apocalypse? Can the sun get bird flu? What it the sun gets bird flu? Will it blow up? I DON'T KNOW!!!

The FAO is calling for countries to adopt "heightened readiness and surveillance" against a resurgence of the virus.
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Anyways, what's the common opinion around here? We all gonna snuff it this time or is it just another potential health/economic hazard about to blow up in the media?
 
The spanish flu killed up to 100 million people in 1918-1920.
If the avian flu can beat that, I might start giving a crap.
 
Why does Bharat always get the bad sickness stuff? It's like there's a curse on us...
 
Oh well, here we go again: the yearly flu scare.

If it mutates, it mutates. It's not like anyone can do much about it, and they can only make new vaccines for the potential mutated strain after the mutation occurs, so I don't see why all the coverage is needed in advance. I just hope it doens't get all sensastionalistic like the H2N1 of the Mexican Flu scare got.

Sabirah said:
Why does Bharat always get the bad sickness stuff? It's like there's a curse on us...
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Almost all epidemics in history have originated from East or South East Asia: people live in close proximity to their animals, so virii have more potential to make the evolutionary leap to humans, and a high population density ensures spread and survival of the virus.
 
in the past people got sick here as well. It just became uncommon because of what jebus said. People don't live closely together with their animals anymore. So that does kinda change things quite a bit. But it still happens. It just does not always lead to either some epidemic or pandemic.

Though not to mention what we have here right now with bird flues, swine flues and all the other things are a very natural process of immunization. Happens already since the stone age. And there is probably not much that can be done about it.

But of course it is a very lucrative business for the pharmaceutical companies.
 
Crni Vuk said:
in the past people got sick here as well. It just became uncommon because of what jebus said. People don't live closely together with their animals anymore. So that does kinda change things quite a bit. But it still happens. It just does not always lead to either some epidemic or pandemic.
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Low population density dissalowed the creation of epidemics in pre-modern Europe. We still got affected by epidemics which originated elsewhere, of course.

Crni Vuk said:
But of course it is a very lucrative business for the pharmaceutical companies.
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Actually, no. Vaccines are the red-headed stepchild of the pharmaceutical companies: they cost a lot to research, keep up to date & produce (especcialy flu vaccines, all flu vaccines in the world are made from the eggs of a single chicken), and they offer relatively low yields.
 
The only thing is that with the H1N1 thing the mortality rate was like 10% at the most where the Avian flu (H5N1) has a 60% chance of death in humans. If it mutates to pigs, as flues tend to do, it could mutate into a virus transmitted to humans by humans, causing an actual epidemic immune to vaccines, as a comparison, even the Spanish flu only had a mortality rate of 10-20%.
 
Crni Vuk said:
then why do they hype those flues like tomorrow the human race is getting killed by it ?
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Because it sells papers? I dunno, but it's incredibly annoying.

Faceless Stranger said:
The only thing is that with the H1N1 thing the mortality rate was like 10% at the most where the Avian flu (H5N1) has a 60% chance of death in humans. If it mutates to pigs, as flues tend to do, it could mutate into a virus transmitted to humans by humans, causing an actual epidemic immune to vaccines, as a comparison, even the Spanish flu only had a mortality rate of 10-20%.
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Well yeah, but the whole 'mutate into a virus transmitted to humans by humans" is not quite as simple as it seems. Often, by the time a virus mutates enough to be transferrable in this way, other characteristics of the virus have mutated too. Such as, often, the mortality rate connected to it.
TBH, we are constantly living under the danger of a sudden pandemic breaking out and wiping the human race off the face of the earth. Just like we live in constant danger of a huge meteor, the Yellowstone vulcano erupting, Nuclear holocaust breaking out, etc. etc.
I tend not to lose sleep over these things.
 
Crni Vuk said:
then why do they hype those flues like tomorrow the human race is getting killed by it ?
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Well, the last time a flu really broke out (the one during the great war) it killed a ton of people. So it is understandable
 
I hate to sound selfish, but if you stay healthy and avoid bad lifestyle choices a flu that kills a decent percentage of the populace would take many of the lazy while leaving the better part alive. That next generation would be quite richer not only with less to hold them back, but so much lying around from those that passed on.

I'd prefer that it never happened even if I was one of the survivors.

:look: ,
The Vault Dweller
 
Sabirah said:
Crni Vuk said:
then why do they hype those flues like tomorrow the human race is getting killed by it ?
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Well, the last time a flu really broke out (the one during the great war) it killed a ton of people. So it is understandable
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Flu 'breaks out' every year, killing up to 500 000 people in a 'slow year', up to several million if a tougher flu virus happens to spring up.
In comparison, the Mexican flu (the big hype in 2009-2010) killed 18000 people.
I wish they'd just stop reporting on these things until anything actually happens.
 
Sabirah said:
Crni Vuk said:
then why do they hype those flues like tomorrow the human race is getting killed by it ?
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Well, the last time a flu really broke out (the one during the great war) it killed a ton of people. So it is understandable
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More people die on car accidents each year around here then on this flu. Guess which gets more hype though.

See. Thats the part which I mean. I am not saying those viruses are not dangerous. But it does not mean we have to welcome them always like they would be the cause for the next apocalypse or something.

As said. Those things happen already since well ages. It is a natural process and part of evolution. It is not like I want people to die. But neither we nor the viruses stop to "evolve" and well
 
Sabirah said:
Why does Bharat always get the bad sickness stuff? It's like there's a curse on us...
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its your religion.


seriously, it probably has something to do with your infrastructure/hygine habits.


i think it was early 1900s or something report on world health or something. the topic was why disease was falling off in the developed world, and the end finding was not all the medical advances, not all these new medications, new ways of dealing with disease... but rather the sewer system and water system.

being able to turn on the tap and get "clean" water at any time and being able to dispose of waste such as urine and fecal matter with low contamination risks was deemed to be the reason why incidents of human sickness were decreasing world-wide and why health stats were going up. oh, and managed waste removal ( garbage collectors/dumps ) were also a significant contributor.

next time a doctor tries to take credit for how "healthy" people are nowadays, you can correctly tell them they are wrong.
 
The groan of wind is hiding a deadly disease
A killer that hides in the wind
And cannot be seen
A powerful enemy a threat that truly exists
By a hair hung our lives
We see that but we´re blind

Ever-transforming, reproductive, worldwide pandemic
Our time is running out
The clock is striking on
And in spite of our drugs
We´ll stay powerless

[Chorus:]
The groan of wind
A silent killing machine
There´s no place we can breathe
Deep down in our lungs symptom breeds

H5N1 Lethal time bomb
H5N1 Lethal time bomb

Maybe we have earned our urns
We cannot endlessly breed
Our scientific achievements
Nature simply will beat
The groan of wind a hiding deadly disease
The groan of wind a hiding deadly disease

[Chorus]
 
TheWesDude said:
next time a doctor tries to take credit for how "healthy" people are nowadays, you can correctly tell them they are wrong.
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That's why the most widely accepted definition of civilization is "how quickly and how far man is removed from his own bodily waste".
 
OakTable said:
The flu can be thwarted by simply washing your hands and not touching your face all the damn time.
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But humans are naturally inclined tot ouch their face often I think.

On a flu related note, How often does a flu virus mutate?
 
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