Are we prepared should this strike here??? Bird flu..or>&

oakie · 02-18-2006, 05:04 PM

I watched the Oprah show the day she had the man on from the CDC..It made me wonder just how ready are we if anything should strike here locally?? The man is right, if not the birdflu we re DUE for something to hit...
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/

I came away feeling so strongly on this it is now on my main website....Below is not it..<G>
http://www.planforflu.com/home
rather a well thought out plan and where to get such supplies etc...no I am not an affiliate just concerned citizen for all of us..

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hope this still works ok...as it is the link to THE show I watched:
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200..._284_101.jhtml

thanks for reading this....I told this to a lady friend of mine,,she said she was going to get her church looking at this to help inform society..hopefully my efforts might at least wake some of us to the possibility here...

**keith** · 02-18-2006, 08:06 PM

Nice post Oakie.

I don't think anyone's prepared and I believe it is becoming more of a question of when, not if, it will hit.

It's in Europe now. The world is too connected for this too not have a VERY LIKELY chance of becoming an epidemic or pandemic. The question remains how bad it might be if/when it becomes pandemic.

Regards,
Keith

**MrKhay** · 03-23-2006, 08:42 PM

When the virus make the jump from avion to human is when I'll start worrying about getting it. As it is, it's still the "Bird Flu".
There is a conspiracy theory that says it's just the government stirring up a story to get the populas in a tizzy...outasight :roll:

Crys · 03-24-2006, 08:33 AM

ummm... hate to break it to you but there've already been over a hundred human deaths from the current bird flu since 2003.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0321/birdflu.html

The real thing to be concerned about it right now is not here so much as concern for our soldiers and aid workers who are in the affected areas. Then they come home and unwittingly bring it with them.

I did see a good report about it though. It seems that when it gets into human lungs, it sits far enough down in the lungs that it doesn't get coughed into the air as easily so it doesn't seem to spread as quickly as they were fearing.

**Kris10** · 03-24-2006, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crys

The real thing to be concerned about it right now is not here so much as concern for our soldiers and aid workers who are in the affected areas. Then they come home and unwittingly bring it with them.

This is how the 1918 Spanish Influenza virus got to North America and spread. Soldiers in WWI picked it up overseas.

JohnM · 03-30-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crys

ummm... hate to break it to you but there've already been over a hundred human deaths from the current bird flu since 2003.
...
it sits far enough down in the lungs that it doesn't get coughed into the air as easily so it doesn't seem to spread as quickly as they were fearing.

Over a hundred human deaths sounds scary, but keep in mind, 36000 people in America die each year from the human flu strains. 360 times as many, just in America, from flu strains that we have vaccines for.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm

Human to Human transmission has not been much of an issue. There are a few suspected cases, but never going more than one generation. According to the CDC "No evidence for genetic reassortment between human and avian influenza A virus genes has been found". Any successful mutation or adaptation of the bird flu to humans will likely reduce its deadly effects or its rate of infection. Viruses are only evolutionarily successful if they keep their host alive, at least long enough to spread the virus further. The ultimate 'goal' of a virus is not to become as deadly as possible, but to be as infectious as possible.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/outbreaks/current.htm

Don't get me wrong, I understand the power of a virus and the damage one can inflict on a civilization. I just don't think we need to get worried over every little bug that crops up.

**MrKhay** · 04-12-2006, 04:47 PM

Sick birds don't fly far, and dead birds don't fly at all. I think the "bird flu" story is alot of hype...perpetrated by I don't know who.
It's just not something I'll be sweating.
Brain

BadgerBlogger · 04-12-2006, 05:24 PM

Also remember that almost all cases of bird flu in humans comes from people that are in very close contact with the infected birds. There are still many areas on the world that people live in the same buildings with livestock or are in physical contact with poor hygiene rituals. Most people don't come in close contact with birds that live outdoors and are susceptible to more illnesses.

This isn't to say that this isn't a real threat, but I have seen people really freak out, not realizing just how rare it is at this point.