Another Bird Flu Thread

[Pieces Hit]

Okay, do I need to freak out and stock up or what?
My sister says CBS news just said so.
We all gonna die or what?
Mom seems to think so.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, or the bird flu?

[Mjcpr]

How many people have died from this worldwide?

[soonerbrat]

what's bird flu?

as long as i don't have to miss my trip to mexico

[colleyvillesooner]

How many people have died from this worldwide?

Just over 100.

[Pieces Hit]

She said the freaking news said to buy tuna and water.
But I read on the web just now that cooking your food will kill the virus.
?

[soonerbrat]

why tuna?

[SoonerInKCMO]

why tuna?

Because all the mercury in it will kill the virus.

[Mjcpr]

Just over 100.

I'll wait to panic then.

[OUstudent4life]

gah. stupid director of HHS. the "tuna and dried milk" plan is about as effective as the "duck tape and plastic sheets" plan from homeland security.

i'm really starting to think this government as a whole believes it cannot operate without the general populace in a state of constant fear.

[JohnnyMack]

I'm already in full on panic mode. Where's my shotty?

[slickdawg]

Because all the mercury in it will kill the virus.

Damn, you beat me to it. EXACTLY!

[Harry Beanbag]

CBS News is always right.

[Stoop Dawg]

I'll wait to panic then.

I'm not freaked out either, but my wife is pretty concerned - and that concerns me (she is a researcher in the area of infectious disease). AFAIK, the flu has only passed from bird to human and requires direct physical contact, hence the low infection rates. Problem is, that flu is stone cold deadly. The mortality rate is around 50%. If - and it evidently happens fairly frequently - the flu mutates and is able to be passed human to human or "goes airborn" we're in for scary ****.

[Oldnslo]

I'll take "Ebola" for $600, Alex.

[Okla-homey]

I'm not freaked out either, but my wife is pretty concerned - and that concerns me (she is a researcher in the area of infectious disease). AFAIK, the flu has only passed from bird to human and requires direct physical contact, hence the low infection rates. Problem is, that flu is stone cold deadly. The mortality rate is around 50%. If - and it evidently happens fairly frequently - the flu mutates and is able to be passed human to human or "goes airborn" we're in for scary ****.

I wonder what the mortality rate is among well-nourished healthy patients who have access to western medicine? I bet its a lot lower. Heck, mortality rates among healthy patients exposed to anthrax is lower than 50% (I'm pretty sure.)

I would imagine this thing, if it develops into a pandemic, will hit the very young, very old and already sick particulalrly hard. The people in the middle will probably just get the flu and get over it. Not that that's particulalry comforting, but its a plus if true. The real problem will be the ensuing panic and the effect on the worldwide economy IMHO.

I think that's why we're hearing rumblings about the possible need to lay in some staple food supplies.

[OUstudent4life]

I wonder what the mortality rate is among well-nourished healthy patients who have access to western medicine? I bet its a lot lower. Heck, mortality rates among healthy patients exposed to anthrax is lower than 50% (I'm pretty sure.)

I would imagine this thing, if it develops into a pandemic, will hit the very young, very old and already sick particulalrly hard. The people in the middle will probably just get the flu and get over it. Not that that's particulalry comforting, but its a plus if true. The real problem will be the ensuing panic and the effect on the worldwide economy IMHO.

I think that's why we're hearing rumblings about the possible need to lay in some staple food supplies.

The problem with this flu, IF it does mutate for transmission, is that it isn't you're typical flu virus. The influenza that you get shots for every year (the one that rapidly changes) is primarily a respiratory virus, i.e. it stays in your lungs. This bird flu (like the Spanish flu that killed so many people at the beginning of the 20th century) goes EVERYWHERE...including your brain, which isn't good, seeing how getting drugs across the blood-brain barrier isn't easy. There are about 3 decent drugs for fighting the flu, but 2 of them fight only on the respiratory level (i.e. one of them is an inhaled drug)...only one of our current anti-flu's is decent for fighting the bird flu, though I'm not as sure about the other antivirals that are out there.

Trust me, if this mutates and becomes person-to-person-airborne transmission, things could get really bad, really fast. And don't count on Western medicine, because let's say this has "only" a 25% mortality rate in the general population...what do you think the mortality rate of the careworkers (doctors, nurses, etc) will be?

But I'm not going to REALLY worry until the sucker mutates. And I don't think laying in staple food supplies isn't really going to help...what, are we not going to go anywhere for 2 months of "flu season?"

[mrowl]

SARS anyone?