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Bird Flu heading towards UK (1 Viewer)

Silently, but menacingly, this virus, if it doe's mutate, and passes to human's will become a real killer. We are told fewer than 60 people have died so far!! in Vietnam-Cambodia. But are we ever told the whole truth.
It is well known a new pandemic is overdue, and just waiting to happen, is this it?
The spanish flu pandemic of 1918, remains one of the biggest, with 50 million dead worldwide, more than died in world war 1.
The age group in greatest danger from this virus is the teenagers, and young adults, rather than the old and infirm, who are worst hit by normal flu infections.
The theory is that the virus provokes a robust immune system to overreact , so it ends up killing the victim, rather than protecting it.
As a person who works the front line with these infectious diseases, it could be a time to be worried.
Doe's our suave goverment worry? well NO, funny i just thought they were elected to help to protect people's health.
 
It's been headline news for the past few weeks on various news sites, including Reuters. It's only now people are even bothering to read about this stuff, and the "meeja" have decided to report it because of the decision by the Dutch to keep their free range poultry etc inside instead of outside, to lessen the chance of contracting the virus, which can be picked up from bodily fluids of wild fowl.

A vaccine is currently being worked on, but for the moment the anti viral drug tamiflu is being stockpiled, and over 3 million packs have been donated to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Another anti viral drug called Relenza is also being considered by some countries, but there are concerns that some people may not be able to administer it correctly as it is a drug that needs to be inhaled.
 
Big deal, another small scale disease with big newspaper headlines ...SARS revisited. 50 people dead in a global population of 6 billion, hardly the world dropping like flies.

So a vaccine is being worked on, an anti viral is being stockpiled, over 3 million packs have been donated to the WHO ...yawn, yawn yawn, what a waste of money! This disease has potential to mutate, but there's plenty more that are already major world killers - how many die of malaria every year in Africa - 2 or 3 million? Front page news? Of course not!
 
Is there anyone else like me who does not care about this at all?

Anyone else become disenfranchised to dangers to our lives with all the sensationalist alerts given out by the media?
 
Andrew said:
Is there anyone else like me who does not care about this at all?


Er, yes, me! Anyhow, since I'm sat smack bang on the migration route of all them bug-bearing ducks et al on route from Russia with love, I guess I'll be the first to keel over backwards!
 
Jos Stratford said:
Big deal, another small scale disease with big newspaper headlines ...SARS revisited. 50 people dead in a global population of 6 billion, hardly the world dropping like flies.

So a vaccine is being worked on, an anti viral is being stockpiled, over 3 million packs have been donated to the WHO ...yawn, yawn yawn, what a waste of money! This disease has potential to mutate, but there's plenty more that are already major world killers - how many die of malaria every year in Africa - 2 or 3 million? Front page news? Of course not!

Oh boy!
So how many dead would you like Jos ?
The 1918 pandemic-caused by bird flu H1N1-killed 20 million humans.

The owners of the 150 million of chickens which have been slaughtered , so you can sleep easy in your bed deserve a little bit of your consideration surely?

The Dutch poultry Industry is taking this seriously because it wiped them out last time-they're not yawning.

And the WHO are working hard to make sure you stay alive-"what a waste of money" seems a bit churlish if you don't mind me saying so.

Carry on twitching Andrew-but stear clear of Zootheras this autumn!

Cheers
Colin
 
poultry flu - fizzling in Russia?

westwards spread taking bird flu closer to places where at least some UK winter waterbirds will come from; but Russians say the outbreaks are declining. My guess: it'll fizzle in wild birds (based on what's happened in Asia till now).

Looking accurate:

Debbie Reynolds, the Government's chief vet, said that although there was a small risk of avian flu being introduced into Britain by wild birds, the chances of it being the highly lethal strain that affected poultry in Asia were low.

"There is a constant, low-level risk of a low-pathogenic strain being introduced, but there is no evidence that the highly pathogenic virus is spread by migrating birds," Dr Reynolds said.
Bird flu will come to Britain !!! - article that kind of buried this balanced quote, using most attention grabbing headline.

New Scientist:
"And the infections reported so far do coincide geographically with major rail, trade and travel links through the region."
- also cites the ProMed message from Ip of USGS (which I sent the mag, hoping to write em an article - tho they may have received from elsewhere too)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7905

cf Y2K - Grauniad leader
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,3604,1554426,00.html

So, not all crazy wing flapping panic.

[yes, pandemic is possible, but by no means certain. If it happens - if - won't be birds that move it around, but humans.]
 
helenol said:
A vaccine is currently being worked on, but for the moment the anti viral drug tamiflu is being stockpiled, and over 3 million packs have been donated to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Another anti viral drug called Relenza is also being considered by some countries, but there are concerns that some people may not be able to administer it correctly as it is a drug that needs to be inhaled.

One thing I do find annoying is that the news reports give little or no mention of where these drugs are coming from. 3 million doses of Tamiflu are being donated (that's right - given away) by Roche. If WHO decide they want Relenza as well then that will be given for free by GlaxoSmithKline.

So the expense involved is coming from those big, nasty, bread-head drug companies. Not from the UN, not from WHO, not from national governments but from the evil monsters. Why do they do this? Is it because of the publicity? Obviously not - because they don't get any.
 
Andrew said:
Is there anyone else like me who does not care about this at all?

Anyone else become disenfranchised to dangers to our lives with all the sensationalist alerts given out by the media?

Abso-bl...y-lutely, what will be will be and between NOT getting all the truth in one's own country ( via the media ) and scaremongering ( via the media ) and wrong information ( via the media ) and then mistrusting the government ( I wonder why ) what would be the point of worrying? Just gets you into an even earlier grave.
Has everyone READ 'martintbirds' contributions, all and links? That alone should make one unphased.
Bluetit
 
hollis_f said:
One thing I do find annoying is that the news reports give little or no mention of where these drugs are coming from. 3 million doses of Tamiflu are being donated (that's right - given away) by Roche. If WHO decide they want Relenza as well then that will be given for free by GlaxoSmithKline.

So the expense involved is coming from those big, nasty, bread-head drug companies. Not from the UN, not from WHO, not from national governments but from the evil monsters. Why do they do this? Is it because of the publicity? Obviously not - because they don't get any.
The drug is being donated by the Swiss Drug company Roche.
 
If you're feeling really paranoid I'd recommend the book "H5N1 Virus: How to Protect Your Family Against the Coming Pandemic", by John Hart. Subtitled "It's coming, are you ready?" No, I haven't read it, but one of the cover notes says that bird flu could potentially kill a third of the world's population.
Fear not, for Mr Hart has a solution (well, three actually):
1. Order the only antiviral available to combat H5N1.
2. Order the only filter mask available to block and kill H5N1.
3. Order the only immune booster available to strengthen yourself against an immune challenge.

Since I'm not likely to read the book, and since Superdrug probably don't stock the aforementioned items, I'm probably going to be one of the third. Mind you, I think the book was published a few years ago, before the current scare.

Gus
 
Oh boy!
So how many dead would you like Jos ?
The 1918 pandemic-caused by bird flu H1N1-killed 20 million humans.


I would like none dead, but lets get this into perspective - the big 1918 pandemic is all over the media, profits of doom are being given headlines and the mass media are having a field day. Still, this is, at best, a potential disease to affect the masses - the current death toll is in the mere tens. As I compared to before, just to take the simple example of malaria - millions are actually dying of this today, year in and year out. It rarely makes a centimetre of column space in the newspapers, let alone the front page. Shame there is not such a big outcry over these continuing (preventable)diseases which affect the (less developed) world. So, prey tell me, why does a small scale disease that might, just might, mutate and have impact on Europe, as well as the rest of the world, come to dominate the media, whilst others are neatly forgotten.
As for the 20 million figure, that is about the same number that is killed by malaria every handful of years.



The owners of the 150 million of chickens which have been slaughtered , so you can sleep easy in your bed deserve a little bit of your consideration surely?

Sorry, it is not being done so I can sleep easy in my bed, I assure you I already do.



And the WHO are working hard to make sure you stay alive-"what a waste of money" seems a bit churlish if you don't mind me saying so.

I don't mind you saying, but we are all entitled to our opinions and I don't see anything 'churlish' in my views. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe I'm not, but (1), I would prefer funds to be allocated to mass diseases that are already inflicting the many, rather than to a big 'if'. However, to be honest, I don't debate the need to investigate and have strategies in place to tackle this disease (so perhaps I was harsh on the WHO), but I would absolutely say the role of the media and the 'hype' is way over the top and, as already argued, misplaced given other diseases worldwide. (2) they are working hard to make sure I stay alive? Thanks, but I would prefer they work hard to keep a few million in less fortunate parts of the world alive too.



Carry on twitching Andrew-but stear clear of Zootheras this autumn!

Hopefully, all the Zootheras will have a mild form of H5N1 and feel a little tired and so halt their migration here in Lithuania rather than winging it all the way to the UK, then having perked up return to the native lands to the east :)
 
Roche is not really reknowned for its philanthropy. This is a marketing ploy to raise awareness of Oseltamavir (Tamiflu) & Zanamir (Releneza) neither of which are allowable on NHS prescription at present except under specific guidelines (NICE -FEB & SEPT. 2003).
The threat of an Avian Flu pandemic must have been a godsend to those practising the dark arts of drug advertising. As Jos alludes to above if the same sum of money from the flu antivirals was spent on third world vaccination/malarial projects undoubtedly far more lives would be saved........ but saving lives isn't the issue here is it?
 
Gus Horsley said:
At least I'm not the only cynic around here...

Gus

I hope everybody is right and it turns out that the virus is self-limiting and the concern from big pharma is self-serving.

But what is troubling is that unless the current episode fizzles out quite rapidly, there is a risk of a permanent negative change in sentiment towards migratory wildfowl and that will make it harder than ever to secure proper protection abroad and closer to home.

No serious mention yet of attempted culls and WHO has said they would be ineffective, but it is already been reported that the start date of the shooting season in Russia has been brought forward. So the challenge for the birdwatching community is to redouble efforts to get across the +ves of having protected wildfowl and habitats, in the face of this widely reported -ve.
 
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