Bird Flu , Fact or Fiction

[enigami]

I am sick of hearing about bird flu, and I smell a rat.

What do DU ers think?

[enigami]

1. Not much interest ?

[bridgit]

2. i voted 'scientific fact' like hours ago, but i don't need the CDC...

to convince me of it so there's that :shrug:

[enigami]

3. I'm Curious

why do you believe it. Would you take a Vaccine from the Gov?

[bridgit]

4. you mean if the gov HAD one...

i am into prevention, and will likely not be part of the 'sample' :shrug: bird flu is otherwise happening in certain & specific instances and it is not possible to not see it as such

[enigami]

6. I don't doubt of it's existence

just the implications of it's manipulation as a real threat.

[bridgit]

11. i don't doubt that the bush admin will out-source the manufacture...

of any possible vaccine in an unlicensed 3rd world toilet bowl somewhere

[eyepaddle]

9. The jury is pretty much in on vaccines

overwhelming benefits and the few occasional horrible misfires.

There is a long history of influenza pandemics occasionally arising and bringing death to almost uncountable millions. It's happened at least twice in this century. Bird flu has a savagely high mortality rate, but fortunately is not transmissable person to person. If it becomes as transmisable as more mundane influenza strains (among humans) it WILL be as bad as you tihnk.

If they came up with a vaccine you bet you a$$ I'd take it.

[enigami]

15. But what if the vaccine is a placebo

or worse. Or am I just paranoid. maybe they just want our money

[eyepaddle]

19. I'm currently a student of public health

and work with a lot of epidemiologists, and infectious disease specialists etc. If the flu is real and the vaccine is a placebo there is NO way they'd be able to keep that secret.

Most Public Health professionals are stunned that they are finally being taken seriously. Obviously anything Bush does is gonna be worse than if the average person did it, and with an eye to helping out his buddies. But at least its being discussed now.

[eyepaddle]

22. here's some more fun reading

http://www.demog.berkeley.edu/~andrew/1918/PDR_1918_flu.pdf

Here's one from oxford on potentially using antivirals preventively, it also statees that vaccinating %80 of children is as effective as vaccinating %80 of the population according to their simulations. Their non-extreme estimate of a mortality rate of 58/100k translates into more than 160,000 flu deaths in the US.

Maybe it won't happen--should we just take a chance?
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/159/7/623

Here's another:
http://www.scdhec.net/health/disease/acute/avian_flu.htm


This last one is my favorite.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/05/11/bird_flu.html

[bridgit]

24. thanks for the linx...

http://www.chis.ucla.edu :hi:

[eyepaddle]

26. Thanks,

that's epi allright! :hi:

[Deja Q]

5. Typical hysteria...

Now I need to go introduce valium to a zombie... :D

[Ravenseye]

7. Well birds are dying aren't they?

Hence there's a bird flu. I don't think anyone's argued that point.

The big scare is really about whether the bird flu mutates...and turns into a really nasty human flu. That hasn't happened yet. It might. It just hasn't. It could though. Someday. Maybe. Eventually.

[enigami]

10. Birds always die

don't they? it is the threat I am concerned with.

[In_The_Wind]

8. It is a major distraction.

What else would be a good cover up when we all grow weary of hearing about this one.

[enigami]

12. Good Question n/t

[bikebloke]

13. I work with science folk tapped into the research

So I asked if there was a real threat, or was the junta playing boogah-woogah be a'scared? They said it was a real threat. But until I mentioned it, hadn't thought how folk were thinking it was the boy crying wolf again.

[purr]

14. im tired.. i got a runny nose. I think I have it!

[enigami]

17. I'm sorry

Feel better soon

[purr]

21. lol its really allergies I was trying to be a hypochondriac :)

[Initech]

16. Science fiction combined with MSM hysteria

I mean come on, when you think about it... less than 70 people have died from this thing. 70. Let those numbers sink in again. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70. 70.

That is not a huge number, and once again in an effort to take our minds off of the fact that there's a war going on, the media is blowing this crap WAY out of proportion! Your odds of getting the bird flu are greater than your odds of winning the lottery!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

18. omg DONALD!!!!

[bridgit]

20. bwahaha...

:rofl:

[bigwillq]

23. I think it exists

I just don't know how bad it is going to be yet.

[KamaAina]

25. Yes.

Fact: Bird flu is out there. Lots of birds are dying from it, and so are a few unlucky humans, who so far have either eaten infected birds or lived in close proximity to them.

Fiction: A massive bird flu pandemic which will dwarf the Spanish influenza outbreak of 1918 could arrive on the next 747 from Hong Kong. This is scaremongering worthy of, well, Bush**co and its tiresome "terrorist under Grandma's bed" routine. So far we know of no human-to-human transmission of avian flu, except possibly by close contact, and without that, there's no pandemic. With hurricane season (finally!) winding down, it looks like cable news will have to turn to cute missing blondes to tide themselves over until springtime. :sarcasm: