And now the news for Iraqi parrots: bird flu in Iraq

[Bozo Erectus]

Poor Iraq. First 12 years of sanctions, then a war, then an insurgency, and as if that wasnt enough, now they have to deal with the most deadly imaginary disease known to man!

Iraq tests dead girl for bird flu

Iraq has ordered tests to confirm what may be the country's first case of bird flu, following the death of a girl in the northern city of Sulaymaniyah.

The teenage girl from a town near the border with Turkey and Iran died at a hospital in the city, 15 days after falling ill, officials said.

Tests are being carried out in Jordan to see whether the girl died from the lethal H5N1 strain of the virus.

An outbreak of bird flu has killed four people in Turkey, which borders Iraq.

Since 2003, the virus has killed around 80 people and thousands of poultry in south-east Asia and China.

All human deaths so far are believed to have been caused by contact with infected animals.

While experts warn that a mutant form of the virus that transmits between humans could lead to a pandemic, so far there is no evidence of this taking place.

Family 'well'

The girl suspected of having the disease was from the town of Raniya, in a border region of Kurdish northern Iraq, Kurdish regional health minister Mohammed Khashnow told Reuters news agency.

She died shortly after arriving at a hospital in the main city of Suleymaniyah.

Mr Khasnow told the agency the rest of the girl's family are in good health and do not work in the poulty business.

It is not yet clear when the results of the tests for bird flu will be known.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4623336.stm

 

[El_Machinae]

That would be awful. Some governments are wiping out whole flocks of chickens because of fear regarding the bird flu. That's a real source of poverty. Chicken farming is a heck of an investment.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Theres probably going to be more cases of bird to human transmission in Iraq because of the chaos there. The 'government' of Iraq cant carry out a comprehensive culling campaign. Hell even Turkey couldnt manage it well.

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, their specialty is clearly not chickens, but some other domestic fowl (obviously).

But I see what you mean. The leap to humans might actually take place in Iraq. And there are a lot of 'tourists' there too, right now.

Would pelting soldiers with chickens still be an insurgency action? Or a cry for help.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Its been leaping to humans from close contact with birds, but not human to human. It probably never will, its all hype.

 

[luiz]

The bird flu has killed around 80 people since 2003. Compare this to the death toll of malaria only in the last month, and have a surprise.

The fear of a global epidemy of bird flu is the stupidest, most irrational fear since Y2K.

 

[Kayak]

Statistically, a major epidemic will occure at some point. While I feel that the hysteria is silly, if that is what it takes for us to make plans an provisions for the future, I'll live with it.

 

[Cuivienen]

The bird flu has killed around 80 people since 2003. Compare this to the death toll of malaria only in the last month, and have a surprise.

The fear of a global epidemy of bird flu is the stupidest, most irrational fear since Y2K.

IIRC the flu during WWI has been shown to have been a mutated strain of H5N1 that could be transmitted between humans. Flu during WWI killed more people than the actual war. While I agree that there is a lot of hype, it is quite likely that the virus could mutate again.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

Time for the nuke suits. Then all we have to do is sit in those and let all the insurgents die from this flu. Ahhh, that thinking is far too wishful.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I would ship those sick birds to... Iran.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

The WHO concern about a possible mutation is not so gratuitous. The mutated virus that caused the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 know as "Spanish Flu" killed a number of people somewhere between 25 and 50 million people in the world. It was a virus very very similar to the one of the bird flu.

 

[El_Machinae]

It's the mutation that's the problem. And viruses are VERY good at mutating. An extermination process will delay the inevitable, and every day of delay buys us more time to prepare for an epidemic.

 

[luiz]

The Spanish Flu killed the greatest ammount of people of all epidemics, but was not at all the most deadly disease. The explanation for the gigantic death toll lies in the big event of the time - WW1. The conditions of the fronts were perfect for the transmission of such disease(people in the front were 5 times more likely to die from the disease than other people). Also, medicine in that time was not exactly medicine today. Most of the effort to fight the Spanish Flu was directed at isolating a bacteria that supposedely caused the disease. Of course they failed, because it is a viral disease.

All in all the present hysteria is very silly. Nothing will come out of the bird flu, I'm willing to bet.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

I dont see the histeria. There are a risk, maybe little, but it would be rather silly from the WHO not to take it with the maximun care since the results might be catastrophic. BTW the Spanish flu killed around 120,000 in Spain 600,000 in US soil or 10-15 millions in India for instance, all regions that were not at war. OTOH today it would expand even faster due to the globalization and speed of the comunications worldwide.

 

[Abaddon]

i hope your right...

 

[Thorgalaeg]

i hope your right...

I bet you refer to luiz.

 

[FriendlyFire]

All in all the present hysteria is very silly. Nothing will come out of the bird flu, I'm willing to bet.

The Spanish Flu Pandemic, also known as La Grippe, or La Pesadilla, was an unusually severe and deadly strain of avian influenza, a viral infectious disease, that killed some 50 million to 100 million people worldwide over about a year in 1918 and 1919

The Spanish flu might have contributed to the end of World War I. More people (20-40 million on both sides) died from the Spanish flu during World War I than were killed in the conflict.

 

[luiz]

The Spanish Flu Pandemic, also known as La Grippe, or La Pesadilla, was an unusually severe and deadly strain of avian influenza, a viral infectious disease, that killed some 50 million to 100 million people worldwide over about a year in 1918 and 1919

The Spanish flu might have contributed to the end of World War I. More people (20-40 million on both sides) died from the Spanish flu during World War I than were killed in the conflict.

That's correct. And the rest of my post explains why I think such death toll is very unlikely to happen in the present, even if the virus mutates and starts to spread from human to human.

 

[Babbler]

Still, the risk of such a pandemic is worrying. The cost of over preparing would be less than the cost of a full and pandemic. It also worrying that the bird flu has reached a major war zone. It going make it harder to contain it.

 

[blackheart]

That's correct. And the rest of my post explains why I think such death toll is very unlikely to happen in the present, even if the virus mutates and starts to spread from human to human.

I think it is highly likely. Even given our current technology and medicine, such a virus would likely spread across the globe within a few weeks due to plane travel and such. Even if you find a cure fairly quickly, we don't have the capabilities to make a cure for a billion people.