Brain Eating Amoebas!

[Godwynn]

Wiki

Caught this nice little piece in the Sunday Newspaper. It flourishes in warm water, and it creeping Northward into the Southern United States as the Earth heats up.

The fatality rate is ~97% It lives in fresh water and enters the body through the nose and attaches to the olfactory nerves and moves up to the brain.

It killed 23 people in the US from 1995 to 2004, and has killed 6 in the year of 2007 (3 in Florida, 2 in Texas, and 1 in Arizona). Scientists say that the infection will increase as worldwide waters become increasingly warm, as this is where the amoeba flourishes.

As know it is a very small amount, but I figure I will post this to brighten your day.

My question to you is, what can be done? Kill everything in fresh water? Live with it? Avoid fresh water in the South?

 

[thomas.berubeg]

Ohhh... fun!

 

[George2816]

Wiki

Caught this nice little piece in the Sunday Newspaper. It flourishes in warm water, and it creeping Northward into the Southern United States as the Earth heats up.

The fatality rate is ~97% It lives in fresh water and enters the body through the nose and attaches to the olfactory nerves and moves up to the brain.



As know it is a very small amount, but I figure I will post this to brighten your day.

My question to you is, what can be done? Kill everything in fresh water? Live with it? Avoid fresh water in the South?

Think they were saying when the water temp was over 80 you should not go into the water. (Last i checked everyone that got that died. How do they get the 97% fatality rate?)

 

[El_Machinae]

I hope they're hurt by alcohol

 

[Shadylookin]

I say we welcome and accept our benevolent brain eating overlords

 

[George2816]

I hope they're hurt by alcohol

How do you pour alcohol in your brain?

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

Cancer is a much bigger problem. This isn't anything to worry about.

 

[Godwynn]

Think they were saying when the water temp was over 80 you should not go into the water. (Last i checked everyone that got that died. How do they get the 97% fatality rate?)

There are 200 confirmed cases, six survived. Although I do not know if they suffered permanent brain damage.

 

[skadistic]

Harvest them, build an army of them and unleash them on the Canadians when we invade. Or plant them in Chaves' hot tub.

Maybe get nose plugs back in vogue?

 

[El_Machinae]

How do you pour alcohol in your brain?

The way Odin intended

 

[Masquerouge]

23 people killed in 6 years?



Watch me worry about much more fatal things, such as lightning striking me

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

I think you all missed the OMG global warming aspect.

 

[Perfection]

for a second I thought the thread title was "Brain Eating Amadeus"!

I was quite concerned that Ama was about to be devoured by a disembodied cerebrum or putting himself at risk for a prion disease!

 

[Erik Mesoy]

I discussed this on IRC. I will not bother to repeat myself at length.

(22:25:54) ErikMesoy: The amoebas are obviously the servitors of an alien race wishing to conquer our planet without having to expend great resources prosecuting an interstellar war. We are doomed. Doomed, I say.
(22:27:25) ***Nikolai splashes ErikMesoy with water from nowhere
(22:27:48) ErikMesoy: And the aliens have plotted our infection rate on computers so vast that we cannot comprehend them.
(22:28:06) ErikMesoy: They will arrive just as the human race enters its twilight, and they will offer the cure to us if we become their loyal slaves.
(22:28:36) ErikMesoy: Humanity will then undergo civil war, our infrastructure will collapse, and the few who are patronised by the aliens will become stewards of a remade world.
(22:28:43) ErikMesoy: Repent, I say, for the end is near!
(22:28:47) Nikolai: umm
(22:28:54) Nikolai: why wouldn't they just enslave us all now?
(22:29:03) Nikolai: what with their superior technology
(22:29:10) ErikMesoy: Because then they'd have to ship a lot of it over here.
(22:29:55) ErikMesoy: Even with superior technology, interstellar wars are a pain. Far, far easier to let humanity dwindle, DWINDLE AND ROT I SAY, until some surrender willingly and take up arms against those who did not surrender.
(22:30:39) Nikolai: yes, but who's going to go to interstellar war?
(22:31:06) Nikolai: they sweep down in their ships, say "surrender or die" and proceed to stand by their word
(22:31:21) ErikMesoy: But then they must bring large amounts of military ships through space.
(22:31:26) Nikolai: they'd probably barely need a few ships
(22:31:38) ErikMesoy: They'd have guerilla warfare to contend with afterwards.
(22:31:39) Nikolai: if they have decent defensive systems. shields and such
(22:31:49) ErikMesoy: Unless they wanted to scorch the entire planet, in which case the point of conquest is moot.
(22:32:05) Nikolai: well, they're not surrendering
(22:32:08) Nikolai: so they die
(22:32:19) ErikMesoy: From brain-eating amoebas.
(22:32:29) ErikMesoy: Which are far more insidous and require less maintenance than superweapons.
(22:32:48) Nikolai: now I suppose you'll blame SARS on aliens too
(22:32:56) ErikMesoy: Weapons? Mankind will stand up against them, avoid them, die with honor, develop shields. Brain-eating amoebas borne by water? THERE IS NO HOPE, NONE I TELL YOU.

 

[MobBoss]

This does creep me out the way shark attacks do though.

 

[.Shane.]

My question to you is, what can be done? Kill everything in fresh water? Live with it? Avoid fresh water in the South?

Swim in bleach?

 

[EdCase]

Wow I'm a little creeped out. Need to relax, don't want to die..

[EdCase lights cigarette..]

 

[Godwynn]

Swim in bleach?

Better wear goggles and hope I don't have paper cuts from work!

 

[LightFang]

Gosh, that was so brightening. Thanks, man,

Boil your water!

 

[FriendlyFire]

Mmmmm No info on if it make the victims crave human brains ???