OMG Bird Flu In Bucharest!!!

[Samson]

This is the best I could find right now about humans spreading it, but I'll keep looking:

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=34840

edit: Bingo, ok I hit the jackpot:


http://www.collegenews.org/x5288.xml

Well, see here for a counter viewpoint. I really do not know what the truth is.

Let's summarise the evidence. The H5N1 virus emerged and acquired its nastiness in poultry; there's no dispute about that. The trade in poultry is also overwhelmingly responsible for H5N1's spread in east Asia. It was a different story, however, when the virus, having killed wild geese at Qinghai Lake in China, spread across Russia and into Turkey, Ukraine and Romania. The strain found in all these places is identical to the one first seen at Qinghai, never in east Asian poultry, which strongly suggests that it was not carried west by poultry. Maps of the outbreaks look a lot like the migration maps of dabbling ducks - long-distance migrators that tolerate the virus.

Since then the evidence has become even clearer. There have been outbreaks in western Europe almost exclusively in wild birds, and in all cases of bird flu west of Qinghai the virus is identical, suggesting it has found a carrier where it is more stable than in chickens.

 

[Leonel]

I liked it when the Bird Flu hit Hong Kong. I was literally the only person on one train car all the way to the island! Twas fantastic. I actually lay down the entire trip!

Although has the Bird Flu actually killed anyone yet?

 

[Samson]

Although has the Bird Flu actually killed anyone yet?

Yes, 115 people - http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_05_12/en/index.html

 

[Blazer6]

Those numbers pretty much says how overblown the bringer of mankind's doom pandemic it ended up being.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

as long as it doesnt spread person-to-person, i think we're ok

 

[North King]

I'm more concerned about the millions killed by diseases which we could we eradicate if we wanted to, but we're too busy worrying about bird flu to do so. AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, etc.

 

[luiz]

Yes, 115 people - http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_05_12/en/index.html

In other words, less than what traditional flu kills in a month.

I'm so scared of bird flu

 

[Thorgalaeg]

as long as it doesnt spread person-to-person, i think we're ok

Maybe it has already started.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is extremely worried about a cluster of recent human deaths from the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Seven people from the same family in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, died from the disease earlier this month.

Peter Cordingley, a WHO spokesman, said there was no sign of diseased poultry in the immediate area.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the virus was spread between humans, Mr Cordingley said.

But he emphasised that there was no indication the virus had mutated.

Experts are worried that if it does mutate, it could become more easily transmitted between humans.

Asian concern

Experts have long feared that if the virus did mutate into a form that passes easily between humans, there could be worldwide pandemic of the killer disease.

QUICK GUIDE

Bird flu

The H5N1 virus has already killed more than 120 people worldwide since 2003. It has also devastated poultry stocks.

The majority of deaths have occurred in Asia. Indonesia is second only to Vietnam in the list of countries with the most bird flu deaths.

But cases in people and birds have also been recorded in Europe and Africa.

Almost all human infections so far are thought to have been caused by direct contact with sick poultry.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5011210.stm

 

[Yeeek]

In other words, less than what traditional flu kills in a month.

I'm so scared of bird flu

Seems like everyone had forgotten the Spanish flu killed between 50-100 million people worldwide in 1919.

I'm not the kind of the person to give in the paranoia but if we are not careful we could very well be overwhelmed if the virus h5n1 spread between humans at pace we couldn't handle.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Well, see here for a counter viewpoint. I really do not know what the truth is.

Me either, but heres my theory: The WHO (World Health Organization, not the rock band) knows that its being spread by commercial transport, but under pressure from governments who dont want international trade to be disprupted, its sticking to the myth of bird migrations being the cause of the spread.

 

[mrtn]

Bozo, why would anyone transport living birds from China?

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Bozo, why would anyone transport living birds from China?

Why wouldn't they ? The flu got to Bucharest via imported diseased birds from Hungary... or was it Slovakia ...?

 

[bhsup]

Folks, you all are WAY too scared over this stuff. Yes, the virus seems to be propagating via bird migration routes (per the experts at Cornell, whom I trust on bird issues over pretty much everyone). However, the problem centers are the concentrated poultry farms, and even then the risk isn't that great.

The latest magazine I got from the Cornell Ornithology department had a write-up about it, and frankly they were very critical of the media panic and so forth. There was even some joking reference to simply avoiding sleeping with poultry if you visit Europe.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Mrtn, like Heretic said, why wouldnt they? Poultry is a major industry in that part of the world. The export of poultry, both live and dead is huge.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Remember what i said about the ppl in quarantined areas having to depend on the government to ... live ? Well i heard this stuff in the news today: - ppl complaining that 2 l of mineral waters per house is not enough (it's obvious it isn't); the canned food & bread is insuficient and furthermore ppl that are forbidden to eat meat don't have anything other than bread to eat; there were 3 emergencies requireing an abulance in that area, it always got 30 minutes late due to repeated desinfections, but fortunatley there were no life&death situations ... this time.

I'm sure there are other things that happened there ... Like i said before, i am not afraid of the flu, i am afraid of depending on the government for my life.

 

[Blazer6]

The very fact that their government has taken actions against people to protect against a perceived threat shows just how much control their government has over the populace.
If this sort of thing happens in the states, people will raise such a fuss that troops might get involved to put down any resistance in a worst case scenario. Stop me from posting if cities with high rates of serious diseases like AIDS have been shut down as a knee jerk reaction to fear.

 

[RameNoodle]

I'm not too worried about bird flu. I think that it is highly unlikely that it is going to get here and kill everyone, much less do I think that it is going to be a killer, anyways.

EDIT: Wow, I didn't even realize I hit 200 posts!

 

[Mirc]

I'm not bumping this thread to keep it in the top of the list, just that I want to post some things I wasn't able to post before.

I live in the 4th sector

I think the quarantine ended. But I'm not sure. Here in Germany I don't get any news about this. It should have been one week long.

To all those who are not worried about bird flu: Of course you are not scared, it's not in YOUR city. For those in America, it's not even in your continent.

I also heard that a vaccin might exist, but they are not yet sure if it has any effect on humans. I might be very wrong though.

Of course importing alive/dead birds from other countries happens. It is a big commerce with this.
Also, yes, it came this time through commerce, but the first time it was because of the Danube Delta, where there are thousands of birds, including some very special species that don't exist in other parts of the world.

 

[IglooDame]

I'm sure there are other things that happened there ... Like i said before, i am not afraid of the flu, i am afraid of depending on the government for my life.

Seconded. Bird flu isn't in it for the money or the power.