Bird Flu

Awaiting_the_fifth · 10-18-2005, 02:01 PM

What are everyone's opinions of the Bird Flu pandemic which is apparently going to sweep over Europe this winter?

It kind of reminds me of the SARS pandemic which was going to sweep the world a couple of years back. SARS turned out to be about as big a risk as driving your car at rush hour.

And now the British Chief Medical Officer is saying that there WILL be a pandemic and 50,000 Brittons will die. WHY? It's been all across Asia, turkey, romania and now Greece and 50,000 people have not died in any of those countries!

Seems to me that the press like a good scare story and the Government like to look as though they are combatting a problem when actually there is nothing really happening.

Thats my opinion. Anyone else with a comment?

Peace
AT5

Curios Mike · 10-18-2005, 02:53 PM

yeh it is kinda funny... our president has went so far as to say he will use military force to force a quarintine.

Awaiting_the_fifth · 10-18-2005, 04:56 PM

Which president is that? Where are you from Mike?

Bandit · 10-18-2005, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curios Mike

yeh it is kinda funny... our president has went so far as to say he will use military force to force a quarintine.

i am hearing & i expect a new system of complete control by military over all activities, including civilian as more disasters strike. Every disaster that has happened this year has mentioned the use of martial law from different sources in the news including the literal tagging/branding of civilians.
the president is the only one who can order it.
it is a form of dictatorial power that i have not heard so much of until recently especially with terrorism.

while it is supposed to be limited only to that time of war or emergency, i see great potential for a very long period of time as a result of more than one disaster & in many different areas. i am not sure, but i dont think we have seen such an order since Abraham Lincoln & the 1906 Quake, but i do believe to an extent we are set up for martial law (as for direction & places to enforce it) & i hear rumors of more military force standing guard throughout the country to enforce it if need be.
while this may be of great help, i see danger in it also.

i did not know it had been mentioned already with the bird flu.

alexa · 10-18-2005, 11:20 PM

I belive this is a really serious matter. The pandemic expended from Asia to Europe and affected a huge teritory. I remember SARS's panic. I couldn't get back to Canada from my vacation without filling in a declaration I had had no specific symptoms of SARS. Lots of people had been touched in our neighbour province, Ontario and people died in hospitals.

The problem with the bird flu is nobody has control on migratory birds. Just try to tell this is a joke to those to have to kill all of their farms birds and see what happens !

Or explain to those in affected countries why they are in quarantine status for at least 3 weeks.

As long as the virus has no mutation, humans are safe. But these stupid "pests" like to mutate when they find proper places to survive. After that only God help us. Developping a new vaccin takes to much time and there is no hope for those affected.

I, Brian · 10-29-2005, 09:12 AM

It's a good point to raise SARS - that was also in danger of being a pandemic, but it never happened. There is a real danger in the hype surrounding bird flu that the medical establishments will be left looking like they cried wolf in the short-term until Bird Flu really does start killing people.

Mason · 10-29-2005, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Awaiting_the_fifth

What are everyone's opinions of the Bird Flu pandemic which is apparently going to sweep over Europe this winter?

And now the British Chief Medical Officer is saying that there WILL be a pandemic and 50,000 Brittons will die. WHY? It's been all across Asia, turkey, romania and now Greece and 50,000 people have not died in any of those countries!

Seems to me that the press like a good scare story and the Government like to look as though they are combatting a problem when actually there is nothing really happening.

I wont be worrying about it at all until it can be passed from human to human, and i'd like to think that that wont be happening 'cause i know i would be very worried if it did...
When this Chief Medical Officer says this i think he is talking about when/if it mutates, not about contact with birds like in the cases seen in asia,.. right?

alexa · 10-30-2005, 12:22 AM

That was our chance, Brian. I'm not sure my neighbours from Ontario have the same opinion about SARS.

As the rules in pharmaceutical field develop every year, prevention is our best shot to avoid a pandemia.

Pathless · 02-02-2006, 07:03 AM

Bird Flu...

I'm of the opinion that if you turn off your TV, this will never affect you. It's been mentioned earlier in this thread, but can you say, "media scare tactic?" I'm sorry if this seems disrespectful or callous, but I just think that so-called pandemics, killer African bees, and so forth are, for whatever real concern may be out there, blown WAY out of proportion by media and certain vested interests that have all sorts of skewed and unenlightened agendas.

That's just my opinion. I'm about as worried of being affected by Bird Flu in any way, shape, or form, as I am of waking up tomorrow on a raft made of jell-o, orbiting Pluto.