PlantAKiss
Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
For the last couple of weeks I've been hearing a lot about the new strain of avian flu (technically "H5-N1" I believe). Tonite CNN had several news reports on it...and its really frightening.
For anyone who hasn't heard...there is a new strain of avian flu breaking out in Asia. It is believed to be the next pandemic that will sweep the world. The last one was the Spanish flu around 1918. That flu killed about 100 million people...5% of the people who got it died and the virus traveled around the world three times. THIS flu is expected to be even worse. At the moment only 60 people have died. These people caught it from birds. The flu has not yet mutated to be able to be tranmitted from human to human but that is expected to happen. Once that happens...and they are quite sure it will...THEN we are in for a rough ride.
They are saying that not 5% but 50% (1 out of 2) of the people who contract it will die. And we are talking millions and millions of people.
- There is no vaccine. Only once the virus mutates can they make vaccine and then it will take about 6 months to make it.
There will not be enough vaccine to go around as only a few labs can make it.
- There will not be enough hospitals to handle all the sick people.
- They may have to quarrantine entire cities to contain it.
- They will probably have to use the military to enforce the quarrantine.
- There will probably not be enough people left to run businesses, etc...either from deaths or people being to afraid to go to work.
- No country is prepared to handle this. The U.S. even less so than some other countries like in Europe.
- This is not an IF...its a WHEN.
It is considered to be the No. 1 health crisis in the world today. Countries are scrambling to prepare the health industry for this looming epidemic. They said it could happen tomorrow...in 6 months... in a year or so. They aren't sure when...but with its similarity to the Spanish flu...they think this is flu will be the next pandemic (which occur every so many decades). I guess in medieval times it was the Black Plague.
Not very encouraging news for the future....
I guess the only good news is health officials ARE taking this very seriously and are starting NOW to prepare although its not likely we will be anywhere close to prepared once it starts to spread to humans.
Anyone else been hearing about this impending tragedy?
For anyone who hasn't heard...there is a new strain of avian flu breaking out in Asia. It is believed to be the next pandemic that will sweep the world. The last one was the Spanish flu around 1918. That flu killed about 100 million people...5% of the people who got it died and the virus traveled around the world three times. THIS flu is expected to be even worse. At the moment only 60 people have died. These people caught it from birds. The flu has not yet mutated to be able to be tranmitted from human to human but that is expected to happen. Once that happens...and they are quite sure it will...THEN we are in for a rough ride.
They are saying that not 5% but 50% (1 out of 2) of the people who contract it will die. And we are talking millions and millions of people.
- There is no vaccine. Only once the virus mutates can they make vaccine and then it will take about 6 months to make it.
There will not be enough vaccine to go around as only a few labs can make it.
- There will not be enough hospitals to handle all the sick people.
- They may have to quarrantine entire cities to contain it.
- They will probably have to use the military to enforce the quarrantine.
- There will probably not be enough people left to run businesses, etc...either from deaths or people being to afraid to go to work.
- No country is prepared to handle this. The U.S. even less so than some other countries like in Europe.
- This is not an IF...its a WHEN.
It is considered to be the No. 1 health crisis in the world today. Countries are scrambling to prepare the health industry for this looming epidemic. They said it could happen tomorrow...in 6 months... in a year or so. They aren't sure when...but with its similarity to the Spanish flu...they think this is flu will be the next pandemic (which occur every so many decades). I guess in medieval times it was the Black Plague.
Not very encouraging news for the future....
I guess the only good news is health officials ARE taking this very seriously and are starting NOW to prepare although its not likely we will be anywhere close to prepared once it starts to spread to humans.
Anyone else been hearing about this impending tragedy?