Bird Flu :(

Blackstar said:
Whats a zoonose?
Click to expand...

A zoonosis is a disease which is commonly found in an animal, but has jumped to a human host in order to survive. Zoonoses is the plural.

An example of a zoonosis would be rabies, which I'm sure you are familiar with.
 
Nitefly said:
A zoonosis is a disease which is commonly found in an animal, but has jumped to a human host in order to survive. Zoonoses is the plural.

An example of a zoonosis would be rabies, which I'm sure you are familiar with.
Click to expand...
:) thanks for explaining that makes more sense now. Like you i'd be more worried by the actual experts than the media.
 
Blackstar said:
Like you i'd be more worried by the actual experts than the media.
Click to expand...
Well exactly, its all right having a laugh with your mates about it and then its not so great 10 minutes later when you are breifly told about the situation with a stern face by an expert...

Theres lots of 'if it mutates' comments but some believe the common flu was originally a zoonosis in the same way HIV was originally a zoonosis.
 
Nitefly said:
At my microbiology department all my lecturers apparently seem to think its not a question of IF, but WHEN. I'm safely waging they know more than everyone on the forum put together.

I was highly criticised on an essay for not mentioning it much, I personally think the chances of another 'spanish bird flu' event occuring are way reduced due to huge improvements in public health....
Click to expand...
It's certainly a case of when not if - I have no doubt that flu will kill millions again some day - there's just little reason to think it'll be next week rather than 50 years away. A bit like the earthquake that'll flatten LA or San Francisco one day...

I don't see much reason to expect improved public health to help much though - flu is still essentially untreatable. Also there is next to no space capacity in the NHS. Say just 5% of people became infected and needed hospital treatment. There is no way the NHS can come close to treating an additional 3 million people just like that.

The real problem is what happens to the way society works when the 1,000th person dies (0.0017% population, 1 in 60,000). How many medical staff or just regular staff in any job would want to leave home and mix with the public?

The potential for disaster is huge - yet it is just that, potential. It's quite possible for nothing to happen for decades.

EDIT: Corrected if/when order!
 
Last edited:
clv101 said:
It's certainly a case of if not when - I have no doubt that flu will kill millions again some day - there's just little reason to think it'll be next week rather than 50 years away. A bit like the earthquake that'll flatten LA or San Francisco one day...

...

The potential for disaster is huge - yet it is just that, potential. It's quite possible for nothing to happen for decades.
Click to expand...

To the first bit, are you sure you got the when and if the right way round there? It sounds a bit contradictory!

The reason why people are a bit more worried now is because of the pressence of the disease is at such a high abundance. You are quite right that no one knows when it will happen, but there are obvious reasons why it is of concern now.
 
Couldnt care less about this bird flu tbh. Sick of hearing about things are that gonna add to my already complicated life and to the already quite harsh list I have of things that can possibly kill me :|

Sounds like the usuall media scare mongering which has always been the same tosh. The media also likes to think this is potentially the worst thing to happen to mankind if the papers are anything to go about but why cant they look at say africa where thousands die everyday and then comment lol.

Flame my post all you want if you must but thats what I think
 
I think the head of IT at my college (also one of my really harsh teachers) has bird flu... or mebbe it's just my wishful thinking. He hasn't been in for almost a month, he hasnt had that long off in 3 years.
 
Hope you people dont have cats lol, you know what there like for bringing in dead birds as presents, you never know your pet cat may have eaten one while its out & about then the cat gets it then it comes in & your fussing & stroking it..... lol
 
AthlonTom said:
So basically - its goin to be like the sequel to Outbreak - but a budget remake version with birds as opposed to monkies, and no cure?
Click to expand...

Well thats the good news, IF it does mutate into a form easily trasnferable by humans, they will be able to do tests & create a vaccine within a few weeks, but then they have to mass produce the vaccine, the 1st people who will get the vaccine will be important people i.e Doctors, Police, Goverment, etc etc etc, by the time the general public get the vaccine a lot of people would have probally died or have the actual virus. I'm not trying to scare monger I'm being totally serious if you read up on these things you will see what plans they have in place etc.

The problem with Viruses is they DO mutate so one vaccine maybe fine for a human fom of H5N1 but it could mutate again, this can mean that another vaccine would be needed for the newer strain etc.

Dont worry though, this is just all hypothetical at the moment.
 
Last edited:
Nitefly said:
I personally think the chances of another 'spanish bird flu' event occuring are way reduced due to huge improvements in public health....
Click to expand...
Have to agree with clv101 here. Public health improvements will at best improve management of the problem, and, if we're lucky, get us a vaccine, eventually.

Counter that against the fact that today's population is a lot more mobile than it was back then, and there are a lot more of us about. So, when it does happen, it's likely to spread rather quickly.

Anyway, nature will do what nature does. Until then, I'll leave the worrying to the experts.
 
isnt the only way you can get bird flu, is by sniffing bird poo?
what on earth were those people who got it thinking? :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom