Bird Flu (Page 2)

Like Renee said, as she rallies us all to swim and talk smack, this is not something you can stop. You can't realistically stick everybody in a bubble. Even if you go out and buy a respirator tomorrow, it has to be specifically sized to your face. It wouldn't help your wife. If this turns into a pandemic, I'd guess there'd be a lockdown on travel to those countries with the bird flu.

One of the main ways it's traveling, according to a lecture given recently by another UGA college, is through bird smuggling - i.e. fighting cocks. They say this is a worse problem than the migratory birds. Just another note to add to your worry . Stay aware of this but don't go into lockdown mode. Live life. If it really does hit healthy people harder, then, well, think about it. Maybe I should pig out tonight . But then I'd die of clogged arteries and a heart attack.

The avian influenza H5N1 is still essentially a bird-to-bird flu, but as with the other strains of influenza that circulate the earth and cause outbreaks each season across the globe that began as animal-animal transmission, H5N1 could very likely mutate to a bird-human strain. A few cases, fine, but far from being anything near the numbers to worry.

Should you worry? Not unless you live in Southeast Asia, where most of these mutated viruses originate, or unless you like to eat, drink and sleep with chickens, as this is the type of proximity to birds that you would need exposure to for any serious risk.

Given that we live in a global village with worldwide travel, those who are sleeping with the chickens don’t accumulate frequent flyer miles, if you know what I mean, so nix the worry.

Yes, we are long overdue for another global pandemic ala Spanish flu, but it is jumping the gun to believe that it will be avian flu. Not to mean we shouldn’t be prepared, but it needs to be put into proper perspective and we should not fall into the trap of having the media scaring us all into taping our windows shut and crawling in the basement. 

My work involves infection control, and I work with physicians and public health workers who are bombarded daily with the most up-to-date information on H5N1, and it has been given far too much media attention.

As for vaccines, there are two being tested that hold promise, and the antiviral Tamiflu has shown effectiveness in treating symptoms. As for Rosche being able to keep up with production, that is a matter of who you talk to. Canada has sockpiled something like 30 million doses, and the US recently put in some rather large orders, through the military, I believe. Small bit of interesting trivia: who is the former CEO of the biotechnic firm that holds the patent for Tamiflu? Donald Rumsfeld. Seems he still holds over $25 million in stock. Hmmm…