[Naeem]

I heard about this from a friend today in school... Thought I'd come home and research it.

Taken from: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/08/bird_flu_pandemic/

"The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday warned that a pandemic of the bird flu strain lethal to humans is inevitable, and would likely kill between one and seven million people worldwide, Reuters reports.

Dr. Jai P. Narain, Director of WHO's communicable diseases department, took time out from a Southeast Asia health summit in Sri Lanka to tell the press: "We may be at almost the last stage before the pandemic virus may emerge. Whether the avian influenza pandemic will occur, that is not the question any more, [but] as to when the pandemic will occur."

The current human death toll in Asia from bird flu is 63 - 44 in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand, four in Cambodia and three in Indonesia. Of these, only Thailand has a pandemic preparedness plan, with "a stockpile of anti-viral drugs", explained Narain.

Bird flu has now reached six Russian regions and Kazakhstan, wiping out 14,000 fowl. Narain noted that "migrating birds posed a serious risk of spreading avian flu around the world and Asia was very vulnerable as winter approaches", adding: "The virus has been detected in migratory birds in some former Soviet states where these birds traditionally fly toward Asia to escape the cold winter months."

Narain warned that scientists were now concerned not just about poultry, but a "whole range of bird species".

Russia, meanwhile, has struggled to contain an outbreak of bird flu in the Urals, which it believes could spread west with migrating birds. In Holland, the authorites recently ordered all free-range hens, ducks and geese to be kept indoors at night in an attempt to protect them from possible infection."
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[eyewoo]

Yes... this does seem to be a serious potential worldwide event. As I understand it, the bird flu virus currently is jumping from bird to people, but not yet from people to people. However, it is thought that the virus is evolving fast and will have the ability to jump from person to person in the near future... and that is when the pandemic will begin. There is no current vaccination available but there is a medicine, called Tamiflu. It is only made in one factory on the planet by Roche, the pharmaceutical company. Apparently this medicine is helpful in some way, but there is nowhere near enough produced to date, and many other contries are ahead of the USA in line waiting for product to purchase.

It is interesting to note that when President Bush addressed the United Nations last week, he mentioned the upcoming pandemic as something to prepare for.
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[Jimmyjimjim]

It would be scarier if we weren't warned about a new "pandemic" of "plague" or "divine judgement from god" or whatever every six months.

[eyewoo]

I don't remember a pandemic warning of this caliber in the recent past... In fact, I don't remember one like this in my 64 years...
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[Impaler]

Except for AIDS.
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QED, sort of.

[Jimmyjimjim]

You don't remember "mad cow disease" or the "west nile virus"? Both of these were said to become Pandemic in proportion, with widespread outbreaks and thousands, if not millions of deaths.

MNothing personal by my retort, I just get really tired of how government and the media spread paranoia.

Remember Y2K? Good example right there. If we had all taken it as seriously as the media was saying it would be, there would've been mass suicides.

[eyewoo]

I stand thoughtfully reminded, but still feel that this coming killer flu may turn out to be more serious... It is supposed to last for only 12 to 18 months and kill millions globally in that time. Currently 55% of the humans who have contracted the flu from birds have died. That is an incredibly high percentage. When and if the virus begins jumping from human to human, no one is sure whenther the strain will be less deadly, as deadly, or more deadly. There is no vaccine for it, and as I understand it, it will take about 6 to 8 months to develop a vaccine once the flu starts jumping from human to human.
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[Naeem]

i stand alongside eyewoo. imo, he's right.
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