Virulent Bird Flu Spreads in China

[redqueen]

BEIJING/BANGKOK (Reuters) - China, home to a vast poultry industry, said on Friday the deadly bird flu virus which has killed eight Asians had struck in three provinces, possibly two more and perhaps the sprawling financial capital of Shanghai.

It said tests confirmed the H5N1 virus had got into chickens in Hubei and Hunan provinces as well as the southern region of Guanxi. Outbreaks were also suspected in Anhui and Guangdong, the southern province where SARS (news - web sites) was born.

There was another suspected outbreak in a suburb of Shanghai and a mass slaughter of domestic fowl was under way around all three new outbreaks, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Outbreaks in China -- widely condemned for covering up SARS for several months -- were the nightmare health officials had prayed they would not have to face.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040130/ts_nm/birdflu_dc_104

[JPace]

1. The strangest diseases seem to always be coming

from that part of the world. I heard that
it is because of all the exotic animals
they keep and eat.

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Read "The Coming Plague"

Newly emerging diseases in a world out of Balance
by Laurie Garrett. In her book, she cites many changes in regard to global health due to new strains of virulent disease occuring and the overall effects on the human population.

From one review of that book:

Hot on the Virus Trail
By K.T. McGuire

<snip>
In her work Ms. Grant reveals many of the conditions that have created and promoted the spread and mutation of new viruses. In a time of extreme overcrowding in major cities, massive refugee migrations, and the emergence of the 'global village" approach to world trade and travel a "critical mass" has been reached that has created an ideal environment for the proliferation and mutation of disease.
http://desires.com/1.2/words/docs/plague.html

[redqueen]

4. Living too close to the livestock

that's what's hinted at in the article as the facilitator of human/avian or human/porcine virus transmission.

[SpiralHawk]

2. So far: sick and toxic Chickens, Cows and Salmon

I'd say that mass-scale industrial farming techniques have demonstrated their capabilities by now.

No thank you.

Consider an alternative: community supported agriculture (CSA) -- ensure that you and your family have a clean, safe supply of food from your own local community:

http://www.chiron-communications.com/farms-1.html

"Agriculture is the foundation of modern civilization. It will remain so in whatever ages are yet to come.

"Without a steady supply of clean, life-giving food, we have neither the leisure nor the energy to develop other aspects of life, such as industry, science and art."