Bird Flu memes

[linazelle]

I know I know...who wants to hear MORE about this crap?

BUT

In recent days, it's not so much the flu itself that is disturbing to me as the parroting of several phrases about it.

You try to turn it off, but even looking at an entertainment show the news teasers spit out tripe such as:

"Sources say it's not 'if' but 'when'..."

and the new and more disturbing one:

"The federal government is not going to be responsible--local government officials must be prepared..."

OMFG.

How many fucking people does George Bush have to kill to get his twisted agenda in place?

I hate these mutherfuckers.

[SPKrazy]

1. It Probably Isn't A Matter Of IF, but rather WHEN!

While bird flu is spread to birds, it has recently been found spreading to cats, and possibly cat to cat.

It will eventually become a human to human transmissable disease. The law of averages dictates that is the case. We don't know how lethal it will be at that time. We don't really know how lethal it is now.

Some have postulated that bird flu may actually not be as lethal as has been reported. A study is underway in Asia to test the blood of as many people in areas affected by bird flu to see what the actual prevalence of the virus is among humans. It could be that many more than have been reported have been affected by bird flu, if this is the case, then the death rate from the current avian form would be much lower than thought.

The second part is obvious from the response to Katrina. They are irresponsible and incompetent when it comes to dealing with disasters of any kind.

Local government officials will probably be the ones that need to be prepared as if there were a worldwide pandemic, there would also be chaos, and mayhem (those inseparable brothers aka Danny Glover and Mel Gibson from Lethal Weapon) and there may not be any kind of coordinated Federal response.

Just my 2 cents worth.

I don't think the bird flu is something to be dismissed out of hand, it also isn't something to panic about, yet.

[linazelle]

2. Here's my take on the severity: If it has spread across Asia and

through to East to arrive on our shores, without killing millions, then what sense does it make to scare everybody to death about it if the numbers have not "panned" out before now?

Reporters here keep parroting that millions could be killed. Based on what evidence?

It's all a bunch of hype IMHO.

[SPKrazy]

3. Well In All Fairness, No One Has Predicted Deaths Of Millions

from the form spread by birds to humans

those estimates are if the flu mutates to one that can be spread from human to human, and that hasn't happened yet.

It is in all probability going to happen. The question is really, how lethal will it be when it happens.

[linazelle]

4. "No one has predicted deaths of millions"

Unless I am deaf or retarded, I know that's what the news readers on my TV stations have been saying. For months they've said it--the last one said "two million" less than one hour ago.

[SPKrazy]

5. Read My Post Linazelle (or re-read it)

I said no one has predicted the deaths of millions by the current form of the bird flu

I'll stake whatever you want on that fact

the millions of deaths prediction is if and when the flu mutates to a human to human form

[linazelle]

8. My point is...that has not happened yet. n/t

[SPKrazy]

10. Well, Do You Understand Why It Hasn't Happened Yet?

And it won't happen while the virus is spread from birds to humans and not from human to human

Now we don't have any idea what the lethality from human to human transmission is, but since this is a new virus to humans as far as anyone can tell, it is potentially very lethal and could kill millions.

But the fact that it hasn't killed millions yet in it's current form is not evidence of anything like "this is all hype"

It is evidence that the avian flu that spreads from bird to bird, and from bird to human, has killed a lot of birds, caused a lot of birds to be destroyed, made over a hundred people very sick, and killed somewhere around 70.

The fear is real. I hate to tell you that but it is.

Now the fear may never pan out, but it is as likely to pan out as it is to not pan out.

[linazelle]

13. O.M.G. Read my lips. It has NOT happened.

It's spread across the globe and it hasn't happened.

That is my point.

[SPKrazy]

16. Well Viruses Aren't On Yours Or My Timetable

Read my lips

It is a dangerous virus

it has the potential to kill

we should hope and pray that it doesn't mutate to a very lethal virus that is spread from human to human.

For your information, this virus has been known about for about 10 years

It has been surveilled for that length of time.

It has undergone changes in that time

It is an influenza virus, which means it is made of strands of RNA. RNA viruses have the characteristic of being fast and constant mutators

so while this virus is mutating, it just hasn't found a way to be transmissable from human to human

It is in places where humans and fowl live together. There are also swine, and other animals living with them as well. Makes for great petri dishes for the virus to make changes in.

all it takes is a person with another type of influenza to contract avian flu from a bird, and you have a potential for the two viruses to share gene segments, this could be the way it changes forms

Anytime you deal with RNA viruses you are dealing with viruses that mutate.

[linazelle]

17. You make the point for me--10 years, transcontinental spread

millions NOT dead. EOM

[SPKrazy]

22. You Really Don't Get It

I give:banghead:

I didn't make any point for you at all, but you can't see that and I can't help you obviously

good luck in denialville

[NNN0LHI]

25. H5N1 was first identified at a Scottish chicken farm in 1959

So H5N1 has had nearly 50 years to do what you say it might do and it hasn't.

Is there any possibility that H5N1 just may not be capable of sustained human to human transmission?

Don

[SPKrazy]

27. There Is That Possibility

But it is an RNA virus, and it has made changes in the time since the 90's when it appeared in Asia

it is more widespread than it has been

of course no one knows what it will do

but to dismiss it as "hype" or "scare tactics" when it has been something that the WHO and other agencies have been fearful of since before Bush was president is just plain STUPIDITY

What do I think it will do?

I think that they will find that it actually hasn't been as deadly being transmitted from birds to humans. I think they will soon discover that a large pool of persons who contracted the disease, either had few if any symptoms, or were sick, but not sick enough to come to the attention of health care authorities. The ones that have been identified as having it have been very sick people. And roughly half of them have died. But I think they were just the ones that were the sickest of a larger group of people that contracted it from birds.

The other poster said it hadn't killed millions so it was just hype.

Well, 50 years is nothing to the life of a virus. Viruses have been on Earth longer than any multicelled organism. There are way more viruses than there are bacteria on earth.

So, to think that time is of much consequence to a virus is really silly. I do think that the virus is going to mutate to a transmissable form from human to human. That's what viruses do. It is an influenza virus. They mutate a lot and all the time.

so let's hope it doesn't ever become an issue to really be afraid of.

I don't think people should be fearful or anxious about it, yet.

But to deny it could be a problem, or to lay blame at Bush's feet for a virus that scientists around the world are saying could be the big one, is again, absurd.

Attack Bush for his own shortcomings. Attack him for who he is. But I'd stay away from the tinfoil notion that Bush is just hyping this for his own reasons.

I've been part of a mental health first responder team for 2 years now, and we've been preparing for the time when a pandemic hits. Whether it is bird flu, or some other illness that we haven't seen yet, we are overdue for a pandemic.

[pretzel4gore]

7. the busheviks now need a big plague or something....so (?)

btw another usa cow died of mad cow dis ease, and the pigmedia=cricket cricket! the cud chewers don't notice anyway, but i think within 10 years many of them won't still be chewing their cuds (at least not as contentedly) klol...
fukkem, they deserve everything they get

[linazelle]

11. You are right about that. Let's see if they can spend those big salary

checks laid up in the hospital or worse.

[Rainscents]

6. Last night on local ABC Night-line had in-depth report about this shit

And just few minutes ago, local (ABC - komo4 news) was doing the same shit what the Night-line did. I want to PUKE!!! Did anyone see the Night-line last night? They even had graphic of USA map on how this virus is going to spread.

[linazelle]

9. Right. How do they know this? They trust "science" when it

benefits their agendas. I hope they all catch the most severe strain if it comes to pass.

[Rainscents]

12. I was thinking the same thing.

It's a total propaganda trying get public scare! This is all they know how to do... be very scare!

[pretzel4gore]

18. they did that with 'swine flu'...

during the ford admin ('74-76)...it seemed ridiculous, and while the media did the gov's bidding, the scare never took off...today, the scare don't have to 'take off' cuz the newsmedia will just say it is taking off, and using fake crowd photos to drum up the terror etc....

[SPKrazy]

14. That's Really Over The Top Isn't It?

and I hope you are just frustrated with the bullshit administration and the corporate MSM

but wishing something that would make them very sick or die is not very humane.

I hope that the virus (when it mutates) is very non lethal

[linazelle]

15. I don't think it's over the top at all. BTW...are you a bird flu advocate

or something? You certainly seem to be favoring the "other" side of the issue.

[SPKrazy]

19. A "Bird Flu Advocate" LOL

What the hell is a bird flu advocate?

one who advocates for bird flu.

The "other side"?

So, because I have knowledge and information that you obviously don't have about bird flu, I am either on the "other side", or a "bird flu advocate"

I am stunned, I mean WTF?:wtf:

It's like banging my head on a brick wall trying to reason with you



Peace, I'm done

I'll just go to my bird flu advocacy meeting now, so I can mingle with the "other side"

[linazelle]

20. OK. Tell them I said "hey".

:rofl:

[SPKrazy]

23. Laugh All You Want To

:popcorn:

I'm glad I entertain you with facts

[gatorboy]

21. I actually think the bird flu could work for us.

I've started to ask people about this. If it's as bad as we are being told and knowing how lousy Bush has been with past disasters. Do we really want him in office if the shit hits the fan?

I get alot of stone stares. :P

[SPKrazy]

24. Now That Is A Factual Point

That should scare the PANTS off anyone that understands the potential threat here

[linazelle]

26. It COULD work to our advantage IF we had a media. But, alas, we don't

so all we will continue to hear is "fear", "fear", "fear"...did I say fear? :shrug:

[SPKrazy]

28. Yes, You Said Fear

And there isn't anything to Fear, yet

and to you apparently there isn't anything to fear period because this is all just "hype"

signed

the "bird flu advocate" (whatever the hell that means) from the "other side" (of the mountain maybe)