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| Thread ID: 58521 | 2005-06-03 05:51:00 | The Coming 'Flu Epidemic: Time to Worry? | vinref (6194) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 360842 | 2005-06-03 05:51:00 | As this article (www.theregister.co.uk) from the Register points out, it sort of pops in and out of the media and out of people's centre of attention. Not so the medical scientists, who are quietly panicking about it - see the links to the Nature mag articles. Is it time for the rest of us to start panicking quietly as well? I went to get a 'flu shot a couple of weeks ago here in Brisbane. It costs ~$50, but it sure beats a week of throbbing pain in bed. But was turned away as they are rationing it for the very young and very old. There is a queue for it of several weeks - I wonder what it is like in NZ? But then I went on the net and researched it - the current fluvax and Tamiflu vaccines do not cover the H5N1 strain. Has anyone seen the excellent (and frightening) 28 Days Later ? |
vinref (6194) | ||
| 360843 | 2005-06-03 06:14:00 | Scary. I work in an essential industry, so I may get a priority with any vaccine. | KiwiTT_NZ (233) | ||
| 360844 | 2005-06-03 06:49:00 | You'll get priority to (almost certainly) the fluvax, which does not cover the H5N1 strain that is shaping up to be an ass-kicker. Still, something in that vaccine may help. The frightening thing is that there is no human immunity to H5N1, and that the current ability to produce vaccine is only 450m individual doses... |
vinref (6194) | ||
| 360845 | 2005-06-03 08:46:00 | Aids was goin kill us all like a hundred other things... didnt happen did it? | personthingy (1670) | ||
| 360846 | 2005-06-03 12:43:00 | Actually AIDS is doing a very efficent job of killing lots of people, particularly in Africa. But it is quite different to influenza. AIDS is sort of a voluntary infection - you need intimate sexual contact or blood to catch it. You almost need to actively catch it, horrible affliction that it is. The flu isn't so picky. It transmits through the air and can be highly contagious. The 1919 flu epidemic killed more people than World War 1. Our problem is that the miracle of antibiotics has lulled us into this false belief that modern medicine can cure anything. So we don't believe that Asian Bird Flu for example, can be really very serious. I suffer from this delusion myself, and am really just hoping science can keep ahead. :2cents: |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 360847 | 2005-06-03 22:37:00 | People just don't realise that simple hygiene standards can eliminate 99% of all instances of virus-bourne diseases. | Greg (193) | ||
| 360848 | 2005-06-03 23:06:00 | People just don't realise that simple hygiene standards can eliminate 99% of all instances of virus-bourne diseases. Thats so true. I'm a petroleum transfer technician and it's amazing how many people hold their money in their mouths while filling their cars. Why would you put something in your mouth thats been handled by 100's of people? :yuck: Yesterday I had a $20 note given to me covered with blood, I've seen people sneezing all over the money they're holding in their hand, yet most people dont seem to think about money being a risk. |
4bes (2848) | ||
| 360849 | 2005-06-04 00:01:00 | Actually AIDS is doing a very efficent job of killing lots of people, particularly in Africa. But it is quite different to influenza. It appears there are still people in Africa, so like most of the "world is going to end" hype, AIDS clearly failed to wipe the planet out in a decade or so, as the original hype suggested it would... And this year we got a new desease we're all goin' to die from....Ho hum! Almost every year thats been seems there's been a new "end of the world" threat: various flus, Y2K, etc etc etc. Personally i think its just a scare tactic that makes people go to doctors. The heathiest people i meet are the ones who live well, not the ones who want mummy/doctor to make them well after they spend their life eating sugar coated preservatives, smoking, drinking, taking other drugs, or indulging in other suicidal behaviours. If anythings going to wipe us all out, its going to be the state of the planet, but seeing thats a collective problem, not a selfish-individual problem, it is less likely to be dealt to in time. As for worry, why bother? Death happens to the best of us. When it does, it does. There's no use getting all upset in advance over it! |
personthingy (1670) | ||
| 360850 | 2005-06-04 01:16:00 | It appears there are still people in Africa, so like most of the "world is going to end" hype, AIDS clearly failed to wipe the planet out in a decade or so, as the original hype suggested it would . . . Apparently, if you are in Africa, it is no hype at all . It is killing a large number of them, but since they are far away and not like us, then it's a case of "out of sight, out of mind" . See the UN Aids site (www . unaids . org) . And this year we got a new desease we're all goin' to die from . . . . Ho hum! Almost every year thats been seems there's been a new "end of the world" threat: various flus, Y2K, etc etc etc . Personally i think its just a scare tactic that makes people go to doctors . The heathiest people i meet are the ones who live well, not the ones who want mummy/doctor to make them well after they spend their life eating sugar coated preservatives, smoking, drinking, taking other drugs, or indulging in other suicidal behaviours . If anythings going to wipe us all out, its going to be the state of the planet, but seeing thats a collective problem, not a selfish-individual problem, it is less likely to be dealt to in time . As for worry, why bother? Death happens to the best of us . When it does, it does . There's no use getting all upset in advance over it! That's right! If you don't think/worry/know about it, it wont affect you! |
vinref (6194) | ||
| 360851 | 2005-06-04 02:29:00 | I'm just recovering from a severe flu now... | Growly (6) | ||
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