My apologies to everyone who was looking forward to The Weekend Story once more. I promise that I'll do it next weekend, so start sharpening your writing skills! But this is just so important, I didn't want to neglect it.
I had breakfast with The Scientist yesterday morning. As many of you know, The Scientist is one of my favorite family members. He happens to be a brilliant, internationally known man in the scientific community. But he's modest, interesting, and down-to-earth. When we get together, we talk about anything and everything and laugh a lot. Among other topics yesterday was The Bird Flu.
I've heard people (who don't know much about it) belittle it and treat is as another simple flu. I've heard light comments like "Oh, so what's a couple days of throwing up?" Let me tell you that you have no idea what you're talking about! This is not just any flu. It is a flu with a 50% mortality rate.
Have you heard of the Flu of 1918? It killed 675,000 Americans and more than 20 million people around the world. Remember: there weren't as many people living on earth as there are now, so imagine how much of an impact it had! And that's the conservative estimate. Some estimates run as high as twice that!
In an age of transportation that is nothing like ours today, the Flu of 1918 spread across the globe like wildfire, killing indiscriminately. Some people thought that it was one of the plagues prophesied in Revelations and that it was the beginning of the end of the world.
Scientists have always wondered what the Flu of 1918 was. There were still some imperfectly preserved samples of it from then, preserved in paraffin. Then, more recently, a frozen corpse was discovered during an expedition that was known to have died of the Flu of 1918.
With the samples on hand, scientists have been able to recreate the Flu of 1918 and have discovered it to be a form of The Bird Flu. When The Scientist was telling me this part, he stopped and told me that he hopes they have this flu stored away carefully, but fears that it could be used for highly effective germ warfare.
The current Bird Flu is likely to be equally virulent. And we've known about it for a couple of years. So, do we have the vaccine for it yet? No. And The Scientist lays this at the door of the Bush Administration. They didn't take it seriously enough when it first reared it's ugly head; they had more important things to do then. And now, it may be too late.
Right now, they are in the process of creating vaccines. They're infecting eggs and waiting for the virus to develop so that it can be extracted. But it takes a lot of eggs, and a lot of time.
"However," The Scientist added, "it could be done faster." Faster? My mind swam with thoughts of some kind of 'Egg Accelerator' that had been developed and might be a boon to all poultry farmers. Yeah, OK, I knew better. But I hadn't had my coffee yet.
"How?" I asked.
"Tissue culture," he said. "But the administration is too cheap, and this is privatized. And as we know, companies look at the bottom dollar - not at what is best for all mankind. So, they're only using the old method instead of a faster one which would speed the vaccine to the market. It just goes to show that the Republican party is wrong about privatization: not everything can or should be privatized. And this is a classic example."
Let me add that The Scientist is (as I am) a moderate Republican. That means, he's a Republican with his eyes open.
"What can we do?" I asked. He shrugged.
So here are my thoughts on this bleak topic: It's coming. What do we do about it? If we want to minimize the deaths, we need to get those vaccines as soon as possible. Instead of allowing them to continue to get away with doing this 'on the cheap' we'd better speak up now, or we'll forever hold our peace.
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22 comments:
It's all spelled out when you say "the bottom line". Hasn't that always been the true factor to all things on this earth in terms of eradicating illnesses?
It's not what's best for mankind, it's the "bottom line" which always equals money and profits for some drug company.
Sad to think we live in a world where more importance is invested in intangible items (like money and gold), then to have the welfare of it's occupants healthy and living productive lives.... but then there goes on my rose-colored glasses again, I guess.
So please tell us how we need to speak up, as I'd like to get in that line.
I've read so many conflicting stories on this issue. Some predict millions will be killed while others brush it aside. Honestly, it's hard for me to get my mind around this one because of all the conflicting information.
Either way, it scares me.
okay, I'm not traveling and I'm staying away from anyone who has.
aargh. yes, what can we as ordinary, not in power or politics, people do?
People get bit by spiders and dies. People get bit by a bug, it gets infected and turns into cellulits and untreated dies. You would not believe what can kill you. Take any flu serious.
I believe that this is serious. I just don't know what I can do about it. This administration doesn't listen to me on anything. Why would they listen to me, or you, on this?
I agree with michelle. If you look at these deaths as statistics, you're SO much more likely to be killed in an automobile accident, especially in this country. I'm a big science geek, as you know, and I believe these pandemics and diseases arise because our world is simply overpopulated. Our earth cannot and should not sustain so many people. You can see throughout history evidence of this theory. Maybe it's an act of whatever God there may be, or just mother nature keeping care of herself. You have to force yourself to look at the Big Picture. Not just the Here and Now.
Yes, this flu may spread, and yes, there may be devastating stories. But what about the hurricanes and the mudslides and the volcanoes and every other force of nature that takes the lives of thousands every year. Add those all up, and we've probably lost more to those than any mutated bird flu. We're just not concerned with stopping hurricanes because - well - we can't.
Yes, the Avian Flu should be taken seriously, as anything should. Because anythign can kill you. All those free radicals out there are slowly causing cancer in all of us; the drunk drivers are causing accidents every second the earth turns; flus mutate, come, and then go.
Take it seriously, but don't focus on only this. If we're anxious to save lives, look at what can be more easily fixed.
People who keep birds as pets are generally dirty people who don’t practice good basic personal hygiene. If I find out that someone has a bird as a pet I stay as far away from him or her as possible. Excellent advice.
So, what you're saying is that you disagree with nature's way of controlling population growth?
(Ah, just kidding, Saur. Your Scientist is brilliantly right on.)
So, what you're saying is that you disagree with nature's way of controlling population growth?
(Ah, just kidding, Saur. Your Scientist is brilliantly right on.)
The subject does need to be addressed publically, so people are not in the dark about its severity if and when it mutates and is able to be passed from human to human. Viruses are scary. I hate that they are smart and can change and mutate and become immune to medicines. This world of ours gets smaller and smaller every day; it's a perfect haven for a pandemic.
The government is not communicating to its citizens properly. It's all out there. If it happens, it will kill 1 out of 10 children, 1 out of 20 working adults.
Experts (and yes, we need to believe the experts) say it most likely will happen. Just READ the government documents. The government is also not telling INDIVIDUALS what to do. Everyone needs to prepare now in order to isolate themselves as much as possible in the event of a pandemic. You need to do what you can to minimize going out in public. If you can't, fine. But that's the only thing we can do.
There will not be vaccines for YEARS. Yes, YEARS. The few vaccines that will be available will be for health workers, adults over age 65 and children under six months of age. Who is going to run the utility companies? They don't run themselves! I'd vote that the people who maintain our electric generating plants and water treatment plants get the vaccines well before old people and babies. Is no one thinking this through?
I have much more to say on my web site.
I created the site because I am frustrated by the lack of useful information from the government. It is forcing us to make assumptions ourselves. Not every citizen is capable of making those assumptions.
Today during the bird flu "drill" by the Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend said, "You have a responsibility to make sure that you are informed so you can best prepare your family."
They're not saying HOW to prepare one's family. It's up to us to figure it out -- and that's what I put in the presentation that I have on my site.
There is so much misinformation and ignorance. People are talking about birds when they need to be talking about preparation. "People who keep birds as pets are generally dirty people.."? Eegads. How ridiculous. And other people aren't eating chicken. Eat chicken. It won't kill you.
Anyway, that's my two cents.
LB
Interesting. Wow, a 50% mortality rate! I had no idea. Scary.
I am like Fred ... I am lost on this subject. Don't know what to believe, and refuse to live in fear.
By the way .. what happened to the weekend stories?
No need to live in fear. Just realize this is a real health danger. Wash hands, use a paper towel to open the door of the public bathrooms as you walk out so as not to touch it since some people do not wash their hands. I know it is a busy time of year, but when you are out try not to sit by someone coughing and sneezing. Eat in since it is so busy. I go shopping after 7pm and the stores are less busy and I get double the shopping done in less times. Wash your clothes after every wearing, not everyone does. Do all the common sense things. If you are unsure what they are look google this, call your doctor. Be safe!
I am shocked at the 50 percent mortality rate as well.
I try to stay in the now, not fearing the future or regretting the past. Unfortunately, my now, has enough to worry about.
Hope you are well, Saur. Thanks for all your kind thoughts as always on my blog.
Have a good week.
Saur: Do you know if Zen and Now is ever going to post again?
Interesting. It's easy to distance yourself from somthing like this until it is on your doorstep on in your own house. Especially when you are a single invincible male who has only had the flu once in his life. However, I worry for the people I love. I actually thought the bird flu was a flu that birds were getting - that is how out of the loop I was. I am embarrassed to admit that. Thanks for enlightening me.
I agree that it is scary, but as with so many other things, I feel as if there is nothing I can personally do about it.
Before it can become a pandemic it has to evolve into something that can spread from person to person.
OOPS! Did I say evolve? What I meant to say was.....uhhhhh...something else.
Bush has never really had much use for science. Why should he start having a use for science now? Tissue culture? Why, that sounds too much like stem cell talk to me! Cant have none of that! Nope.
But even if there is a vaccine made for the current strain, what good will it do? The current strain is not the pandemic.
When it happens we'll blame whatever president happens along. (grin or groan, whatever) Actually I have been feeling sort of apocalyptic about this for over a year. I just wash my hands, get my flu shot (whatever kind it is)take every anti-oxidant known to man, and figure that, at my age it doesn't make a heck of a lot of difference anyway.
3 Score & 10, Yup, that's all any of us can do! ;o)
Iguana, you mean adapt, dear. ;o) Yeah, it's not that tissue culture is seen as ungodly or anything. It's that it costs too much for private enterprise to want to do it. They'd rather risk lives than the bottom line. As for it altering for human-to-human spread, the CDC thinks that's an easy step.
Meegan & everyone, well, we can do some things to make a difference. We can write letters to our congressmen and women and tell them that we want the research on this to be a priority, and we want the vaccines produced much faster than they are, via tissue culture.
Eddo, NP! ;o)
Old Hoss, I have no idea but I'll get on her tail about it again. :P And yeah, this IS nature's way of controlling pop growth. Still, it's unpleasant and to be avoided if possible...
Barbara, thanks hon! Glad you found it interesting.
Michelle, all good advice.
Liquid Plastic, I'll resume it next weekend. People seemed to be getting bored with the venue.
AP3, yeah!
LB, your site seems to be a little out of date(?) It's citing some incorrect stats.
Jamie Dawn, you're right.
Mr. Gator, silly thing.
Brianne, If you look at these deaths as statistics, you're SO much more likely to be killed in an automobile accident, especially in this country. Only as long as the Bird Flu doesn't reach us here (or another pandemic). I'm a big science geek, as you know, and I believe these pandemics and diseases arise because our world is simply overpopulated. You're right. But that doesn't mean we should allow it to sweep through the ranks if we can help it.
TLP & Dddragon, if enough people write to let their congressmen and women know that they are viewing it seriously, it's possible the gov't. will rethink the way they produce vaccinations.
FTS, it's always good to read up on things like this. I have a tough time, because I really have to force myself to read something unpleasant.
Fred, anyone who's telling you it's nothing is selling you a line.
Everyone, CNN ran an excellent special on this last night.
Don't mean to dismiss your post, but I'm not worried about it whatsoever. Even if this is anything near the flu of 1918-1919, I'm not going to die from it. Statistically, it's very improbable. If I die before my 70th b-day, it will be in a car accident.
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