October 10 Flu Update
A local newspaper in Vietnam says the virus has mutated.Five potential cases in Indonesia were cleared.
Now Vietnam is implementing bird flu checkpoints.
In Ghana, farmers who do not follow bio-security measures will not be compensated.
In an unrelated story (maybe), Ghana says it is bird flu free.
The Philippines Department of Ag will hold bird flu seminars.
Expert in the Berkshires says a pandemic is coming.
Revere is back in the flu mix, blogging on research on whether certain animals can be reservoirs for flu....and whether the scope of the research needs to be widened.
posted by Orange @ 9:45 PM
2 Comments:
Orange;
I believe your first article from Vietnam about the bird flu virus mutating is really a reiteration of the recent Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka study. Also, just a quick observation: I would say Vietnam is a little late with the 15 bird flu checkpoints – even though (if I recall) they recently declared themselves “bird flu free” (according to the utterly ridiculous 21 day WHO rule) – H5N1 has just broken out again in Tra Vinh province. This all seems to point out that their massive poultry vaccination effort doesn’t really seem to be all that effective.
After considerable thought, I don’t have any comment about your Indonesian article which says that the five potential bird flu cases are now negative, and clear. (I do however expect to start hearing some Bigfoot and UFO reports soon from them). Hey, don’t laugh – anything is possible in Indonesia, even very strange science.
Anyone ever wonder how their human pre-pandemic vaccination’s are coming along ? Haven’t heard nary a peep from the Madame genius. They should be poking a lot of people by now.
Regarding your Berkshire flu expert, I have a brilliant idea here Orange. If the Flu Wiki Dworkster can be acknowledged as a national bird flu expert, what are you waiting for ? You got a website too. I’ll bet if you come out of the closet (today is National Coming Out Day, I might add), you too could get some national media exposure and public health attention. I’d be right behind you (lieutenant). You could conceivable end up posting your own article about yourself – pretty cool, in my opinion.
Revere every so often, kind of get’s tangled up in too many details in his articles, and the big picture doesn’t come out. The article on H5N1 infection in sparrows, starlings and pigeons, is one of them. I really believe, as some of his readers pointed out, that the most important vectors may not be birds and poultry anymore – they could be mammals, and there could be multiple complex inter/independent infection processes going on, between birds, reptiles, arthropods, and mammals (and of course their interaction with humans).
He is right though… so many questions and so little time. Time I believe is running out for the vast majority of unprepared individuals.
I have this theory that more people are concerned and familiar with the ingredients in a Big Mac or Whopper, than they are with basic preparation for a national emergency, say like an influenza pandemic.
Wulfgang
What bothers me most obout the current state of H5N1 is that it is now being spread to animals other than birds.We have done a good job of culling birds to stop H5N1 in people but our success has also given the virus time to mutate and spread to other species.
I do not have a solution but I hope we don't wake up some day and discover we are not at the top of the food chain any more.
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