Bird Flu: Will civil society break down?

[DisneyPhD]

It's too early to say that a bird flu pandemic would cause mass chaos in the Unites States.

As is, the facts are scary. Scientists have always believed that humans could not get bird flu. From 2003 - 10/24/05, 112 people have become infected by it (from being in contact w/ infected birds) and 60 have died. The death rate is about 55 percent. The World Health Organization is saying that a pandemic is very, very likely.

However, for a pandemic to occur, the bird flue needs to mutate to be transmissible between humans. Right now it's only spread from bird-human, not human-human. No one knows exactly what that new flu virus will be like...it might be very deadly like the 1918 flu (which scientists now think may have been derived from a bird flu)...or it might not be so bad.

So...we can't really know. We just have to prepare. How? I'm not sure yet...haven't gotten that far into my avian influenza research paper!

Thank you for the level headed and informtaive post. My DH has been saying the same things (and he reads the news, I tend to have other things to do.)

 

[grinningghost]

The key word in all of this is speculation because that's all that's been offered so far. There is no evidence that a pandemic will occur, but why let facts stand in the way of a good ol' media scare/blitz. It's "funny" how the bird flu pandemic seems to lessen in importance these days to other stories.

Yep. Between Miers and the CIA - bird flu hasn't been heard from all day.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Mass panic didn't occur in 1918 and I doubt it will happen if and when this current pandemic strikes. As usual the poor and the elderly will be hit hard but I don't believe what you describe will happen.

Actually the elderly were not hit hard by the 1918 pandemic. It was the teens and twentys that were hit hard.

 

[Conversationist]

My posting was more about Human Nature in the face of such a crisis than the chances that the Bird Flu will occur. I believe that IF the Bird Flu hits America, the 24 Hour News Channels, our current society and Human Nature will cause a huge crisis.

 

[Taylor]

My posting was more about Human Nature in the face of such a crisis than the chances that the Bird Flu will occur. I believe that IF the Bird Flu hits America, the 24 Hour News Channels, our current society and Human Nature will cause a huge crisis.

I agree with everything that you have said to this point.

I also believe the voices inside my head. I believe that aliens have already infiltrated the very core of our society. I believe that one day the Cubs will win the World Series. I believe that one day Pamela Anderson will start returning my calls. I believe that one day the whole "Tom Cruise thing" will make sense. I will soon have the winning Powerball ticket. I think my cat will stop being aloof and that the dog may stop peeing on the rug on a regular basis. My kids may even start eating their vegetables.

 

[Miller1412]

My grandmother used to say, When God calls your number, all you can do is show up.

Worry more about making the most of your life today.

 

[DisneyPhD]

I agree with everything that you have said to this point.

I also believe the voices inside my head. I believe that aliens have already infiltrated the very core of our society. I believe that one day the Cubs will win the World Series. I believe that one day Pamela Anderson will start returning my calls. I believe that one day the whole "Tom Cruise thing" will make sense. I will soon have the winning Powerball ticket. I think my cat will stop being aloof and that the dog may stop peeing on the rug on a regular basis. My kids may even start eating their vegetables.

You know we have some very good medications for that. They are called Risperdal and Zyprexa. They make the voices in your head much quieter (or at least more friendly! ) I don't know if the Tom Cruise thing ever will make sense, I guess you have more faith then me.

Conversationist, and tell me are you aren't adding to it (human natures bad side.) with your post. Sure seems that way to me. Comments like that are more harmful then helpful.

Seems to me that Miller1412's grandma was right. (I wonder if she was alive during the 1918. My grandma would of been 20 years old then, she died in 1986.)

 

[DarkSideMoon]

Wow, who peed in your Wheaties this morning?

Shut off your computer, take a walk in the beautiful fall air, and enjoy the day. What will happen, will happen.

Such a thread doesn't belong on the disboards...

no offense, but i cant imagine anyone thinking that everything will always be fine and dandy and what happens happens, we dont live in a world like that.

 

[DarkSideMoon]

no offense, but you should be afraid of this, not to the point of paranoia but keep it in the back of your minds, remember the plague? smallpox?

 

[Taylor]

no offense, but you should be afraid of this, not to the point of paranoia but keep it in the back of your minds, remember the plague? smallpox?

And what should we do with this fear, go running through the streets screaming?

Remember the plague? Smallpox? No I don't. I also don't remember curing disease by bleeding or by using leeches. I think our medical technology advancements have a bit to do with that.

 

[DisneyPhD]

no offense, but you should be afraid of this, not to the point of paranoia but keep it in the back of your minds, remember the plague? smallpox?

Why? What does keeping this fear in the back of our minds help in any way? Besides the normal mesures that everyone should be taking to prevent spread of illness (wash hands, stay home,) how is being fearful of this helpful to any average person? Should people at WHO and other places being working on what to do about this and other illnesses YES. Should everyone else be chaning our lives in any other way because of this?

The condtions during the plague were totally different then now a days. Small pox? We now have a vacination for it and many others. One of the reasons WHO should be on this, but not for the average person to spend any of their time worring about it. Personally I have enough to worry about that I can actually do things about. Otherwise I leave it up to God.

If every person listened to and worried about every news story with doom and gloom we all would be so neurotic that we would never leave the house. Think about it on any given day there is 10 stories that *could* be the end of the world as we know it.

For all of you are are really worried about this. What are you doing about it and how do you feel spending your time worrying about it is helping you or anyone else? *If anything like this (west nile, a number of other viruses) are you going to be better off then me for not worrying about it right now when there is nothing I can do besides normal healthy messures I always do?

Will being able to say "I told you so" make you feel any better?

 

[DarkSideMoon]

just as an FYI we still use leeches.

anyway, what i am saying is lok at the devestating effects of the plague and what smallpox used to be, i am not saying that we need to worry about small pox, unless one of the two vials goes missing... what i am saying is i would not be shocked if it happend and i would take precautionary measures.

 

[DarkSideMoon]

and no, saying i told you so wouldnt make me feel better, only the unhuman would take pleasure in death, and that offends me that you think i would be so cruel and heartless.

 

[DisneyPhD]

and no, saying i told you so wouldnt make me feel better, only the unhuman would take pleasure in death, and that offends me that you think i would be so cruel and heartless.

I would hope you wouldn't. It was more retorical that if it isn't going to help why bother?

I used to work as a clinical therapist in a mental health clinic. (beofore I was a SAHM) Do you know what we would do if anyone came into our offiice and said "I am really worried about this flu thing (or anything like it)? We would up their medicaiton.

I wouldn't be shocked if a lot of things happened. Actually that isn't true, I am shocked by most things, even when we see it coming. However spending my time speckulating on them and telling others they should be fearful of situations out of there control is not my idea of productive.

What kind of precautionary measures do you suggest then? (besides normal ones. )

 

[DarkSideMoon]

thanks for the explanation on the told you so thing, i thought you meant that at me. anyway, stock up on emergancy supplies, try and get a vaccination lined up somewhere, extra antibiotics, see your doctor for advice on protection.

 

[DisneyPhD]

thanks for the explanation on the told you so thing, i thought you meant that at me. anyway, stock up on emergancy supplies, try and get a vaccination lined up somewhere, extra antibiotics, see your doctor for advice on protection.

Ok, emergnacy supplies, always a good thing. We tend to have enough food and others stuff in my house for a month at a time. Just me. (I always wonder about people who get caught with out power and have no food or water or other things.)

Vacination, isn't one. But if they did come up with one get it. We normally get our flu shots every year we can (and never get the flu, so either they work or we are lucky.) Extra antiboics, not going to work to stock pile them, different work for differnt needs, might not work for this (I don't know enough about it right now to know.) Keeping them stock pilled around your house isn't going to help. Not using them when not nessary is a good one so you don't build up resistance to them. Remember a while ago when everyone was so fearful of anthax? People wanted to get their hands on Cipro just in case. Because of people wanting to get it when they didn't need it there was a shortage of Cipro. Did it help anyone? No. It hurt people who needed the medicaiton for other reasons (I for one, Cipro is one of the few antiboics I can take due to allergies.)

Follow your Doctors advice. Always a good thing to do. However if I went to him and told him I was really worried about this I supspect he would send me to an office like the one I used to work in so the could "up my medicaiton" if you know what I mean.


As far as not keeping your head in the ground, I do think you should prepare for things that you can. For example when or if the news says there was a hurricane or some other thing headed my way I would get nessasry supplies and or go someplace safe if nessary. I don't think this is the case at this point.

 

[WDWHound]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Panic! Panic! Panic!!!!!

The economy is going to colapse! There is going to be chaos!!!

Nooooooooo!!!!!

But wait...

Maybe....

Just maybe...

...This could be another attempt to generate an overreraction in the name of "conversation",

Oh well, nice try.