2005-09-26
H5N1
Avian Flu
Pretty-Pussy made reference in a recent post to avian flu. We are not hearing much about it right now, but I think we all will start hearing about it more in the coming months. H5N1 is the scientific name for a flu virus that has been ripping through the bird populations of Asia for the last few years. This virus has spread from S.E. Asia and China into Siberia and it looks like it is heading for Europe. Those of you that have been reading my diary for a while, know I am not one to fly off the handle about things but for some reason, this one has me concerned.
Why is a bird virus important to us? Well, in the few instances where humans have contracted the virus, it has been fatal more than 50% of the time. The big fear is that the virus will mutate and become easily passed from person to person, just like it is currently now being passed from bird to bird and spreading around the world. If this idea seems far-fetched, the last global flu epidemic was in 1918-1919 and according to the source killed anywhere between 20 and 100 million people worldwide or about 2-6% of the people who got sick. The epidemic of 1918 was an avian flu that mutated to infect humans. Obviously if that many people died from a flu with a 5% mortality rate, what sort of suffering and devastation would a pandemic with a 50% mortality rate cause?
I am not trying to scare everyone or play Chicken Little here. I just think that with the devastation of New Orleans so close at hand that we all ought to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. While I am not a scientist and I cannot create a vaccine to protect my family from the virus, I can monitor what is going on with the bug, put together a family disaster kit, and be ready to take whatever precautions I can for my family should it appear that the disease is starting to spread.
The mainstream media is starting to pick-up on the danger posed by the avian flu. But I have been tracking its progress for the last couple of months through a couple of very good webpages that I thought I would link to here.
This is a great summary blog that gives some background and links to recent news. There are some interesting links on the page to other sources and materials.
This page is rich in the latest news and is updated several times a day, usually with translations from local (non-English) news reports. This page really keeps you more up-to-date than anything. I hope it wrong about what seems to be happening in Indonesia over the last week.
This page is from the World Health Organization and it basically paints a picture of when the next pandemic emerges, not if.
This is from the magazine Nature and it is a great general reference to what the virus is, how it can and may mutate, and the potential danger that it may represent. If you are not familiar with the threat, you may want to start here.
There are a ton of maybe’s and mights in this post. I pray that this is nothing, but I know I am watching it closely and it concerns me. I have started to put together a disaster kit, not only for this but also just after seeing everything in the Gulf Coast over the last couple of months, I think it is only prudent. I thought I would share my concerns and the resources I have found for anyone who might to find out more.
-- rockabillie at 1:08 p.m.