I thought it was because the animals live with the family in Asia that it was being passed on more readily?
From one of the Taipei Times articles referred to earlier in this thread (my post), they say: "There is no proven preventive vaccine yet available in meaningful quantities …"
In the Medicinenet.com article referred to earlier in this thread (my post), they say: “An experimental H5N1 vaccine has been made – a major scientific achievement. New ways of using it already are being tested.”
That same article just above also said:
“But the first batch of this prototype vaccine likely will not be a good match for whatever bird flu virus eventually emerges to cause a pandemic.”
alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08229465.htm
There are numerous sources, such as the one immediately above, that refer to a case of human-to-human flu transmission in Thailand in September 2004. I have a feeling that most of the sources are quoting each other, so I only listed the one. Don’t know where the story originated or whether it was ever reversed.
That would be ideal for a specific vaccine, but he other problem is that the bird flu kills chicken embryos, which are used to make influenza vaccine. If the “final” bug version also kills off chicken embryos at essentially 100% mortality, we’ll need a completely different method to manufacture vaccine in quantity.
The recent news about the girl in Vietnam who got it while caring for her sick relative seems to be h2h.
Oh, don’t stop there. Measles is from rinderpest, a cattle disease. Tuberculosis, brucellosis, smallpox . . . hey, they’re all from animals!
But bird flu? What makes you think it STARTED in domestic animals? It’s being spread all over the globe by wild migratory birds.
Hey, here’s a solution: kill off every single last wild bird out there, right down to the last chickadee. (We can keep a few caged up in aviaries just for old time’s sake.) That should isolate the problem to domesticated fowl, which can be slaughtered en masse whenever a nasty strain breaks out.
Just heard on the Belgian radio news that the Taiwan customs/coastguard confiscated a container full of birds, smuggled from China and infected with the potential lethal strain of birdflu … now what?
A new study suggests that bats might be the orignial cause of SARS. They were of course kept in inhumane conditions at markets, too.
Did not know that there had been a case in Taiwan but did see this on the BBC tonight:
My boss asked me today whether I wanted to get a flu shot before this winter. They’re going to bring a doctor in and whoever wants to can get these shots. They have also brought out the anti-bacteria soap stuff that was so popular during SARS, have stocked up on masks, and are printing out worksheets and stuff to keep students busy in case they have to spend a day in the sick room. (foot and mouth also going around)
Apparently CNN will have a special show on what to do to prevent outbreaks. Do any of these things really work, or should we just continue as normal and hope for the best? I’ll do anything not to see the SARS panic again.
[quote=“ceevee369”]We are in a very early stage, but the H5N1 virus made landfall on Taiwanese soil and made 1 case so far.
[/quote]
I’ve already asked you this in another thread, but can I repeat my earlier (and Sandman’s) request that you tell everyone where you got this information. I have been looking hard, and I can’t find any news source that says that anyone in Taiwan has been killed by bird flu. Please tell us, so that we know what you’re talking about.
Hopefully this time around, the Taiwan governing authorities will actually listen to the advice of organizations like the US CDC in dealing with this (they didn’t listen to the CDC advice when it came to SARS, and we all know what happened with that …).
Just like with SARS, standard medical masks are absolutely useless against the bird flu virus. I was shocked when the government actually told people to wear those cheap masks when doctors repeatedly said that only N-95 masks would offer any protection.
Where can we buy N95 masks?
Try here:
news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=2118572005
Which is a link from here:
moreover.com/cgi-local/page?c=Taiwan%20news
As Sandman said on another thread, it basically is a Panama registered ship smuggling cage birds into TW, and some of the 1,037 birds were found tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus. The smuggler shows no signs of illness.
Firstly, it’s good to know the coastguard managed to intercept this ship. Slightly worrying that this is happening though and that another boat might make it to shore.
Secondly, I hope the smuggler gets a VERY long prison sentence for this. He could have been responsible for many, many deaths, whether he realises or not.
[quote=“irishstu”]Firstly, it’s good to know the coastguard managed to intercept this ship. Slightly worrying that this is happening though and that another boat might make it to shore.
Secondly, I hope the smuggler gets a VERY long prison sentence for this. He could have been responsible for many, many deaths, whether he realises or not.[/quote]
I’m sure they stumbled upon it by accident. I don’t have enough faith in the Taiwan governing authorities to actually know what they are doing in this case. They won’t (unfortunately) be so lucky next time.
Required Reading:
who.int/csr/disease/influenz … 005_29/en/ “Avian Flu: Assessing the Pandemic Threat.” Provides a solid review of the history of flu pandemics, how they unfold, and how Avian flu is likely to run if H2H transmission eventuates. Many thanks to our friends at WHO.
Recommended Reading:
who.int/csr/disease/influenz … index.html This is a WHO links page on flu that includes more specific information on influenza and Avian flu. Some of it is a bit technical, but fun reading if you are a biotech buff like myself.
Enjoy.
SARS all over again…what a nightmare…endless rumor-mongering and sensationalised reporting, nonsensical health warnings about drinking more water and not talking on buses…just hope this time the govt. listens to its own health experts and doesn’t enforce mask wearing on public transport…
[quote=“ceevee369”]We are in a very early stage, but the H5N1 virus made landfall on Taiwanese soil and made 1 case so far.
So, what are the plans? No more chickens in the lunch box?
Injecting Tamiflu is not recommended as a pro-active matter, but do you have it in the fridge already?
No walks in the woods anymore for a while?
Starting to wear masks?
I am curious how we, the foreigner community in Taiwan is looking towards this topic.[/quote]
I’d recommend not french kissing live poultry. Other than that, its VERY difficult to transmit from tweety to Buffy. We have contingency plans at the school should an easily transmissible form mutate from the current one (that includes bascially shutting the place down during outbreaks, this makes SARS seem like the common cold).
About the only think I’m considering other than that is to simply poison the half-dozen chickens down the block mwaaaaaahahahaha
[quote=“LittleBuddhaTW”]Hopefully this time around, the Taiwan governing authorities will actually listen to the advice of organizations like the US CDC in dealing with this (they didn’t listen to the CDC advice when it came to SARS, and we all know what happened with that …).
Just like with SARS, standard medical masks are absolutely useless against the bird flu virus. I was shocked when the government actually told people to wear those cheap masks when doctors repeatedly said that only N-95 masks would offer any protection.[/quote]
The authorities might, but they have very little authority or control of things that aren’t physically on their desk. The chances of some asshole imbilcile with a medical degree waltzing out and infecting half the island are quite high…