Canada Outbreak

[!mitationRust]

A deadly outbreak of a respiratory illness at a Toronto nursing home for the elderly has claimed six more lives, raising the death toll to 16, health officials said Wednesday.

The cause of the outbreak at the Seven Oaks Home for the Aged remains unknown, although officials insisted the situation was under control. Thirty-eight people remained hospitalized with the illness, and officials fear many of them are too frail to fully recover. Another 88 residents, employees and visitors have been affected.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/05/D8D244U8C.html

Not much news in the spotlight from Canada.

[Aspman]

Other nasty disease news today:

US scientists recreate the Spanish Flu which killed 50 million in 1918.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4308872.stm

[nihil]

Hey Aspman I have some questions for you........................

Did WWI start in 1914 or 1916?
Did WWII start in 1939 or 1941?

What these amazing American scientists have discovered was the subject of a British TV broadcast I watched TWO tears ago

Apparently it kicked off in a transit camp hospital in France/Holland/Belgium (not sure which) where they had flocks of Turkeys & Geese (it was close to Christmas). Some sort of mutation between bird and human viruses they said.

A lot of refugees, demobbed servicemen, wounded etc were moving around, which caused it to spread very quickly. Coupled with the fact that these people were in close proximity whilst in transit camps, then dispersed to their families.

Also, it was unusual in that it killed a large number of apparently young and fit people?...........ex-servicemen in their prime? This they put down to trace exposure to chlorine and mustard gas (phosgene?) which had "sensitised" their respiratory tracts.

I wonder if the effects of today's air pollution might not have such a similar "sensitisation" effect?

just a few thoughts?............it ain't all global warming and greenhouse gases folks?

[Egaladeist]

The big concern right now is that bird flu in China...apparently it's already mutating and the latest word is that it could spread throughout Asia...killing millions...

and could be transported here via planes, boats, or possibly even migrating birds.

Eg

[ech0]

Yet more reasons to stay home on my computer

[Aspman]

Hey Aspman I have some questions for you........................

Did WWI start in 1914 or 1916?
Did WWII start in 1939 or 1941?

This a trick question? I took geography at school - I even know where Belgium is

Schoolboy history? 1914 and 1939 repectively.

Alledgedly the flu had an influence in ending WWI.

What these amazing American scientists have discovered was the subject of a British TV broadcast I watched TWO tears ago

Don't know why they're punting it again then. They were releating the research to bird flu treatments which is an issue of the moment I suppose.

I wonder if the effects of today's air pollution might not have such a similar "sensitisation" effect?

Probably not, air today is cleaner (in the western world) than it was at the time of WWI. Think of the legendary London Smogs. These were really clouds of dilute sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide which are lung irritants. We don't really get these in the same way anymore. You might in China though. Contributing factor?

Good news: scientists say that the flu is held safely in a secure lab. I feel so much better, remember the NO plague thread.
Spanish flu IS treatable with current flu vaccines.

These viruses are actually not very good viruses in terms of their own survival. It's not in the best interests of the virus to kill its host. Thats one theory as to why these pandemics come and go, the virus is trying to mutate into something less virulant in order for it to use it's hosts in a sustainable way. Other scientists have found that the AIDS virus is also becoming less deadly over time, probably for similar reasons.

migrating birds

Already been proved. The virus has been found in Holland, I think, in migrating ducks.

[Aspman]

Here is an interesting spin on 'plagues'

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26741

[Egaladeist]

Seeing as how I aluded to the bird flu here I might as well post it here instead of creating a new thread...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Health experts from 65 countries are set to meet in Washington to plan how to prevent a possible bird flu pandemic after dire warnings from the World Health Organization last week.

So far, bird flu has killed about 60 people and tens of millions of birds in Asia. Last week, the WHO said the disease could kill many millions of people worldwide if it mutates into a form that can spread among humans.

Bird flu can spread around the world through migratory birds, and has already swept from Asia to poultry in parts of Siberia.

People who catch the worst strain of avian flu can die of viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress.

The meeting on Thursday comes as the White House is urging companies to make more flu vaccines, with officials set to meet representatives from the U.S. pharmaceutical industry on Friday, CNN has learned.

Most U.S. pharmaceutical companies have stopped making flu vaccines, but many public health advocates believe having a reliable supply may be the best way to contain a "bird flu" pandemic in humans.

Sources who did not want to be identified -- because the pharmaceutical meeting has not been announced -- told CNN it is "simply another step" in trying to combat the bird flu.

The WHO has reported 116 cases of avian flu in humans, all of them in Asia. More than half of them have been fatal, it said.

The virus has mainly been spread from birds to humans but experts are worried about human-to-human transmission.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan skirted questions about the role of pharmaceutical manufacturers Wednesday, but he said the Bush administration is moving to develop vaccines against the H5N1 strain behind the spread of avian flu in Asia.

I've taken the liberty in highlighting some statements in bold...

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/as.../birdflu.wrap/
CNN.com - Bird flu experts prepare to meet - Oct 6, 2005

Eg

[catch]

Also, it was unusual in that it killed a large number of apparently young and fit people?...........ex-servicemen in their prime? This they put down to trace exposure to chlorine and mustard gas (phosgene?) which had "sensitised" their respiratory tracts.

Not sure which "they" you are referring to.

Everything I have ever read on the subject of any assurance indicates that the Swine Flu wasn't particularly deadly but a few factors have a negative impact on the human immune system:

- Stress
- Lack of sleep
- Malnutrition
- Constant exposure to cold and wet

Couple this with a cramped environment with poor hygiene, even by contemporary standards... and still it was only had about 3% fatal.

cheers,

catch

[jinxy]

I don't actualy think it was the flue that did the killing in the first place, more the secondry infections caused by the flue, such as pneumonia, etc.

Medicine has come along way in fighting bacterialogical infection since 1918?