According to this report in The Inquirer, bird flu has spread to humans. I believe the medical term for this development is “oh, shit”.
Aieeeee!
by
According to this report in The Inquirer, bird flu has spread to humans. I believe the medical term for this development is “oh, shit”.
by
Comments
0 responses to “Aieeeee!”
Being blown out of all proportion. We already get a type of flu from ducks via pigs. It’s called “flu”.
Why do you think the WHO et al are bricking it, then? Misinformation?
>>Why do you think the WHO et al are bricking it
My understanding of it was that the H5N1 virus is extremely potent and when humans get it there is something like a 40% mortalilty rate. The virus can only be transmitted directly from birds (or pigs) to people – not between people. What they are bricking it about is that virii are highly adaptable and it isn’t unknown for one to develop to allow human-human transition. The last time a strain this severe went apeshit the deathtoll was in the tens of millions. I’m not surprised they’re bricking it meself.
After having a wee look around – they are more worried cos they’ve proved that this virus can adapt genetic material from other virii. And it mutates pretty quickly.
Yikes.
Ach, I was being flippant, unusually. I meant that the catching-it-from-birds angle is being overhyped. The bloody-hell-it’ll-fucking-kill-us-all angle is a valid one.
That being said…
> this virus can adapt genetic material from other virii.
Like flu.
> And it mutates pretty quickly.
Like flu.
> The last time a strain this severe went apeshit the deathtoll was in the tens of millions.
Like flu.
Of course, the conclusion to draw from all that is that flu is bloody awful, not that bird flu isn’t bad.