[nannysuetle]

Isn't it true that most people in 1918-1919 flu pandemic died mostly from pneumonia because they had no real effective antibiotics at that time?

[vasyasvc]

Have you ever read the book, The Stand by Stephen King?
Truly riveting book. In this story, a killer flu virus wipes out 99% of the world's population.

It kinda seems like it our fault. We have been using antibiotics to fight bacteria for years. in a sense, we have used darwinism to produce super viruses.

[mirzaterak]

Quote:

[diundasmink]

Ok, I stand corrected. I'll cross my fingers and file it under "s*** happens"...

[zibTefapparia]

I think you may have missed my sarcasm, Sin. I don't find the scenario terribly reassuring.

Alas, even from a Darwinian perspective, this does nothing much for the human race, other than our ability to match the epitopes (protein markers) of the virus coat which will promptly change again until we don't recognize them. The people to die will be the young (not much selection there), the old (no selection at all, as they don't have children anymore), those in remote areas (hard to see what good that will do) and those in developing nations (ditto). It's all part of the meaningless carnage that is "Mother Nature" in action.

[nannysuetle]

This could make the war on terrorism look minor, but then again maybe not??


Public health officials preparing to battle what they view as an inevitable influenza pandemic say the world lacks the medical weapons to fight the disease effectively, and will not have them anytime soon.

Public health specialists and manufacturers are working frantically to develop vaccines, drugs, strategies for quarantining and treating the ill, and plans for international cooperation, but these efforts will take years. Meanwhile, the most dangerous strain of influenza to appear in decades -- the H5N1 "bird flu" in Asia -- is showing up in new populations of birds, and occasionally people, almost by the month, global health officials say.

If the virus were to start spreading in the next year, the world would have only a relative handful of doses of an experimental vaccine to defend against a disease that, history shows, could potentially kill millions.

[zibTefapparia]

Yep, it's a fact. The next "killer" flu version is going to show up some time, whether it's next year or 20 years time. And could wipe up out millions, no problem. But so long as you're not young, old, poor or unhealthy, and live near to decent medical facilities, you'll probably survive....

[diundasmink]

Thatnks for the heads-up. I guess all we can do is keep healthy, and hope.

When I look at this objectively, I don't think it's a bad thing. Like big cats weeding out the weaker and older prey animals, it keeps the human race fitter. But of course I don't just look at it objectively.