SCI/TECH: Bird Flu Reported In Japan

On Wednesday, Japan reported the first human case of bird flu. Apparently the disease originated in birds, spread throughout farms in Asia, and was the cause of nearly 100 million birds being culled. This disease was linked to twelved deaths in Thailand and twenty deaths in Vietnam.



Oh my gosh! Bird Flu! I don't know about you but I believe it may be time for us as humans to start panicking. Will everyone have to start walking around with masks on in the near future? It could possibly happen soon if there are poisionus germs floating in the air that cause fatal infectionous diseases. I might buy a mask myself. Who knows what's floating in the air nowadays. I know some friends who live in Japan. I'm fearful for them.


[edit on 22-12-2004 by Banshee]

From the same link you provided:

This infection obviously wasn't a serious one. He's still alive and the virus was contracted earlier this year when Japan had infections in its poultry, not recently.

The man caught the bird flu virus while disinfecting a contaminated poultry farm in western Kyoto during an outbreak in Japan earlier this year, the Health Ministry said.

The ministry took blood samples from about 86 people who may have been exposed. One tested positive for antibodies for the disease, confirming the infection. Four others may also have been infected but the tests were inconclusive.

Did you overlook the part when they said that there were 12 DEATHS in Thailand and 20 DEATHS in Vietnam?

Originally posted by parrhesia
From the same link you provided:

This infection obviously wasn't a serious one. He's still alive and the virus was contracted earlier this year when Japan had infections in its poultry, not recently.

No, not at all.

I'm not downplaying the severity of the virus. I'm aware of the severity of the virus and believe the WHO estimates of mortality in light of a pandemic are very low.

What I'm saying is, this is not a new infection (new as in caused by recent outbreaks in Japan, not those of months past just confirmed). If it were, it would be cause for more worry.

Originally posted by parrhesia

I'm not downplaying the severity of the virus. I'm aware of the severity of the virus and believe the WHO estimates of mortality in light of a pandemic are very low.

What I'm saying is, this is not a new infection (new as in caused by recent outbreaks in Japan, not those of months past just confirmed). If it were, it would be cause for more worry.

Yes, but what you fail to realize is not everyone knows about this "bird flu". Yes you are trying to downplay the severity of the virus. You tried but you failed to succeed my friend. I don't want to get into a debate with you over this.

No, I'm hardly downplaying the severity.
You're misrepresenting this, presenting it as if it's a new infection as a result of a new outbreak, which it is not. It's an infection, months old, recently verified. In a time when they are deep worries of pandemic I think you should be clear about the circumstances surrounding the infection, such as it occuring months ago.

What are you talking about? I'm simply reporting news and UPDATES that people may want to know about. Like I said, not everyone knows about this stuff man. But you, just because you've heard about it, you think everyone else in the world has. How closed-minded and immature can you get. Just keep your mouth shut or rather your fingers tied and let me present what I feel is relevant for people to be aware about.

I'm not disputing that people should be made aware of the situation, but I think you should also present what it really is. A recently verified case from several months ago. If you really want to present the information to people who aren't aware, then it's important to include such information as I've mentioned, espeicially due to your final comment,

I know some friends who live in Japan. I'm fearful for them.

Which completely disregards the fact that this isn't due to recent infection or outbreaks, and is more in line of inciting fear.

And btw, don't assume to know what I think.

Originally posted by parrhesia

And btw, don't assume to know what I think.

You're the one doing the assuming. I already told you why I presented the article. I'm entitled to give my personal opinion about the article. If you don't like it, take it up with ATS. Did you read the article? It said experts worry that the virus could mutate into a version easily spread among people, setting off a global pandemic. I believe that justifies my right to be worried about my buddies over in Japan. If you have anything negative to say about anything I present here I suggest you go into a dark, quiet closet, shut the door and cry your complaints to your god. And DON'T quote what I said. I know what I said! I don't need you to re-quote anything I say.

[edit on 12/19/2004 by Mr Knowledge]

[edit on 12/19/2004 by Mr Knowledge]

Bird flu spreads to humans in Japan

Japan has confirmed its first case of a human infected with bird flu.
Officials say one man has definitely caught the potentially deadly bird flu and four other people are likely to be infected. Four of them used to work at a chicken farm which in February was caught trying to cover up a bird flu outbreak.
The fifth victim was a city official who helped disinfect the farm.

www.abc.net.au...

Sanc'.

Was there not a warning by some Russian scientists recently that a flu pandemic will spread all across the world and kill millions. If I remember correctly, he was talking about bird flu.

I have done this research two days ago I still have it on file..I guess no that someone else brought it up It should get more reviews than if I would have..just for support I shall add what I found or atleats some of it..

Bird (Avain) Influenza In Human To Human Mode....
Influenza pandemics are recurring and unpredictable calamities.Influenza experts worldwide are concerned that the recent appearance and widespread distribution of an avian influenza virus, Influenza A/H5N1, has the potential to ignite the next pandemic.
Give the current threat,The W.H.O. has urged all countries to develop or update their influenza pandemic preparedness plans for responding to the widespread socioeconomic disruptions that would result from having large numbers of people unwell or dying...
Central to preparedness planning is an estimate of how deadly the next pandemic is likely to be. Experts' answers to this fundamental question have ranged from 2 million to over 50 million. All these answers are scientifically grounded. The reasons for the wide range of estimates are manyfold.
Some 4,000 chickens have either died or have been culled in southern Vietnam in a bid to halt the latest outbreak of avian flu, Vietnamese authorities say. Farms in the Mekong Delta have been disinfected and cordoned off and preventive measures have been boosted to prevent the disease from spreading.The epidemic reappeared earlier this year killing 32 people across Asia. Experts have warned of the risk of a world pandemic if bird flu combines with a human flu virus.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Fears mount over Asian bird flu..
A Thai woman who recently died of bird flu probably caught the disease from her daughter, the government has said. If true, she would be the first person in the latest outbreak to get bird flu from another human rather than birds. A case of human-to-human infection would renew fears that bird flu may one day combine with human flu to create a more deadly version of the disease.But officials said this was likely to be an isolated case, and the WHO said it posed no "significant" public risk.
Klaus Stohr, head of the WHO's global influenza programme, said the latest case was possibly another example of a "non-sustained, inefficient, dead-end-street, human-to-human transmission".

news.bbc.co.uk...

'Stockpile bird flu vaccine' call..
Experts are calling for urgent action to set up global vaccine factories to deal with a possible pandemic of bird flu. So far, only small batches of vaccine against the H5N1 strain of bird, or avian, flu have been produced. But Dr Klaus Stohr of the World Health Organization says this is nowhere near enough.The warnings follow reports this week of a possible case of human-to-human transmission of the virus.Prior to that, all other confirmed cases of the infection in humans had been caught from birds. Altogether, Thailand has reported 15 cases of avian flu in humans, of which 10 have proved fatal, since January of this year.

news.bbc.co.uk...

One could also check out WHO for detailed info..