Bird flu could cause global economic catastrophe

Didn't see this article posted yet...

Bird flu could cause global economic catastrophe

Bird flu threatens to cause a "catastrophic" economic crash in Britain and around the world, unprecedented in modern times, according to new research.

Two studies from Nottingham University and the Bank of Montreal in Canada show that a flu pandemic - described by the World Health Organisation last week as inevitable - would slash at least £95bn from British GDP, extinguish at least 900,000 jobs and create a global depression to rival that of the 1930s

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So far about 60 people are known to have died from the virus, about half of those infected. Experts fear that it will mutate to spread rapidly among people, killing tens - perhaps hundreds - of millions worldwide. Last week Dr Lee Jong-wook, director-general of the World Health Organisation, said the mutation was inevitable and "just an issue of timing". Publicly the Government says that more than 50,000 people are likely to die in Britain, but privately it is preparing for up to 750,000 deaths. Earlier this year Professor Hugh Pennington, one of the country's experts, said that the British death toll could reach two million.

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H5N1 Wild Bird Flu Outbreaks

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This is for SEP 2005

Oooohh, this isnt good.
I really don't have words for this.

Even if this does turn out to be true, Humanity will rebound from it anyway. Look how well we did after the Bubonic Plague, and the 1914(?) Influenza outbreaks... Not to mention the countless others we've overcome.

Yes it sucks when you get down the the individual level and it becomes personal, I definitely wouldn't like to see any of my close friends or family come down with it.

Course it will cause economic meltdown. A globalised world that suddenly cant ship goods and materials will die. If the worse ever came to the worse countries such as England could starve as imports dry up.

More realisticly it will lead to a total breakdown of advanced nations to the point where the great depression looks like a walk in the park.

Originally posted by Shaker
Snip...Look how well we did after the Bubonic Plague, and the 1914(?) Influenza outbreaks... Snip

The pandemic of 1918-1919 killed enough humans so that the average life span of the world decreased by 10 years! I don't think we fared well in that one. BTW the 1918 Spanish flu killed more people than did all the black plague's combined!

And just think, the 1918 flu had a case fatility rate of 2.5-3.5 % for those infected...H5N1 is running at a 50% mortality rate.

Now, if H5N1 goes H2H, how lucky do you feel?

Originally posted by gman55

Now, if H5N1 goes H2H, how lucky do you feel?

Not very actually... but I can hope the virus thinks to itself, "Hey, I infect Humans, they're going to make something that will kill me..." and hopefully mutate to a non Human threatening virus...

Wishful thinking I know...

While a global economic disaster would be a very bad result of the flu killing 50 percent of everyone infected, it would be small potatoes in my opinion to the loss of friends, loved ones, and/or your own life as well. If 10 or 25 percent of the entire world's population died, well then every one in 4 people you know might be dead afterwards (family and relatives included). It's a very bleak outlook that this could occur. While we are having an economic disaster with trade totally shut down and people afraid to travel, the high death rate could make such an event truly terrible.

Agreed.

Things like this H5N1 looming pandemic seem like they come into our living rooms from a far distant country. We have in the past ignored these TV reports with the idiocentric idea that "it's such a shame that happened, oh well, off to the store now" mentality that we have become dulled by them.

Only when it effects us directly, do we then become interested in helping ourselves.

That is a shame.

I have true empathy for those that have already suffered from this flu.

Maybe it's because I was deathly ill from the 1957 pandemic myself, and I can still remember the agony it caused. I am, however taking precautions now, before my wife or neighbor falls to this blight....I plead with all to think this over. Time may be very short now.

Originally posted by Shaker

Originally posted by gman55

Now, if H5N1 goes H2H, how lucky do you feel?

Not very actually... but I can hope the virus thinks to itself, "Hey, I infect Humans, they're going to make something that will kill me..." and hopefully mutate to a non Human threatening virus...

Wishful thinking I know...

Actually, good thinking. There is always a chance that could happen.

Originally posted by Shaker

Originally posted by gman55
Not very actually... but I can hope the virus thinks to itself, "Hey, I infect Humans, they're going to make something that will kill me..." and hopefully mutate to a non Human threatening virus...

Wishful thinking I know...

Actually, good thinking. There is always a chance that could happen.

Well, the Virus will probably think of this....

"Ok, Humans will kill us all....so we need to develop better resistence or kill Humans faster! I know, we go compare ourself to Mr AIDs virus and protect ourselves.

1) We get the chemical resistence of Mr AIDs virus

2) We get to destroy those pesty white blood cells

3) We can help Mr AIDs virus become Airbrone. Now, we can kill humans faster"

Kinda a doomsday thingy (-_-ll

GGGrrrrr. Makes me mad - this is NOT new stuff!

Microbiologists predicted the evolution of an unprecedented Super Flu half a century ago - they had the evolutionary path nailed in the 1980's. The actuarials and economists crunched the numbers decades ago. Everyone with international investments knew this was coming long ago, and scientists like Rachel Carson, Stanley Prusiner, and David Suzuki tried to tell the world. But the counter spin pitched, "Don't worry, Be happy," and the people ignored the warnings. Anyway, it's handled. It's called "benign neglect," collateral damage, and acceptable losses. Ordinary people will die, and go broke, and lose everything, but the "economy" will prosper.