I have been debating this for a while
As my family knows I have been contemplating and observing news reports about viruses for several years. This all started back in acupuncture school when I read the book "The Hot Zone" which is about the ebola virus. That book opened my eyes to the complexities of viral infections. Viruses are so intriguing to me, they can be active or 'alive' then switch to inactive or inert, then when the circumstances change back in their favor they switch back to active. (Sometimes I think that is what my brain does but that is another subject...)
So a couple of years ago when I heard about the Bird Flu H5N1 I started paying attention to it. I have been on again-off again monitoring the World Health organization's website. They have been concerned about it and have good deal of information. There is a 'time-line' to see how the virus has mutated over the last 4 years and how it is slowly adapting itself to be more transmissible within the human genome. Go to www.who.int and look for avian flu, read the timeline, and read the fact sheet. Both are sobering reading, to say the least.
What catches my attention and why I am writing about this today is when the scientist say it is not a question of "if" it is a question of "when, and how severe" there will be a major influenza outbreak. Then they said there have been human-to-human infections. Then finally they have said that this fall it may break out and become a world wide condition. Because the human race has never had to deal with the H5N1 virus before we have no immunity to it, therefore it is quite serious, with a fatality rate above 70%.
That got my attention. Then I went to the CDC's website to see what the Center for Disease Control has to say. This was also eye opening; go to www.pandemicflu.gov to see what they have to say. Essentially they also agree and the CDC says that when it hits (again not an if statement) expect the medical system to get overloaded and shut down. Expect the utilities to go off after a few days or longer, be prepared to have no governmental support for as long as 2 months. What is really revealing tome about this is the admission that "you will be on your own."
Another site to go to would be "www.survivetheflu.com/whattodo.html" it gives additional information on supplies and preparation.
We all saw what happened in New Orleans after Katrina. Can you imagine what it could be like if that was multiplied by 1,000. The issue to remember is that with a virus you are contagious before you are symptomatic, so Jane or John Doe is contagious and gets on a jet with 300 other people. Everyone breathes the same wonderful air for the duration of the flight. Each of those 300 people is now exposed, possibly infected. Each one goes on with their day. How many people will he or she contact in the next three to five days? How many people will those people contact? Now Jane or John Doe is getting sick, and they go to a hospital; lets be kind and say the hospital immediately recognizes the disease (highly unlikely at first). How may others have Jane & John been in close contact with over the last 4-5 days? See the problem? There honestly could be 10,000 unaware, infected carriers by the time the initial carriers become symptomatic. This is how the medical system gets overwhelmed, it can happen in 2-3 days.
SO, BY NOW YOU ARE ALL WONDERING WHY IN THE WORLD I AM WRITING ABOUT THIS ON MY BLOG? Well to be honest so am I.
I feel there is a need to talk about this potential pandemic in our society. I do realize that the government is in a bind, if they start talking truthfully about this it could cause a HUGE panic and that would be as bad if not worse. But I do think it needs to be talked about in a sane, calm manner. I am not an alarmist, I am not an extremist. All I have said in this blog is backed up by science.
We need to be prepared. How prepared and how you prepare is an individual question. But as an analogy I will leave you with an old story out of the mid-east.
There were these two camel herders going across the desert. They saw a storm was approaching and decided to make camp before it got to them. The one man got off his camel and immediately started pitching his tent. The other man said "What are you doing? You have to tie up your camel to keep him from wandering off in the storm." The first man replied back to his friend, "I have given that to Allah. He will take care of my camel." His friend replied back, "You do not understand, first you tie up your camel, then you give it to Allah."
So my friends and family. Please think about this and if you care to, tie up your camel, then give it to your own individual God within.
Maybe next week I will have a more pleasant subject to blog about...
Respectfully,
Michael
So a couple of years ago when I heard about the Bird Flu H5N1 I started paying attention to it. I have been on again-off again monitoring the World Health organization's website. They have been concerned about it and have good deal of information. There is a 'time-line' to see how the virus has mutated over the last 4 years and how it is slowly adapting itself to be more transmissible within the human genome. Go to www.who.int and look for avian flu, read the timeline, and read the fact sheet. Both are sobering reading, to say the least.
What catches my attention and why I am writing about this today is when the scientist say it is not a question of "if" it is a question of "when, and how severe" there will be a major influenza outbreak. Then they said there have been human-to-human infections. Then finally they have said that this fall it may break out and become a world wide condition. Because the human race has never had to deal with the H5N1 virus before we have no immunity to it, therefore it is quite serious, with a fatality rate above 70%.
That got my attention. Then I went to the CDC's website to see what the Center for Disease Control has to say. This was also eye opening; go to www.pandemicflu.gov to see what they have to say. Essentially they also agree and the CDC says that when it hits (again not an if statement) expect the medical system to get overloaded and shut down. Expect the utilities to go off after a few days or longer, be prepared to have no governmental support for as long as 2 months. What is really revealing tome about this is the admission that "you will be on your own."
Another site to go to would be "www.survivetheflu.com/whattodo.html" it gives additional information on supplies and preparation.
We all saw what happened in New Orleans after Katrina. Can you imagine what it could be like if that was multiplied by 1,000. The issue to remember is that with a virus you are contagious before you are symptomatic, so Jane or John Doe is contagious and gets on a jet with 300 other people. Everyone breathes the same wonderful air for the duration of the flight. Each of those 300 people is now exposed, possibly infected. Each one goes on with their day. How many people will he or she contact in the next three to five days? How many people will those people contact? Now Jane or John Doe is getting sick, and they go to a hospital; lets be kind and say the hospital immediately recognizes the disease (highly unlikely at first). How may others have Jane & John been in close contact with over the last 4-5 days? See the problem? There honestly could be 10,000 unaware, infected carriers by the time the initial carriers become symptomatic. This is how the medical system gets overwhelmed, it can happen in 2-3 days.
SO, BY NOW YOU ARE ALL WONDERING WHY IN THE WORLD I AM WRITING ABOUT THIS ON MY BLOG? Well to be honest so am I.
I feel there is a need to talk about this potential pandemic in our society. I do realize that the government is in a bind, if they start talking truthfully about this it could cause a HUGE panic and that would be as bad if not worse. But I do think it needs to be talked about in a sane, calm manner. I am not an alarmist, I am not an extremist. All I have said in this blog is backed up by science.
We need to be prepared. How prepared and how you prepare is an individual question. But as an analogy I will leave you with an old story out of the mid-east.
There were these two camel herders going across the desert. They saw a storm was approaching and decided to make camp before it got to them. The one man got off his camel and immediately started pitching his tent. The other man said "What are you doing? You have to tie up your camel to keep him from wandering off in the storm." The first man replied back to his friend, "I have given that to Allah. He will take care of my camel." His friend replied back, "You do not understand, first you tie up your camel, then you give it to Allah."
So my friends and family. Please think about this and if you care to, tie up your camel, then give it to your own individual God within.
Maybe next week I will have a more pleasant subject to blog about...
Respectfully,
Michael
posted by Michael Clifford, L. Ac. | 9:38 AM
2 Comments:
As a biologist, I would rather see the humans wiped out than the humans wipe out the rest of the planet. There are too many of us. Somethings got to give.
Yrs,
JRW
Yes I agre somethings got to give, and the destruction caused by humans could be equated to a viral infection. Yet I am rather partial to my own existence, even if that too is an illusion...
I guess what I was wanting to do was bring a little more awareness to this issue.
But you have a strong point, one that I agree with part of. SOMETHINGS GOT TO GIVE
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