For the last several years the world has been watching an influenza virus called H5N1, known in popular parlance as the Avian Bird Flu. It has been spreading throughout the world, mainly infecting poultry flocks and wild birds. When humans have come in contact with sick fowl they also have been infected, and approximately 60% of those infected with Avian Bird Flu have died.
The last time the world faced an influenza pandemic of this nature was 1918 – 1919, when the Spanish Flu struck, killing 50 to 100 million people. Over the last year or so, fear has grown that this influenza virus might hop from avian species to humans, resulting in a similar pandemic. There are no known cures for the Avian Bird Flu and there are no vaccines, either. Warnings have come from all kinds of sources, with the World Health Organization constantly reminding everyone of the possible dangers. At the same time, people have been reluctant to face the horrors of a pandemic. News articles have persistently minimized the numbers of people who might die. An internet search of news articles dealing with Avian Bird Flu and a careful and critical reading of these articles will yield this fact.
One of the consistent sources of warnings and analyses has been Recombinomics, a company that is committed to the study of recombination as the driver of rapid molecular evolution and the emergence of novel infectious agents.
The commentaries at Recombinomics have been an authoritative source of data in a world filled with misinformation, disinformation and just plain ignorance. The most recent commentary talks about the feared pandemic finally seeming to have made an appearance as a human to human virus, rather than a chicken to human virus. This has been occurring over the last two weeks or so in the vicinity of Lake Van in Turkish Anatolia.
It appears that the chickens are finally coming home to roost. I recommend visiting the Recombinomics site and reading over the material there. At the very least, I strongly suggest reading this commentary - carefully.
Article comments
1 - Elvira Black
Ruvy, this is scary, though I thought I'd heard something about a vaccine (maybe just a stronger version of the regular flu vaccine?) that we were going to get into mass production.
From a program I saw recently, it seems like the initial cases (maybe a different one than the one you cited) were in deeply rural areas without access to medical treatment or even basic communications (phone etc) which made the situation and likelihood of further human to human transmission that much more grim.
I'm not sure what can be "done" about this issue. I know that the other political issues I rail about may not be fixable either, but is there anything to do about this other than worry--?? Press for more research, perhaps?
2 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Elvira, there are several things you can do.
First and foremost, PRAY.
Second, PRAY.
Third, go to the Recombinomics Site and look for the more recent commentaries in the "What's New" section. Read carefully and learn about this stuff. Knowledge is a lot better than fear.
Fourth, come home to Israel. This is just part of the shit that will hit the fan.
Fifth, even if you feel you cannot come home, start a regimen of walking, eating organic veggies and doing whatever you can to build up your immune system. What will boost your chances of survival is a strong immune system.
Sixth, PRAY.
Finally, do good deeds. No, don't help an old lady across the street if she don't want to go.
3 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
This just appeared in my e-mail inbox today, an article from Juicee News Daily on "Mutated Bird Flu found in Turkey" by Landon Howell.
The interestiong part of the article is found in the last paragraph or so, where we see a subtle change in the wording of articles about the avian bird flu. Previously, articles on the bird flu would deny flat out that human to human transmission was possible. Note the phrasing here:
"Health officials say that so far they do not see any evidence yet that the virus can spread easily in humans."
The truth, scary as it is, is slowly leaking out.