Flu

In article ,
"Tom K" wrote:

BUT.... for a swine based virus, the human body may not (or probably
doesn't) have the Memory T Cell in the lymph system to fight the virus...
since the human species never saw it before. So the body doesn't have that
"sophisticated lymph system" way to fight the virus. Hence, people can't
fight the virus. So people in their 20's, 30's and 40's also die. Only the
anti-viral drugs like TamiFlu help fight the virus.
Not really. The lack of a T-cell response is just a small part of
the concerns. You can get a "new" flu that doesn't do a thing or even
mutated viruses that you have "seen" before that knock you on your ass.
The structure of the virus (to gross oversimplify things) has to "fit"
in the cell's outside to gain entry and do its nastiness.
Even more important in this discussion is how it is transmitted. If
it doesn't become airborne, then it most likely will not be passed as
readily and won't hit epidemic or pandemic proportions. Even then,
viruses are very fragile and may mutate quickly.
That is one theory why Ebola virus (which at a death rate approaching
80% makes even the 1918-1919 flu's 2.5% rate look tame in comparison)
usually flares and then disappears fairly quickly. That and it is not
yet aerosol. If that little bugger ever becomes easily transmittable,
humans can spend their last days looking at "Earth after humans" series
on Cable.
Also, there is a good body of evidence that the killer flues may
actually result in an EXAGERATED immune response that ends up killing
the person. Most "normal" outbreaks kill the very old, the very young,
and those otherwise immunocompromised. The really nasty ones kill those
with an intact immune system, too, and thus get the younger ones.
The problem from the view of the Public Health people is that by
the time it can be reasonably established how bad the flu is, it can be
too late to do much more than ride it out. They have to start doing
things to try and stop it while running the risk of being a chicken
little because to do otherwise would be worse.
I liked the Homeland Security Director who likened it to a
hurricane warning. You have something brewing over the horizon but you
can't yet tell how big it is going to be or where it will hit. You still
have to get people, infrastructure, and supplies in place to deal with
it long before it hits. It could be a Cat 5 or it could fizzle to
tropical storm status. But you can't wait until it is 20 miles off of
Key West before you do something.


It's not just the friggin flu. The problem is that it's not a human virus
and we don't (or may not) have immune responses developed for.


This is wrong, although the wrongness is based upon newer study. The
virus currently circulating are a mishmash of avian, human, and swine
genetic material.

--
"Distracting a politician from governing
is like distracting a bear from eating your baby."

--PJ O'Rourke

A Homeland Security Director likened it to a hurricane
warning........What the hell does a homeland security direcror know
about the swine flu???

He knows how to scare the **** out of everybody that is already scared.

I'M NOT SCARED!

Just a bunch of BS!!


JB

In article , Jean O'Boyle
wrote:

Sorry, Charles, I heard and watched her myself when she did it! Where were
you????
She was even asked to apologize by several congressman and military veteran
organizations...She "lamely" did..saying she hoped her remarks did not
offend anyone and if they did, it was not intended.

It was not something she said. It was in a DHS' Office of Intelligence
and Analysis report, in a footnote that mentioned returning war
veterans as being at risk of being recruited by extremists. She did
apologize for the report if it offended anyone saying it was an
assessment and not meant to accuse anyone. Since she was involved in
the Timothy McVeigh prosecution, remember him (?) she is familiar with
some of the origins of domestic terrorism.

--
Charles

"Charles" wrote in message
d...
In article , Jean O'Boyle
wrote:

Sorry, Charles, I heard and watched her myself when she did it! Where
were
you????
She was even asked to apologize by several congressman and military
veteran
organizations...She "lamely" did..saying she hoped her remarks did not
offend anyone and if they did, it was not intended.

It was not something she said. It was in a DHS' Office of Intelligence
and Analysis report, in a footnote that mentioned returning war
veterans as being at risk of being recruited by extremists. She did
apologize for the report if it offended anyone saying it was an
assessment and not meant to accuse anyone. Since she was involved in
the Timothy McVeigh prosecution, remember him (?) she is familiar with
some of the origins of domestic terrorism.

Charles, Of course I remember the Timothy McVeigh incident and that she was
in on it....but PLEASE!!! She SAID it on the TV...I watched...She's the boss
for heaven's sake and really was out of line with her so called assessment!
Or was she reading a teleprompter? Gosh....Ed was in the Korean and
Vietnam Wars...Maybe I am living with a terrorist??? Sheesh! SO many
veterans and military and she is taking her ONE case and applying it to them
all! All the real terrorists out there and she is singling out those who
have kept and still keep her hide safe! Give me a break!

--Jean

In article ,
Charles wrote:

In article , Jean O'Boyle
wrote:

Sorry, Charles, I heard and watched her myself when she did it! Where were
you????
She was even asked to apologize by several congressman and military veteran
organizations...She "lamely" did..saying she hoped her remarks did not
offend anyone and if they did, it was not intended.

It was not something she said. It was in a DHS' Office of Intelligence
and Analysis report, in a footnote that mentioned returning war
veterans as being at risk of being recruited by extremists. She did
apologize for the report if it offended anyone saying it was an
assessment and not meant to accuse anyone. Since she was involved in
the Timothy McVeigh prosecution, remember him (?) she is familiar with
some of the origins of domestic terrorism.

Did you actually read the thing. Most of the report was on right-wing
extremists and it was a couple of paras in the report itself. Just about
the same amount of space as the Neo-Nazis.

--
"Distracting a politician from governing
is like distracting a bear from eating your baby."

--PJ O'Rourke

In article
, Kurt
Ullman wrote:

Did you actually read the thing. Most of the report was on right-wing
extremists and it was a couple of paras in the report itself. Just about
the same amount of space as the Neo-Nazis

They have reports assessing possible threats from Right Wing
extremists, Left Wing extremists, Religious extremists, Animal Rights
extremists etc. All the current reports were initiated the previous
(Bush administration). No doubt soon there will be similar reports
initiated by the current administration. If you have something called
the Department of Homeland Security which was created by the previous
administration, and continues, one would expect it to cover its ass and
justify it's existence by issuing reports on possible threats.

--
Charles