Re: H5N1:What are you going to do if:


TOBEROV@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Some here are in deep denial that it's coming, hoping for a miracle to
> divert this biological tsunami. You will have every wild bird in the
> world carrying this virus in their blood by next Summer, and they'll
> infect domestic birds, pigs, cats, rats, and in turn humans. If the
> dreaded highly contagious mutation doesn't jump out of Jarkarta soon,
> thne it will be somewhere else soon, or next flu season.
>
Cats and Dogs and Rats as vectors?
Not all that likely.
Equine flu has just made the jump to dogs and it is much like
normal flu for humans. Not a killer.
Ferrets are clearly at risk, as are pigs.
But cats, rats and dogs are just too far away to get this strain.

Correction. Looks like I spoke too soon:
"Cats can spread deadly bird flu
Cats can catch - and spread - the bird flu that has ravaged
poultry and killed at least 26 people across East Asia in 2004.
This is the first time cats have been known to get sick from
flu, and means the H5N1 virus has already acquired the ability
to spread in some mammals.
See:
<http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6352>

There are no credible sources that give any indicaton that dogs,
wolves or foxes can get H5N1.
And the same for rats.

I just talked to an MD friend about this and she did a quick search
so it might have missed something.

This is a clear threat. But it might not be the end of the world.
It is sensible to take precautions and to even think about bad to
worse case scenarios. But I suspect it is counter productive to
assume that H5N1 is going to be the "great cleanser' as you call
it. Freaking out now before the threat is more then a threat will
just wear your mind and body out. And that will decrease your
body's imune systems ability to deal with daily things like the
common cold.

Or do you want there to be a "great cleansing"?

Terry

.

Relevant Pages