The Path of a Pandemic

Excellent Article. Should be read by everyone as it clearly demonstrates how this flu could grow and grow, over a long period of time, and eventually cause mayhem.

Thank you, THANK YOU for a fact-based, scientific and thoroughly researched article on this important topic. The rush to be "first with the latest updates" and the deluge of fear-based commentary by the uninformed both on TV and the web has not only been less than helpful, it's dangerous. I realize that we are moving into a new age of instant communication, but the downside is that rumors and misinformation spread like wildfire, and make it very difficult to get to the real facts about any situation. Your article pointed out many misconceptions that have been rampant in the initial reports about this influenza outbreak (such as the the little boy in Mexico being Patient Zero, and the fact that H1N1 was actually first seen as early as 2005). In this age of instant communication, we need to be sure we are getting the real facts about a situation, not hearing (and spreading) needless panic and potentially harmful misinformation.

After reading your article, I am far more concerned about the state of the meat industry and the cooperation of the world's governments in fighting these virus outbreaks than I am about this particular outbreak of influenza.

oops...I guess that only needed to be sent once.

I'm glad I found this article because everywhere else I looked, there where no answers, nothing to go on exept to keep away from those who are coughing and sneezing. It's allergy season. Lots of people are sneezing, coughing, and have stuffy noses. I can't very well stay away from my sick son either. I also have an immunosuprest daughter to look after. Just like a cold, if you're going to get it, you're going to get it. Then you get the illness dealt with. You can't lock yourself in and away from the world. Eventually, you have to exept that illnesses are out there, and you aren't going to get away from them. You can however maintain a healthy lifestyle, and live your life without constantly wondering whether or not this is the next plaugue.

I'm glad I found this article because everywhere else I looked, there where no answers, nothing to go on exept to keep away from those who are coughing and sneezing. It's allergy season. Lots of people are sneezing, coughing, and have stuffy noses. I can't very well stay away from my sick son either. I also have an immunosuprest daughter to look after. Just like a cold, if you're going to get it, you're going to get it. Then you get the illness dealt with. You can't lock yourself in and away from the world. Eventually, you have to exept that illnesses are out there, and you aren't going to get away from them. You can however maintain a healthy lifestyle, and live your life without constantly wondering whether or not this is the next plaugue.

Once again I think the media as a whole has blown the N1H1 flu way out of proportion. Cautious yes...afraid no!! More people have and will die from the "common" flu virus every year. Wash hands several times a day...good practice, always has been... close down schools, fear of public places, shutting down our economy because of a flu virus...I think not.

Yes, I think we should use caution. No I don't think Muslims or any other nation or nationality is to blame. I think common sense, deep breaths and a little less reliance on the media are in order. Unfortunately, the media has deteriorated over the past eight years right along with our economy and world reputation.

The BBC says Egypt did carry out mass culls of birds in 2006 when bird flu killed people there. Is newsweek just pandering to the "bash muslims" philosophy of journalism ,rather than actually finding out th facts. Very poor and slightly disturbing that.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8031490.stm

The BBC says Egypt did carry out mass culls of birds in 2006 when bird flu killed people there. Is newsweek just pandering to the "bash muslims" philosophy of journalism ,rather than actually finding out th facts. Very poor and slightly disturbing that.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8031490.stm

Best Practice Approach
Follow the Anti Viral Protocols and boost the immune system, and don???t impede
the fever with NSAIDS and fever reducers that shut down viral replication in the
body http://nutrient.me/viral/ includes the defense package compounds

The cure is to end the factory farming; based on the Gerber theory of evolution
swine and chickens may be producing code to eliminate their captors that have
created imbalance and suffering conditions. http://skeptic.me/viral/

In the Spring of 1918 at Fort Riley, Kanas soldiers were burning horse manure and shortly afterwards a dust storm came and blew it everywhere. A few days later, soldiers started getting sick with the flu. Please see the link:
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/heath/equineflu-143.shtml
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/health/equineflu-143.shtml

The following paragraphs were very interesting which indicates horses with the flu have antibodies for the human H1N1.

Dalva Mancini and a team of researchers in Brazil have looked for evidence pointing to the transmission of influenza between horses and people. Their work revealed high levels of antibodies in horses to two human influenza A strains - H1N1 and H3N2.

The researchers had taken fluids and mouth and nasal swabs from 46 horses at studs and racing stables in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.

About 78% of the horses carried antibodies to two strains of equine flu. Remarkably, they tested positive in even higher numbers to human influenza A virus - 80.43% for H1N1 and 93.47% for H3N2. Similar numbers had antibodies to type B influenza.

In the Spring of 1918 at Fort Riley, Kanas soldiers were burning horse manure and shortly afterwards a dust storm came and blew it everywhere. A few days later, soldiers started getting sick with the flu. Please see the link:
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/heath/equineflu-143.shtml
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/health/equineflu-143.shtml

The following paragraphs were very interesting which indicates horses with the flu have antibodies for the human H1N1.

Dalva Mancini and a team of researchers in Brazil have looked for evidence pointing to the transmission of influenza between horses and people. Their work revealed high levels of antibodies in horses to two human influenza A strains - H1N1 and H3N2.

The researchers had taken fluids and mouth and nasal swabs from 46 horses at studs and racing stables in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.

About 78% of the horses carried antibodies to two strains of equine flu. Remarkably, they tested positive in even higher numbers to human influenza A virus - 80.43% for H1N1 and 93.47% for H3N2. Similar numbers had antibodies to type B influenza.

http://tinyurl.com/dfq5m6

http://tinyurl.com/dfq5m6

When contemplating such events, I am often reminded that works in literature or even, in this case, a silly movie based on a comic, are frighteningly relevant. Last year, I ran across a Movie, actually based on a comic book character, called "V for Vendetta", a cautionary science friction tale with much to say on such events. For those among us who gladly live in fear during such times, and are more than happy to trade civil liberty for 'safety', I strongly recommend that you rent and watch (it is on cable all the time) V for Vendetta. A lot of it is silly, but fun, but the underlying message will remind you exactly whom and what we should fear in such times ... and it is not .. I repeat .. not ... the Swine Flu, nor any other illness other than complacency.

Thank you Newsweek for this article.

""Happily, Mexico has shown the world how a responsible nation can respond to a potential pandemic, by moving swiftly to shut down schools, entertainment and places of social congregation, Governments the world over would do well to pay attention to Mexico's response, and learn from it."

Ridiculous. We cannot shut down the country or the world during every flu season. The Mexican government, the Egyptian government, and the 100+ plus American schools that have closed have not been responsible, they have been hysterical.

The native Americans and native Hawaiians had no natural immunity to viruses like small pox and the measles, and they died by the thousands when they came in contact with contagious Europeans. One of the reasons the young and healthy of Mexico may have died is because they had little immunity, unlike Americans, who have a significant portion of the population that get flu shots every year. We haven't had deaths because we have better immunity.

Rather than quarantining an entire country, stopping it's economy in it's tracks, a better approach would be to push for better rates of national immunizations, so populations can build immunity over time. People will get milder cases, building yet more immunity.

Couple immunizations with a different approach to livestock practices, and the need for hysteria might disappear.

The only difference between this flu season and dozens of others was the over-reaction of the media and the scientific community. The rates of infection were actually lower, and the overall cases were milder.

It was all much aflu about nothing.