<What good does it do us to know that H5N1 is a potentially lethal virus? >
I know that King George II is praised for not "over-thinking" things. I know "Ignorance is bliss", in the slogan anyway. But remember, "Don't let a slogan do your thinking for you", though remembering is a form of thinking, which in highly centralized Kremlin Kommittee political systems can be dangerous for your health. Far be it from me to suggest that the world's "Free" societies and perhaps especially the USA, are tending increasingly towards that KGB style, because I know Americans are armed and dangerous and don't take no lip from uppity aliens.
People are seduced by a good slogan which avoids the need for them to think, or over-think. One should always remember, Don't let a slogan do your thinking for you. Did you see how OJ got off? "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit". Bingo. Instant thinking. A rhyming slogan is even more powerful than a regular slogan. No need to over-think, or understand that DNA stuff. Just take the slogan and run with it. At the end of the day, a good cliche, can show the way, going forwards.
Anyway, suffice to say, without delay, the DNA of the hen-flu spray is not the way to have a nice day.
If you see a chicken sneezing, or even a person, it might do you some good to know that if H5N1 is likely to be in the spray, you should avoid inhaling the droplets. BTW, I think it's fair to say that it's not a "potentially lethal virus", it IS a lethal virus, so far, to 75% of those infected. That's lethal with a capital D for dead. None of that LD50 stuff. Over half the people who are recognizably infected, go to their grave.
Kissing somebody with chicken flu would be classed as a high risk activity. There are lots of ways that knowing that H5N1 will probably kill you is a good idea [if it becomes endemic in Washington]. Even before then, you have a chance to vote for the President who will defend the USA against H5N1. Under-thinking about major threats, such as leaving cockpit doors open and not resisting hijackers, is not good for one's health.
Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance kills nearly all of us. Most of us die by our own actions which are based on ignorance. Our false beliefs, wonky ideas, shaky premises, erroneous conclusions, weak thinking, under-thinking, fuzzy brain and silly precepts lead us to do self-destructive things, such as buying Globalstar shares on the false premise that the management couldn't be so stupid as to continue with the high-priced minutes strategy in the face of failure.
Knowing that H5N1 is a seriously lethal virus for humans, more likely to be fatal to a particular individual than is Al Qaeda on a good day, we can do something about it.
People whose job it is to tame viruses could take action to nip it in the bud, if they had political support.
We saw how sars got on the rampage because the under-thinking Chinese leadership was obsessing over Taiwan and spoiling for a fight there, while the bug was boiling in Beijing. Sars was chicken feed compared with a virulent H5N1. That was a good one, chicken feed! If laughing at one's own jokes isn't considered poor form.
The best idea I can come up with is to kill any hen which might have H5N1 and start eating some other meat. Then design virus-free hen production techniques so the wild viruses don't get into our mass production of foods. But maybe a nasal spray vaccine could be developed for any virus. With genetic engineering well under way, that might be a better solution, once it's done. Meantime, killing hens is the best my under-thinking brain can come up with.
Which perhaps means I'm a chicken-brain and should be roosting with the hens, but unless you've got a better idea, such as sticking our heads in the sand, I'll go with killing and cooking a billion fowl.
Influenza which is already rampant in the human community is not very fatal, although umpty thousands die from it each year, usually those who are in a weakened state and ready to die from something [I am guessing, in my ignorance]. If H5N1 was something like bubonic plague in its success, there could be 2 billion dead people in a couple or three years, which would NOT be good for property prices in Washington or CDMA sales in China. Let alone the possible effect on my golf swing.
Mqurice |
