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Biotech / Medical : SARS and Avian Flu -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Elroy Jetson who wrote (2750)	10/16/2005 6:42:38 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4232

<if animal to human transmission is possible, human to human transmission is possible. The concern is over the effectiveness of transmission, not whether it is possible > It's odd that people don't see how obvious that is. Also, I doubt that putting one's own fingers in one's face is as common an infection vector as inhaling airborne droplets from flu sufferers sneezes and coughs. Masks would cut down airborne particles. Inhaling 100 big droplets and masses of small/tiny ones would be a lot worse than inhaling a few tiny ones. Hair dryers would be good sterilizing units. Bugs on surfaces have no cooling mechanism, so a couple of seconds with a hair dryer would raise their temperature to frying levels. Mqurice

To: Elroy Jetson who wrote (2750)	10/17/2005 3:35:14 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 4232

You can believe what you like and prepare accordingly. But please stop spreading half-truths and misinformation. Huh? Please don't try to turn the tables.......you only make your faus pax look worse. Firstly, the nation of Finland has bought antiviral drugs for about 1.3 million people out of its 5.2 million population to treat first cases of infection and key emergency personnel. It has held a dry run of what to do in the event of an outbreak and allocated 20.8 million Euro ($24.93 million) to buy vaccine to inoculate its entire population. Its nice that we now believ the gulls died from a related flu and not H5N1, but Finland is far from your comfort zone. That's not what you said in your first post. You claimed that the avian flu had been found in Finland. And as I said, that's not true. Instead, now you are suggesting that some seagulls died of some flu....but not necessarily avian flu. I consider that an admission of misrepresenting the truth. Secondly, while very few people have died from H5N1 in Indonesia, many more have contracted the disease. This follows the same 1918 flu pattern of rapidly fluctuating mortality as the virus mutates. When I bought antiviral drugs reports indicated a number of cases where transmission of H5N1 was likely human to human as no animal contact was demonstrated. I still believe this is likely. No where have they reported human to human contact. That's pure speculation on your part. As for the mortality rate..........the rate to date is 50%. Thirdly, if animal to human transmission is possible, human to human transmission is possible. The concern is over the effectiveness of transmission, not whether it is possible - since everyone in the medical community knows that it is, unless they are uneducated in this area. Your cousin may require additional education. Excuse me, but are you an MD? Apparently, you think you are. Again, human to human transmission requires at least one....maybe more......mutations of the current virus. Human to human transmission is possible but not until the virus mutates at least once. Fourthly, there are several candidate vaccines I know of, and probably more. One developed in Australia, one in the US and another in Europe. No one knows if they are effective in preventing H5N1 in humans. Finland has chosen to vaccinate with which ever shows the most promise and do so again later if a better vaccine is developed. That's crap. I know of only one vaccine that's effective....the one developed in France. However, its a costly vaccine requiring two shots in a period of two months. The Brits are developing an adjuvant that will allow for a lesser dose that will still be effective. The vaccine is effective for the current virus but will not be if the virus mutates significantly. The other problem is that it will take nearly a year to get enough vaccine for the world once the adjuvant has been developed. Fifthly, not all H5N1 variants are resistant to Amantadine class antiviral drugs. So stop spreading lies that only neuramindase inhibitors like Relenza and Tamiflu have any effectiveness. Link please. Eightly, you finally admitted that the concern is over effective-transmission, not whether human to human transmission is possible, so one of your contradictory statements is a lie. You seem very confused. Did you vote for Bush? Please stop telling your lies and half-truths. You're not doing anyone any favors by spreading your misinformation. Right. You keep telling yourself you're not confused and some day it might be true.