• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

"Pandemic - Bird Flu" on the Science Channel

Re: "Pandemic - Bird Flu" on the Science Channel

Watched the program twice. Once alone and once with husband.

Doesn't break a lot of new ground for those of us closely tracking H5N1, but it was still quite chilling to see it condensed into 1.5 hours.

For those who don't have access to the Science Channel, missed it or would like to refer others to the program, it can be viewed at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...=73&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=5

Is this the same program showed in the UK and possibly expanded which was discussed here:
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12593&highlight=encephalitis+lethargica
 
Re: "Pandemic - Bird Flu" on the Science Channel

I thought this was a very well done program. Not much new for ardent followers but a lot of well presented information. Good presentation of the situation by experts in an unvarnished manner. Good segment on personal preps.

My major concern with it was that I thought there was too much emphasis on the only one or two more mutations needed theory. There seemed to be a strong implication that we are only one or two mutations away from a pandemic virus and that these mutations involve the HA gene and receptor binding. I don't think the background science supports this ie "The key host-specific amino acid mutations required for an avian influenza virus to function in humans are unknown" (from http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/JVI.00921-07v1 Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology


Persistent Host Markers in Pandemic and H5N1 Influenza Viruses David
B. Finkelstein, Suraj Mukatira, Perdeep K. Mehta, John C. Obenauer,
Xiaoping Su, Robert G. Webster, and Clayton W. Naeve*

Hartwell Center for Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital, 332 North Lauderdale Street Memphis, TN
38105-2794, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital, 332 North Lauderdale Street Memphis, TN
38105-2794, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Tennessee
Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38105, USA )


I think it is good to state that H5N1 is a very dangerous and persistent virus that could become a pandemic strain but I think that to imply that we are only a few mutations away and that we know what these mutations are is misleading. A lot of great work has been done but I don't think we understand completely the set of genetic traits that allow for the functional interactions between viral and host proteins that allow for efficient transmission and replication in a particular species.

(somewhat dated, it seems that current information goes to about Dec 2006 and apparently aired on BBC several months ago) But overall I thought it was excellent)


Major participants included Dr. Greg Poland, Mayo Clinic vaccine team, Gina Samaan, WHO epidemiologist in Indonesia, John Oxford, UK virologist, Dr. Jim Robertson, UK vaccine expert, Catherine Macken, Los Alamos..
 
Re: "Pandemic - Bird Flu" on the Science Channel

This is the same show I blogged about a few weeks ago at:

http://www.scottmcpherson.net/journal/2007/9/14/bbc-produces-chilling-documentarydramatization.html

I have spoken with Dr. Poland. He is crusading for mandatory flu vaccinations for health care workers, which I think is a pretty dang good idea. Dr. Macken at Los Alamos is a very reputable forecaster and statistician, and she has a direct pipeline into St. Jude and Drs. Webster and Webby.

Not much new for we flubies, except perhaps for the Macken disclosure that once we run out of Tamiflu, the pandemic will happen anyway; plus Prof. Oxford's reminder that on any given day of a pandemic wave, 10% of the workforce will be too ill to work. So add to that the chronically sick, plus the ones who get sympathy chills, plus those at home to take care of young children be they sick or healthy, plus those who stay home to care for sick family members. If we assume that 10% are very ill and too sick to come to work, double that absentee rate due to caregivers and family members who will play babysitter. Once that is done, and you add in those who will not venture out on any given day based on the news reports, and you get to 30%+ daily work absenteeism pretty quickly.

Finally, the images of Qinghai Lake's dead birds and the Bangkok Zoo's dead tigers remind us that a picture is, indeed, worth a thousand words.
 
Re: "Pandemic - Bird Flu" on the Science Channel

Liked the video. Thank you Niko for the link. This may cause some drift so feel free to move this if needed.

One thing that the video did not mentioned was the encouragement of teaching age appropriate life skills to children. The stress on families would be tremendous. Some older children may have to accept more responsibility than they normally would. Single parent families will not have the aid of a stay at home spouse when schools are closed.

In Amish families I see older children taking responsibility for younger ones. It is an accepted and expected behavior in their culture. I see their teenagers gladly accepting the responsibilities of adulthood at young ages. They have received the training and skills needed to accept these challenges in their homes from their parents, siblings and extended family members.

Having more self sufficient children may help to relieve some of the burden on parents. Any parent who's child has finally graduated to using a toilet and has experienced the relief of not having to deal with diapers will probably relate.

Cooking and putting together supplies needed for and setting up a "sick room" was part of Home Economics class in high school when I attended years ago. Hope it still is.

What else can we do now to ensure our children will have the needed skills to help them survive if this or another emergency hits? Stocking up on food, water and other supplies is all well and good but, what if we are not around to teach them how to use them safely and appropriately or can't at the time?

Scary stuff we discuss here.
 
Re: "Pandemic - Bird Flu" on the Science Channel

scottmcpherson said:
Finally, the images of Qinghai Lake's dead birds and the Bangkok Zoo's dead tigers remind us that a picture is, indeed, worth a thousand words.
Click to expand...

I don't recall ever seeing these pics. Are they on the web or on FT somewhere?

Thanks,

J.
 
Re: "Pandemic - Bird Flu" on the Science Channel

Amish Country said:
.......Having more self sufficient children may help to relieve some of the burden on parents. ......Scary stuff we discuss here.
Click to expand...

Those same children may become the primary caregivers if the parents become ill or die.

.
 
Re: "Pandemic - Bird Flu" on the Science Channel

Cartski:
The show has photos and footage of both incidents. It is chilling and riveting to see Qinghai Lake in the flesh -- and the viral devastation upon the birds there. Likewise, the images of those poor dead tigers bleeding from their majestic mouths makes one want to howl with rage and sadness.

Bonus coverage is of London's John Oxford, who does not "get out much" these days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top