Reply #62: Let me put it to you this [View All]

[nadinbrzezinski]

way,

Bush is taking advantage of it, anything that will create panic, and chaos they like

So this is one of those cases where the history of medicine offers a guide. I am not an expert on virology, but am a Historian by training (and took many courses on the history of medicine and science)

So I can tell you from looking at the science, only the science, this is the pandemic that affects us as a species every so often. We have emerging diseases and every 100 years or so, we have one that basically racks some major damage... now none have risen to the level of the black death (which was not a virus, but is our favorite example). This one because of modern travel patterns etcetera has that chance.

Now influenza is a funny thing, every year the virus chances... and most of the time the virus reaches epidemic propurtions... (when whole regions are affected and iirc an epidemic is declared when a certain number of clusters show up), this one was the potential of being a pandemic.

Now let me worst case this from what I have read, just like 1918 it will affect a population that usually survives this... they have downgraded their absolute worst case but at one point they were talking one billion. Now let me reach for the other hat... emergency worker, who did plenty of disasters.... 1 billion is the absolute worst case where everything that cold go wrong, does.... chances are that will never happen (though you will admit bush would love it, imagine the chaos) The numbers they are now handling are horrific enough and their what I would call mid tier worst case, will do major damage to the world economies and commerce and all other happy horse

In an ideal world, and my friend and I have discussed this above, patient zero all over will be located in 12 hours and the bugger isolated... this is not an ideal world

This is why this is serious risk.

Now as to George, he will do all he can to take advantage of this... and if and when bird flu gets here... if he gets sick... oh well...

but you can be assured he will have tamiflu...