Korean Job Discussion Forums

[igotthisguitar]

US braces for flu pandemic
Thu May 26, 8:54 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US health authorities are taking urgent precautions against a 'flu pandemic' that experts warned could erupt at any time and claim tens of thousands of lives.

Top health officials here warned that the United States was ill-prepared to counter a pandemic which could come from a mutation of the bird flu H5N1 that has badly hit Asia.

Their warnings came as European researchers are also warned this week that hundreds of millions could die around the globe if a mutated bird flu, helped by jet travel and open borders, emerges and sweeps the world.

Julie Gerberding, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that even a "medium level pandemic" in the United States could result in 89,000-207,000 deaths and up to 734,000 people being hospitalised.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/ushealthflu;_ylt=AsBbXgeNaqFOrBfibxX7avlhr7sF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[Ya-ta Boy]

There was a thing on the news about this last night. Nature (or was it Science?) magazine has devoted most of the lastest issue to it.

It's spooky. The news feature said there are about 450,000 doses of some medicine, but there are 6 billion people. Yikes.

It also made the point that people with low immunity, like people with cancer, HIV or other serious illnesses were most susceptible. The speaker said Africa would be doomed. (I don't think I'm exaggerating.)

One speaker said Indonesia has reported that pigs have caught avian flu recently. (I thought this was reported about a year ago.) Anyway, the speaker said it was especially worrisome because it meant the virus has evolved a way to jump from birds to another mammal besides people.

Last point: of the 97 people who have contracted the disease, 40 some have died, meaning avian flu may have a fatality rate of about 50%, far worse than the .01% of normal flu.

The entire scientific community (the disease-studying part) is REALLY concerned.

Aren't you glad you are living in Korea, where the kimchi will protect you?