Media Alert: ABC TV Tuesday May 9th
Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America
TV MOVIE
The BLOOD BORNE IDENTITY
The news this week has not been particularly good, and I’ve given it a few days before deciding to write about it, in order to digest some of the data.
The most disturbing revelation is that the H5N1 virus has been detected, alive, in the blood of one of its victims. This is not good news, although flubies have suspected this could be the case for some time.
Early reports from around the world have indicated that there is multi-organ failure involved in some of the H5N1 infections. Normally, influenza rarely attacks anything but the lungs. Avian Flu is apparently more aggressive, and at least in some cases has involved the heart, brain, and digestive system. While we’ve known that a few patients have experienced catastrophic multi-organ damage, the question has always been, how?
The standard influenza virus does not thrive in the bloodstream. In fact, most of the time, blood is a toxic environment for an influenza virus. Not true, apparently for H5N1. And this poses additional risks, not only to the patient, but to caregivers too.
We now have to assume that blood, fecal material, and other bodily fluids of BF victims are infectious. This elevates the level of precautions that health care providers must take in order to protect themselves, and calls into serious question the methods of body disposal. It also potentially removes one of the few antiviral drugs, other than tamiflu, powdered Relenza, from the arsenal.
This past week, Dr. Robert Webster, who probably knows more about viral influenza than anyone else in the world, called this disease `lung ebola’, and said if it moves to humans, “God Help Us.”
Of course, there is still the hope that this virus will not become a human pandemic, or that if it does, it will mutate and become less lethal. But right now, that hope is beginning to wear thin.
At the Lancet Medical Symposium this week in Singapore, the worlds’ leading virologists gathered to discuss bird flu. They released some scientific data, withheld apparently other information, and left us with a stark warning.
Avian flu is likely to become a pandemic in humans within the next 12-18 months.
These are the words uttered by Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet Medical Journal, in his closing speech at the conference.
He also stated, “We all know that this is the single biggest challenge humanity has faced, will face, for generations.”
Notice the lack of qualifiers. No `if this mutates’, or `we fear that’, those weasel words are glaringly missing.
The consensus is that it is coming. No, not 100% certainty. But obviously more than a 50%-50% shot, from the sound of it. And this message is now being echoed publicly by scientists and doctors around the world. Make no mistake, this conference has set off a scientific bombshell, and the level of fear has moved up a notch.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government here in the U.S. has released it’s Pandemic Flu plan, basically 232 pages of detailed writing that says: We’re screwed.
They list mostly what they cannot do, and then lay nearly everything off on local and state authorities. Understandable, of course, because there is little they can do. This won’t be like Katrina, which affects a limited area of the country. Pan Flu will strike the entire nation, and the world, roughly at the same time. There will be no mutual aid, no assistance from the next town, or state. They will all have their hands full.
Hopes for a vaccine are dwindling, although both of my readers are aware that I’ve never had any faith in a vaccine being mass-produced in anything approaching a reasonable period of time. Most experts expect 3 years or longer before a vaccine could be widely available.
Our anti-viral stockpile is woefully inadequate, with enough to treat perhaps 1 percent of the country today. If we get lucky, and the virus waits a year, maybe we will have enough to treat 10% of the country. You may hear of a higher number of doses available, but this appears to be an accountants' trick. The old standard dose of Tamiful was assumed to be 10 pills over 5 days. The new recomendation is for 40 pills or more, over 10 days. The number of treatments generally cited are based on the old dose.
Privately, many officials believe the Flu will be here, in humans, before the end of this year. They are hoping it holds off until December. Of course, there is no guarantee this will happen. It could show up in June or August. We simply don’t know.
But what we do know is that all signs are that it is coming. And it will likely be bad, perhaps devastatingly bad. We all have time left, of course, to prepare. But nationally, fewer than 6% have done anything to prepare. And most of those are looking at 2 weeks or less of food and medicine on hand.
All the warning signs are out there. You have been warned. There will be no reprieve from the federal government if this comes. You will be on your own. While we might get exceedingly lucky, right now, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen.
Your future, and the future of your loved ones, is literally in your hands. You have the power to prepare, and make a difference in your personal outcome.
I just pray that you take it. Before it is too late.
