Flu Pandemic Controlled?

[Alvin ng]

Is Flu Pandemic being controlled now? if not how serious is it and does it pose a serious threat to we human man kind?

[Skye]

I don't think the collection of cases so far would count as a pandemic. The threat is that the strain will mutate so as to be able to pass from person to person, rather than from birds to people. If that were to happen there could be a pandemic.

[Alvin ng]

Anyone have an update on this flu thing?

[herpguy]

Anyone have an update on this flu thing?

It did mutate, but that strain of H5N1 was confined to a small area and is now extinct.

 

The virus still has a chance of mutating again. If it does, there may be a pandemic. If the virus mutates by this flu season, most countries will not stand a chance to it. However, if the virus gives us at least another year, we should be fine.

 

So basically, right now humans can only get the virus from other animals, so only people that work with the animals can get the virus. What we are worried about is if the virus mutates to be able to pass from human to human. Then, seeing how humans work with humans more than any other living thing, more people will get the virus. Also, humans travel around the world, and the virus will just keep spreading.

 

If a pandemic does happen, roughly 1 out of 5 people on earth will be affected. Of those, 1 out of 2 will die from it.

[Alvin ng]

It did mutate' date=' but that strain of H5N1 was confined to a small area and is now extinct.

 

The virus still has a chance of mutating again. If it does, there may be a pandemic. If the virus mutates by this flu season, most countries will not stand a chance to it. However, if the virus gives us at least another year, we should be fine.

 

So basically, right now humans can only get the virus from other animals, so only people that work with the animals can get the virus. What we are worried about is if the virus mutates to be able to pass from human to human. Then, seeing how humans work with humans more than any other living thing, more people will get the virus. Also, humans travel around the world, and the virus will just keep spreading.

 

If a pandemic does happen, roughly 1 out of 5 people on earth will be affected. Of those, 1 out of 2 will die from it.

 

Hey, thx for the little update.So what if the virus realy does mutates and is able to pass from human to human.Do we have a plan to overcome this deadly virus?

 

I quoted this from one of the forums

 

"OUR own government is preparing for it and trying to get the point across to start preparing --NOW. Most information says to stock up for a minimum of 3 months on food and water and other necessities you will need.BUT stock for 6 months if possible.That right there should tell you that alot isn't being said about the Avain Influenza. At the very least,not everything we need to know"

[herpguy]

I'll try to find some links to point you to some more info.

 

Edit: If you're interested in reading a lot, here's Wikipedia.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1

[SmallIsPower]

The 1918 flu supposedly recurs every 80 years, is the reason we haven't heard of a 1840 flu and 1760 flu because WWI's trench warfare greatly exasperated it?

[herpguy]

The 1918 flu supposedly recurs every 80 years, is the reason we haven't heard of a 1840 flu and 1760 flu because WWI's trench warfare greatly exasperated it?

I have no idea, but where did you hear that the pandemic repeats ever 80 years? It sounds interesting.

[Hegemony]

All a lot of fuss if you ask me (not that anyone is). People get all riled up because influenza mutates so rapidly. It contains 8 pieces of nucleic acid, a cell can be infected by two strands, and the resulting particles cab be a mix of the two strands. But if one of those virus particles is particularly dangerous to humans it still has to infect a human. It may not multiply well in its current host, a human may never come in contact with it. It will eventually happen, but I believe we'll have the time necessary to prepare.

[tejaswini]

for any outbreak of viral disease three conditions are necessary to be considered a pandemic 1. the virus must be highly virulent. 2. must be resistant to action of human immune system 3. should be transmitted from human to human. thankfully bird flu could not suffice the third condition as of yet. so it is not a pandemic at present , but soon will be, if the virus mutates. there have been cases where the birdflu actually spread from a mother to her son the to his aunt but it stopped there stating the virus still dosen't have the capasity to jump from human to human.and as far as control is considered i don't think there is a vaccin as of yet.