Health

You can run but can you hide?US urges local officials to make bird flu plans

December 6, 2005 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

You can run but can you hide? There have been many individuals who have said the H5N1 Bird Flu pandemic will occur, there are others who say it will ravish a small third world country but by the time it gets to a major industrialized country we will be prepared. The current bird flu strain has a mortality rate of 70 percent.

China, Europe, and Africa, have joined the list of American health care professionals who say we are not prepared, and if the flu does become transferable we will not be prepared.

We have heard from our government about how much has been done to safeguard our nation from terrorism, yet at the 9-11 commission meetings it was reported that America has failed the grade miserably in its preparations for combating terrorism.

Now these same government officials are saying not to worry, we are ready to combat a Bird Flu epidemic. Well if we are as prepared for the Bird Flu as we are for a terrorist attack then I am beginning to worry.

In the event we do have a Bird Flu outbreak, do you know your local counties procedure in addressing the situation? Do you personally have a family emergency plan? Turkey said it did and when an outbreak of two people occurred in a small town they enacted their plan. They quarantined the city off and surrounded the area with armed soldiers and tanks, no one was allowed to enter or leave the quarantined area. Is this the plan we have here in America or do we have something more?

President George W. Bush signed an executive order on April 1, 2005, authorizing a quarantine to be imposed on the nation in the event of a bird fl outbreak.

It has been reported that the Pentagon is working up disaster plans which would require the use of federal troops as a means to enforce a quarantine in the event of an outbreak of a pandemic bird flu in the United States.

What is the Bird Flu that is causing the entire stir? It is H5N1; this is a type of avian influenza virus that has mutated through antigenic drift into dozens of highly pathogenic varieties. The disease is easily transferable, infected birds pass on H5N1 through their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. Other birds come in contact with the excretions and thus become infected.

The threat of migratory birds now moving about has worsened the threat and spread the radius of infected birds to a larger area.

The biggest concern is that the virus will become contracted by a pig, mutate, and become transferred to humans. Pigs can be infected with both human and avian influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When pigs get infected they have very similar symptoms to humans, their symptoms include cough, fever, and runny nose. Because pigs are vulnerable to avian, human, and swine influenza viruses, health professionals fear they will become infected with influenza viruses from different species at the same time, mix the virus genes, and form a deadly virus that will have no vaccination or immunization.

Make up your own mind on how real you consider this threat, but at the very least you should educate yourself and your family and what many feel is an inevitable issue.
US urges local officials to make bird flu plans

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