On Avian Flu, Part III: Protective Measures

[Update: If you have the flu, even a mild case, don't take aspirin. You can get Reye's Syndrome if you do, and that's no joke. Some people think Reye's Syndrome may have accounted for some of the high mortality rate during the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic.]

[Correction. In the video I characterized TB as a virus. That's incorrect, it's a bacterium. I apologize to my viewers for the error.]

On Avian Flu, Part III: Protective Measures

In part I of this series, I explained that expert virologists estimated that there is a 15% chance of an avian flu pandemic erupting in the next several years, and that the mortality of such a pandemic could be very high. In Part II, I explained that the flu vaccine industry will probably take many years to provide full protection against any human transmissible strains that may emerge.

In this video, I'll offer some suggestions for protecting yourself against the threat of an avian flu pandemic.

For more information, look here:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/phases.htm

And here:

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

Whether you are a government worker at any level of government, or a health care worker, or an employee of a company, or operate your own business, or just raise kids at home, understanding and a little planning and preparation will bring you peace of mind.

Your constructive ideas and comments are always welcome.

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• health
• virus
• flu
• influenza
• pandemic
• bird
• avian
• sick
• ill
• illness
• protective
• measures

[chocolate45689]

isn't swine flu worse than people thought

[Urgelt]

Up to this point, it's just about what the experts expected.

Bear in mind that even seasonal flu kills tens of thousands of people every year. Thus far A/H1N1 has racked up a fairly low score.

It could mutate, of course, and become something more dangerous. It hasn't done so yet.

[TheRetardedSheep]

unfortuanatly, some masks are perforated with microscopic holes in them. those would be the ones china was usually wearing in the subway pictures of the SARS pandemic. a virus is small enough to slip through the holes in the perforated mask. theyre not entirely useless because at least they catch some of the virus but they arent entirely usefull

[Urgelt]

Yes. Not every mask is certain to stop enough viruses to confer protection.

Hopefully, health workers will use masks rated for the threat, in the event of a pandemic. But should appropriate masks not be available, any mask is better than none. Viruses clump, viruses ride on dust particles - and so even inadequate masks may filter enough viruses to prevent infection in some wearers, especially those who are not often within 6 feet of infected persons.

[NOTgarycoleman]

Please, please, please cut a rowdy ol fart during one of your monologues. It'd be comedy GOLD, baby. Then just pass it off with a 'excuse me' and go on like nothing happened. Ahhaah. Oh God. I crack myself up. Pleeease do this for me Urgelt, I beg you!

[Urgelt]

SARS is a bad disease, but the policies of the World Health Organization seem to have contained it.

The potential danger from H5N1 appears to be, by comparison, unthinkably greater. Because the news media has done such a poor job of explaining this threat, I felt a need to address it for my viewers.

My purpose was to stimulate discussion, not to become a single source for information about all communicable diseases or pandemics.

[JBHutto]

Doctors would have to pull out those creepy bird masks that were used in the middle ages.

[Urgelt]

I agree that the drug companies will advocate whatever brings the greatest profits. I agree the FDA has become terribly lax about monitoring vaccine safety and efficacy, and should clean up its act.

But I'm inclined to think vaccines have produced generally positive, if mixed, results.

Vaccines are just an intermediate step in the war against viruses. I expect them to be phased out in favor of more effective medical strategies as they are developed, and I will not mourn their passing.

[Urgelt]

Not before you mentioned her to me.

I visited her web site.

A lot of her conclusions seem to be drawn from anecdotes - not in itself bad, but conclusions from anecdotes are risky if not followed up with hard science.

I agree that vaccines can produce bad results. I also agree that the methods used to manufacture vaccines can pose dangers to us - toxins and inadvertent viruses being among the problems. (Read up on Simian Virus #40 in polio vaccines, for example.)