Now I know on this site I try to keep everything to subjects that pertain to weight management, but I also would like to keep you informed on health related issues as well.
The following article came across my desk today and when I read through it, frankly, I got chills down my spine. Coming from Toronto, Ontario I was there the years we had the SARS alert. It was quite chaotic for a few weeks there. I had to go into the hospital for day surgery during that time and I had to go in alone, have a huge mask covering most of my face(I could hardly even see over it), and had to wash my hands with special cleansing solution. It was a scary time. Everyone was so paranoid they would hardly leave their homes. We made it through and we all moved on with our lives. But the next epidemic could be right around the corner. Are we prepared? Can we prepare? How safe do you feel?

Bird Flu
Copyright 2005 Andrew Cavanagh

Bird flu could be the greatest threat to modern
civilization and the world is poorly prepared for a bird
flu pandemic. The rapid spread of the bird flu virus
raises the question: what can we do to protect ourselves if
a bird flu pandemic strikes?

A potential bird flu pandemic can't be taken lightly.

By taking samples from lungs of exhumed victims researchers
at the USA Centers For Disease Control confirmed the 1918
Spanish flu was also a bird flu. Alarming news because the
Spanish flu pandemic was a global catastrophe infecting
approximately one quarter of the United States and one
fifth of the world.

From 20 million to 50 million people died from this 1918
Spanish “bird” flu and most of the victims were aged from
20 to 40 years . This pattern is unusual because influenza
normally kills the sick, elderly and young children.

At the height of the Spanish bird flu funerals were limited
to 15 minutes, there was a chronic shortage of coffins and
gravediggers and stores were forbidden to hold sales.

It seems that a mutated bird flu like the 1918 Spanish
“bird flu” is particularly dangerous because human
populations haven't had the chance to develop a resistance
to a virus that is normally limited to birds.

Worse still, effects of a bird flu outbreak are not just
limited to disease and death. The outbreak of SARS in Hong
Kong demonstrated in stark terms that commerce can be shut
down in an area suffering cases of a deadly infectious
disease.

If a wide scale bird flu pandemic were to break out in the
western world we could see cities gripped with fear as Hong
Kong was for that short period with SARS in 2003. Empty
shops, empty streets and commerce grinding to a halt.

Dr Michael Osterholm, epidemiologist at the University of
Minnesota called a potential bird flu pandemic “The single
greatest risk to our world today.”

David Nabaro from UN health predicted from 5 to 150 million
people could die worldwide if the bird flu virus mutates to
a human to human virus.

Britain's chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said it
wasn't a question of IF a virus pandemic like the bird flu
would hit human populations but WHEN.

Sir Liam also pointed out a vaccine for a human to human
bird flu virus can't be produced until the virus mutates
and a bird flu vaccine may not be effective even after one
can be produced.

The Asian flu pandemic of 1957 demonstrated how difficult
it is to vaccinate against a rapidly mutating widespread
influenza virus. Despite prior warning and despite a
vaccine being developed quite rapidly the 1957 Asian flu
spread to the United States where it killed 70,000 people.

Health authorities have difficulty producing and
administering vaccines quickly enough to fight a virus.
Also the rapidly mutating nature of influenza viruses means
many vaccines provide very limited protection.

Anti-viral drugs are a more recent development in the fight
against respiratory viruses like the bird flu and
governments in the western world have begun stockpiling the
anti-viral drug tamiflu as part of a bird flu protection
plan. But in a bird flu pandemic tamiflu may not be as
effective as authorities would hope.

In an unsettling development for health authorities
tamilflu resistant strains of the bird flu are appearing.
Recently a vietnamese girl was diagnosed with a tamiflu
resistant strain of bird flu and in China the bird flu
strain H5N1 is showing around 70% resistance to adamatane
drugs like tamiflu.

Other anti-viral drugs like Relenza may be more effective
if a bird flu pandemic strikes but until the bird flu
mutates to a human to human virus we can't be certain which
drug – if any - will provide a pharmaceutical first line of
bird flu defense.

On the lighter side of bird flu prevention sales of
sauerkraut in 54 Twin Cities stores in the USA spiked 840%
after an inconclusive and tiny study by Korean researchers
found the bacteria in fermented greens might speed the
recovery of chickens infected with the bird flu.

People more interested in a little more serious bird flu
protection than fermented cabbage might heed the one
consistent recommendation from health authorities across
the world to reduce your chance of catching the bird flu
virus.

Over 90% of respiratory viruses like the bird flu enter
your body through contact between the mucous membranes of
your eyes and nose and your fingernails. They hitchhike
their way into your body after being picked up on your
hands.

In a World Health Organization news conference WHO Global
Influenza Program leader Klaus Stohr said frequent hand
washing was the best way to avoid a viral infection
including the bird flu.

Every government health authority in the western world
recommends hand washing as a basic precaution to prevent
respiratory viruses like the bird flu, SARS, influenza and
the common cold.

But washing your hands effectively is not quite as simple
as it may seem on the surface. Technique is important as
is the soap you use.

Antibacterial soaps are NOT recommended for regular hand
washing even for health professionals.


----------------------------------------------------
For a full FREE report on how to use hand washing and
natural hygiene effectively to avoid the bird flu, the
common cold and other viruses and bacteria download the
free report How To Prevent Bird Flu at
http://www.howtopreventbirdflu.com
For more up to date information and articles on the bird
flu go to the bird flu resources website at
http://www.flu-bird.com






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