UPDATE!!

Bird Flu is back in the news! 1-24-06 on the Oprah Winfrey show, the discussion was very disturbing.  According to Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert from the University of Minnesota,  the question is not  IF but WHEN this  flu will strike and cause the next Pandemic.

• Stock your cabinets with enough canned goods to last four to five weeks.
• Stockpile your prescription drugs, if possible.
• Speak with city officials to make sure your community has enough chlorine on hand to purify the water, in case shipments stop coming. Many cities only keep enough chlorine on hand to last five to seven days.

There are also many lessons we can learn from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Osterholm says. Americans need to be prepared to live without modern luxuries, and communities should have a plan to bury their dead in a timely, respectful manner.

All of this is really scary stuff, don't you think? I know I am going to make some plans. I already have a generator and I always can my own garden bounty, so I think I am more prepared than alot of folks, but the consequences of this flu can definitely be catastrophic. 

I hope everyone takes a cue from this program and does their best to prepare their family for the worse. I always feel it is better to be safe than sorry.  Let me know your thoughts on this.

From: Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Influenza virus is not known to affect wild felids. We demonstrate that avian influenza A (H5N1) [Bird Flu] virus caused severe pneumonia in tigers and leopards that fed on infected poultry carcasses. This finding extends the host range of influenza virus and has implications for influenza virus epidemiology and wildlife conservation.

PMID: 15663858 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] 2004 Dec;10(12):2189-91

Highly Pathogenic H5N1 (Bird Flu)

The new bird flu virus H5N1 has killed more than 60 people in Asia and could kill millions worldwide if it mutates into a form easily passed from person to person which could cause a pandemic such as the world has never seen.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the risk of a pandemic human influenza strain emerging from co-infection of a human influenza carrier by avian influenza A H5N1 virus is small; however, the potential global public health impact could be catastrophic.

Latest development: Romania and Turkey have reported avian flu in their birds, too.

Problem: while the H5N1virus is not now resistant to antiviral medications, it could mutate-and currently there is no vaccine for humans.

What to do: When traveling to affected areas in Asia avoid direct contact with live poultry, eat only thoroughly cooked poultry and eggs, and wash hands frequently.

From Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta www.cdc.gov

Looking to earn a living online?  The following programs will help you succeed!  Just click on the links and take a look....the SAFEST and BEST programs for building your list and business contacts.

        

Sponsor Ad: Please visit this fine store that is offering a 5% discount through Christmas Eve!!