ARE YOU SCARED OF BIRD FLU?
"Yes we are, since you ask," say the Japanese government, who this week banned UK poultry exports from entering their country, in the same week British beef was finally let back in after a 10-years because of Mad Cow Disease.
While Britain's poultry farms have so far avoided the H5N1 strain of the virus, tens of thousands of chickens have been killed following an outbreak of the H7 strain, which at present has only caused minor illnesses such as conjunctivitis in humans. One British farm worker has already caught this, and is being treated.
However, the H7 strain is not as safe as people might think, and while the World Health Organisation seems keen to point this out, the British government and food industry do not.
Unlike H5N1, it doesn't necessarily kill the chicken that carries it.
This means that it can go undetected in flocks, but still cause illnesses through poorly cooked chicken meat or runny eggs.
This is the statement from the World Health Organisation about H7, so far unreported in the media and, of course, by the Government, but not, unsurprisingly, this blog:
"Not all H5 or H7 strains are severe, but their presence is a cause for great concern because of their ability to mutate."
Meanwhile Britain's efforts to stamp out the virus may be in vain.
Over 100 farms in Burma, Asia, have today reported the H5N1 virus, which will mean it will be virtually impossible to stop the spread to a greater number of countries who believed they already had it under control.
More than 100 people have died from bird flu since the new strain of the virus was detected in 2003.
While Britain's poultry farms have so far avoided the H5N1 strain of the virus, tens of thousands of chickens have been killed following an outbreak of the H7 strain, which at present has only caused minor illnesses such as conjunctivitis in humans. One British farm worker has already caught this, and is being treated.
However, the H7 strain is not as safe as people might think, and while the World Health Organisation seems keen to point this out, the British government and food industry do not.
Unlike H5N1, it doesn't necessarily kill the chicken that carries it.
This means that it can go undetected in flocks, but still cause illnesses through poorly cooked chicken meat or runny eggs.
This is the statement from the World Health Organisation about H7, so far unreported in the media and, of course, by the Government, but not, unsurprisingly, this blog:
"Not all H5 or H7 strains are severe, but their presence is a cause for great concern because of their ability to mutate."
Meanwhile Britain's efforts to stamp out the virus may be in vain.
Over 100 farms in Burma, Asia, have today reported the H5N1 virus, which will mean it will be virtually impossible to stop the spread to a greater number of countries who believed they already had it under control.
More than 100 people have died from bird flu since the new strain of the virus was detected in 2003.
posted by ENGLISH RANTER at Wednesday, May 03, 2006
15 Comments:
How did you find me?
I was born in England, although my parents are American.
yes I like E.R. LOL
Yep, 100. In 3 years. Less than regular influenza.A damn sight less than smokers and drinkers. Why the fuck are they all freaking out?
Distract you from real issues like Iraq and in the US the Trillion dollar deficit.
Rnater, you remind me of all the reasons why I left the UK in the first place. Then I realise where I live now and wonder...
I linked you.
Oh and by the way, thanks for the link. What's with the tit-flasher on your blog though? (hehe that should get you some hits)...
...but I do think your conspiracy radar is a little off centre with this one Ron.
I know your blog covers load of world politics stuff - and very well too.
But the bird flu problem is actually being hushed up rather than used as a beacon to take our eye off the murder and the economic fuck ups.
The party line across the world has to blame wild birds for the spread of the disease. But many scientists just don't believe this is true.
Bird flu isn't new - it was here in the UK in 1953. But as you'll see from a post in the archives, then we weren't factory farming, and our food was relatively self sufficient compared to the world trade that goes on now.
Only by deconstructing the food industry can bird flu be eradicated - which is a political and economic nettle that no one wants to grasp.
Unlike smoking or drinking, which yes kill millions, viruses aren't a personal choice.
The mutation and spread of viruses - which in part is the key to whether a pandemic will develop - has so far been recorded almost exclusively in factory poultry farms. By maintaining sick conditions - and by using filthy cramped lorries to carry them around , the viruses spread quickly and their source is impossible to trace.
Just like Mad Cow, which had killed no one for 3 years after it was recorded but will take 20,000 lives in the UK alone, it's only NOW this pandemic can be stopped.
Except it won't. Because contracts with KFC have to be kept, and 10 wings for 99p have to be sold, we'll keep piling the birds up on top of one another, spreading their infected shit on our vegetable fields, enable wild birds who feed on the fields to carry it from country to country and so increase year on year the chance of a pandemic.
But unlike Mad Cow, you can catch Bird flu from another human. If you don't remember the numbers of dead from the flu pandemics of the last and 19th century maybe you should look them up.
And no, we don't have a cure now.
The WHO estimates 1 in 3 people will get the bird flu virus in the next mutation, and if those are young, sick or old, they will die. That's 1.6 billion people at risk. Casualties upwards of 400 million. For the sake of colonel saunders.
The conspiracy of economics, war and death extends beyond the deficit and Iraq, it is something all of us fund every day buying food that will, one day, kill either us or someone we know.
Peace.
E.R.
cant eat cant drink cant breathe wots next?
Well we have the worst drought in the south east of england for 100 years so probably no water, lol. It's not all doom and gloom this blog is it?
You ever been a memeber of Compassion in World Farming? They're an English group who've been working for better conditions for years now.
We could all go veggie, but no doubt the land owners would switch to GM and we would have a hideous disease from eating cabbage. I was in favour of all out anarchy, but with a plague bringing it for me I am now not so sure.
Wow, are you a scientist? you really sound like one. (which is definately cool!)
I just went to a talk the other day about the strains of bird flu. It was pretty interesting. Apparently, the reason it's not so easly spread among humans is the newest strains lack the ability to bind to mucus cells, i.e. making it easy to clear. However, if it becomes invasive, it's almost always deadly.
Anyway, cool blog:)
I was in favour of all out anarchy can i join u in it?
btw is ne1 else gettin just a red x were tha verification word goes? i just type in a couple of letters n then it gives a dif set that shows up
I love it when message strings end in anarchy. It's what this blog was made for!
I'm not a scientist, Id, just a big reader, and though the spread of current H5N1 is difficult as you say, the issues remain since it will join the range of viruses every flu season.
I'm not trying to scaremonger here. I do think that the measures taken by most governments show they are VERY scared of this thing (250,000 human body bags ordered in the uk alone), and the WHO, who know the risks from AIDS and TB are still putting it at the top of their agenda.
But nature has a way of fighting back against man's abuse of it. I do believe that if we continue to unnaturally harness food from bad farming driven by economics and not common sense, eventually we really will reap what we sow.
E.R.
I totally believe in the theory that nature will see us ( humans ) as a disease and try to come up with ways to kill us off..
I'm just not afraid of the bird flu..
I think it's the governments way of diverting our attention away from all the crap their trying to pull..
We should be more afraid of hepatitis c..or whatever alphabet they discover next ..it's a slow death..but more contagious than hiv ..but you dont hear the powers that be warning us about that huh?
Hmm, well I'm half with you cynnie, but I still think that rather than governments using it as a side issue, they are actually not telling us the real cause. Intensive farming. Why? Because the food lobby is more powerful than almost any other in government. If they really wanted to deal with it, they legislate to ensure food producers treat animals and nature with the respect they deserve, rather than legislate on the consequences of the illnesses they produce.
This lack of respect is symbolic of the moral corruption of capitalism untethered.
Thanks again for contributing.
E.R.
People have been eating substandard food for eons ..but this is really the first time in that sad history that the food is injected and sprayed with god only knows what ..as well as being genetically "tinkered" with ..
I read once that a sign of higher intelligence was the length of time it took to reach sexual maturity..our children are sexually maturing at younger and younger ages ..( boobs on 9 year olds!!)
It's scary as hell ..
AND..( sorry this is so long )
"they" are tinkering with viruses and diseases..all in the name of finding cures..but what hell are "they" about to let loose on us ?
God i feel like a conspiracist
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