Bird Flu Pandemic

[Guest]

Oprah did a 2 pt special w/ someone from the CDC and it really was scary. they say if it isnt bird flu, the pandemic WILL come soon. we had the big one in '18 and smaller ones in '57-'58 and '68-'69. its time for another. they say the global economy will be frozen, and all products and services will cease to be. All our modern computer and medical advances will make a dent in the problem in the slightest. Every locality will be on their own-- Oprah kept trying to relate it to Katrina-- well it will be like a Katrina on every block in every town.

Now as we know the most western location so far is Turkey-- if human to human contact happens and there is a quarentine-- isnt there some protocol to cut off the Americas from Europe? couldnt that prevent the spread? is that possible?

[Free For All]

The bird flu might not be "the one", but it will probably happen eventually and I doubt there is much than we can do to prevent it. I'm concerned and want to stay informed, but I'm not going to worry.

[Guest]

http://www.fluwikie.com/uploads/Science/1918_outbreak.gif

[mikeweil]

Yes, I am a little worried when I think about some upcoming gigs in Turkey later this year .....

[BruceH]

I'm in agreement with Free For All. Another flu pandemic like the 1918-19 one would be terrible, but I don't see much point to worrying about it. It would be like worrying about a major meteor strike.

[clifford_thornton]

Exactly.

Might as well just go on living - I wouldn't leave my house if I worried about shit all the time.

[brownie]

From Reuters

BIRD FLU HIT SALES OF FRENCH POULTRY FEED

PARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - French poultry feed sales are feeling the first ripples of the plunge in poultry sales at the end of last year due to fears over bird flu, an official from the French animal feed sector said on Monday.

Poultry demand began falling in France in October last year amid fears that the H5N1 strain may spread to Europe. Consumption recovered to near normal levels over Christmas but started to fall again following an outbreak in Turkey that has killed at least four humans.

"Poultry feed sales could fall by up to 25 percent in January," Jacques Poulet, spokesman for the French animal feed producers group SNIA told Reuters.

France is Europe's largest animal feed producer with an annual output of 22.3 million tonnes.

Poulet said the knock-on effects from the fall in poultry consumption at the end of last year were slow to show in the 6.5 billion euros animal feed industry.

"We expected to see a much harsher drop in sales than we did in December," Poulet said, adding that sales during that month were between five and 10 percent down on a year earlier.

"But we know we'll soon be strongly hit because chicken breeders have diminished their activity and some have gone bankrupt," he added.

Poultry feed is 65 percent wheat and maize with the balance of the two grains varying according to price, availability and poultry type.

Hate it when people get panicky for no valid reasons

Continue to enjoy chicken at meals. Not only it is good but it's now part of my good-deeds policy -_-

Edited January 28, 2006 by brownie