Bird Flu....

[Donut4000]

I usually listen to the radio and keep up to date with the news - but cannot bear to switch on either as most media sources cannot report anything other than a continuous stream of blow-by-blow accounts of the progress of bloody bird flu. 140-odd deaths <worldwide>, and folk are shitting themselves about a dead swan here in Scotland. It is hard to find out any other news; I'm getting rather pissed off by the whole thing - you may as well start buying sodding lottery tickets if you fancy your chances of getting the damn infection....Am I being lax?

 

[15357]

Bird(avian) flu was spread by the goverment of Austrailia to secretly attack and weaken the Asian economy, but it spread too fast to be controlled by Austrailian agents. Then, China found out about the spreading and they threatened Austrailia to tell the UN. So the Austrailian goverment gave China the virus but some of it was captured by N. Korean special forces. N. Korea then sold the virus to the US who airsprayed it on Vietnam.


It seems to have quieted down though.

 

[Jangle]

Yes, it's hard for people to get the disease, but just because people aren't dying doesn't mean it's not a serious situation that it was found in Scotland. Livestock farmers could have their lives and businesses ruined by this, and eventually it would be very easy to catch it if a large number of the country's birds had it. Luckily, the government aren't taking the same viewpoint as you and are taking necessary precautions.

 

[Donut4000]

Yes, it's hard for people to get the disease, but just because people aren't dying doesn't mean it's not a serious situation that it was found in Scotland. Livestock farmers could have their lives and businesses ruined by this, and eventually it would be very easy to catch it if a large number of the country's birds had it. Luckily, the government aren't taking the same viewpoint as you and are taking necessary precautions.

Fair 'nuff - it's not like any spreadable disease should be left ignored - I'm not suggesting that....it's just there is little room for other news, and I think a fair balance has been lost at the moment - it is oversaturation, that I'm sure this scare will be forgotten in a few weeks, even though the problem still remains...isolated cases that the authorities are aware of, and are acting on. It's the public end that seems to be getting rather bent out of shape....

 

[Jangle]

Fair 'nuff - it's not like any spreadable disease should be left ignored - I'm not suggesting that....it's just there is little room for other news, and I think a fair balance has been lost at the moment - it is oversaturation, that I'm sure this scare will be forgotten in a few weeks, even though the problem still remains...isolated cases that the authorities are aware of, and are acting on. It's the public end that seems to be getting rather bent out of shape....

Yeah, the media does tend to exaggerate things.

 

[ZeeM]

I ate chicken soup yesterday and I'm still alive

 

[Cormeh]

Fair 'nuff - it's not like any spreadable disease should be left ignored - I'm not suggesting that....it's just there is little room for other news, and I think a fair balance has been lost at the moment - it is oversaturation, that I'm sure this scare will be forgotten in a few weeks, even though the problem still remains...isolated cases that the authorities are aware of, and are acting on. It's the public end that seems to be getting rather bent out of shape....

Thing is Donut, we're sitting in Scotland, six million of us shiteing our keks because a swan died in Fife.

It is big news, because Avian flu is a deadly illness, but as has been stated, you need to have close contact with infected birds to actually become a victim.
It is in a way, similar to the recent foot and mouth epidemic.

 

[drunkymonkey]

I reccommend putting AA guns on Hadrian's wall.

 

[Raeven0]

I did some research on this for an article I wrote, actually.

Yes, your news sources are retarded; they're overreacting. As news sources are wont to do. Shrug.

I can think of only two questions one would want to ask oneself, neither of which requires any intervention by the media:
1) how did this virus get to Scotland?
2) has it yet mutated to nest in the upper respiratory tract? (This is required for the virus to spread well among humans.)

 

[Shodan]

The reason people are scared is because one bird could infect a whole chicken farm and ruin some poor farmers life.

It's true the the media have to turn it into some kind of OMG GRAY DEATH type thing, I HATE that.

 

[Donut4000]

The reason people are scared is because one bird could infect a whole chicken farm and ruin some poor farmers life.

It's true the the media have to turn it into some kind of OMG GRAY DEATH type thing, I HATE that.

....This is rather the point I have been badly putting - it <can> be bad; having spent most of my pre-uni life living next to a farm - I do remember the BSE crisis. But as we have seen from it's close tracking - this flu isn't The Plague either. I know how much the impression people get from what the papers and TV say badly affects those who make a living from the land....I just think...Here we go again...please just shut up...It makes me feel resigned - not angry really..:|

 

[Donut4000]

<ahem>...and if I hear 'Fife' and 'swan' again....I'll scream....

 

[Cormeh]

<ahem>...and if I hear 'Fife' and 'swan' again....I'll scream....

Fife, Dunfermline, Swan, Forth, Cupar, Duck etc.

 

[Donut4000]

I did some research on this for an article I wrote, actually.

Yes, your news sources are retarded; they're overreacting. As news sources are wont to do. Shrug.

I can think of only two questions one would want to ask oneself, neither of which requires any intervention by the media:
1) how did this virus get to Scotland?
2) has it yet mutated to nest in the upper respiratory tract? (This is required for the virus to spread well among humans.)

Sorry I didn't reply to your post...I'm off to bed now....but I really should read about it a bit too...1st wee job tomorrow. night-night...