Avian Influenza(Bird Flu)

xxlolxx SG · 2006-06-27T04:22:58+00:00

I think we better end genetic engineering in food sources as well. It is when we play God with our food ......Nature plays God with us. Avian Flu or the HPA...

xxlolxx SG

How much do you know about bird flu? wats ur opinion on it? does it affect u? or ur environment?

TehJarVu SG

i remember a report last year saying that Bird Flu will hit Singapore by March 2006…..... now June already and we are still safe….....

ShutterBug SG

I think there are a lot more coming that we don't yet know. One good example is SARS.

Importantly, the question is what are we doing to prepare us for what we don't know, that is or may be coming?

I say we are sitting on our butts about bird-flu; because if it should ever reach our shores, the millions of Mynah birds in Singapore are potential carriers!

alexkusu SG

I say its overhyped. There is a higher chance of dying by other diseases that avian flu.

xxlolxx SG

hi thk u all for replying. im doing a little project n i nd views from the public, as well as views of ple who are in the field of the subject.

jus feel free to post any opinions, views and jus anything abt the topic. thks =)

fymk SG

HN51 - high variability of infectivity /morbidity/mortality ( it does not seem to infect easily ) and a zoonotic disease. Think spanish flu . The western nations are gearing for one overdue flu pandemic and the fear was built further from the SARS outbreak which they suspected was from some wild animal . HIV , Ebola, marburg and lassa viruses are also suspected to be initially mutated from primates. So I am not surprised that the world is so paranoid .

SingaporeMacross SG

dont believe what the authorities tell you...

tamiflu is not the only drug...

Archie_boy SG

The present situation is that the avian flu is already spreading from birds to other species such as cats, dogs, pigs, human, etc... It is not yet spreading from person to person yet or at least not confirmed yet. It seem that H5N1 is not as contageous as human influenza. The normal human flu is more contageous and when one sneeze, it can spread the germs to the nearby persons.

The WHO's main concern now is when H5N1 goes into body of a person who has flu, H5N1 may mutate and acquire the contageousness of the human flu and spread easily amongst human just like the normal flu. Then it's going to be like the Spainish flu where it wipe off millions of people.

The recent case of the Indonesian family of about 5 people who died of bird flu could be the first sign of avian flu spreading from human to human. Yet again, there were no confirmation. Also study shows the avain flu affects the deeper part of the lung, making it hard for the germs to get out of the infected person's lung.

Tamiflu tablet is not a remedy to avian flu. When consumed, tamiflu tablet can only contained the human flu germs from reacting with H5N1. That is why, the health care workers are using them.

I don't think there is an immediate solution to this avian flu. All the gov can do is to quarantine the infected person to prevent spreading. Just like SARS.

BTW, how was the Spainish flu or SARS defeated? Actually, they were not defeated. They just disappearred by itslef. They may surface again one day.

xxlolxx SG

Mr. Green how u think of the awareness level in singapore? are ple aware of the situation? especially the elderly. wat has the gov. done to help ple be aware of it? =))

SingaporeMacross SG

Not true. Oseltamivir, or Tamiflu can be used to treat the Bird Flu. The WHO has recommended the stockpiling of Tamiflu by Health authorities.

Archie_boy SG

Hello,

Are you sure Tamiflu can treat bird flu? Think! If Tamiflu can be use to treat bird flu then what is the huha about a bird flu pandemic? Rolling Eyes

Like I said, Tamiflu can only prevent bird flu from mutating with the human flu and cause it to be contageous. So far only Tamiflu has this effect on bird flu and nothing come close to it.

Sadly, Singaporeans are not too much bothered by this because we have tis mind set that the gov will have effective measures. During the Sars outbreak, some even went around showing thier quarantine papers, some had meals in the coffeeshops even while they were told they might have contracted SARS. Some can't even be bothered. How many ppl bother to read the AvainFlu Pandemic hand book produced by health ministry? Crying or Very sad

xxlolxx SG

yeah i agree wit archie boy.. tt singaporean always take things for granted.. they dun seems to ask abt bird flu nor find out more abt it.. how to prevent it.. they r going to be like wen sars come then they hum.. then stock up rice and food like war liddat.. lol.. anyone think tt a campign shld be held to promote and educate the masses abt bird flu?

gohkatkat SG

hmmmm...i am more scared that the virus might mutate into some malicious resistant form.....and wipe out humakind from the face of the earth.....that''s more worrying.........

xxlolxx SG

ya lo.. hard to say.. later become AIDS.. cannt cure.. only can slow it dwn.. then OMG liao.. hahas

Archie_boy SG

There were some MNCs who have a pandemic plan. The Sg Gov also has something in place.

That is, they divide their staffs into two teams. When a pandemic is declared, one team will work from home while the other runs the daily operations in the company premises. When one member of the office team contracted avain flu / SARS. The team goes into quarantine for 10 days while the 2nd team returns to the company premises to run the company's operation. Until 10 days later, those who remain unaffected, continue to work from home until the other team contracted Avain flu/SARS. The cycle continues to alternate.

Although it's not 100%, at least there is a chance to sustain the operation to tie over the period. Once the pandemic is out of control then we can only pray to GOD. Crying or Very sad

xxlolxx SG

hahas.. pray hard.. but i dun think the gov have reach out to the public much..

fymk SG

Heh....Avian flu is starting to show resistance to Tamiflu especially one strain in vietnam sooo I won't bank too much on some tablet. You can only hope relenza work . If it all fails, you pray your body will be able to take the assault .

Quarantine the infected people or kill off infected animals - try to stop a spread but I don't know frankly what Singapore might do in a pandemic . Look at the high density packed population - our dear HDB flats or condominiums- the spread of airborne or contact disease will not be a problem at all.

They are trying to develop a vaccine in USA and Australia but with a mutation as rapid as HN51 - it will be difficult. Another choice is to take blood out of survivors - draw out the antibodies in the serum and try injecting it into affected people but that won't guarantee a cure either.

SingaporeMacross SG

The hooha is that there is not enough industrial capacity to produce sufficient doses of oseltamivir for the whole world. This means that there is not enough drug to go around.

Of course, the virus is rapidly gaining resistance against Tamiflu, but it has not been rendered completely useless. Yet.

MohamedF SG

Avian flu is going to be a problem. It is a flu time bomb.... Like all viruses, it will mutate and keep mutating. Our chance is for the scientist to make the prefect vaccine, isolate all the viruses (like the small pox), and for the MNC to actually get the vaccine to the market.

What ever the scenerio is, it will in the end come to one of 2 outcomes.
(1) We find a cure, human race lives on
(2) Avian flu gets deadly, GOOD GAME Cool

kenshin_himura SG

man seriously this sounds like a scifi movie.. some deadly disease is gonna end the human race and a cure is yet to be found. I tink this flu pandemic will last for at least a few yrs and till then scientists might have yet to find a vaccine.. i tink this might be the end of the human race… the ultimate test of our survival