Hard News: There is History
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23 months not 20 months. And the one designated patient zero is ok.
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Wow. How's this for day one at the new job?
Kathleen Sebelius wins Senate confirmation Tuesday as US Health and Human Services secretary.
Wednesday: she's responsible for the swine flu response.
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She will also have to deal with
stroppy disabled people who are being arrested in large numbers after chaining themselves to the White House fence in their protest against the continued institutionalisation of disabled people in the US. I -
There's an interesting column by Ben Goldacre in yesterday's Guardian :
By Tuesday, pundit-seekers from the media were suddenly contacting me, a massive nobody, to say that swine flu is all nonsense and hype, like some kind of blind, automated naysaying device....
I'm not showing off. I know I'm a D-list public intellectual, but I just think it's interesting: because not only have the public lost all faith in the media; not only do so many people assume, now, that they are being misled; but more than that, the media themselves have lost all confidence in their own ability to give us the facts.
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I thought it was OTT to interrupt tv on Sunday night with newsflash and Tony Ryall interview - how will they top that if people actually start dying and hospitals get over-run? Will we all have to follow Ryall on Twitter?
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Egypt orders cull of pig herds:
Egypt, hit hard by bird flu, has ordered the slaughter of every pig herd in the country as a precaution against swine flu, a step the United Nations said was a mistake.
The H1N1 swine flu virus is spread by people and is not present in Egyptian animals but culling pigs, largely viewed as unclean in Muslim Egypt, could help quell any panic.
Twenty six people have died in Egypt from the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus and experts fear any flu pandemic could have a devastating impact in a country where most of the roughly 80 million people live in the densely packed Nile Valley, many in crowded slums in and around Cairo.
But the United Nations said the mass cull of up to 400,000 pigs was "a real mistake".
"There is no reason to do that. It's not a swine influenza, it's a human influenza," said Joseph Domenech, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's chief veterinary officer, said
and:
some countries, led by Russia and China, have banned US pork imports.
To crossthread to Emma's recent posting, names clearly do have meaning. Lucky it wasn't called "Mexican flu"? There might be a lot of angry mobs trying to lynch Mexicans.
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some countries, led by Russia and China, have banned US pork imports.
I found it interesting that the virologist on Morning Report the other day said that catching the virus from eating pork was unlikely. He didn't say it was impossible, or that it's not the way it works.
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The Philippines are reported to have cancelled imports of NZ Pork. The pork industry is trying to push that this is not swine flu (i.e. the pigs don't have the virus) and would prefer "North American influenza".
World Health Organization has gone from alert 4 to 5 (out of 6), on as yet unproven levels of transmission.
This 'epidemic' was picked up on because it occurred 'out-of-season', in a year that higher rates of influenza in NZ were expected anyway.
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I found it interesting that the virologist on Morning Report the other day said that catching the virus from eating pork was unlikely. He didn't say it was impossible, or that it's not the way it works.
Doctors are like that. There's always room for error, or for unexpected consequences. It's like the whole "getting HIV from kissing an infected person" issue. Yes it's theoretically possible, but the odds are so remote that you'd be wanting to hide in a cave to avoid being struck by lightning, eaten by carnivorous animals, or hit by errant forms of public transport, if you did manage to get infected in that manner. But the medical profession still won't say "You don't get HIV from kissing an infected person".
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flu virus cannot be transmitted through cooked or cured pork.
if one indulged in eating live pigs that had flu symptoms, well, there might be some risk involved... -
would prefer "North American influenza"
That's certainly a nicely generic title. Doesn't attribute to any particular ethnicity or country, and would shut up that silly Israeli cabinet minister. I suspect that it's too late, though.
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This just in: swine flu has jumped the thread barrier on the Herald's Your Views page. Witness this sparkling contribution in the "Republic of NZ" thread from Jona of Katikati, who we've encountered before:
"Look at me I am Peter Dunne leader of a Minnow Party that wants media attention"
Go hang your self mate or better still catch Swine Flu and pass it on in Parliament.Super classy. When I have a few minutes free I'm going to run a little online track and trace on this odious little being.
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There's an interesting column by Ben Goldacre
Great column from him, as usual.
Loving the 'The Aporkalypse'. My new favourite word.
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if one indulged in eating live pigs that had flu symptoms, well, there might be some risk involved...
More importantly, you'd also have a very pissed off pig!
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I just got asked to write content for a new Swine Flu website. On consideration, I have instructed the client as to where to stick it.
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but being an ambience chaser from way back
this is great stuff - haunting, oddly oriental,I keep thinking it should have some chance-based dance choreography to go with it.
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I found it interesting that the virologist on Morning Report the other day said that catching the virus from eating pork was unlikely. He didn't say it was impossible, or that it's not the way it works.
That was because he was speaking in the media as a virologist. There is indeed a non-zero chance that you can catch flu from eating pork. There is also a non-zero chance that you can win lotto three weeks in a row (if you buy a ticket each week).
As someone posting on a comments thread (and not representing anyone but myself) I feel comfortable in saying there is simply no way flu would survive through the cooking process and if it did you would have to somehow get the virus onto your mucosal membranes (nose, lungs, eyes) since your stomach acid would kill any virus that got down there.
So not possible and no it doesn't work that way - unless you believe winning lotto 3 weeks in a row is plausible.
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Hypothetically, if someone cooked the pork, sneezed on it, and then you accidentally stuck it up your nose instead of your mouth, you could catch the flu from eating pork.
Which I think is something that needs to be fully tested on some really stupid TV show.
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There is also a non-zero chance that you can win lotto three weeks in a row (if you buy a ticket each week).
Actually, there's a non zero chance that you could win if you don't buy a ticket. Someone might gift you one.
That's my justification for not paying stupidity tax, BTW - I prefer the free option which also has a miniscule chance of my winning.
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Could one catch the virus from insufflable drugs that have been contaminated, like Mexican cocaine?
I think Anderton should be told of this new way in which Drugs Are Bad Mmk.
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Which I think is something that needs to be fully tested on some really stupid TV show
I'm sure there's a reality TV show in this swine flu. I'm picturing a tropical island, two teams of Z-list celebrities, and a lethal virus. The teams battle it out to infect each other, and each week the person with the most points gets the Tamiflu.
Two words: Ratings. Winner.
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How's this for pure gold from Anne of Te Awamutu on the Herald's readers views?
No I am not concerned at all. It's just gives more money to the pharmaceutial companies. Now how would a face mask stop a flu virus, it's not passed by sneezing or sitting next to the person who has the dis-ease.
And the poor pigs and chickens get the blame, it's got noting to do with the poor animals. It the human beings of this world. You just have to look at how the world is at the moment. Surrounded in badness, corrupt governments and people, greed, wars, horrendous crimes, drugs, I can go on and on.
By letting badness take control throughout the world, it's only going to get worse.
It's a pity that it doesn?t seem to affect those ones that live bad lives.Why is that! Bad ones are looked after by the evil scrum of this earth the devil himself and his band of henchmen, he is badness through and through. And he never gets the blame, it's always God.
And if you do live a good life, ask the Lord for His Protection. Not God. The Lord. And by the by, this is not religion, religion was created by man. No need to join a church or religious group. Just you, asking the Lord for his help. How easy is that, and it costs you absolutely nothing. FREE!
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Just you, asking the Lord for his help. How easy is that, and it costs you absolutely nothing.
This sounds fair. Anne relies on prayer for protection, and I get to go through her house and take all the labels off everything.
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the evil scrum of this earth
Snerk! Who's that big Aussie rugby player? Mortlock? He can be part of The Evil Scrum of this Earth.
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How easy is that, and it costs you absolutely nothing.
That depends on which church you belong to.
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