How to prevent a pandemic

Ardno Pigaet — Fri, 18 May 2007 01:47:32 GMT

I think part of what's being overlooked is that many of these retroviruses, in their initial, alienated stages, lead to a certain level of dypthotic languish on the part of the monitoring infrastructure. If we can curtail that, we can achieve a lot.

How to prevent a pandemic

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:54:58 GMT

My overall feeling is that even fairly significant testing would be hard pressed to find a disease before it became a problem but I’d be all for trying what they’ve proposed. As you know I like to propose much more self-sufficient homes and communities which is not only good for the environment (as it virtually eliminates daily travel) but it would also help insulate us from major natural disasters and things like Pandemics. If we work at home (or within just a few blocks), teach our kids at home, and avoid an excessive dependency on shopping for our every need, we lessen our contact with the overall population and thus lower the potential spread of disease. The more interdependent society becomes the more vulnerable it becomes. Imagine a pandemic outbreak in Silicon Valley, Boeing's Everett Washington facility, Microsoft headquarters, or Tokyo… The world has become entirely far too dependent on such key/singular locations. We need more abilities all over to cope with anything and everything that comes our way!

How to prevent a pandemic

NANCY DANIA FL — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:10:43 GMT

It makes me feel good to know that there are people out there trying to make a discovery that can save and change this world.

How to prevent a pandemic

Dan P, NY — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:48:56 GMT

I fear the discovery process would likely resemble that of mad cow, AIDS, or ebola. Most common trans-species diseases are already known (tularemia among rabbits, TB among deer, etc) to hunting communities... the difficulty will be the strange things that come up, and that's just going to take a lot of monitoring.

How to prevent a pandemic

steve smyth — Fri, 18 May 2007 09:15:04 GMT

show some restraint...in the mid-eighties, WHO came within days of announcing that AIDS was progressing geometrically...everyone gone within a few multiples...only reason the announcement was stopped is like not telling the populace about Aliens...we know better...good ol' we know better...it's gotten us into one hell of a mess here! maybe you know better...pitch in...

How to prevent a pandemic

Wade Whitlock, Aberdeen, MD — Fri, 18 May 2007 13:11:52 GMT

First, get the money. Second get the facilities for the testing and storage. Thirdly, protect the people who are doing the field work.

Unfortunately, the areas that need to be monitored are those with the least knowledge of science, and frequently the highest levels of superstition.

Now, just imagine a world with leaders who have the vision to properly fund preventative medical measures and asteroid searches. Damned if I can!

How to prevent a pandemic

Chet Twarog — Fri, 18 May 2007 17:24:36 GMT

Chris,

Sorry, your recommendations "ain't gonna" work!

The Black Plague killed @ 25% (or more) of the European population. Those who had survived had immune systems that resisted the pathogen and, therefore, their offspring would also inherit immunity to the plague. Evolution!

The same with the "Spanish Flu" early 20th Century.

The same with the West Nile Virus.

So, developing vaccinations, immunity, and/or using biogenetic technologies to eradicate the pathogens or insect carriers or other parasites...

If you really want "isolation": space stations, or colonies on the Moon, Mars, asteroids, space habitats, etc..

How to prevent a pandemic

T. Johnson, New York, NY — Fri, 18 May 2007 17:45:45 GMT

It takes vision to be proactive regarding future pandemics, unfortunately, ours is not a proactive society. We've been dodging bullets with Ebola and Marburg. It's just a matter of time until a new virus hits us, and then we'll all cry, why didn't anyone see this coming?

How to prevent a pandemic

Jane Carr Wakefield,RI — Fri, 18 May 2007 18:35:50 GMT

Its always important to be as proactive as possible especially in the realm of the public's health. So.. Go Science! It's the reactive part of the process where society trips and stumbles over itself.

We need to heed the lessons of history, we know what to do. What's wrong with our instincts? Are they lost?

How to prevent a pandemic

Joe, Houston tx — Fri, 18 May 2007 19:05:10 GMT

I certainly agree with isolating people from society and creating complete and total singular independence. That way, instead of somebody noticing that I'm missing, I can lay dead in my house for weeks (or years) on end before ever being found. Isolation is the key to societal success. It worked for the UNABOMer.

Not.

The only way we're going to be completely safe is to wrap our heads in sterile plastic bags. Then we'll never catch any disease. Prevention, environmental responsibility, good diet, and general physical well being also go a long way toward maintaining natural resistance to all the icky stuff that wants to get into our icky stuff.

How to prevent a pandemic

Chris E — Sat, 19 May 2007 16:18:14 GMT

Am I making any sense here? Why is having to travel to work and being so dependent on others such a good thing? IT DOES increase our vulnerability to anything and everything from gas spikes to the Bird flu. Craftsmanship and quality could also be improved if we did more things for ourselves. I've come to the determination that any mention of a little something called planning is often met with resistance as if doing things haphazardly was the best way.

How to prevent a pandemic

John A, New York, NY — Thu, 24 May 2007 20:44:34 GMT

Given international air travel, a pandemic flu will spread worldwide within days. Therefore as with any looming disaster, prevention is key. There are two free guides to bird flu preparedness at:

http://www.pandemicflu.gov

and

http://www.pandemicinfosite.com

How to prevent a pandemic

John, New York NY — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:21:49 GMT

A good article.
To download a free guide to pandemic flu preparedness see www.pandemicinfosite.com

How to prevent a pandemic

marie — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:15:05 GMT

Maybe we should start with prevention... this article leads us to believe that we hould fear wild animals as being the carriers of disease and some may but what we should be looking at is how our food is being raised... it's not how food has been grown though the ages...Instead of healthy cows out in the fields grazing on natural green grasses with little or no grain...in sunshine and fresh air thay are now being kept in feedlots with hundreds if not thousands of other cows standing in their bodily wastes which can be smelt miles away... then they're shot up w/antibiotics and growth hormones to make them produce larger quanities of milk and the result is infected utters and pus in your the milk. They are also fed died animals which they would never eat naturally. This is the same w/chickens which are also fed arsenic. And all this to the risk to us humans. We can do better.

Check out this site.http://www.fotosearch.com/GLW006/gwz10157/
http://www.fotosearch.com/GLW006/gwj76572268/
http://www.global-reality.com/biotech/articles/news045.htm
http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2079