BB FANS

Listen mate and you go and read some books on Tact and Diplomacy for a change and try applying that to some of your posts. I've nothing against your post in fact I might even have agreed with it, but I won't if you post crap like go "read some books" to me like that. That bloody arrogance is amazing and I'm not to taking it, whatever you say after the event, if your going to put stuff in your signature like:

Calrissian: Hoping that his neighbours will be first in line to die of influenza 2005/6

Then there's not much hope of me, having any respect is there. I'm not your neigbour, try speaking to em like human beings instead. I read a post you put once about you wishing your next door neighbour beating up his wife would just finish the job in so many words. You said sorry for that one, "Good" because that's one of the worse things I've read on here. Try thinking about other people i.e. feelings before you write, without trying to be clever and I might actually agree with you on certain things now and then, but I won't tell you your wrong, because who the hell am I too, same as you with me. I might actually lighten up, now I've got that sorted out.

British scientists are analysing samples of bird flu from an outbreak in Turkey after the country was banned from exporting live poultry and feathers to Europe.

independent

Turkey bird flu 'deadly strain'

The bird flu virus found in Turkey is the H5N1 strain dangerous to humans, the EU Commission has said.

Scientists have been carrying out tests for the strain on dead birds from a farm in Kiziksa, north-west Turkey.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said the assumption was that a bird flu outbreak in Romania would also prove to be the H5N1 type. Tests are continuing.

EU states should be ready for a potential flu pandemic and stockpile anti-viral drugs, Mr Kyprianou urged.

The H5N1 version has caused more than 60 deaths in Asia since late 2003 but of those, only one is suspected to have died after catching the virus from another human.

Those who have been in the presence of dead or dying birds are most likely to become infected, and the chances of human-to-human transmission are still seen as very slim.

'Highly aggressive'

Speaking at a news conference, Mr Kyprianou advised seasonal flu vaccination for populations considered to be at risk and said governments should focus on stockpiling anti-viral drugs.

"What is important is that it does become a priority for all member states and that they make an investment for preparing for this event," he said.

A dead bird is disposed of in Romania
Thousands of birds have already been culled in Turkey and Romania

He said an emergency meeting would be held later on Thursday to discuss what measures to take.

The commissioner confirmed the virus found in Turkey was the deadly strain, adding: "There is a direct relationship with viruses found in Russia, Mongolia and China."

He went on: "It is a highly pathogenic and aggressive virus and we in the European Union have to deal with that."

The EU moved to ban all bird and poultry products from Romania on Thursday after tests on three ducks which died last week in the Danube delta confirmed the presence of the weaker H5 strain of bird flu.

Tests for the H5N1 strain are expected to be completed on the ducks this week.

The EU has also banned the export of live birds and feathers from Turkey, after the virus was discovered there. It announced on Wednesday the ban would be extended until April.

BBC

Bird cull in Romania



FLU VACCINES ACROSS EU
European health chiefs say everyone should be given a flu vaccine to prevent a possible bird flu pandemic.

The recommendation comes as scientists confirm the deadly strain of the virus has been found in Turkey.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said he advised "the increase of vaccination among the risk population for the seasonal flu".

He said this was part of their plan to deal with a potential or possible pandemic.

The virus in Turkey is the lethal H5N1 strain which is responsible for more than 60 deaths in Asia.

EU spokesman Markos Kyprianou said: "We have received confirmation that the virus found in Turkey is avian flu H5N1 high pathogenic virus."

He said the test results indicated a "direct relationship with viruses recently found in Russia, Mongolia and China."

The EU has imposed a ban on the import of live birds, poultry meat and feathers from Turkey and Romania.

In Romania experts have confirmed birds which died were killed by the H5 type of bird flu virus.

Samples of the virus are being sent to Britain where scientists will identify the specific strain.

At the moment it is not known if it is also the H5N1 strain.

Most cases of the virus in humans have been linked to sick birds, but the World Health Organisation fears it could mutate into a form which spreads easily between people.

Vietnam has joined the United Nations to launch a £3.5m programme to combat bird flu this winter. The programme will incease monitoring, vaccination and speed up the response to outbreaks. Skynews

Ok, so it this the time to start running around screaming? Because I'm starting to seriously freak out. I want that vaccinationg for my kids. Now.

EDIT: What's a vaccinationg? Any takers?

Hmm... this is starting to look alike one part of Alfred Hitchcocks 'Birds' and another part of Stephen Kings 'Stand'...

Scientists have proved that the type of bird flu found in Romania is the same as the strain that struck Asia
.
Since 2003 it's thought 60 people have been killed in south-east Asia by this strain of bird flu, called H5N1.

The European Union has banned the sale of live birds and meat from birds that have come from Romania and Turkey - where bird flu has also been found.

EU vet experts said on Friday that the outbreak did not represent a risk to the general public "at present".

The virus mainly affects birds, but can be very dangerous if it is passed on from birds to humans.

Bird flu is caught from contact with live birds, so people can't get the disease from eating cooked birds like chicken.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 60 people in Asia.

The EU is now warning countries to build up supplies of anti-viral medicine to treat suspected cases.

These drugs can help control the symptoms people suffer, and make it less likely for the disease to spread.

The virus is difficult to control because it's spread by birds that fly long distances to find warm weather.

Story from :
CBBC NEWSROUND
Published: 2005/10/15 12:49:31 GMT

In the past week,labs around the country have been asked to send any suspected samples to a specialist centre fo analysis as part of contingency plans to deal with the disease should it spread.At the moment risk to the general public is not present.

Lets all pray it doesn't mutate

If it gets to London I will be a gonna I pick up the cold/flu virus as soon as it enters the M25.

If the general population were vaccinated, there is a guarentee that around 5000 minimum would simply keel over and die on the spot due to the vaccine. Tens of thousands would spend a few days in bed - maybe as many as a million or so.
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Vaccines are NOT the answer.

Stopping those idiots living in houses with chickens in the far east is the ONLY long term answer to infuenza pandemic problem. Hoping that some vaccine will protect people is entirely misguided hope. If the current virus becomes human-2-human transferable via the air, it'd take many months to even develop the first batch of vaccine. By the time, a significant % of the popn' will be lying in a dead heap.

Cal: hoping some of the local white trash population is decimated by bird flu.

We should send you Calrissian to teach people some practical hygiene

In Finland we have so called basic vaccination program to our children and there's also so called risk groups that gets their vaccines free eventhought they are adults. And in certain professions you can also get certain vaccines free, because you belong to the risk-group because your clients are living risks for you. I don't know really how does your system run in UK.

UK system.
in emergency situations..
only the 'key workers' get what limited vaccines are available. The UK govt. refuses to fund enough stocks for the gen. popn under any circumstance.
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Were a really nasty virus to strike, the real problem would be civil unrest, and chronic food shortages due to a breakdown in general services.

Question is, do you have enough food/water/stocks to keep you alive for a month or so, whilst the average idiot expects the government to 'coming helping'.

Cal: in the bunker

Like so many diseases through history, it's mostly due to the lack of poor hygiene. I agree that the population of Asia, or those other third world country's, stop living with there bloody livestock like medival serfs. Maybe it's up to the UN to drill some 21 century sense into there heads. I mean living knee high in chicken crap all the time can't be any good for no one. Granted we in the middle ages were ignorant, these days with the right education there isn't any need to be. Greed and cheap meat will be our downfall, if we leave it to late Maybe we already have I hope not!

Here is something to ask yourself.
What % 'dead' of the population would you consider 'catastrophic'?

Seriously, all this media obsessed 'pandemic' fear, it mostly just bores me rigid. Unless more than 15-20% of the gen. popn died off within a month or so, its really largely inconsequential in the long term.

Only the long term matters, and pandemics are a natural part of the cycle, an INEVITABLE part of the cycle. Tens of thousands die of influenza each year, not that the mainstream media can be bothered to remind the ignorant sheep (aka public) of this basic fact.

Even if 85% of everyone died, society would soon get back together....with 7 houses per person. See, there is an upside to everything.

Seriously though, the more times you hear the government say 'don't panic', well, that is the time to (if possible) build up your stocks of food/water/meds, something to at least last a few weeks.

Calrissian: eyes on Wilma