Originally published July 15 2005
World should be aware of avian flu, even though pandemic may not happen
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
There is a chance avian flu may never mutate into a strain suitable for human to human contact, but New York Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman says the world should be aware that if the strain does mutate, the death rate will be catastrophic.
Last week's disclosure that an Indonesian man tested positive for the bird flu that has already killed more than 50 people in Southeast Asia was just the latest chilling news about the disease.
Should it develop certain genetic changes, international health experts warn, bird flu could spark a global pandemic, infecting as much of a quarter of the world's population and killing as many as 180 million to 360 million people - at least seven times the number of AIDS deaths, all within a matter of weeks.
First, a virus emerges from the pool of animal life that has never infected human beings, meaning no person has antibodies to fight it.
Second, the virus has to make us seriously ill.
Third, the virus must be capable of moving swiftly from human to human through coughing, sneezing or just a handshake.
For avian flu, the first two elements are already with us.
The latter often serve as a vessel for mixing human and animal viruses because the receptors on the respiratory cells of pigs are similar to those of humans.
We must coordinate the responses of the medical community, of food providers, of transportation and of care for first responders from public health, law enforcement and emergency management at the international, federal, state and local levels.
Second: We must strengthen the World Health Organization so that it can be an accurate clearinghouse of information about the scope and location of the disease, should it begin to spread, and quell false rumors that could lead to global panic.
Third: We must track the human cases already documented so as to gain the very earliest warning of any transformation of the disease, and thus of an emerging pandemic.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml