TheByte

Harry Plopper

Guys, any chimera virus (eg A/H1N1, or H5N1) is potentially very dangerous. Since it can mutate into something very deadly ... And human kind will be completely powerless.

Therefore it is essential to stop, or at least restrain the virus from spreading widely in the very beginning of outbreak. Otherwise the spreading of virus can increase a chance of mutation. And more mutations increase the possibility of creation of mutant virus that will be very lethal to humans.

Therefore all the prevention & precaution is very important & essential. Of course there's no need to panic, since all can be handled very rationally. At that stage. Of course media are exaggerating - to attract publicity (=more money), but also to attract attention of the people - since today mild reaction went by almost unnoticed by majority of people.

So, every new chimera (eg. zoohuman) virus can be handled very seriously, and with all the precaution. Any underestimating may lead to very dangerous consequences. In such case overreaction is better than insufficient reaction. But ... Of course the panic can be even more dangerous. Therefore very careful handling of the issue is needed - especially when it comes to general public.

Both H5N1 and the latest A/H1N1 strains have similar effect as the lethal Spanish flu in 1918: virus attacking lung cells, and causing overreaction of person's immune system (generally in younger population from 18-35) - leading to lung destruction and invasion of liquid into lungs - and suffocation in the very end. And in this case medicine is powerless - not even immunosuppressive drugs can help in such case. Meaning: there's no cure.

And therefore all the fear: if the virus mutate (and it can very easily), and spread worldwide, it can mean a disaster. A lethal pandemic.

Not to mention that even a non-lethal pandemic in this times of economic depression can be very devastating. Mexican epidemic is just a reminder what can happen: complete paralysis of every-day life (closed schools, offices, factories, etc). Causing huge damage to the economy. Not to mention secondary effect: eg. less traveling, less money from tourism etc.


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Today people tend to live to easily ... not really being aware of all the potential dangers: from climate change to possible lethal virus outbreaks. Therefore such case like H5N1 or latest A/H1N1 are great reminders to be more alert & aware: to educate people what to expect, and how to react rationally. To prepare people for the future ... To teach them about proper protocols in such cases, so the panic can be avoided when it comes to the real thing.

People forget how fragile life is ... how fragile human being can be. And the world we live in as well. Not everything should be taken for granted ... since nothing is forever. And it's good to remind people of that from time to time.