Why does the Bush administration think that Americans would riot during a flu pandemic?
553380
You need to get a clue, the media has put that stupid idea in your head. first we won't riot because we know it won't happen.Your a nutcase.
451441
Tough Question - My glib answer is that it won't happen because I am taking precautions for an outbreak. Evey time I take precautions for a disaster nothing happens;) \n\nWhy I am worried is because one case of human to human transmission has happened in Thailand. Also the flu has a week incubation period and during that time it can be spread.   \n\nSpanish flu killed between 50 & 100 million in 1918 and started off as an avian virus. Experts say that the Spanish flu virus had 12 mutations which made it adapt from just infecting birds to infecting pigs and humans.  The mass fowl cullings around the world seem to be preventing any adapted viruses from starting a human pandemic. However the virus has reached countries that don't have the infrastructure, because of bad government, war and poverty, to identify and contain H5N1 in birds. This means that if the adaption happens it could get a foothold in the human population and then start spreading. \n\nThe next point is what do you mean by "really become  contagious?" \n\nMost of the models of the spread of a pandemic are based on past infections. Most predictions are scientifically valid but they depend on a number of factors that can not be controlled. If avian flu mutates to human to human it may become less lethal and it may not be as contagious as it is now. The only way that the statistics will be proved depends on what the H5N1 virus does next.\n\nThe range of the numbers show just how difficult it is to get a clear idea of what may happen. Here are some numbers I crunched based on assumptions and a worldwide population of 6 billion. Note fatalities are based on no medical treatment. \n\n1.) Bird flu stays in birds and can only be transmitted through eating uncooked chicken, exposure to dead birds and drinking or eating things that have been infected.\n% of world population that gets sick 0.000040%\nNo. Sick 2,400\n% fatalities 63.64%\nNo. fatalities 1,527\n\n2.) Bird flu mutates and is really weakened in the mutation \n% of world population that gets sick 25%\nNo. Sick 1,500,000,000\n% fatalities 0.50% (half a percent)\nNo. fatalities 7,500,000\n\n3.) Bird flu mutates and is as virulent as the spanish flu of 1918 (WHO figures) \n% of world population that gets sick 50%\nNo. Sick 3,000,000,000\n% fatalities 5%\nNo. fatalities 150,000,000\n\nThese models become scarier and scarier the worse the plagues and disasters used as a base. All they really say is that if there is a pandemic people, without medical help, will die. They don't say that it will happen. (If you want to really scare yourself or someone else do the maths on bubonic plague 80% infected and 80% fatalities).  \n\nSo overall I'll say there is a chance of this avian fly being the next pandemic. The chance is not so terrifyingly likely that I am going to sell up and move to a defendable mountaintop and start shooting at strangers. However the chance is big enough that I have spent about $100 dollars on Tamiflu and food - just in case. \n\nThe only people who have told me with a 100% certainty that the pandemic is going to happen and everyone will die are people who are trying to sell me stuff to survive the coming pandemic. I think they are pretty biased.
589758
This is out of the CDC's actual reported influenza illnes and mortality data:\nThe current influenza vaccines are not effective for children under 2 and adults over 65.\nfor everyone else, they are less than 50 percent effective in a good year and NOT effective in years where there is a "strain mismatch".\nFor the past 20 years, the CDC's claim that 36,000 people die each year from"flu" or "flu-related pneumonia is a knowingly false claim. When called on the truth of their statements concerning vaccines, CDC officials have admitted (in their sworn testimony before Washington State and Delaware legislators) that they knowingly lie about various aspects of vaccines because their "job" is to promote vaccination at all costs, and count the people who die of pneumonia during the flu season as "flu-related" deaths, even though most are not confirmed to be infected with the flu virus.\nThe factual approximate flu-related pneumonia deaths per year, according to CDC data available to the public are as follows:\nAbout 600 to 3000 deaths each year, which translates into a death rate of about 1.7 to 8.3 persons per 1,000,000.\nThe range of influenza cases is from 34 to 130 million per year.\nThere is no correlation between the percent of the population innocculated for "flu" and either the "attributed" deaths or the percent of population getting the flu.\nAccording to the FDA in a period of 3 years 54,072 adverse reactions following vaccinations occurred in the U.S. and they admitted this total represented ten percent of the real total, because doctors were refusing to report vaccines injuries. In other words, adverse reactions for this period exceeded half a million!\nIs all about making money for big Pharma. They should just use the current antiviral "flu" drugs to treat those who contract the influenza virus and develop better antiviral drugs instead of pushing this harmful and useless vaccines.
1040019
Curing this flu is no easy matter, avian influenza is so deadly that it is right behind anthrax on the bio-defense list, as a possible terrorist weapon. There are two ways to try to dodge the flu. One is to kill all infected birds. The other is to develop a vaccine before the disease shifts. Because this strain requires four times the usual vaccine dosage it is impossible to produce the 600 million doses our population needs. Current supplies could provide vaccine for 15 million people; that’s only 5% of our population. Accumulated data paints such a frightening pathogenic picture that WHO issued an urgent warning that a flu pandemic could affect billions of people worldwide. Billions because, unlike our annual flu outbreaks, everyone is vulnerable, regardless of age or health. To make matters worse,in Germany, on February 26, 2006, the virus demonstrated its adaptability when a domestic cat  was found dead from  avian influenza. A few days later, an infected stone marten was discovered. This shows us that the virus is changing. Last week it was believed that 6 members of an Indonesian family had all died of avian flu, which could indicate that the virus can now spread through human to human contagion. If a pandemic does strike we will immediately lose 40% of the country's work force. President Bush got less than half of the $7.1 billion he asked for to fight this flu. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist warned Americans that state and federal authorities are "woefully underprepared" to enforce quarantine provisions and distribute medicine, food, and other vital supplies in response to an avian flu pandemic. There isn’t medical equipment or staff enough to handle this outbreak. There are pitifully few ventilators and not enough coffins or cemeteries to bury the dead.  Perhaps as many as 1.7 million Amjericans  will die as the flu cycles through our country.Bush has said he will deploy the U.S. military to enforce a quarantine on areas where infection is found. Well, that’s just ridiculous. Where will the manpower come from? \nThere really isn’t a good solution to the problem. There isn’t enough vaccine; people are going to die. Remember birds distribute the virus through their fluids and feces so watch where you step and stay clear of ducks, they are carriers of the virus but are unaffected by it.  So the best bet is to stock up on water, canned foods and Tamiflu, stay in your own home, limit visitors severely, watch over your old folks and the infants and keep them as washed up as possible, wash your own hands often and pray. But be careful what you pray for … this flu might never be a problem ... it could be some other strain of man-killer flu entirely.
41135
I am a history teacher and could give you a laundary list of reasons and history behind the whole event, but I will leave you with this . . . they are the government.  If the U.S. government feels there is a threat to the interests of the nation, it is going to act upon that by whatever means necessary.
32874
# of bodies/day.  "Pandemic" is used so as not to scare the sheep: "Oooo I must have a H5N1 shot!"  "Epidemic" is when the gloves are off and we're in deep trouble.\n\nIf you think I'm being funny, I don't think the dead folks in Turkey and Asia care too much about the difference between pandemic & epidemic, they're both killed by flocks of wild birds.
709989
The danger is it's almost impossible to predict when they will let loose... \n\nCheck out this article...\n\nhttp://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-132/#...
329889
There have been at least 10 influenza pandemics over the past three centuries (some just as deadly as 1918) and theoretical models have concluded that one will inevitably happen, sometime…eventually….in the future….at the some point.  There is absolutely no conclusive evidence as to when it will happen or if it will even happen in our lifetime.   \n\nRegardless if we are overdue for a major flu pandemic, this does not imply that the public should automatically “overreact” on media reports of the bird flu.  Those affected by the virus have all lived or worked in very close proximity to infected poultry. In almost all cases, domestic poultry were left to freely roam outdoors in close contact with wild aquatic birds and other wildlife.  But those in metropolitan cities are showing the greatest concern.  It is the continuous overreaction of the public which causes momentum effects in the pharmaceutical industry (and other industries for that matter).  The hype has been more about selling Tamiflu than anything else.  This is partly due to sensationalism in the media, but it's mostly due to a lack of education on effective prevention and treatment methodologies for specific diseases.  Tamiflu does absolutely nothing to cure the bird flu and never has.  It merely decreases symptoms and only under certain conditions.  Most credible scientists agree that a catastrophic pandemic such as those in the past are highly unlikely in developed countries.  This is 2006, and our methods of communication and science are light years from that time. The same technology that allows humans to travel so quickly around the globe also provides better medicine and better protection. So how in the world does anybody make the giant leap of faith that 103 deaths will translate to millions based on what we know about the H5N1 strain?    \n\nThe bird flu itself is a tragedy for the people of Asia and the livelihood of many bird handlers. Even more tragic is how an epidemic among birds has been used to orchestrate public panic and divert us from addressing other more pressing health issues. More than half a billion people suffer from malaria, nearly 10 million have tuberculosis, of which 2 million will die in the next year. Thirty million have died from HIV/AIDS and more than 40 million are infected. Yet bird flu seems to be the most pressing health concern we hear about on mainstream media.  It is a great irony that we spend more time worrying about what might be, rather than what is.  We do need to have a strong foundation for research, and there is no question that an elaborate worldwide infrastructure for epidemics must be in place before a pandemic.  I think understanding the evolutionary functions of mutating viruses is paramount in pandemic preparedness.  If the current hype helps in the building of these fundamental mechanisms, so be it.  What we DON’T need is a deceptive plot at the expense of public awareness to help inflate the stocks of a pharmaceutical company. If the current hype on Birdflu and Tamiflu is not a hoax, then I don’t know what is.
291076
"Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt recommended over the weekend that Americans start storing provisions such as canned tuna and powdered milk as the prospect of a bird flu outbreak approaches the United States." <http://www.worldmagblog.com/blog/archives/023196.html>  Actually he said to put it under your bed.\n\nA really good defense is to wash your hands frequently and always before touching your face.
708812
I am sure our country has war games on these concepts.  The US has its own ways of shutting down grids.  We don't seem to be so good at starting our own up when it's been closed down.  Keeping power available in an emergency seems to be beyond what the government can provide us at this time.  Individuals and families must make their own arrangements <not likely>.We should all be armed and trained, too.  \n\nIt seems to me that Russia and China would be more than willing to use biological and/or chemical weapons.  Most of us just aren't ready for strong winds or rain, let alone a war.
104243
I think as Americans we are all scared. Scared to leave our homes unlocked in broad daylight, scared to go out at night, scared of terrible disseases, and much more. The media makes it sound like the BIG BAD BUGS will all get us. I think it's a propaganda of fear. Check out my recent quesions and you will see I have been asking similar questions of people and they concure. Its not just germs we're scared of...
602864
I think you've answered your own question! No, we are not a free country. Right now all we have is the freedom of speech and they are trying to stop most of that.\nEverything in this administration is based on fear-fear of the terrorists, fear of people not God-fearing (notice the fear word), fear of the bird flu-you name it and people are scared. They should be scared of this administration!\nNotice the name I go by-dismayed american.
1096693
Well from what I quickly read, it appears to be a written agreement of cooperation between the US, Canada, and Mexico in regards to security, economic, and pandemic out breaks.  What does that mean for the US?  Well one would hope that there would be cooperation in security matters (i.e. working out the security issues at the borders), working together will make the three together (US, CA, and MEX) more competitive on the world market,  In regards to health issues, the sooner it is known of a pandemic, the faster it can be isolated.  This is a very general and high level description.  So I see this as a positive move.
420260
Why? That wouldn't stop the spread of the disease if that is what you are thinking.
92543
It is not that violence or misbehavior are the upswing, it is merely we are more aware, what with faster communications, that it happens than anytime in the past. You also have to realize bad news sells better than good news which means the good news rarely hits the front page.\n\nAs for your added info, yes a lot have died in wars, but how many people have died of influenza in the same time frame?
659818
I m neither a politician nor american.this is what the science is so read carefully.\n\nBird flu can be transmitted from infected birds to humans but not from human to human.\n\nH5N1 , the whole world is a potential target except any who have survived the infection(become immune)\n\nIf unfortunately, the genetic deal with flu viruses that can spread human to human ( God Help Us all), this would be a Pandemic.For reference all the previous flu pandemics were the result of this gene trade.So theratical risk is there.
859308
Yes, its been blown out of proportion by the media.  It really isnt such a big deal!  More people die from the common cold in a year than from bird flu