Bird Flu Plan By GW

[Darrel]

I saw a show on this the other night. I think this is going to happen sooner or later. Even if it takes 10 years. I think people seriously dont understand what will happen to the world if it happens now. It may very well shut down everything for a time.

comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2005/11/02/255319.html

-D

 

[Celia]

This topic scares the bejeebies out of me. Especially after watching that special about the Plague a few days ago on the History channel.

I guess it’s good that the administration is attempting to do something about it now, anyway. I just hope it works. Scary stuff.

 

[Libero]

Oh well, I am sure that the US the resources to handle the epidemic if it occurs, thats if they start preparing properley now. I was a bit freaked out when two parrots died in quarantine here, but they are producing more and more drugs to counter the type of flu, we’ll all be fine

 

[David_Paul]

Some good news yesterday from Nature:

Wartime tactic doubles power of scarce bird-flu drug. Use of common drug could stretch world stocks of Tamiflu.

The director of a Seventh Day Adventist medical center wondered if Probenecid, developed in WWII to extend scare supplies of penicillin by slowing down excretion of the antibiotic in the urine, might work with Tamiflu.

Turns out it does. Cuts the dose needed in half. Roche knew of this but didn’t suggest to customers (who are now waiting up to a year for shipments of Tamiful) they use Probenecid as an adjunct.