Bird Flu in Vietnam kills Three

[Martino]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3388781.stm



.

[bluemonq]

in other news, KFC shares dropped as asian investors feared a loss of profits...

[Martino]

12 people are now infected in Vietnam.

WHO says Avian Flu could be worse than SARS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3395625.stm

[golden_buns]

SARS, AIDS, Ebola, Mad cow decease, and now bird flu.
That means, no food and no sex. Is this world coming to an end?

[ism]

From a marketing perspective, what type of name causes the most fear? The acronym (AIDS, SARS), animal-originated (mad cow, bird flu), regional (West Nile virus, Fujian flu), or other?

[Martino]

From a marketing perspective, what type of name causes the most fear? The acronym (AIDS, SARS), animal-originated (mad cow, bird flu), regional (West Nile virus, Fujian flu), or other?

I'd be too embarrassed to die of something with a name like Chicken Flu ... it's the old disease names that strike the greatest fear ... the Pox, the Black Death, cancer .... how many modern diseases will be remembered centuries from now in oral tradition (blessing them when they sneeze) or in rhymes?

Ring a Ring of Roses.
A pocket full of posies.
A tissue, a tissue.
We all fall down.

[rice cracker]

I'd be too embarrassed to die of something with a name like Chicken Flu ... it's the old disease names that strike the greatest fear ... the Pox, the Black Death, cancer .... how many modern diseases will be remembered centuries from now in oral tradition (blessing them when they sneeze) or in rhymes?

Ring a Ring of Roses.
A pocket full of posies.
A tissue, a tissue.
We all fall down.

It's not "a tissue," it's "ashes." :tongue:

[deez nuts]

death from above!

[Martino]

It's not "a tissue," it's "ashes." :tongue:

EDITED:
Mmmm, well, the London version is a tissue, and in Essex they say a-tishoo (as in a sneeze) ... the rhyme is passed from generation to generation orally, so there are lots of variations I guess. You know at least the rhyme dates from the Great Plague of the 1660's? How does your version go and where have you heard it sung?

[rice cracker]

Mmmm, well, the London version is a tissue, and in Essex they say a-tishoo (as in a sneeze) ... but you know at least the rhyme dates from the Great Plague of the 1660's? How does your version go and where have you heard it sung?

Oh, it's the same as your version except for the "a tissue" part.

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm


Every child has happily joined hands with friends and recited the familiar nursery rhyme, "Ring around a rosie, a pocket full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down." Few people realize to what this seemingly happy little nursery rhyme actually refers.
This nursery rhyme began about 1347 and derives from the not-so-delightful Black Plague, which killed over twenty-five million people in the fourteenth century. The "ring around a rosie" refers to the round, red rash that is the first symptom of the disease. The practice of carrying flowers and placing them around the infected person for protection is described in the phrase, "a pocket full of posies." "Ashes" is a corruption or imitation of the sneezing sounds made by the infected person. Finally, "we all fall down" describes the many dead resulting from the disease.

^That's the explanation I always believed, well, since I'd first heard that the song was based on the plague. The "Ashes" part I believed came from the practice of burning corpes of plague victims.

Yet again, Snopes.com took my beliefs and shat on them. I guess there are other versions of the same song:

Ring a ring a rosie,
A bottle full of posie,
All the girls in our town,
Ring for little Josie.

and:

Round the ring of roses,
Pots full of posies,
The one stoops the last
Shall tell whom she loves the best.

[Martino]

Oh, it's the same as your version except for the "a tissue" part.

Ring a ring a rosie,
A bottle full of posie,
All the girls in our town,
Ring for little Josie.

and:

Round the ring of roses,
Pots full of posies,
The one stoops the last
Shall tell whom she loves the best.

I learn something new every day. I've certainly never heard that second version before. I actually live near Blackheath, adjacent to Greenwich Park (of GMT fame), which is supposedly the site where the London dead were buried in mass graves. That may be an urban myth though.

[ism]

I'd be too embarrassed to die of something with a name like Chicken Flu ... it's the old disease names that strike the greatest fear ... the Pox, the Black Death, cancer .... how many modern diseases will be remembered centuries from now in oral tradition (blessing them when they sneeze) or in rhymes?

Those diseases are wiped out though. I was thinking more along the lines of how SARS' linkage to Asia increased fear in areas where there was an Asian population, and how many flu strains are named after Chinese regions, leading to jokes about Chinese people. Scientific-based risk-aversion or an extension of xenophobia?

As for long-term rememberance, don't we have a plethora of songs that reference AIDS? I also think And the Band Played On in the next century will be to medicine as The Jungle is about labor today. SARS has elicited a good deal of art as well, though being short-lived and not as widespread in the cultural First World, has not embedded itself into long-term pop culture.

[Martino]

Those diseases are wiped out though. I was thinking more along the lines of how SARS' linkage to Asia increased fear in areas where there was an Asian population, and how many flu strains are named after Chinese regions, leading to jokes about Chinese people. Scientific-based risk-aversion or an extension of xenophobia?

The Black Death is generally believed to have emerged out of Asia too ... but the various pandemics burnt themselves out, they weren't defeated by medical science.

Of course, fear always increases (herd instinct style) when there's an unknown disease 'in the air'. In the case of SARS it was also inter-Asian (witness the treatment of HK tourists in Taiwan). In non Asian countries where there are Asian populations, we get all the usual demonising, racists playing on others gullibillity or ignorance to cause racial discord, or people just reacting in plain ignorance. There's no excusing that kind of behaviour, but all ethnicities are prone to it.

There is always a concern that some of the deadlier strains of influenza, which killed tens of millions near the start of the last century, might return (and of course Chicken Flu is a new strain of the influenza bug).


As for long-term rememberance, don't we have a plethora of songs that reference AIDS? I also think And the Band Played On in the next century will be to medicine as The Jungle is about labor today. SARS has elicited a good deal of art as well, though being short-lived and not as widespread in the cultural First World, has not embedded itself into long-term pop culture.


I don't see contemporary pop songs about AIDS still being sung four or more centuries down the line .... if anyone is still alive then, the start of this millenium may yet be remembered for some more horrible or visceral disease we don't know about yet - a global BSE problem perhaps, or something airborne ...

[Kuchana]

Now a fourth person has died and the WHO say that a "growing number of people are falling sick with respiratory illnesses."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/afp/20040117/wl_asia_afp/health_flu_040117090319&e=3

[Faithless]

Has this been on the TV much?

There are certainly scores of articles on the web.

Now Thailand: Bird Flu Kills Second Child in Thailand (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040127_15.html)

[Kuchana]

Has this been on the TV much?

There are certainly scores of articles on the web.

Now Thailand: Bird Flu Kills Second Child in Thailand (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040127_15.html)

So far I haven't seen any mention of it on t.v. Kinda surprised that they haven't covered it.

[Ron]

http://bangkokpost.com/News/29Jan2004_news07.html

BIRD FLU CRISIS IN THAILAND AND MANY OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES

PM: We almost blew it

Regional monitoring network proposed

Post reporters

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has admitted for the first time that his government could have done better in containing the spread of bird flu.

Mr Thaksin, whose administration has been accused of covering up the spread of the disease, made the comment in remarks to an international meeting in Bangkok yesterday.

He called the meeting to discuss the crisis that is plaguing much of Asia.

``The current situation has reminded us that even when we were so mindful of those past lessons, mistakes and human errors are always possible. Mindfulness alone may not be adequate,'' Mr Thaksin was quoted as saying.

Government spokesman Jakrapop Phenkair said Mr Thaksin told the closed-door meeting that countries need to respond promptly and act with transparency to contain the virus.

``Transparency and disclosure of information is essential to bring back confidence to the general public,'' Mr Thaksin said.

So far, 10.7 million chickens have been slaughtered nationwide, and 134 risk spots identified as affected areas.

Mr Thaksin said bird flu not only posed a grave economic threat, forcing the elimination of million of chickens, but also posed a serious threat to public health.

Thailand was a responsible country and rushed to put measures in place and quickly resolve the problem with transparency once tests confirmed the disease was here.

``The lessons of Sars must not be forgotten. As with Sars, the fear of bird flu can be worse than bird flu itself,'' Mr Thaksin said.

``What is most needed is facts and transparency, not speculation and overstatement.''

A joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said culling of infected animals was the most effective method to contain the virus.

However, Indonesian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ir Memed Gunwan said Indonesia would engage in selective culling of chickens and opt for vaccination instead.

Dr Shigeru Omi, regional director for WHO's Western Pacific Region, said evidence on the reliability of vaccination was scarce.

The statement said careful monitoring and investigation were needed to guard against possible human-to-human transmission of avian influenza, even though there has been no such confirmed case.

The statement was endorsed by public health and agriculture ministers from 11 countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam), and representatives of three international organisations: the World Organisation on Animal Health, the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said the meeting agreed to consider creating a regional veterinary surveillance network and link with the existing human health surveillance mechanisms, so that information could be exchanged quickly.

European Commission ambassador Klanspeter Schmallenbach said the meeting gave him a better overview of the bird flu situation.

The Asian Development Bank has offered financial help to Thailand to compensate chicken farmers and to mobilise expertise to fight avian flu.

Rajat Nag, director-general of the ADB's Mekong Department, said the bank would extend loans on special terms to help small farmers recover.

The bank would also mobilise technical assistance grants.

Chicken flu was a regional and international issue, he said, stressing the need for open exchanges of information.

``You don't want to press the panic button,'' the ADB executive said. ``But there is no substitute for openness and sharing information.''

Erik Bloom, an ADB social protection specialist, said about US$800,000 in grants approved during the regional Sars outbreak last year remained ``undisbursed'' and could be used immediately to help in the fight against avian flu.

[Ron]

Regarding that, guess where I am right now? Thailand! I can't have my favorite fried chicken anymore for quite a while!

This is annoying. I hope the Thai PM helps a lot with this.

[mr. x]

Regarding that, guess where I am right now? Thailand! I can't have my favorite fried chicken anymore for quite a while!

This is annoying. I hope the Thai PM helps a lot with this.

i heard in vietnam they're changing KFC to KFF (fish)

[teaz0r]

Regarding that, guess where I am right now? Thailand! I can't have my favorite fried chicken anymore for quite a while!

This is annoying. I hope the Thai PM helps a lot with this.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm in thailand too.

they just marked bangkok a red zone. i
was listening to the news on the radio
that as long as the chicken and the egg
is well cooked it's okay to eat it, because
the bird flu dies at 60 celsius degrees.

kfc in bangkok is 75% off for the past week.

[teaz0r]

i heard in vietnam they're changing KFC to KFF (fish)

The bird flu epidemic spreading through Asia has claimed its latest casualty: the C in KFC.
The global chicken chain has been forced to keep almost all its outlets in Vietnam closed after the illness killed six people in the country.

Now, with customers shying away from its normal fare, it is switching to an all-fish menu. rest of the article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3434001.stm)

[Kuchana]

Regarding that, guess where I am right now? Thailand! I can't have my favorite fried chicken anymore for quite a while!

This is annoying. I hope the Thai PM helps a lot with this.

First cow and now chicken. What next???! :frown:

[Martino]

This outbreak may have started sooner than previously thought:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3440783.stm

[Martino]

First cow and now chicken. What next???! :frown:

Hopefully not calamari.

The real question is what other diseases can jump from animals to humans? Theoretically, that could be any animal on the menu ...

[ShortNBitter]

Yes my aunt or something ( i have no idea how we are related ) who lives in Vietnam had a chicken noodle shop type thing (gie phan?) the one with the green ginger sauce which is hella fucking good, err im trailing off. Anyway the government said she had to shut down her shop and now she has no job. Damn that flu to hell!

Also I heard there is alot of chickens being sold in secret for rituals. That makes me smile- underground blackmarket chicken!

[myself808]

Myself might have this bird flu, today when I went to Starbucks I kept banging into the glass wall, and yesterday two cats chased me down the street :biggrin:

[ShortNBitter]

Just beglad you didn't get the Big Bird Flu! HAHAHAHAHAH
http://todmar.net/quality4u/ebay/books/sesame-street-dont-cry-big-bird.jpg

[Martino]

The bird flu has now been detected in pigs in Vietnam ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3465067.stm

... meanwhile, it is now believed that the flu epidemic of 1918, which killed 50 million people, was a variant of bird flu:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3455873.stm

[kimpossible]

iiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm in thailand too.

they just marked bangkok a red zone. i
was listening to the news on the radio
that as long as the chicken and the egg
is well cooked it's okay to eat it, because
the bird flu dies at 60 celsius degrees.

kfc in bangkok is 75% off for the past week.


Not just in Thailand, latest reports I've watched on CNN here is in mainland China as well. New Zealand news has reported increasing export inquiries about NZ chicken to China. What a great time to hit HK. Avian flu and SARS. I figure multiply whatever China grudgingly reports by a factor of 10.

Still, I wouldn't eat chicken. Why take the chance? Death is pretty permanent.

[lethal]

My mom's in Vietnam right now. Damn, I hope she's OK.

[golden_buns]

Hopefully not calamari.

Now, from what I heard, there seems to be an outbreak of flu on pigs too.

Soon there's going to be a fish and calamari flu, and later it's going to be the mad broccoli decease

No meat lover or vegetarian will be safe, the apocalipsys is near

[Martino]

Now, from what I heard, there seems to be an outbreak of flu on pigs too.

Soon there's going to be a fish and calamari flu, and later it's going to be the mad broccoli decease

No meat lover or vegetarian will be safe, the apocalipsys is near

Soon the only thing safe to eat will be Soylent Green.

[kitty]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/02/07/bird.flu.usa.reut/index.html

Bird flu discovered in Delaware chickens

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -- A flock of 12,000 chickens in Delaware was destroyed Saturday in a bid to prevent the spread of avian flu, and state agriculture officials hastened to say the virus differs from the one that has killed people in Asia.

The chickens were slaughtered on a farm in southern Kent County, Delaware, at 11:30 a.m. after two birds tested positive for the virulent H7 virus Friday, Delaware agriculture secretary Michael Scuse said.

The virus is different from the H5N1 virus in Asia, Scuse said. That strain has forced the slaughter of millions of birds there and killed 18 people in Thailand and Vietnam who had come into direct contact with them.

"The virus that is in Asia is a mutation of H5," Scuse said. He said the H7 strain found in Delaware is fatal to poultry but does not transmit to humans.

Scuse said he was "fairly confident" the virus had not spread. As a safeguard, however, other flocks within a two-mile radius of the infected farm would be tested, and the outcome of that process would probably be known by Tuesday, he said.

If the virus is found in any of the other flocks, the testing area would be extended to five miles, he said.

The slain flock's carcasses will be composted at the farm, which has been quarantined, he said.

South Korea, which is battling a deadly outbreak of the virus, reacted swiftly to reports of the discovery in Delaware, immediately halting imports of U.S. poultry.

Poultry is a multibillion-dollar industry in the Delmarva Peninsula where the infected farm is located, and is the mainstay of the local economy. The Delmarva region, which lies between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, consists of parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

The farmer did not supply chickens to Purdue or any other commercial poultry company, said Anne Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the Delaware Agriculture Department.

Officials declined to release the precise location of the farm or its owner, saying that quarantine regulations required a minimum of traffic in the area.

[golden_buns]

Soon the only thing safe to eat will be Soylent Green.

I think I'd preffer to die of mad cow decesease or chicken flu while I'm young, rather than to live a painful long life eating that stuff.

[Martino]

I think I'd preffer to die of mad cow decesease or chicken flu while I'm young, rather than to live a painful long life eating that stuff.

It tastes of chicken.

[ShortNBitter]

You know what you guys, we are be\ing selfish. what about the chickens?~ millions upon millions of chickens were masascred in this epidemic and we can only focus on ourselves?~ For shame!!

Do we want to be forever known as the Hitler of chickens??? :confused: