Flu virus with 'pandemic potential' found in China
Source: BBC
A bad new strain of influenza is among the top disease threats that experts are watching for, even as the world attempts to bring to an end the current coronavirus pandemic.
The last pandemic flu the world encountered - the swine flu outbreak of 2009 that began in Mexico - was less deadly than initially feared, largely because many older people had some immunity to it, probably because of its similarity to other flu viruses that had circulated years before.
That virus, called A/H1N1pdm09, is now covered by the annual flu vaccine to make sure people are protected.
The new flu strain that has been identified in China is similar to 2009 swine flu, but with some new changes.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53218704
Dream Girl
(5,111 posts)TomCADem
(17,390 posts)Well that is too bad that scientists found a flu virus before it spread, because Trump ended the program designed to help detect new viruses and develop vaccines before they become pandemics.
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/491004-trump-ended-program-to-detect-potential-pandemic-causing-viruses-before-they
The program was launched by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2009 and reportedly supported staff in the Chinese lab that eventually identified the new coronavirus. The initiative, dubbed Predict, was launched in response to the 2005 bird flu outbreak.
According to the Times, USAID on Wednesday gave a $2.26 million grant to help labs around the world control the virus.
Look at the name: Our efforts were to predict this before it happens. Thats the part of the program that was exciting and thats the part Im worried about, Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a key player in the program, told the Times.
LiberalArkie
(15,719 posts)SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)A Donald Trump moment just hit me! We'll stuff those animals full of hydroxychloroquine, Clorox bleach, Lysol and Vitamin D. That virus (or the animals) won't stand a chance.
LiberalArkie
(15,719 posts)the US started giving shots to the chickens, hogs etc.
luvtheGWN
(1,336 posts)It's legal in the US to regularly give antibiotics to livestock to prevent herd infections. The problem is that those animals are slaughtered and the beef, chicken, and pork full of those antibiotics is ingested by humans. Cows are regularly given hormone injections in order to produce more milk.
Guess what that does to your immune and endocrine systems when you eat meat or drink milk?
No, I'm not a vegetarian, but I fortunately live in Canada where hormone injections are forbidden and the only time an animal is given antibiotics is when an infection is actually present. If it's a cow with mastitis, the milk is thrown out and the cow is only then given meds until the infection clears.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)Antibiotics in their feed somehow gave the calves a growth spurt. Now, my knowledge of this is entirely hearsay and I never raised calves for meat, but when buying feed for my horse foals, there were certain varieties that were not recommended for them. Horses tended to get diarrhea from those feeds so we avoided them.
That practice may have been discontinued because of the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria - I have not heard of livestock feed with antibiotics for years.
brewens
(13,598 posts)that need to be made to deal with these things happening. The way I see it, we could be in for these shutdowns and precautions every decade. There has to be a way to deal with it without millions of people being ruined every time. That won't benefit the 1%. They know that and will want to stop it.
cstanleytech
(26,299 posts)this shit up.
dem4decades
(11,297 posts)Hopefully.
SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)Let's see, it's summer here in New York, so it must be summer in Florida, Texas and Arizona too. I guess our preznit was wrong again! Don't count on seasons changing to make any virus go away. I'm never leaving my house again!
appalachiablue
(41,150 posts)msongs
(67,421 posts)Ziggysmom
(3,409 posts)"For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."
Pythagoras
JudyM
(29,251 posts)Response to JudyM (Reply #20)
CatLady78 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Coventina
(27,129 posts)Sadly, selfishness and cruelty win out.
bucolic_frolic
(43,204 posts)that said forget the fever, the universal COVID symptom was diarrhea. Tough to stay warm for the flu with diarrhea.
RhodeIslandOne
(5,042 posts)We are told it's a respiratory virus, so why would diarrhea be the big reveal?
bucolic_frolic
(43,204 posts)Yes diarrhea is reported in about 25% of cases. News to me. The post I referred to was from a nurse who said it was 'the' tell in her facility. I think the post was on Twitter, but it could have been (re)posted here.
Strelnikov_
(7,772 posts)cstanleytech
(26,299 posts)pandemic I am honestly not freaking out as the spread will probably be greatly slowed.
SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)And except for not seeing my grandchildren, I'd be alright with that.
Skittles
(153,169 posts)yes indeed
marie999
(3,334 posts)and at least a third won't get the Covid-19 vaccine if there ever is one.
Skittles
(153,169 posts)marie999
(3,334 posts)But you might want to watch Fauci's interview with Elizabeth Cohen on CNN a couple of nights ago. It is not optimistic.
yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)deadly. I know I am washing my hands more frequently and more thoroughly than before COVID..
I'm reading that COVID is changing rather rapidly. It could end up that we have to get an updated COVID vaccine every year just as we do flu shots now. It makes sense if it starts morphing into new strains
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)But it will be remembered for one great thing. Americans will reject trump.