gregxy
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Bird Flu ??
This is not really Chemistry but pretty closely related.
I wonder what has happened to the bird flu?
There isn't much news on it lately. Normally a new
disease like this will mutate untill it is less deadly to its host,
and at the same time the host mutates to become resistant
to the disease, then the disease just becomes a minor
nusance or even harmless to the host. I wonder if this has
happened? Of course just because it may now be harmless
to birds does not mean that it may not be deadly to humans,
if it ever does mutate to become easily transmissable
between humans.
There was also a big issue over Tamiflu and a shortage of
scymic (sp) acid to make it. I think they found a nother source
of scymic acid than star anise, but I don't know if the
effectiveness of Tamiflu was ever proven.
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Sauron
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It's a big problem still.
If you are a bird.
It's a nonzero risk if you are a poultry worker but still quite remote in most regions.
No it has not mutated away.
And there have been some human deaths but not many.
The WHO wants to scare everyone into giving them money so they can waste it as usual.
The news media of course like nothing better than a good medical scare story like this. So they always hype them up.
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Darkblade48
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It's interesting to note that studies have shown that oseltamivir (Tamiflu) isn't that effective in treating H5N1. This also goes for zanamivir
(Relenza).
However, new studies have shown that peramivir is effective against H5N1. Only time can tell if it'll be marketed though.
All of these drugs are just neuraminidase inhibitors, but I suppose each drug has various efficacies.
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Sauron
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Those might be useful for poultry workers or people who live near poultry farms or ar otherwise at risk. But Tamiflu (whether or not it is effective)
was greatly overhyped, for general population use, as part of the "axis of bullshit" between the news media and the WHO on this subject.
The great H5N1 pandemic has NOT materialized. Widespread human infection has NOT occured. A whole lot of poultry has been culled.
You haven't read much about SARS lately either have you? Another product of the "axis of bullshit." A lot more dangerous than H5N1 (to humans)
especially if you are ethnically Chinese. Or live in a Chinese community. (China, HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Macao, Chinatowns in Europe and Australia and
No.America.)
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Twospoons
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Interestingly, the humble Elderberry (sambuccas nigra (sp?)) is supposed to have good general anti-viral activity, as does St.John's Wort (Hypericum).
So there may be no real need for expensive anti-virals from the likes of Roche.
Next time I get a cold, I'll try my homemade elderberry schnapps - anti-viral or not, I'm bound to feel better 
[Edited on 16-5-2007 by Twospoons]
Helicopter: "helico" -> spiral, "pter" -> with wings
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Pyridinium
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Sauron
You haven't read much about SARS lately either have you? Another product of the "axis of bullshit." |
Sauron you have a way with words that I must say I envy.
Sentiments agreed, of course. A lot of this bird flu is obvious hype.
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tito-o-mac
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Now there's a report that the pigs could transport bird flu too...
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