The Goggle Box, not the Google Box
Mar. 14th, 2006 09:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purpletigronSo, I watched something worthwhile on TV last night: Equinox on bird flu.
The pandemic of 1918 was bird flu. The mortality of 15-24 year olds was 20 times that of the general population, suggesting that many who died in the trenches would otherwise have died of flu. Actually, it's not the bird flu virus which killed - rather, the victims immune system shredded their own lungs, frantically failing to find the virus.
Avian flu infects the bird digestive tract, but needs only one point mutation to infect the human respiratory tract. Mutations are needed on all 8 avian flu virus RNA fragments for human-human airborne transmission - unless it merges directly with a human flu virus.
We've developed potent pharmaceuticals to combat H5N1. But do we have the social sophistication to prevent a pandemic by gettting the drugs to the people who need them?
What else should I watch on TV this week?
The pandemic of 1918 was bird flu. The mortality of 15-24 year olds was 20 times that of the general population, suggesting that many who died in the trenches would otherwise have died of flu. Actually, it's not the bird flu virus which killed - rather, the victims immune system shredded their own lungs, frantically failing to find the virus.
Avian flu infects the bird digestive tract, but needs only one point mutation to infect the human respiratory tract. Mutations are needed on all 8 avian flu virus RNA fragments for human-human airborne transmission - unless it merges directly with a human flu virus.
We've developed potent pharmaceuticals to combat H5N1. But do we have the social sophistication to prevent a pandemic by gettting the drugs to the people who need them?
What else should I watch on TV this week?
