Swine Flu

[Kattarina98]

by the way does anybody know why don't muslims eat pork? somebody told me that because pigs eat dead flesh :S

There is a really fascinating book which deals - among other subjects - with the birth of taboos. It is called "the Golden Bough", author was Sir James Frazer. He shows how in antiquity there was a swine goddess, you were not allowed to eat pork - however, on the holiday of the goddess, you ritually ate pork, symbolical union with the goddess.

Frazer (1854 - 1941) painstakingly researched the origins of religions and MUST have reached the conclusion that all religions are superstitous. However, he cowardly makes his bow to the Anglican God at the end of his book.

 

[Garden]

"No. This virus is named swine flu because one of its surface proteins is most similar to viruses that usually infect pigs, and the whole thing is of a type that has been spreading in North American pigs for years. But this particular virus is spreading in people and we don't yet know if it infects pigs. In any case, cooking kills the virus. Wash your hands after handling meat." Article from newscientist.com. Here is the link to the article
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17026-swine-flu-what-you-need-to-know.html

So swine flu is a good name for it, fuck the people that are offended by it, not gonna please everybody. They should just grow up and quite complaining about something that has nothing to do with them. Seriously its the name of a flu. Maybe if they named it "There Is No God Flu" they might have a god damn case.

But ya that website has a couple decent articles if your interested in swine flu.

 

[Kattarina98]

German farmers are lobbying to rename the flu - consumers eat not only less pork but less meat in general - they are afraid they might get the flu. Goes to show how badly science in schools is needed.

 

[Sparky]

We have it in New Zealand now. 3 people in Auckland have been confirmed and 2 people from my Hall of Residence we placed in quarantine as they were on the same plane as the 3 Auckland students. It was a little unnerving that it could have been where I live already!

 

[Kattarina98]

Don't be too scared - we have three cases in Germany now, all patients are already on the mend, the symptons were those of a minor common flu. Sadly to say, in less wealthy and healthy countries there will be a death toll.

 

[Sparky]

Don't be too scared - we have three cases in Germany now, all patients are already on the mend, the symptons were those of a minor common flu. Sadly to say, in less wealthy and healthy countries there will be a death toll.

I agree. New Zealand is in a good situation with a decent reserve of TamiFlu which is designed to combat the H5N1 avian flu but is apparently effective against the H1N1 swine flu. However if Thunderf00t is to be believed it is young adults who are most at risk (see his video on the swine flu). This is a little worrying as I am a young adult at 20 years of age and in an environment ideal for the spread of disease ie. university.

 

[Shapeshifter]

Unless this hasn't been said already:

The swine flu is mostly "just yet another flu". The flu kills around 500'000 people per year world wide (around 36'000 in the US). While this is tragic, it's nothing out of the ordinary. I can't believe how people are panicking exactly as with the bird flu. Millions of people buying tamiflu for practically nothing. Afaik, there has not been a single flu virus been observed that couldn't be treated with a form of antibiotic. There's problems with secondary infections or death by Cytokine, but the flu itself, being swine flu, bird flu or any other flu, poses very little danger to individuals in good health with access to treatment. Of course in poor countries a lack of treatment will cause many deaths, as the flu - when not treated - is indeed a dangerous desease.

But I'm so sick of people freaking out because of yet another flu. If I'll get the flu, hell I'll have to spend some time at home, take fever reducing medication and maybe some antibiotics, but there is no reason to be worried. I'm actually surprised that Thunderf00t didn't stress a rational view of things. Yes, the flu has global impact, it kills lots of people, it even has inpact on global economics. But the flu is a _regularly occuring desease_. Stop freaking out about it.

 

[Epicion]

Do link me to any videos that muslims make about how "Allah warns us about this" etc, sorry to say most muslims are not educated.

-AmazingMuslim

 

[Aught3]

@Shapeshifter
I doubt you'll need any antibiotics - they don't work on viruses.

 

[Shapeshifter]

I doubt you'll need any antibiotics - they don't work on viruses.

woops, I'm ashamed
I got it totally wrong. What I meant was adamantanes and inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase, last of which work on swine flu viruses. But again, in most cases you won't even need such medication to recover from swine flu.

 

[ebbixx]

It's very simple really:

 

[enterman]

well this doesn't sound good:

 

[ImprobableJoe]

German farmers are lobbying to rename the flu - consumers eat not only less pork but less meat in general - they are afraid they might get the flu. Goes to show how badly science in schools is needed.

American pig farmers are lucky no one is calling this the Smithfield Swine Flu yet, considering the fact that the biggest outbreak that I've heard of so far is a few miles from a Smithfield pig slaughtering factory in Mexico.

 

[Shapeshifter]

I just realized why I said "Antibiotics" earlier, and why I associated them with influenza. The flu is usually fought of by the bodies own defenses if it is in good shape. Problem is, that the already weakened immune system can't cope with secondary bacterial infections like bacterial pneumonia. These are being treated with antibiotics.

 

[Jotto999]

I was a bit confused by Thunderf00t's videos on the swine flu. He seemed to think this could be very dangerous, a pandemic even. But it only kills a fraction of the people who get infected with it, mainly babies and the elderly, or anyone with a particularly weak immune system. Other than that...your chances of being killed are very low. So what's the deal? Why is he making this out to potentially be a big deal?

 

[PuppetXeno]

I was a bit confused by Thunderf00t's videos on the swine flu. He seemed to think this could be very dangerous, a pandemic even. But it only kills a fraction of the people who get infected with it, mainly babies and the elderly, or anyone with a particularly weak immune system. Other than that...your chances of being killed are very low. So what's the deal? Why is he making this out to potentially be a big deal?

Because he got caught up in the mass hysteria, and he loves to make videos...

 

[GoodKat]

Because he got caught up in the mass hysteria, and he loves to make videos...

No, as revealed by encyclopedia dramatica, tf00t is an advanced space alien who visits earth every couple hundred years to impart his wisdom, so obviously, he knows something we don't.

 

[Josan]

I was a bit confused by Thunderf00t's videos on the swine flu. He seemed to think this could be very dangerous, a pandemic even. But it only kills a fraction of the people who get infected with it, mainly babies and the elderly, or anyone with a particularly weak immune system. Other than that...your chances of being killed are very low. So what's the deal? Why is he making this out to potentially be a big deal?

Because it could potentially be a big deal. He wanted to stress how important it was to do effective meassures early on, and he wanted to show potentially dangerous it could be if it ever became a pandemic. As he said, "knowledge enables prevention".

 

[Elypsis]

I was a bit confused by Thunderf00t's videos on the swine flu. He seemed to think this could be very dangerous, a pandemic even. But it only kills a fraction of the people who get infected with it, mainly babies and the elderly, or anyone with a particularly weak immune system. Other than that...your chances of being killed are very low. So what's the deal? Why is he making this out to potentially be a big deal?

Because the normal flu kills mainly babies and the elderly, this flu is dangerous for people ages 25-45. And he is probably making a big deal out of it because if we are prepared if precautions are made it won't be serious.

 

[Jotto999]

Because it could potentially be a big deal. He wanted to stress how important it was to do effective meassures early on, and he wanted to show potentially dangerous it could be if it ever became a pandemic. As he said, "knowledge enables prevention".

Because the normal flu kills mainly babies and the elderly, this flu is dangerous for people ages 25-45. And he is probably making a big deal out of it because if we are prepared if precautions are made it won't be serious.

Oh okay, in that case, that makes sense then. Thanks.