Bird Flu Could Halt All Air Travel

[Buff-horns]

Bird flu 'could stop air travel'

International air travel would virtually stop if bird flu triggered a lethal human pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia's health minister has said

And bird-flu prevention teams were fanning out across China's capital to ensure no wild birds were being sold at the city's markets, the Beijing News newspaper reported, after 182 wild birds were found at one market on sale against regulations.

Beijing has banned the sale of wild birds, since it cannot guarantee they haven't come from bird-flu infected areas.

Vietnam reported on Saturday that two people had died after displaying flu-like symptoms in the central Quang Binh province in the past week but no diagnosis could be made because blood samples were taken before they were buried.

Australia's Health Minister Tony Abbott did not directly respond to questions on whether Australia would expel foreigners, close its ports or accept "flu refugees" in the event of a pandemic breaking out in neighbouring Indonesia.

"If there is a pandemic, international travel will almost cease I suspect for a significant period of time," Abbott told Ten Network television. "Regardless of what border controls countries might put on, there will be very few people who'll be wanting to travel."

He said the government would help Australians wanting to return home if there was a global pandemic.

Australia will host an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum of health and disaster officials in the east coast city of Brisbane tomorrow to co-ordinate the international response to a human pandemic that could result from the virulent H5N1 strain of the bird flu mutating into a form easily transmitted between humans.

H5N1 has already killed at least 62 people after jumping from sick birds as well as millions of poultry is Asia since 2003.

The two-day meeting is expected to be the largest ever gathering of the 21 APEC members' chief pandemic disaster managers.

© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2005, All Rights Reserved.

source: thescotsman.com

[Adagio]

A ban on international travel is a perfectly reasonable response of any country to a highly virulent disease epidemic. Any nations that do evacuate their citizens from infected countries would also be wise to quarenteen them. These kinds of restrictions slow the spread of pandemics and give time for vaccinations to be developed, ultimately possibly saving millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of lives worldwwide. The 1918 flu pandemic spread around the world more quickly that might have been usual at that time (of relatively limited international travel) due to the many british commonwealth soldiers returning home after WW1. Travel and quarenteen restrictions saved many lives during the recent Sars mini pandemic which it turns out, tragic as the loss of life was, was an important wake up call.

[daveb1]

Can it wait till after my next trip please! We need to fit all birds with those little face masks that would solve the problem!

[Adagio]

It could be years away, it could be next week. all we can say for sure is it will happen. when it does one of the best and easiest to follow pieces of advice is to wash your hands obsessively and don't touch your face (especially your mouth).

[solo siam]

It could be years away, it could be next week. all we can say for sure is it will happen. when it does one of the best and easiest to follow pieces of advice is to wash your hands obsessively and don't touch your face (especially your mouth).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You cant be sure it would happen, birds and humans have been around together for thousands of years, things have come a long way since 1918 when running water, cleanliness and even paracetamol were not around.

How is washing your hand supposed to stop a virus, they travel mainly through the air.

Lastly how could anyone possibly call SARS even a mini pandemic, it affected about 100 people, More people die every year from swallowing ball point pens than have ever died of SARS.

The Status Quo is the same, viruses mutate, its part of what they do - All this death mongering from the press (with people lapping it up) has caused people to become scared witless by a disease that even in a country where 500 million people live with chickens in/under their houses has caused less deaths in the past year than die every hour in that same country from motorcycle accidents.

Simple application of paracetamol and vitamins early on will be enough for all but the sickest/poorest of people.

[Adagio]

Any epidemiologist will tell you that another flu pandemic WILL hit the world it is just a matter of time. There was running water in Europe in 1918 and all running water improves is hygiene which was the point I was making about washing your hands (some viruses are airbourne, some are not), which side of that argument are you taking?

Sars would have spread much further and caused a lot more deaths if quarantine measures had not been taken. If it had gotten to Africa it could have been much worse. Fortunately it did not infect enough people to allow it to evolve into a more infectious form.

Any new diseases that develop today when there is fast international travel will obviously spread much more quickly. Viruses are not mutating any more quickly but there are a lot more of us around to act as hosts and so sources of infection. We are also all living more densely than ever before.

Having said all this you are right that there are bigger killers. Now that western countries are clamping down on tobacco the cigarette companies are turning their sights on Asia, and if the west does not stop pumping out so much carbon dioxide pollution the whole world is going to go to hel_l!

[cobra]

I was a little jumpy during the whole SARS thing,

I remember that if you showed up coughing and had a temperature they (air carrier) could get you quarantined, had a bit of a scare in Taipei, I was just hung-over, not sick, but they were looking at me.

Hope the Bird Flu doesn't become endemic, I have non-refundable tickets ... Doe !

[WhiteShiva]

How is washing your hand supposed to stop a virus, they travel mainly through the air.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean like HIV? Or hepatitis? West Nile? Ebola?

Me thinks you are talking out of you lower orifice....

[baht&sold]

Bird flu 'could stop air travel'

source: thescotsman.com

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, there goes my bird flu emergency escape plan...

Personally, I'd like to see a shark's fin outbreak that affects only humans who eat shark fin soup, or similarily, rare bear gonad disease, or...

Ok, ok, I agree, a pandemic could happen, possibly in this lifetime but so could a catastrophic quake or nuclear winter even later today. All the more reason to get out there and get on with LIFE

BTW, Buff, how on earth did you come across this on 'thescotsman.com'??? I searched the site (thinking I had discovered your secret source for wacky news clippings;) but only found this

(disclaimer: no offense intended to Jock, or my Gran)

Edited November 8, 2005 by baht&sold