It is a luxury of America’s power and historical sacrifice that such leaders can come to power and not destroy the hand that feeds them. But everything has a limit.

And nature’s limits on human greed and stupidity are amongst the most severe, the most righteous, and the most dramatic. AIDS?

Irresponsible behavior and the arrogant Greek God complex that says “I can do whatever I want without a care in the world” has always had negative consequences.

And in the end, Book, we will all pay for the follies of a few. Just as an entire army will be defeated and crucified because of bad officers and somebody who ran instead of holding the shield wall, thereby causing a mass panic and rout where victory may have been right in reach.

The Greek Gods were said to punish the guilty, the avaricious, the arrogant, and those with hubris with insanity, calamity, and destructive demands.

In our day, the punishments still exist, except the Greek Gods have become flawed humans. Just like they were back in Ancient Greece. No real change there.

I agree that flies are probably a bogus threat. Still, we’re talking about Mexico here. How aggressive are they about pollution from the manure lagoons? How aggressive about workers’ sanitation? I know that hogs are very sensitive to various diseases, and due to the conditions they’re raised in they’re also very susceptible to disease spread – so the farmers have to be very rigorous about cleanliness. The problem I see is that education levels of farm workers are likely to be low, and without education about _why_ sanitation practices need to be followed, people tend to ignore them if they aren’t being observed/checked on. So I do think it’s possible that worker negligence could be a factor – as well as just plain pollution problems.

They claim in the story that flies are the vector of transmission. I suppose that’s possible, but then flies would be known to be a vector of ANY flu. I think they’re just looking to blame a big company they don’t like… just my opinion.

Today’s statistic: I heard that 30,000 people in the USA die from one of the “regular flus” every year. So, at what point should I become concerned about this new flu virus, swine or not? At zero deaths, I’m just not very concerned at this point.

1. Secretary of Health in Mexico knows less than nothing.
2. They have not followed up with home visits to the initial victims nor given extended family members antibiotics.
3. Cannot provide statistics of age/gender of deceased, etc.

Is it possible that they are not sending all the drugs to the US, but are smoking most of the reefer in-house.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/lt_swine_flu_mexico

Feeling a bit paranoid suek at Level 4 today.

Read Obama’s comment and then Besser’s. I am betting on Dr. Besser being more in touch with reality.
In the meantime, I went to to the dentist today and asked the hygienist for a couple of surgical masks, just in case.

Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. That move could lead governments to set trade, travel and other restrictions aimed at limiting its spread.

Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.

It could take 4-6 months before the first batch of vaccines are available to fight the virus, WHO officials said.

Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said they would quarantine visitors showing symptoms of the virus amid global fears of a pandemic, an epidemic spread over a large area, either a region or worldwide.

President Barack Obama said the outbreak was reason for concern, but not yet “a cause for alarm.”

Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that so far the virus in the United States seems less severe than in Mexico. Only one person has been hospitalized in the U.S.

“I wouldn’t be overly reassured by that,” Besser told reporters at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, raising the possibility of more severe cases in the United States.

“We are taking it seriously and acting aggressively,” Besser said. “Until the outbreak has progressed, you really don’t know what it’s going to do.”

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-25-swine-flu-smithfield/

All the cases in the usa (and in europe and canada) have recovered. No one has died.

My question:
Of the people who fell ill who have recovered, how many of them recovered on their own, versus received anti-viral medication and then recovered? For those who received anti-viral medication, how much time passed after they got sick before they received the medication?

thanks in advance!