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Concern about the bird flu pandemic is spreading quickly. Recently the center of the disease, previously limited to China and Southeast Asia, shifted to Turkey and the Middle East. It was reported in Greece, Italy and Slovenia. And now, Germany and Austria reported infected birds, bringing the number of European Union countries that are affected up to five. This is a major threat to human life on Earth. At the same time, it is also an unusual opportunity to prepare and protect society from the worst-case scenario. The Bird Flu’s Recent Introduction In Africa This is the event that world health care officials have been fearing — praying it could be prevented or at least delayed. Now it has happened. The Washington Post said: “In the worst possible case scenario the H5N1 virus was detected this month in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and one of its poorest. “If there was a country least equipped to deal with avian flu, Nigeria is at the top of the World Health Organization list. It has weak veterinary and public health infrastructures and a very large and poor population that depends on poultry for food.” The same can be said for most of southern Africa. There are few health care facilities on the continent, fewer trained health care workers and, except perhaps for countries like Egypt and South Africa, no labs that can facilitate early detection. That means that vast, densely-populated regions are fertile breeding grounds for the disease. The Biggest Concern The ordinary, seasonal influenza virus is also widespread in Africa ... also poorly detected, and also poorly reported. Therefore ...
That’s when the danger of a human pandemic will be the greatest. And that’s when the fear-reactions around the world will suddenly intensify. Governments and companies all over the world are spending fortunes in a desperate drive to prepare for the bird flu pandemic. This is our chance to help. No, the world is not going to come to an end. The global economy will not fall into a century of dark ages. We can get past this. But, anyone who tells you it’s “no big deal” is sorely mistaken.
Asia, and now Africa, are giant breeding grounds for this deadly virus — exploding population growth, poor hygiene, poverty, overcrowding ... lack of proper sanitation, spotty communication networks and lack of health care facilities.
Fortunately, it will not be the end of the world. The reason: The greater the fear factor of the bird flu peril, the more successful the efforts will be to prevent the bird flu peril. There will be no lack of fear. There will be a global panic — in financial markets, at ports of entry, and in virtually every city across the globe. The result: Devastating shutdowns in the global economy.
Politicians, health officials and bankers around the world are acutely aware that there could be an ultimate disaster, including the massive, global economic shutdown. So are top CEOs at the world’s largest companies. They have no choice but to prepare for the worst, just like they did for the much-publicized Y2K scare. They will spend whatever money is necessary to make sure the world survives the avian flu crisis.
The threat of a full blown, catastrophic pandemic is so real and so terrifying, that world leaders cannot afford to make mistakes. They must do anything and everything possible to slash the risk of the avian flu pandemic’s consequences. If
They Don’t Do Enough to Stop A Pandemic, Then Here’s the First, avian flu could be almost everywhere in days. World health leaders fear that the bird flu peril could pop up in hundreds of cities around the world with shocking speed. Advanced countries, including the U.S., would not be spared. In fact, the more affluent and mobile a population, the more likely it is to be hit early. Big cities with international airports would be among the first. Back in 1918, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50 million at a time when the world population was much smaller and it took days and even weeks to travel between continents. Now, millions of globe-trotting travelers are traveling around the world in less than 24 hours. Moreover, the avian flu is currently 25 times more lethal than the Spanish flu, killing about half of those infected with the virus. Even if it weakens, it’s likely to be far deadlier than the Spanish flu which killed 2 people out of every 100 that were infected. Second, as many as 150 million could die. In a worst-case scenario, the first few hundred cases would explode quickly to a few thousand. And then, almost overnight, there would be a full-blown pandemic with hundreds of thousands dying daily, hospitals and health care facilities overwhelmed and forced to turn away the sick. .The dead left unburied by workers who refuse to touch the infected bodies. Third, life and commerce as we know it would grind to a halt. Panicked governments around the world would close border crossings and sea ports, impose draconian travel restrictions, shut down airports, bus depots and train stations. Subways would stop running, commuter trains would be cancelled ... truck terminals would be shut down ... delivery of food, gasoline and heating oil would cease. Even for the healthy, life as we know it would grind to a halt. Fortune 500 corporations would be forced to suspend work or shut down entirely. Meanwhile, their sales would plunge: The more consumers that are home sick or dying, the less money they could spend. The housing bubble would burst as millions of Americans would miss mortgage payments. Banks would freeze nearly all new lending. Conservative estimates of the economic consequences of a pandemic range from $500 billion to over $800 billion in the U.S. alone. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says it will be $675 billion. But these figures include just the direct impacts — hospitalizations, vaccines, and health care costs. They don’t factor in the chain reaction of disruptions to critical supplies and services. Meanwhile, the White House has warned that it could kill up to 1.9 million Americans and infect one in three. That means roughly 90 million Americans too sick to function. Lets pray they’re wrong. And let’s hope these dire prophecies galvanize world leaders into doing what it takes to prevent the worst of the prophecies from coming true. Judy Brown is a researcher and staff writer for http://www.lifenatural.com. She has a writing and research focus in the areas of the environment, weight loss and health issues relating to effective natural product treatments for ailments. Article ©2006 Life Miracle Products, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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