--- In [email protected], off_world_beings <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > This is not the chicken little > > yk2 shit. The agreement amongst scientist that this is the > > greatest danger humanity has ever faced is universal>>> > > Not true. This is typical mis-quoting. Scientists have said that it > COULD pose the greatest threat, IF it mutates,and then only IF it is > a strain that is effortlessly and easily spread from human to > human, and IF it is deadly in such a scenario. IF all these 4 > hurdles are met, THEN it COULD pose a big threat to society.
However, there seems to be a great deal of agreement among the experts that it is *likely* that all four hurdles will be met. And if they are, the potential consequences would be so devastating that we can't just sit back and say, Well, but it might not happen. > I bet your friend there WAS a true believer in Y2K disaster. I bet > he still has stocks of steamed rice and tinned garbonzo beans left > over from the stockpile he made before Y2k. Maybe. But the difference is that we took very effective measures to *keep* Y2K from being a disaster. Had we not, it could well have been. It wasn't chicken little, but it wasn't chopped liver either. > At worst the bird flu will make it faster to get through shopping > lines in the supermarket due to there being a few less old ladies > who will have moved on to better dimensions and higher worlds of > bliss. Actually bird flu, if it mutates, is more likely to kill off younger people, because it triggers a very severe and uncontrolled immune response so powerful it can end up destroying the lungs. The more vigorous and healthy the immune system is, the more likely this is to happen. This is one reason why the 1918 flu was so devastating. But scientists are currently working on a new drug that has the potential to curb this response. If you'd like to know more, Google the term "cytokine storm." Here's a good place to start, a bit technical but not too bad: http://www.cytokinestorm.com/ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
