Ed, thanks for the interesting posts. Do you have a sense of whether sanitary conditions are changing in such slums? Can you offer a guess on why such a catastrophic epidemic hasn't occurred as yet? How extensive are current vaccination programs? Is it possible that the conditions you describe produce a heartier sub-population in the slums? I am interested in epidemiology or other natural dynamics that may create genetic differences among peoples.
Cheers, Lawry > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Ed Weick > Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 3:08 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Christoph Reuss > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Epidemics > > > Chris, I wasn't suggesting that free trade is a causative factor in the > spread of disease. The fact that goods and people move around is > a factor, > but I don't see why it wouldn't be even if trade were severely restricted. > People and goods would still move around, if not legally then > illegally. It > reminds me of a lecture I once attended on trade between eastern > and western > Europe during the Cold War. Though illegal, trade continued to be brisk. > The Poles were particularly good at it, bringing all kinds of goods into > eastern Europe via underground networks. As Canute found out, the tides > don't stop just because they are commanded to. And if people and goods > aren't the principal carriers of disease, something else may be, > like fleas > and rats during the bubonic plague, or ticks or mosquitoes, > things that pay > little attention to sealed borders. > > My concern was about huge and growing population clusters, like Sao Paulo, > and the lack of a medical infrastructure that might stand a > chance of coping > with an epidemic. The slum I stayed in was very densely populated and > sanitation was poor. A nearby slum was even worse - indeed, far worse. > There were medical facilities not too far away, but they looked > more able to > spread than contain disease. Turn a virulent disease loose in places like > that and the results could be catastrophic. > > Ed > > Ed Weick > 577 Melbourne Ave. > Ottawa, ON, K2A 1W7 > Canada > Phone (613) 728 4630 > Fax (613) 728 9382 > > > > Ed Weick wrote: > > > Keith and Chris, the prospect is truly frightening. I've spent some > time in > > > a huge, densely crowded slum in Sao Paulo and visited slums in other > second > > > and third world cities. If the kind of disease Keith poses began to > spread, > > > there is absolutely no way it could be stopped or confined. The > > > infrastructure simply isn't there. > > > > Worse, the same global "free" trade that helps the spread of > such diseases > > also helps the spread of slums in the first place. More incentive to > > oppose it... > > > > Wonder if at least the British royals in their newly-built high-security > > rooms will be spared...? > > > > Chris > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
