Bird Flu - please help me get this into perspective!

[Octobernow]

I'm normally a rational person who reads up about issues and makes an informed decision. But I admit I'm in a total panic about the prospect of Bird Flu wiping out our children.

I've read all I can and I know what all the experts are saying. I know flu epidemics happen naturally every few decades and that even now, 12,500 each year die from flu anyway. There are as yet no vaccines and, essentially, what will be will be.

But this time I can't seem to get a grip on my feelings about it. I want to run away and wrap my children up and live without ever coming into contact with another living soul (depending on broadband penetration into the outer hebrides, of course)

This is so not like me. Does anyone else feel like this? There seems to be nothing we can do about it until it turns up and not much even then. I'd love to hear some sensible opinions about where bird flu fits in to the general picture of risks we take every day.

completely screws you up when you do that IMHO. Flu, if this happens, will pick off the most vulnerable- therefore you need to be strong and well. That's not a bad recipe for daily life anyway is it? besides, if you go to work when you're ill, you don't know who you could infect... when I was pg a colleague came in with RUBELLA copz 'I don't feel that ill'- she knew I was pg, asked people not to tell me in case I panicked (I was ten weeks). Given that my Mum had a forced termination after several stillbirths because of Rubella, yes I p[anicked! Fortunately my vaccination status was OK, but you get my point (I hope). You never know if kids at school might have immune depressing syndromes or be taking drugs with that effect. It's these kids that suffer.

I agree with the anti bac soap being useless for viruses, but we use it and if (IF IF) the avian flu becomes a real threat, then having a bacterial infection (even a tummy bug) will predispose you to contracting other, possibly viral, infections.

Enid,
My sister has 3 hens and plans on keeping them as free-range as possible. They do have a small barn in which they are housed at night - they have coyotes instead of foxes - and a large wired chicken run that would prevent them from being in contact w/wild birds. The real threat is their being in contact w/wild birds. As Sis and her family spend a great deal of time out in the garden, their plan of action is to let the chickens roam whilst they are in sight of people should worse come to worse.

peachyclairpumpkin i can't believe how that woman could be so selfish and stupid. I have to admit i thought about buying tamiflu off the internet, but a] how can i be sure they are not counterfeit, and b] if you can't give them to children under 12 [is that right? what's the point, as it is my 1 year old i want to protect.

Im with you octobernow
Normaly total rashonal human being but i am total freaked out by this bird flu i think because i had my first baby 8 months ago you just worrie about protecting them and this has turned in to a total overwelming feeling for me !
But i am tying to stay calm just so long as we don't start getting bird flu here i should be ok

Despite reading all this Im still worried about Bird flu....if it does happen...and I am panicked....do I get the choice as to whether or not to send my kids to school or not and if you do get flu how will you know its that flu. Ive got it into my head that if any of us get it we will die and if you do get it no one will want to come and help you or take the kids off for a bit because everyone will be frightened of catching it. I can see the whole country coming to a standstill, followed by an economic crisis.

Ive just also bought 25kilos of wild bird seed to make reindeer food for the Christmas Fayre....do you think people will still be keen on feeding the birds by Christmas?

If the media continue to fuel panic such as they are now, pepsi, then a scenario such as the one you envision could come to pass.

THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN TWO TIMES IN RECENT HISTORY WHEN AN AVIAN FLU COMBINED W/A HUMAN STRAIN TO PRODUCE A PANDEMIC.

Once in 1957 and once in 1968.

The human population as a whole was not severely affected. There was no Black Plague of 1348-50 catastrophe.

In fact, these two types of flu are STILL in the human population. My sister caught one in 1978.

Most viruses follow a curve of attenuation. As time goes on, they become less 'virulent', deadly, as it were. There's no reason to believe H5N1, were it to remain in the avian population only or combine w/a human strain of influenza, will be any different.

Panicing and freaking out helps no one and solves nothing.

Scientific trials for a vaccine are already showing promise. vaccine trials

I don't see what the problem is with appreciating wild birds just now.

For one I never made a point of feeding them b/c it interferes w/their natural abilities to get food for themselves.

But we must remember that only about 100 people have actually contracted H5N1, among millions who live day-to-day, side by side w/live fowl in less than sanitary conditions. It's not an easy virus for a person to contract.

Culling birds will only protract the virus's natural attenuation and exacerbate the problem.

If birdflu does mutate to affect humans the NHS will do exactly what it always does...staff will carry on working their utmost to do their best on a daily basis while the media, government and public complain about uncarng doctors, lazy nurses and dirty hospitals

Then, when it's all over and crisis has been averted doctors will be blamed for a)scaremongering and b) reacting too slowly while politicians congratulate selves on saving the universe again

If you're going to buy Tamiflu buy it though a medical practice not the internet FGS.

DM works at a Doctors surgery (all are private over here) and they have allready ordered some for someone. I am going to enquire out of interest when I get DD's done to Pneumoccocal meningitis. Have to bear in mind that Tamiflu will have a shelf life though.

I really hate seeing Michael Moore's clearly identified culture of fear coming to this country. If I worried about everything that has killed 100 people and had the potential to kill more.. my blood pressure would have killed me instead...

Too right, philippat!

Worst case that they are working on has a lower risk of you or a loved one getting the flu and dying than your dh getting testicular cancer.

Hands up everyone who is loosing sleep because their ds or dh might get testicular cancer?....that will be no-one then. This risk of that is greater than the worst estimated risk of dying of the mutated bird flu that doesn't even exist yet!

Ok! Alright already! I've calmed down!

No, seriously, starting this thread has helped me see beyond the news - went a bit off piste for a while for some reason. As I said, not like me at all. MN comes up trumps again.

glad to hear it, on.

I think the chief medical officer should be sacked over this - there hasn't been a day this week when he hasn't made some doom-laden overblown announcement about it.

Haven't you all heard? It's national scaremongering month!
And anyway, don't worry about a few chickens with a head cold, apparently we are all going to freeze to death this winter anyway.

OMG! Scaremongering month! Why did nobody warn us? It's an outrage!

Just wanted to say thank you to all you wonderful people who have commented on this thread - like Octobernow I was getting a bit (well a lot) paranoid .. keeping things in perspective is the key, I guess.