Tuesday, April 28, 2009

More on the Pandemic with the Potential for Food Riots and More for Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Yes, we know some of the media attention to the Pandemic is overblown, and we voted as such on CNN.com's website today. But, our senior editor did happen to lose an aunt during the 1918 flu pandemic - whom he was too young to know, and consequently never met. But the impact of the swine flu is very real, and pandemics present a very real issue of mass fatalities - sometimes in the millions. Supposedly, the 1918 pandemic took 25 million lives, maybe more, maybe less. We're hoping this flu mutates quickly into a non-lethal version (see the link below), and peters out with minimum loss of life. But, pointedly, Dr. Fukuda - is his amazingly boring public statement on the level 4 Pandemic - did not mention that possibility. Or was that simply left out?
Of course, as pointed out by Jack Cafferty on CNN yesterday (sigh, we admit to actually watching Mr. Cafferty from time to time, out of shear boredom...) that 36,000 deaths/fatalities occur each year due to the flu out of an infection rate of some 200,000/annum. The point being, we guess, that the situation is serious, not dreadful. But then, we keep reviewing in our mind, Dr. Fukuda's utterly dreadful video presentation of yesterday regarding the level 4 alert. And we wonder, does the WHO know something we don't?
But, something else that really troubles us is the potential for food riots in the near term. Is the world actually facing a $ 100 million (+ or -) shortfall in world food supplies? Will the pandemic balance out this problem? Or, what exactly should we be hoping for? Remember the news/media stories on food shortages before the global economy went bust? That story just didn't go away - it is still a very serious, real issue.
Swine Flu: Public Health Emergency Declared

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427155739.htm

Public Health Emergency (United States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_health_emergency_(United_States)

Canadian health officials warn against travel to Mexico

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/04/28/health-canada-mexico865.html

Best swine flu strategy: Stay away, everyone

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30442914/

U.S. flu victims may not just be travelers

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682/

Health chief to be confirmed amid crisis

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30450143/

Kathleen Sebelius

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius

More Countries Confirm Swine Flu

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8022437.stm

As Swine Flu Scare Unfolds, Virologist Underscores Need For Research On Animal Pathogens

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427170304.htm

NZ reports first swine flu cases

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8021915.stm

UK prepared for swine flu - Brown

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8021916.stm

Europe braced for spread of flu

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8022958.stm

Israel finds first swine flu case

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8022340.stm

Swine flu spreads to Asia, Middle East

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682/

Some Mexican ill say doctors turned them away

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30434921/

N.B. not prepared for swine flu pandemic: Moncton microbiologist

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/04/28/nb-pandemic-microbiologist-548.html

Mathematical Model Used To Explain Viral Extinction

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090424073905.htm

Salmon Virus With Potential For Change

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421091737.htm

Infectious salmon anaemia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infectious_salmon_anaemia

DNA Of Uncultured Organisms Sequenced Using Novel Single-cell Approach

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422103739.htm

Engineered maize's vitamin boost

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8020925.stm

Zea mays

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zea_mays

Science cash 'to beat food riots'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8020589.stm

Food security

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_security

UK funds sea acidification study

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8021459.stm

Ocean acidification

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification


How Ear Translates Vibrations Into Sounds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423132955.htm

Human ear

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_ear


Biological Basis For The Eight-hour Workday?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423132952.htm

Eight-hour workday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day

Oldest known Sumatran tiger dies at zoo

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30386447/

Panthera tigris sumatrae

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panthera_tigris_sumatrae

Identifying Hyenas By Their Giggle

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090426094329.htm

Crocuta crocuta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocuta_crocuta

Large Sponges May Be Reattached To Coral Reefs

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427144825.htm

Anthozoa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthozoa

Porifera

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porifera

Live-in Domestics: Mites As Maids In Tropical Rainforest Sweat Bee Nests

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420121348.htm

Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_mite

Chihuahua blown one mile by wind gust

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30448774/

Chihuahua

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihuahua_(dog)

Cell phone found in belly of 30-lb cod
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