28 Days Later - Coronavirus

[CaptainElf]

I don't want to panic anyone, but

 

 

Virus in the air + TT 2013 = ??

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22502143

 

Are there any concerns from the government & TT organisers with people travelling through Europe to get to the IOM?

 

[GD4ELI]

The bigger danger is IOM residents going on foreign holidays - was on MR last week with the chief honcho from Noble's

[HeliX]

35 people in a year doesn't sound exceptionally dangerous.

[victorian dad]

Here we go again, I can't get down the street for Ebola, Bird Flu & Mad Cow victims lying in the road,

[CaptainElf]

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE !!!!

[prism10]

Here we go again, I can't get down the street for Ebola, Bird Flu & Mad Cow victims lying in the road,

Now we finally know why the chicken cross the road!

[victorian dad]

[Lxxx]

We have a perfectly good immune system which is pretty robust at repelling most nasties in the western world. The problem is most people choose to abuse their body, hence weakening the immune system and still expect it to work perfectly when needed.

[Chinahand]

Lxxx - it really isn't true that we have good immune systems - life has always been close to a draw in the arms race between microbes and their hosts.

 

MSRA, antibiotic resistant TB etc can take the strongest, healthiest people and reduce them down to dying husks. The modern world keeps microbes at bay by excluding them - good sanitation and hygiene - and through having the medical knowledge and medicines to keep you functioning while blasting them out of existence - re-hydrating drips, antibiotics, anti-virals etc.

 

When a bug is able to evade germicides, is resistant to medicine, and is able to spread easily (say through the air) it is often irrelevant how well fed and strong you are.

 

We don't have perfectly good immunes systems good at repelling most nasties in the western world. Rather we are lucky enough to avoid most nasties and get good care when we catch them. Anyone who's back-backed any where outside the west quickly learns how poor our immune systems are repelling nasties.

 

Bugs which spread easily, are virulent and which we don't have medicines to counteract them are often deadly even with advanced health care and when the person infected is well fed, and healthy.

[Lxxx]

Lxxx - it really isn't true that we have good immune systems - life has always been close to a draw in the arms race between microbes and their hosts.

 

MSRA, antibiotic resistant TB etc can take the strongest, healthiest people and reduce them down to dying husks. The modern world keeps microbes at bay by excluding them - good sanitation and hygiene - and through having the medical knowledge and medicines to keep you functioning while blasting them out of existence - re-hydrating drips, antibiotics, anti-virals etc.

 

When a bug is able to evade germicides, is resistant to medicine, and is able to spread easily (say through the air) it is often irrelevant how well fed and strong you are.

 

We don't have perfectly good immunes systems good at repelling most nasties in the western world. Rather we are lucky enough to avoid most nasties and get good care when we catch them. Anyone who's back-backed any where outside the west quickly learns how poor our immune systems are repelling nasties.

 

Bugs which spread easily, are virulent and which we don't have medicines to counteract them are often deadly even with advanced health care and when the person infected is well fed, and healthy.

Oh dear.

[wrighty]

Lxxx - it really isn't true that we have good immune systems - life has always been close to a draw in the arms race between microbes and their hosts.

 

MSRA, antibiotic resistant TB etc can take the strongest, healthiest people and reduce them down to dying husks. The modern world keeps microbes at bay by excluding them - good sanitation and hygiene - and through having the medical knowledge and medicines to keep you functioning while blasting them out of existence - re-hydrating drips, antibiotics, anti-virals etc.

 

When a bug is able to evade germicides, is resistant to medicine, and is able to spread easily (say through the air) it is often irrelevant how well fed and strong you are.

 

We don't have perfectly good immunes systems good at repelling most nasties in the western world. Rather we are lucky enough to avoid most nasties and get good care when we catch them. Anyone who's back-backed any where outside the west quickly learns how poor our immune systems are repelling nasties.

 

Bugs which spread easily, are virulent and which we don't have medicines to counteract them are often deadly even with advanced health care and when the person infected is well fed, and healthy.

 

Lxxx's 'Oh dear' riposte isn't particularly convincing, but I have to say I'm probably more with him on this than your pessimistic viewpoint China.

 

The fact is that TB, in particular, is a disease of debility - overcrowding, undernourishment etc. It's not immunisation that's improved TB rates it's living standards. Immunity obviously helps - look at TB rates in AIDS to be convinced by that - but the fact is that a fit and healthy adult is unlikely to contract TB without something else going on.

 

As for MRSA - it's a pretty weak bug, a large number of people carry it harmlessly, and it's only a nuisance if it gets into your hip replacement or if you are debilitated in some way and get a systemic infection with it. I, and all other doctors, have been exposed to MRSA on a regular basis for years, with no ill effects.

 

So, whereas sanitation and living standards are important, so is immunity - if you don't have an immune system you get all sorts of weird infections that can quickly kill you.

[Aquarius]

 

 

Lxxx - it really isn't true that we have good immune systems - life has always been close to a draw in the arms race between microbes and

their hosts.

 

MSRA, antibiotic resistant TB etc can take the strongest, healthiest people and reduce them

down to dying husks. The modern world keeps microbes at bay by excluding them - good sanitation and hygiene - and through having the medical knowledge and medicines to keep you

functioning while blasting them out of existence - re-hydrating drips, antibiotics, anti-virals etc.

 

When a bug is able to evade germicides, is

resistant to medicine, and is able to spread easily (say through the air) it is often irrelevant how well fed and strong you are.

 

We don't have perfectly good immunes systems good at repelling most nasties in the western world. Rather we are lucky enough to avoid most nasties and get good care when we catch them.

Anyone who's back-backed any where outside the west quickly learns how poor our immune systems are repelling nasties.

 

Bugs which spread easily, are virulent and which we don't have medicines to counteract them are often deadly even with advanced health care and when the person infected is well fed, and healthy.

 

Lxxx's 'Oh dear' riposte isn't particularly convincing, but I have to say I'm probably more

with him on this than your pessimistic viewpoint China.

 

The fact is that TB, in particular, is a disease of debility - overcrowding, undernourishment etc. It's not immunisation that's improved TB rates it's living standards. Immunity obviously helps - look at TB rates in AIDS to be convinced by that - but

the fact is that a fit and healthy adult is unlikely to contract TB without something else going on.

 

As for MRSA - it's a pretty weak bug, a large

number of people carry it harmlessly, and it's only a nuisance if it gets into your hip replacement or if you are debilitated in some way and get a systemic infection with it. I, and all other doctors, have been exposed to MRSA on a regular basis for years, with no ill effects.

 

So, whereas sanitation and living standards are important, so is immunity - if you don't have an immune system you get all sorts of weird infections that can quickly kill you.

Oooooo I love it when you talk dirty!

[Chinahand]

Wrighty, are you really not worried about the impact of anti-biotic resistance on the general population as opposed to those who are immuno-compromised?

My understanding is that prior to antibiotics bacterial infections would regularly kill otherwise strong and healthy people. Regularly a person's immune system was not robust enough to fight off such microbes and antibiotics was a primary cause of stopping deaths from opportunistic infections caused by scratches etc.

The more I've read about microbes the more I've come to respect them - their ability to evolve and overcome the body's natural defences to me seem formidable and my understanding is that we live in a very lucky time where antibiotics are effective. It is close to an evolutionary inevitability that this will end and once again microbes will be able multiply only checked by our natural defences.

My understanding is once antibiotics become ineffective there will be significantly higher death rates - such bugs are currently only able to thrive in hospitals - soon the wild type microbe will, through some recombination, also gain the resistance, with what i understand will be tragic consequences.

Or do you disagree?

[2thumbs]

Should we not be more worried about H7N9.

[Matt Bawden]

Should we not be more worried about H7N9.

 

 

I'm more concerned about R2D2, he comes across all cute an' all but he's got lasers