Word: viruses
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...that in our fleeting interaction with the machines, we have to be made confident they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. We don’t, for the most part, trust our computers. We save often, we’re told to run virus-scanning software—and still, we hear stories about lost theses and long treks in the snow to find working printers. But I think it’s quite clear at this point that while it takes a few days (and maybe a letter grade...
Ultimately, however, the only way to make flu-vaccine supplies more reliable may be to get rid of the chicken eggs. Several companies are studying methods of growing the virus in mammalian-cell cultures, and at least one biotech company is experimenting with using genetic-engineering techniques to streamline the process even further. But this kind of research takes a lot of resources and may lead to vaccines that are even more expensive to produce. In any event, the newer production techniques probably wouldn't be available for at least a decade...
...that as it may, it does not mean college students, who are frequently under stress, sleep-deprived, concentrated in tight living arrangements, prone to unhealthy diets, and likely to share beverages, are in any way immune from the virus. On the contrary, these habits make students especially at risk to catch the flu—and although young people are obviously more likely to recover than their elder counterparts, a nasty case of the flu in the middles of a busy semester is surely not consequence-free...
...vaccinated, how can I protect myself? FluMist, a nasal-spray vaccine based on a weakened live virus, might be an option if your immune system is healthy. (The manufacturer lowered its price last week and plans to double its supply.) Antiviral medicines like Tamiflu may also help. Since you can be contagious from a day before you get sick to a week after symptoms appear, you should wash your hands often and cover your mouth when you cough. If you do get sick, stay home at the first sign of illness...
...bird-flu virus manages to become easily transmittable between humans, the world could be in for a health catastrophe approaching the "Spanish flu" pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 40 million people. But by week's end, health officials were relieved to discover that the disease had apparently failed to spread beyond the small family cluster. (Somsak's wife and six-year-old son were both quarantined in a provincial hospital with bird-flu symptoms, and his son has recovered.) The human-to-human transmission "is a nonsustained, inefficient, dead-end street," says Dr. Klaus Stohr, head...