Word: viruses
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Your interesting article on swine flu notes the bizarre fact that the virus is spreading more in Britain than other European countries [Aug. 24]. No one knows why. But in Britain, anyone can phone the government's special flu line and say that they have a cough and fever. A member of the nonclinical staff will issue a week off work and a free packet of Tamiflu. Rumors of abuse are rife. Still baffled? Dr. Marcus Lester, BENFLEET, ENGLAND...
Swine Flu's Revenge The H1N1 virus reminds me of the SARS epidemic that hit Hong Kong and South China in 2003, but with possibly more dangerous implications [Aug. 24]. Whenever there's the threat of a wider pandemic, it seems our scientists cannot cope easily with the task of dealing with the disease and eradicating it. The virus' rapid ability to mutate and evolve is indeed scary. I fear for what's next. Jane Carla Yu, Manila...
...H1N1 pandemic across the world is testing all nations in their preparedness to combat the spread of the virus. Prevention, as we all know, is surely better than desperately seeking a cure, and schools may soon become the breeding ground for a deadlier strain of the virus. As a precautionary measure, all nations should shut down schools till some sort of herd immunity is attained. Let's understand that it is more practical to safeguard our children in our homes against the upsurge of swine flu than it is to subject them to contamination in public. The swine-flu pandemic...
...course, no H1N1 has been detected in any actual swine in the U.S., and even if it were, Vilsack stressed - his voice sometimes betraying a how-many-times-must-I-repeat-this weariness - people could not get sick by eating infected pork. H1N1 is not a hog-specific virus, Vilsack reminded reporters. "Swine flu has been present in the United States for 80 years," he said. "But H1N1 is different. It's a novel flu strain. Its genetic makeup is unique. The virus is connected to strains from three species - avian, human and swine. Unfortunately, the media gravitated toward...
...Agriculture Secretary does concede that the absence of the virus among American hogs so far does not mean that the herds will remain clean. He reported government scientists have thus developed a master seed strain of H1N1 that they are making available to five veterinary-drug makers that can prepare vaccines to be rolled out if and when any herds come down sick. "By making the seed virus, we estimate we've saved two to four months of development time. We hope the manufacturers will now make the vaccine," said Vilsack. The Agriculture Department is also stepping up surveillance efforts...