How to help spread a viral disease?

[woolybanana]

Well, imagine the stupidity of some countries. We have a potential pandemic on our hands and need to stop the spread. So what do we do in France? Well, there are still flights coming into C de G from China virtually unchecked daily, and now what, we have a football match between Lyons and Juventus with 3000 travelling Italian fans.

The frontiers with Italy have been shut in some cases but football goes ahead. Money above all?

Hmmmmm, well, we have put off our holiday to Italy for the moment as the places we would be going seem to be shut down.

I always thought pangolins had it in for us humans. Seems reasonable as we eat them.

[idun]

I don't get any of this either.

[Mac]

Don't know if I'm a realist or fatalist but I don't get all the extreme panic. More people die from other infectious diseases every year. Why don't we panic about those?

[idun]

Had an interesting conversation last night with a friend about this very thing.

We both had lots of suggestions. And the main ones were that at the moment we stand more chance of dying of flue, or being in a major traffic accident and killed than catching this.

And now I am thinking about Dirty Harry's 'do you feel lucky' and I suppose that is life. I sometimes do the lottery, and I suppose that in spite of the odds being well and truly stacked against me, I sort of hope that it is my turn.

Trouble is that 'turns' can be bad 'uns as well as good 'uns..... so who knows, certainly not going to worry about it.

[woolybanana]

Well, both my partner and I feel lucky but then again, there is no point in walking where snipers are known to operate just to try and discover whether they are still active. Or sticking your fingers in the lion’s mouth to see if his teeth are sharp! Or poking a wasps nest with a stick to see if it still in use, even though the buzzing sound might be coming from it or from elsewhere.?

[idun]

Now would we ever know where 'snipers' are? What a thought, stealthy shooters and can shoot from what, at least a couple of kms away, and probably further. And if one goes rogue, no one is actually 'safe'? are they![:D]

And that is one thing we didn't consider last night during our natter about other things that were risky.

Life is just full of risks.

I always err on being practical about what ever situation I am in, but viruses, well, a random sneezer etc etc and we can be cautious as we like, we still have to breath in, and so far I haven't seen anyone in a mask here.

[pip24]

China is also being devastated by pig flu but its hardly mentioned in the news. Could there be a connection?

[Gardian]

Whilst I’m certainly with the ‘Don’t Panic’ brigade over all this, I equally don’t think that we can afford to be too blasé.

It’s pretty clear that this could pop up just about anywhere and place an area in complete ‘lockdown’. BTW, that comment applies to the UK, here in France, or anywhere else. ‘Just-in-Time’ logistics for food and other supplies make absolute sense, but a situation like this leaves a hot spot rather vulnerable.

Yes, mortality rates are happily quite low and quite probably no worse than Winter influenza, but which of us wants to test the numbers? Certainly not us - Mrs G takes an immuno-suppressant medication, and is thus just a bit vulnerable!

This nasty business has got plenty of time to run I’d say.

[idun]

And that is a timely reminder for me gardian....... I too take an immuno suppressant medication..... [Www]

[Judith-aka-Judith]

And it seems that what they doing in Tenerife reflects what they did on the Diamond Princess, and we know how that speeded up the catching it rates, don't we?

[cajal]

[quote user="Judith-aka-Judith"]And it seems that what they doing in Tenerife reflects what they did on the Diamond Princess, and we know how that speeded up the catching it rates, don't we?[/quote]

I watched a news report, this morning from Tenerife, where a woman and family (two children, husband and inlaws.) have very sensibly self quarantined themselves in their rooms.

Cut to poolside: moorons laying on recliners in swimwear and facemasks.

Cut to restaurant serving area: moorons queuing for food wearing face masks.

Cut to dining area: moorons consuming food, face mask either hanging around their neck or perched on their head.

Give me strength!

[Mac]

Well apparently face masks are completely useless anyway. And even if you self quarantine someone has to prepare your food-how fo you know they aren't infected?

[mint]

I agree with you about the face masks, Mac.  How on earth are they going to protect you?  This is  an air borne disease, so you are still breathing the air around the edges of the mask and even through the flimsy, paper mask?[:-))]

I suppose if you could get old of one and are strong enough to lug it around and can find a replacement when yours expires, you can have a diving mask attached to an air tank?[I]