Here's a good example of the dangers of politicians withholding information on potentially deadly infections. SARS spread to Toronto which resulted in a WHO travel advisory on the place. Given that tourism makes up a big part of Toronto's income, this was bad. Shortly afterwards, the politicians said that the threat had abated, all was OK-and ignored the people on the front lines-the doctors and nurses-who said that there were still people reporting symptoms of SARS. The result? A second flare up which resulted in more deaths.
That said, however, talking about preventing future animal-to-human "jumps" by sequestering the two a bit better especially in places like rural Asia is a bit much. My sister-in-law, who spent time in Taiwan and China, made a good point when she said that if you look at the abject poverty that these people live in and the animals are often amongst their few material possessions, it seems a bit much to suggest that the chickens and ducks should get the luxuries while the people continue to wallow in poverty.
As for my take on H5N1...well, you know, I'm glad that someone is yelling about it and making us aware of the *possible* scenarios and consequences. They may never come into play-and I hope they don't-but at least people are aware of it.
|