H5N1-H7NG-H10N8: Flu for you
As a combat veteran I have viewed, however reluctantly, dead bodies piled high and wide. My observations pale into insignificance when we study the great plagues of the world, most notably Europe in the 1300’s, and cycling every other generation on to the great plague of 1655. The worst known plague wiped out at least ½ the world’s population in the 6th century-known as the Justinian plague. This terror contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire. Plague still exists today: India. Asia, South Western USA as examples.
Consider a city of 400,000. You might expect death at the rate of a dozen a week-but when the plague struck people dropped like flies at the rate of hundreds a day.
In our more modern times, now forgotten even in the student’s history books, is the Spanish Flu that killed over 50 million people worldwide. This was more significant than the plagues of Europe; perhaps because the global population of old Europe was less than today.
The Spanish Flue of 1918, following at the end of World War I, started, it seems in this country, at an Army Camp in New Jersey, if my mind still serves me. What is most interesting about the USA Spanish Flu was that it occurred because of a species mutation from pigs to humans. There may have been other specie mutations also in this scenario. The Spanish Flu in this country was devastating with several million people sick, dying and unable to contribute to labor and industry. Following the Spanish flu that disappeared in 1919 a new virus struck in the early 1920’s, probably a variant of the Spanish flu that caused paralysis symptoms, then it to faded after tragic results.
Since there are no real major plagues in modern USA history for the past 90 years we forget. However in charming jungles of Africa therein lurk hemorrhagic viruses such as Ebola, Marborg, small pox and its own variants thought to spread from eating monkey meat (a common food) contaminated with pathogens. These are the world’s worst viruses, and are easily carried by airplane travel in a few hours by an infected person who was exposed, not to the monkey meat, but to someone’s breath, blood, salvia or seaman.
Bubonic plague, the scourge of millions was discovered by a physician named Yersies, and the bacterial disease host that carried the disease was named in his honor: Yersies pesties; the black rat flea. Fleas bite and transmit the bacterium. That is a reason I have so many “barn cats”. They kill mice and rats. Interestingly during the Middle Ages, cats were labeled by the Church as the Devil’s succubus, then hunted and killed. Plague statistics climbed. Ancient Egyptians revered cats.
We live in an age wherein we can span the globe in hours and breath everyone else’s breath. If that person is contaminated with a simple cold, we will probably become infected. Viruses spread easily in a contained public gathering such as an airplane, bus, train, movie theater, etc. Viruses also are carried in animals and currently what concerns this writer is the recent Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement, most notably effecting trade with China, Vietnam, Cambodia and such Asian countries. Partly in small print is the chicken industry in this country turning over this multibillion dollar business, and in effect that China will be growing and sending to us all of the chickens we buy and eat. That includes Chicken Nuggets and every chicken in the freezer. I believe it is best to raise your own chickens.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25849629
Why should I be concerned with turning over this enterprise to a foreign nation; am I incensed at the loss of jobs? Tax revenue lost? No, I am concerned at the standards of health of the birds and the health of the workers and of course sanitary conditions. Most of the dangerous spreading viral flu’s today are from Asia and carried by birds. Chickens are birds.
Bird Flu has been in the news for some years and is just another POO article for most everybody. But if you are in China it is a dead serious contagion and is spreading. This most likely from this writers opinion will spread by 2016 and become the biggest modern plague of mankind simply because this planet is over populated; rapid transcontinental transportation is the medium, and nobody, just nobody, makes preparations for this pandemic which virologists say will spread quickly.
I might suggest an excellent BBC documentary: MODERN BLACK DEATH-THE NEXT PANDEMIC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxk1DI2qX5E
I constantly encounter people of all walks of life, especially teens rejecting “flu shots.” The commentary is that the World Health Organization, Big Pharmaceuticals, The Center for Disease Control, the Medical Profession, are all in cahoots to scam you for your money. Being a teen implies they perceive being invincible. The mindset of ignorance is death.
The thousands of Medical Doctors with decades of training and experience along with the PhD’s laboratory scientists who dedicate their careers towards solving the never ending flu and flu like viruses that make our life miserable, with modern science wage war against another pandemic. That viral or bacterial pandemic might just take you away, then again, so could a sneeze.
Within the series of Back2theland writings, as an herbalist, I have suggested many herbs that may have been of synergist help in the past long before modern Tamiflu and related anti-viral medications. From a historical perspective these herbs may have been a savior to many, but by the same token there enters now in scientific research the subject of geneticists, identifying a gene that in some people provides a definitive protection.
It was noted in the plague years that although most people died off, a few people, no matter how close and unprotected they were, never became ill. This gene that is passed on from the mother gives 50% protection, and if the father has it to pass on, you have another 50% protection. I offer a caveat though, military grade enhanced bio-warfare genetic protection is unknown.
Virologists and geneticists are now researching how to implant this gene for natural protection, otherwise it remains in natural reproduction as it has for thousands of years.
Interestingly this gene has been traced back 40,000 or more years to the early Neanderthals who interbred with the more modern Homosapiens (that’s us) and luckily this gene survives today. This is God’s gift. Perhaps this gene interacts with herbs. Perhaps it does not. Read some B2L past articles.
In the mean time, whether or not I think I have the “magic” gene of protection, or I am blessed by God, I take my annual flu shot. How about you?
God Bless us all.
Old Timer,
COPYRIGHT: 2014, Back2theLand.com, All Rights Reserved, Mark Steel.