WiccanLiberal
09-14-2012, 12:48 PM
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/hantavirus.html
Loads of people seem to be getting excited about Hantavirus. True it can be deadly. But just imagine if it were another rodent-vectored disease - yersinia pestis. (That's bubonic plague) Can you imagine what would happen if that bug became prevalent in a heavily-frequented park instead of being limited to some ground squirrels in the Southwest? There are a few human cases reported every year. Just imagine if some tourists returned to LA or Manhattan and the spread continued. With modern international travel, the bug could be worldwide in a day or two. All it would need for a catastrophic epidemic would be a case or two to go from blood-borne to airborne. Death rates from plague pneumonia can approach 100% unless aggressively treated very early. We don't need to worry about bio or nuclear warfare. There is a very old enemy of humankind just lurking in wait to break out and run riot again. Antibiotic supplies will not hold out against epidemic numbers of cases. The only defense we presently have is suspicious medical staff who question patients closely about recent travel and treat quickly.
Loads of people seem to be getting excited about Hantavirus. True it can be deadly. But just imagine if it were another rodent-vectored disease - yersinia pestis. (That's bubonic plague) Can you imagine what would happen if that bug became prevalent in a heavily-frequented park instead of being limited to some ground squirrels in the Southwest? There are a few human cases reported every year. Just imagine if some tourists returned to LA or Manhattan and the spread continued. With modern international travel, the bug could be worldwide in a day or two. All it would need for a catastrophic epidemic would be a case or two to go from blood-borne to airborne. Death rates from plague pneumonia can approach 100% unless aggressively treated very early. We don't need to worry about bio or nuclear warfare. There is a very old enemy of humankind just lurking in wait to break out and run riot again. Antibiotic supplies will not hold out against epidemic numbers of cases. The only defense we presently have is suspicious medical staff who question patients closely about recent travel and treat quickly.