Karaoke Forums

Have you been reading about this?    If it gets to the point of being an epidemic nobody will want to sing at karaoke for fear of being contaminated.    Serious experts think it will kill half the population.    Overseas 1 out of 2 are dying.   We may see the end of karaoke....

Much ado about nothing.  If you look at the facts and stats, it's really nothing other than it has caught the media's attention.  The regular flu takes more lives every year.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Personally, I think there are other things of greater concern.  Was it ever ruled out that a mosquito biting someone with HIV on a beach, and than biting you right afterwards can't transmit HIV ?  I don't know much about this virus, nor do I know much about aids yet why couldn't a mosquito transmit it ?  Little was known about HIV when I was in school, I just never learned about it, or cared to read up on it..Yet has Irwin Johnson's case disappeared ?  I heard it supposedly has.  Is there something the AMA isn't telling us ?  :shock:   Like it can be treated ? Because based on time period, statistically, isn't it likely Magic Johnson would be dead now ?

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

You don't know what you are talking about, man. It has the potential to wipe out the whole human population. DON"T laugh

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

I wasn't aware of that.  What's going on with the equine virus spread by mosquito's ?
That's a scare each year around late summer/fall yet is it picking up momentum at all ?  or are there fewer concerns regarding that now ?

I don't recall the different types of Influenza strains. Bird flu they said a year or so ago can reach pandemic proportions, and at least as of last year there are no vaccines for that, have any been developed yet ?  I don't know what the strain A H5(etc) virus is... and how that compares to the standard influenza.  What was the Hong Kong Flu ?  Yet I'd think in our country, if it became necessary, certain things like gamma globulin might help abit  ?   Yet I haven't a clue....

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

The US Army Medical Corp. spent millions of $ in the 60s /70 studying bird migration. There are tons of published material on the subject. Just imagine if those birds migrating from Canada/Siberia are infected.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

I have some reading to do. This is something I know nothing about, except isn't it a strain that originated in the mid 1960's in Africa ?  or am I thinking of something else ?  I better shut up..



Anyway, I'm getting prepared as we speak..

http://www.safetycentral.com/enproteq.html

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Its ONLY AN PANDEMIC threat if the H51N virus mutates into a version thats easily tranferred to humans. So far that hasnt happened. So far theres only about 100 deathes world wide due to DIRECT contact with infected birds, chckens or ducks. It doesnt transfer easily as it settles deep in the lungs and not higher up in the repsiratory track where its more easily transferred due to coughing sneezing or breathing. So.......we're safe for the moment. Just stay away from birds fowl and chickens and take ordinary hygiene precuautions. But if it DOES MUTATE into an easily transmited variant.............well then better stand by........then we Will have a pandemic. Much worse than the spanish flu epidemic of 1917. Lets just hope it doenst happen. Vaccine trials have so far proved to be only marginally effective.

Best to educate yourself on H51N by reading about it and keeping updated on developments.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

dupe post

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Here's something messed up along the lines of our H51N discussion. On my day job I fix copy machines, often in nursing homes and retirement centers. One of them I go to last week had an outbreak of 63 NOROVIRUS cases!!   One of our other techs contrracted Norovirus from one of the nursing homes he had to go fix a machine at.

I think Ill have to order one of those full-on bio-haz suits shown on that link! All that just to fix a copy machine in some disease infested nursing home!! Yeeech!!

As to Karoake---each person just bring their own mic! And use rubber gloves if you have to touch another mic!

How bout the KJ in full bio-haz suit with breathing tanks!!

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Kurt,  Isn't "type A" flu a strain that's predominantly carried in birds, and viruses are quite transmissible between birds and humans ?  This was something that came up quite abit when I owned a few birds... They're great pet's yet often carriers of viral infections such as psittacosis (parrot fever) which is easily carried thru dust, and people catch it quite easily...The danger is high fever and viral enceph.  Type A influenza is transmissible from birds to humans. It doesn't need to mutate I don't believe...Yet Jian would know, I need to look this up...I just know from owning birds they are notorious carrier's of Ornithosis, and Chlamydia type bacterial infections that people easily catch respiratory infections from... Carried in the droppings...
Type A strain Pandemic's I believe were Hong Kong Flu, and Swine Flu as well.  All transmissible..from animals to humans

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

The whole danger is if it mutates into a strain thats easily transmitted. So far it hasnt. But read up and keep abreast on it. I do every day.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

I need to do that.  I try not to dwell on this stuff, but now my interest has been sparked     Catch you later !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Bigdog said:
Bigdog, where did you get this information. I'm betting it's incorrect.
Steven Kaplan said:
Badsinger:said:

Are you all insane?!

When I was in high school (circa 1980) we thought AIDS was gonna wipe out most of the population. Then it was the Ebola virus, Then it was salmonila. Then it was African killer bees (coming north from Texas). Most recently, it was mad cow disease. Now, you guys are worried about the Avian (bird) flu?

SwingKatKurt said:

He's right. You guys are getting all exited over nothing. It's just the flu! Relax.

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[highlight=purple]The Truth is out there. ... Way, way out there![/highlight]

No I am not insane, It is people like you that is so STUPID. Get some education man.


http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/

http://www.scidev.net/ms/bird_flu/

http://www.oie.int/eng/avian_influenza/home.htm

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/disease ... luenza.htm

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fshe ... anflu.html

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Badsinger, I checked your links. (thanks for the info.)

From http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/:

The total number of deaths (from 2003 'til now) worldwide is 109. The Total number of deaths in the U.S (and Canada) is 0!

From http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/a ... humans.htm

Although avian influenza A viruses usually do not infect humans, more than 180 confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza viruses have been reported since 1997. ... To date, human infections with avian influenza A viruses detected since 1997 have not resulted in sustained human-to-human transmission.

From http://www.scidev.net/ms/bird_flu/:

The Asian bird flu outbreaks have been caused by a strain of influenza A called H5N1. At present, H5N1 is only slightly infectious to humans and cannot be transmitted from one human to another.

From http://www.oie.int/eng/avian_influenza/home.htm :

Avian influenza, also known as bird flu is a highly contagious viral disease affecting mainly chickens, turkeys, ducks and other birds. While avian influenza caused by highly pathonogenic strains has been known to infect man, this disease should not be confused with human influenza, a common human disease. However, avian influenza, under certain circumstances could pose a threat to humans.

From http://www.oie.int/eng/avian_influenza/home.htm:

Transmission comes from "Direct contact with secretions from infected birds, especially faeces".

From http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fshe ... anflu.html:

Of greater concern to WHO is the possibility that the present situation, if the virus acquires human influenza genes, can give rise to human–to–human transmission and possibly another influenza pandemic in people.

Ooh, I'm so scared. We're all gonna die!

Don't eat bird feces and you should be just fine.

Thanks for the info, and thanks for calling me STUPID. I would never call somebody that disagreed with me stupid. When I said "are you people insane?!' I was exagerating to make a point. I didn't mean it literally. But I think you did.

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[highlight=purple]The Truth is out there. ... Way, way out there![/highlight]

As I recall from awhile ago there are a few strains of Type A influenza viruses that are of particular concern to the medical community because of a cross-species type of transmissibility potential between humans pigs and birds that in the case of a type of H5 virus (don't recall which strain of H5) was of exceptional concern because of it's HIGHLY adaptable potential to cross the species barrier.  Assuming this is like the Hong Kong flu of about 10 years back, THAT IS a potentially lethal pathogenic virus, and the concern with these viruses becoming Pandemic happens in a few ways you'd need to understand. While I initially was thinking this virus had reached the reassortment phase, it hasn't yet however that can and does happen.. The concern if this is the H5 strain people are concerned about is that THIS particular virus is EXTREMELY susceptible to migrating and becoming deadly because it's opportunistic and prone to adaptive mutation (past plagues) over time, or more quickly becoming deadly via "reassortment" which can happen like lightening.... It's been ages since I studied anything about viruses, however I wouldn't rule out HIV, Mad Cow, or a specific strain of H5 virus to NOT be the next plague that reaches Pandemic proportion because these are the type situations that take a little while to establish themselves.  When they do, (for lack of a better use of terminology) WE'RE screwed.
HIV, and H5 (one strain) ARE in fact of great concern to humans, and of genuine potential threat to becoming Pandemic.  If you think Ebola, Salmonella, HIV aren't of concern to us even still, you're incorrect. Additionally the highly aggressive nature of the strain of bee you were talking about assuming it DID in fact spread north, and interbreed WOULD have in fact been deadly.. Just because something hasn't happened yet, or didn't become "full blown", doesn't mean it doesn't have the potential to do-so.  That's the concern.. Not "if",  but a matter of "when" given proper conditions.. It only takes a few initial cases for virologist's to understand potential threat. Since I now recall close to nothing about microbiology I would in fact defer to someone like BadSinger who is in fact a Biologist.. I certainly wouldn't consider what BadSinger has stated to NOT be credible information..Certain situations in fact have the potential to become the next plague given certain variables... Whether they do, or do not... still doesn't make a possibility of lesser concern when viewing this from the perspective of "potential threat".

If this seems crazy, sorry... It's not

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Steve you make some very valid points, and I can't disagree with anything you said in your last post. The bird flu could easily mutate into a strain that wolud easily be caught, and spread by humans, (though it hasn't happened yet, thank God) and I don't mean to minimize that risk. People can and do die every year form the flu viruses that are going around now. My only point was that, like HIV, salmonella, and ebola, the vast majority of people are unaffected and remain healthy. I don't mean to minimize the seriousnes of any of these maladies, but I don't think it's the end the human race, or even of karaoke as we know it.

Man has been around for a long time and I don't forsee any of these things killing off "half the population" as BigDog put it. I could be wrong, but I hope I'm not!

Just my opinion. Feel free to disagree. I'm sure badsinger will!

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[highlight=purple]The Truth is out there. ... Way, way out there![/highlight]

I'm more concerned about getting hit by a car crossing the street than be infected by avian flu.  100 deaths or even a thousand does not make a pandemic.  AIDS is more of a pandemic than avian flu.  Like I said a media circus.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

BTW, I wan't to extend my apologies to Bigdog. According to the World Health Organization, out of 192 reported cases (ALL of them overseas), 109 have resulted in death. That's 57%, or a little over half. (Source: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_in ... index.html) I stand corrected.

I still see it as a very serious illness affecting a very small number of people. Let's hope it stays that way.

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[highlight=purple]The Truth is out there. ... Way, way out there![/highlight]