Emerging virus threat. 60% mortality
 

Is the Middle East brewing the perfect storm for a health epidemic?
By Dr. Manny Alvarez
Published March 08, 2013
French surgeon Christopher Bulstrode (2nd L) operates on a Palestinian patient as he trains Palestinian doctors in surgical procedures at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. (REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)

The turmoil in the Middle East is not just creating human tragedy, where the indiscriminate use of force by terrorists and dictators is causing a huge displacement of families and destroying cities and neighborhoods.

To me, the scariest aspect of this region is that it could be brewing a catastrophic event of global proportions. I’m talking about infectious disease outbreaks, which can spread throughout the world.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned U.S. health officials Thursday of a deadly new virus originating in the Middle East. This virus is in the coronavirus family, and it seems to be creating severe respiratory distress, similar to that of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, which first emerged in Asia in 2003.

RELATED: CDC warns health officials to be alert for deadly new virus

Symptoms of the infection include severe acute respiratory illness with fever, cough and shortness of breath. Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of this virus is that of the 14 people so far infected, eight have died.

We have been reporting over the last several years how even in developed nations, we’re losing the battle against viruses and bacteria. Scientists have been warning us for years, and now we see that simple bacteria, which was easily treatable in the past are now almost impossible to treat.

More problematic, however, is the mutation of these viruses. Over the last several years, we have seen multiple viruses that have mutated from animals to people and have created an international scare because of their potentially deadly effects.

Right now, the Middle East is the perfect storm for such an outbreak. With crowded refugee camps, limited running water in many areas, the destruction of sanitary infrastructures, and limited access to physicians, this region’s hospitals and governments presently don’t have the tools to monitor infectious outbreaks and alert the rest of the world.

I recently spoke to Dr. Abdulla Al-Khan, an international health consultant and director of the Center for Abnormal Placentation at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, about how this coronavirus may impact the country of Bahrain.

“In Baharain there (have) not been any documented cases, but I have heard that there has been over the last couple of weeks two mortalities from influenza-like illness,” Al-Khan said. “Whether that was the SARS (virus) or whether it was the corona variant virus of it, I'm not too sure. But I think this is why it is important for the country and the people to understand: Let's focus on important things. Let's focus on issues that are more important to the children of Baharain, to the region, as opposed to these political issues. Because ultimately politics and medicine, in a way we don't want it to mix, but it ultimately does, because it all has a domino effect.”

And the domino effect doesn’t stop overseas. The days where health outbreaks abroad were an anecdote in a scientific journal are long gone. What could happen in one part of the world in the morning could be spreading to our shores in the evening.

Read more: Is the Middle East brewing the perfect storm for a health epidemic? | Fox News

In some hospitals, decontamination of an isolation bed includes removing and replacing sinks and plumbing and using a hydrogen peroxide misting system.

another vote for using drones rather than boots?

Medical science has been looking for something to break out of a very serious nature for a long time now.

How about no more boots or drones, foreign aid, embassies, diplomatic relations, trade, and just tell all of those as#^%&*(^ have fun with your goats. But then we would probably say you have to treat the ugly goats the same as the attractive ones.

Are you suggesting that there are viruses that dont infect computers & are not transmitted over the net? :eek::eek::confused:
We have a whole generation out there that will not understand!:rolleyes:

"In some hospitals, decontamination of an isolation bed includes removing and replacing sinks and plumbing and using a hydrogen peroxide misting system. "

Maybe getting out in the sunshine & fresh air away from other sick people is a better decontamination method.:)
If you are not sick when you go into a hospital, the longer you stay the greater the chance you will be when you go home !!;);)

I thought they preferred camels ! ;):eek::rolleyes:

Yeah they like the ones with long legs.

Any yet there are still doctors who hand out antibiotics like lollipops to every kid with a sniffle. The animals in our food supply are kept on prophylactic antibiotics to KEEP them from getting sick in their confined feedlots. We are reaping a bountiful harvest. A harvest of killer bugs.

Nothing new about Plagues.

What is different now is due to your fast transportation diseases are easily spread all over the work; could even be in a matter of hours.

Some Humans will have or gain immunity some won't, Science may or may not solve the current issue and the various diseases are going to keep trying to survive and reproduce. All except the Science part is Natural.

So, what should We do?
Or will an Asteroid come along and wack us first?

Exactly. the solution to the cattle thing is to provide large fields, grass and let them eat what they have been designed over the last half million years or so.

Same with chickens and hogs.

But Tom, how does the pharmaceutical empire make any money that way??

M.R.S.A

We need to eat more hot dogs and bologne, whatever does'nt kill us makes us stronger. Climbing out of my bubble and going to the city to get a hot dog prepared by a total stranger.

Have you watched "Farmageddon" yet on Netflix?

Just a question of time before a virus mutates to take out most of the world's population. That usually happens when a species becomes too crowded. It has been covered in many shows, including the current The Walking Dead. One reason I am not buying a new car. In the post-zombie world, diesels are more likely to keep operable, though once the batteries run out we'll need to have kick-start motorcycles. I have seen cord-start diesel motorcycles people fab'ed on youtube.