Yup - The infection, an emerging threat, has killed virtually all of its victims so far in India. (Nipah Virus, Rare and Dangerous, Spreads in India) A rare, brain-damaging virus that experts consider a possible epidemic threat has broken out in the state of Kerala, India, for the first time, infecting at least 18 people and killing 17 of them, according to the World Health Organization. The Nipah virus naturally resides in fruit bats across South and Southeast Asia, and can spread to humans through contact with the animals’ bodily fluids. There is no vaccine and no cure. The virus is listed by the W.H.O. as a high priority for research. Current treatment measures are insufficient, according to Dr. Stuart Nichol, the head of the viral special pathogens branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not exactly a 'slate wiper' but, worth watching....
thats bad because fruit bats can nibble and leave saliva on fruit on the plant / tree some areas are very poor and people not knowing might eat fruit that is contaminated.
If it is Sunny in the area any viruses that are exposed to the Sun, will be dead in an hour or two...
I was hoping something like colloidal silver might help, but it only kills bacteria . Apparently a virus once penetrating the bacteria alters the DNA to reproduce the virus . when the virus has exhausted the bacteria the bacteria dies and apparently explode to spread the virus further, . reading the info on these makes one think of zombie horror flicks . (Looked up virus verses bacteria) Probably/maybe the best antidote is to maintain a healthy body and good healthy practices . The body it's self can produce antibodies and immunities if maintained properly , problem is most people won't . Second problem is the virus is in a 3rd world country and motivation for fighting this disease is limited to what ever help the world health organization can fund .
Yup, arleigh...bacteria are plants, germs are animals, virii are somewhat in between having some properties of each...and then some! Anytime there is one of these outbreaks in a crowded, unsanitary locale, I cringe. It only takes once for the right (wrong?) mutation to create an organism that mankind cannot defeat.
I'm not convinced that bacteria are necessarily plants. "Germ" would include bacteria and virii as well as other "things" more or less beneficial. Or so my sophomore bio teacher said. (Back in those days, you could believe teachers.) In any case, mutants come along naturally. By far, most are not viable, but now and then up jumps something that survives a few generations and becomes a scourge. We can hope that this one is self limiting, it's a case of take precautions.
Noticed the other day that a jar of dill pickles (Large Commercial Supplier Label) I was about to buy was produced in India. Now I don't know if this virus could survive the pickling process, much less pasteurization, I just remember picking up pickles at a plant in South San Francisco and they processed in open wooden vats.... outdoors. The smell was hideous and at times, I can still pick up the smell when I open a jar of dills. I now buy Mount Olive pickles exclusively because they are produced in the USA.
