Hi! My name is Hugo and I was born in Lisbon (Portugal) but reside in eastern Washington state. I am 40 years old and work in a trauma/emergency room; I’m a registered nurse but currently completing my master’s degree in order to become a Nurse Practitioner. I had some military training in the Portuguese "Fuzileiros" (Marines) but haven’t been involved for over 18 years. I am married and my wife and I have three beautiful children. I have studied the influenza virus in great depth and truly believe we are heading towards a dreadful world pandemic with a mortality rate above 80%. I guess you could say that I am prepping for “The Influenza Apocalypse and Collapse of economy”. My wife is onboard and we divided research so we could cover more ground, I’m in charge of weapons/defense and medical while she concentrates in food and other necessities. I am afraid that my scenario could hit as early as fall 2012 and don’t have much time to prep considering we just got started. I hope to gather valuable information as well as help and guidance here and gladly will share whatever knowledge I might have. Thanks for having us, let’s get this thing started. My motto is “there aren’t any victims, just conformists”. The wife and I in Scotland (LochNess) Wife and I again My Kids (2 of 3) My other kid Me at the ball game “Go Seahawks!!” The Devil
Welcome to the Monkey tree TraumaHawk.It's always great to have skilled Monkeys in the tree! Please enjoy and participate.
This is an interesting hypothesis given that the Spainish Flu pandemic (1918-19) only had a mortality rate ~2.5%. Even H5N1 (bird flu) only has a 60% mortality rate and is thankfully not very contagious. Even then, most scientists these days conclude that it wasn't the influenza virus that did the killing in most pandemics, it was the secondary bacterial pneumonias that did people in. Couple that with the prediction by some that ALL bacterias will soon become drug-resistant. THAT is scary because the we will suddenly be thrown back into the age before antibiotics where the least little thing can kill. Another chilling thought is a virus as virulent as ebola (Zaire) became airborne--maybe a mutation with the Reston strain. Cities would be death zones....how long does it take for 7 million people to rot? A good read: Amazon.com: The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story (9780375508561): Richard Preston: Books Just hide some nasty bug inside the common cold virus and we're toast. References: Volume 12, Number 1 Deaths from Bacterial Pneumonia during 1918 Inside Look at Lab Where Scientists Created the Deadly Bird Flu Virus - ABC News Antibiotic Resistance Could Bring ‘End of Modern Medicine’ - ABC News Sky News: Portable 'flashlight' kills bacteria
You are correct in many points, I just finished working all night and will get back to you later but just a little note. No one knows what the death toll will be for sure, some scholars say 30%, I am less inclined to believe in random predictions and rely on hard math. Over 1000 have contracted the current mutation stage (apparently considering recent controversial lab tests 2 mutations away from the final product) and 90+% died (from either the virus alone or secondary infection). So when it reaches it's final stage it will be a perfect killer but I will be optimistic and expect that at least 20% of use will have a natural immunity thus my 80%. The truth is that in the current fragile economic world even if it was only 30% death toll the world would change forever, at 80%.... Well the other scary fact is that this influenza once just mutating every 3-10 years due to vaccination is now mutating 2-3 times per year, considering the expectation is that this big only needs two more mutations to reach perfection...you can understand why I think I am on the clock Sent from my IPhone 4s
Welcome to the Monkey Tree... Pick out a branch and look around. Lots of good Family Folks, hang'en around this tree.... Every time I go thru that Berg, it is lunch at Miners, for a Great CheeseBurger and Choc Milkshake.... Again, Welcome...
Howdy 'Hawk, Glad to see you onboard. Let's hope the mutations are benign instead of the mean stuff. Just as much chance of that as not.
That's not true, unfortunately, the virus will not mutate to a more benign state. Viruses are like little machines with a program that upgrades every so often. Those updates able the virus to do its job better and better. Depending on what each virus is supposed to do, it might be a problem for humans or not. Conversely not every virus job includes humans and those types are not tracked as well as those that do affect humans. This type A influenza flu exists with the sole function of disabling human immune system and shutting down human respiratory systems. Thus, on each mutation the virus only gets better at its job and more and more lethal. Opportunistic bacteria is also learning to use this virus ability to shut down our immune system to strike at our lowest point, which increases the level of mortality. Sent from my IPhone 4s