A female who returned from China via Vancouver has died of H5N1 Bird Flu. Anyone who was on either of the two planes to be checked out even though this Flu is not suppose to be passed on via humans.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/al...343/story.html

Even so, if you was on that flight it must be a worry, i always catch a cold on flights

The unidentified woman began to fall ill on a flight from Beijing to Vancouver, on Air Canada flight number 030, and Vancouver to Edmonton, Air Canada flight 244, on Dec. 27.

The woman went to hospital with symptoms of fever, headache and malaise. She was admitted to hospital on Jan. 1 and died on Jan.3.

So she flu?

why do all these flus come from Far Eastern countries?

Not the Spanish flu although that is rather far and east of me.

I've read mostly due to the close proximity of humans and poultry, especially in China where billions of people live and lots live in very close contact to poultry.


Flying is a wonderful thing, but the downside to it is if we ever get a contagious virus that is on a path to causing a pandemic it will spread around the globe like never before.

Planes in general are filthy, they are never really cleaned to a point of being clean. I've cleaned airplanes, it basically consists of vacuuming the carpet, wiping down the tray tables quickly, removing trash from the seat pockets, a quick wipe down of the lavatories, a quick mop and presto done. Its all about being visually clean. Looks clean its clean.

Oh and the pillows and blankets, avoid those, we only changed/removed them from the plane with they were visibly dirty. If they are wrapped in plastic still, they are good to go though.

I've worked at 4 different North American airlines either directly employed or via a contract company, and this is how it was done at all of them.

Like a bird.

Sanitary standards.

Some countries have them, some don't.



Thank you for that tidbit. May I ask if airline crews would repack blankets used by someone else, or are they always freshly washed if they are in plastic ?

One quote from the BBC report on the H5N1 death, that caught my eye:

"Ten people have died in Alberta this season from swine flu, or H1N1."

Along with the quote "Nearly 1,000 cases of H1N1 have been reported in Alberta", I'd read on CTV's site.

The current flu vaccine immunizes against H1N1... is the vaccine not working or are the majority of these people just plain ignorant and filthy dirty


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25662730

Late last week/earlier this week I believe they were reporting that only something like 20% of the population had received the vaccination. What was more worrying was the fact that, IIRC, less than 60% of hospital staff had been vaccinated.

There have been lots of horror stories about line ups to receive the vaccine and most pharmacies have now run out of vaccine.

I suspect that more people have been killed driving vehicles in the last week in Alberta.

And this is exactly the context in which the "problem" should be seen. the medical industry's "solution" to supposed flu pandemics is staggeringly disproportionate to the problem.

I agree.

It is the pharmacuetical industry's basic conundrum. Do I create new drugs to treat real diseases or do I create diseases that can be treated by the drugs I already have? I suspect the latter is much more profitable.

Alberta has only one more batch of the flu vaccine to distribute and they will run out this weekend. According to the lady on the radio.

Oh dear. Let's hope some kindly pharma company offers to produce some more, at short notice rates.

... and a about a hundred years ago.