Joshlin

Guidance please from those of you in the know.

Having arrived in NZ there is quite a bit of chat about the likelihood of bird flu hitting NZ and advice on what to do - stocking up on essential food / medicines, purchasing face masks, staying in etc etc.

Is this news we should be taking seriously - how good are NZ papers / news shows at reporting reality or is this all scaremongering???????

Your views / thoughts appreciated as always.

oh and as a quick update - now in chch, holiday home lovely if a little chilly!!!!!!!!!! - oh for central heating / double glazing, nobody told us chch was so windy.
People lovely so far - very helpful (even when they find out we're staying )
setting up stuff like bank account, nz sim card, internet access (albeit dial up) all dead easy
had to try out the medical services for youngest (15mths) - very good - easily accessible, very helpful, quick attention, best for patient approach rather than doing it by the system, good links between different services - GP / out of hours / pharmacy etc etc.

so far so good. (still to do the hard bits - job hunting / house hunting / child care) export gold keeping us going.

Grayling

Looks like you may have to fend for yourself:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/st...ectid=10349987

G

sky

I don't know but I suppose it can't harm to get a box of stuff put away for just in case.

Dappadee

I wouldn't go crazy about it if I were you. As usual the media are cherry picking facts and sensationalising things to scare poor old gullible Joe public. Here are a couple of quick facts for you that might make you happier. In order to cause a pandemic in humans the virus has to evolve and make the following changes:

1. It has to learn how to spread by aerosol droplets (through sneezing etc) rather than excreta.
2. It must be able to transmit itself from human to human without losing its virulence.

That is a lot of evolution and these sorts of things don’t really happen over night. It may happen soon, but more likely it will happen long after we are all dead from other more probable causes which we didn’t see coming because we were too busy reading the papers and sealing ourselves in giant plastic balls.

sky

The folk in the know said it wouldn't be as virulent if it found a way to transmit from human to human anyways didn't they. It would just be more like normal flue .. which is bad enough cos it floored me a few years ago for two weeks. Totally wiped out I was.

Dappadee

The above quote is a perfect example of the current climate of scare mongering. If the virus manages to evolve sufficiently we may have a global pandemic. Then they add the bit about it killing millions of birds in Asia. Great, so it is really contagious...in birds. Scientific reporting at it’s best.

Dappadee

Indeed. The media don't tell you all the facts just the bits that make good headlines.

Pompey_Paul

That is simply not true!! what about


"WORLD WAR 2 BOMBER FOUND ON THE MOON"

Dappadee

I don't think the Sunday Sport counts as 'the media'.

sky

Pompey_Paul

Fellow Reader?

Dappadee

I don't really read it, I just look at the pictures......while it is on the shelf.....in a shop.

Pompey_Paul

Makes your neck ache dont it? top shelves that is