Pandemic?

[JoeG]

By #of species.

The point is that there are bats everywhere even though we don't much notice them and they have filled every niche they find. Bats appear to be an important reservoir for viruses and bugs and with their range of flight they can spread bugs in their droppings over a wide area. Saying the virus is in bats is useful but not all that surprising.

From a science POV the most interesting thing about this disease is how it is demonstrating that there is not a static equilibrium between hosts and microbes. It looks static just because we usually don't know what caused someone to have Flu Like Symptoms which are the body's standard response to infection. What we are learning is that like anti gunners, microbes area always testing the limits to see if there is anybody they can make sick!

There is deep research on the very start of the HIV infection in humans and they have traced it to a series of species jumps from primates to humans from like the 1920's through the 50's until it finally took hold and spread H2H. We can't (yet) tell which rare human infection will actually lead to any serious H2H infection. These events are getting lots of scrutiny since we don't know what it is we don't know that will be a good marker for long term spread. Folks shatter about "this virus only needs 4-5 mutations to be effective in humans..." but all mutations are not equally likely and some are very unfavorable from an evolutionary penalty POV and so we have what we call the species barrier that bugs have to get over to jump to a new host. Interesting stuff, exciting, not simple and not ready for prime time news talking heads and their sound bites...

[tombogan03884]

I do know that the story about the CIA inventing AIDs originated with the Soviet KGB.
It was a propaganda operation to make the US look bad.
When it turned up in liberal papers in the US and Europe people got medals and promotions.

[JoeG]

I do know that the story about the CIA inventing AIDs originated with the Soviet KGB.
It was a propaganda operation to make the US look bad.
When it turned up in liberal papers in the US and Europe people got medals and promotions.

The Soviets or the "journalists"?

[santahog]

Standard precautions still apply, just like they have for the last 200 years.

BTW 25% of all mammal species are bats!

Like Pelosi and Mikulski, maybe.. Commonly known as the "old" variety..

[tombogan03884]

I do know that the story about the CIA inventing AIDs originated with the Soviet KGB.
It was a propaganda operation to make the US look bad.
When it turned up in liberal papers in the US and Europe people got medals and promotions.

The Soviets or the "journalists"?

Dept A of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB

[Sponsor]

[JoeG]

It is a continuing source of amazement to me how the world is both much simpler and at the same time much more complex than people want to believe.

When you know the facts, things suddenly make more sense, but you can't get to the facts until you let go of your preconceived notions of how it ought to be and make the liars prove their statements. Unfortunately none of the connected people seem to have any interest in facts anymore.