Pandemic

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by orcot, Aug 21, 2008.

  1. orcot Valued Senior Member

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    Around 1340 the black death swept over Europe killing abouth 30-60% of the population. Now I wonder, how would the world react if say by now and 1011 3,5 billion people would die?
     
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  3. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    With the advances of medicine, I really don't think it would ever get that bad because a way to control it would be found.
     
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  5. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    You mean between now and 2011 ?
     
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  7. desi Valued Senior Member

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    It would initially be hard as bodies would be piling up and the trains wouldn't be running on time. During the later stages society would reshape itself to the new reality.

    I agree that things probably wouldn't get that bad due to advances in medicine.
     
  8. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    With the advantages of technology, (airplanes) it will go around the world in a whirlwind. My take is that it will happen sooner or later, so far we have just dodged the bullet....

    It won't be too good for business, but it will help with the using up of natural resources....Seriously, an airborne, easy to pass deadly disease with a 3-5 days incubation period would change life as we know it....
     
  9. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    But the doctors can create a way to control it just as fast today as well. So I' wouldn't worry about billions of people being killed but rather possibly a few thousand before a remedy can be found. AIDS was just like this and they had a way to treat it very quick. It did cost quite a bit at first to treat the problem but the price came down rather quickly.
     
  10. Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

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    Do I get my mate's DVD collection if he dies?
     
  11. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    If no one else gets them first!

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    If he has a will giving them to someone else then you won't get them .
     
  12. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    so AIDS wasn't/isn't a pandemic? Do people need to die faster to be considered pandemic?
     
  13. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    I never said that. I said that billions of people won't die and doctors will find a way to treat the problem before millions upon millions of people die. AIDS has a treatment and the people who have it are living for many many years today with the treatment that has been found.
     
  14. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    I wasn't aiming my question at you. Calm down skippy!!!

    In the beginning was it a pandemic?
     
  15. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    That's a good question. I really don't know.
     
  16. Norsefire Salam Shalom Salom Registered Senior Member

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    Two years ago, I remember everyone was freaking out about the bird flu.

    As for the black death, I don't know; on the one hand, our advanced technology will likely contain it, and on the other, this advanced transportation could likely make it worse.
     
  17. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    2 serious factual problems:

    There is a HUGE difference between CAN and COULD. If we are lucky, they could. On the other hand a few years ago when a British firm messed up the flushot supply, we had a shortage in the winter and that was just a plain good old fashioned flu.

    They apparently haven't done it with AIDS, took like 15 or so years to get the coctail.

    1. As I pointed out, it wasn't fast unless in your timeline 1 decade is fast.
    2. AIDS is not a good example in this scenario, since it is not airborne and doesn't have a 3-5 days incubation period and doesn't kill fast.

    Even the simple smallpox today had a devastating effect, because the population doesn't have the immunity against it anymore....
     
  18. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    No. Apperently, nobody here knows how to use the interwebs:

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a pandemic can start when three conditions have been met:
    -the emergence of a disease new to the population.
    -the agent infects humans, causing serious illness.
    -the agent spreads easily and sustainably among humans.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic
     
  19. oiram Registered Senior Member

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    Sounds like George Bush fits this descrition.....
     
  20. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    Very quick?
    If AIDS were airborne and killed quickly it would have wiped out half the population or better before they came up with a functional way to manage it.
    It would spead faster and wider than anything was able to spread before.

    Our technology would make the situation far worse, not better.
    It will happen.
     

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