Why are Europeans being daft and irrational about bird flu?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

In some countries, sales of poultry have hit the floor. Panicky pet-owners have dumped their dog or cat, fearing that felines and canines can somehow pass on an avian virus.

And police are fed up with fielding calls from terrified people who have spotted a dead pigeon or a stork building its nest -- and, in one case in eastern France, an owl that made a menacing H5N1-sounding hoot.

The daftness gives the lie to a continent that prides itself on having the world's richest history in science, the most educated population and a communications system that is second to none.

But there is no surprise among historians and food experts, who say this irrationality has deep roots.

From the 14th-century plague known as the Black Death to cholera, typhoid and killer influenza, Europe has experienced waves of deadly pandemics that, like bird flu, came from abroad, they say.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/21/0...1.2zh124u7.html

[mercuryroad 0]

Well, that's the first time I've heard daft used in a sentence today.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Not to mention how much hysteria has been whipped up by "mad cow disease", which was initiated in Europe--by feeding of rendered sheep (some of which died of scrapie) to cattle.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

It's so that less affluent Europeans have the chance to eat some meat once in a while, too. Chicken prices are way down right now; just as beef prices tumbled following every outbreak of mad cow...

[Sister Fracas 5]

And police are fed up with fielding calls from terrified people who have spotted a dead pigeon or a stork building its nest --

How does a dead pigeon or stork build a nest?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

And police are fed up with fielding calls from terrified people who have spotted a dead pigeon or a stork building its nest --

How does a dead pigeon or stork build a nest?

"a dead pigeon"

OR

"a stork building a nest"

[Sister Fracas 5]

And police are fed up with fielding calls from terrified people who have spotted a dead pigeon or a stork building its nest --

How does a dead pigeon or stork build a nest?

"a dead pigeon"

OR

"a stork building a nest"

ahhhhhhhhh... comprende...

[Anastasia 1]

And police are fed up with fielding calls from terrified people who have spotted a dead pigeon or a stork building its nest --

How does a dead pigeon or stork build a nest?

"a dead pigeon"

OR

"a stork building a nest"

ahhhhhhhhh... comprende...

[almaty 19]

aw europe....

[LaL 418]

And police are fed up with fielding calls from terrified people who have spotted a dead pigeon or a stork building its nest --

How does a dead pigeon or stork build a nest?

"a dead pigeon"

OR

"a stork building a nest"

ahhhhhhhhh... comprende...

hilarious - i read it the same way

[Satisfaction 1]

The fear of the unknow? Perhaps this is one explanation:

"Collective hysteria, or mass hysteria, is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same hysterical symptoms by more than one person (...) Writer Jerome Clark—while recognizing that mass panic can undoubtedly be genuine and widespread—argues that mass hysteria can be "a classic blame-the-victim strategy" in cases where authorities or experts can find no explanation for puzzling or frightening events. It also can manifest in situations where there is a problem that is endangering their society, but the people want to find a scapegoat and take out their frustrations out on him/her/them (often fatally to the scapegoat) instead of looking for the cause of the problem and potentially finding themselves to be guilty.

[Satisfaction 1]

Funny enough, the etymology of the word "hysteria" reveals that it is (was) strictly a feminine characteristic:

"The term originates with the Greek medical term, hysterikos. This referred to a supposed medical condition, peculiar to women, caused by disturbances of the uterus, hystera in Greek . The term hysteria was coined by Hippocrates, who thought that the cause of hysteria was irregular movement of blood from the uterus to the brain."

[Reba 2]

I read somewhere last week that wild cats are being found now with the H5N1 virus, and are dying from eating infected wild birds.

The panic is because the flu pandemic that killed millions in 1918 also apparently was a bird flu. Sure, we now have better medicines to fight it, but people are still going to die from it if they come in contact. Not to mention if the virus mutates and jumps from birds to people. If its already infecting other species, it may not be far off.

Personally I think the media in general (not just European) can blow things all out of proportion no matter what it is. Bird flu, mad cow, anthrax, SARS, yadda yadda yadda...take it with a grain of salt. If you see a chicken foaming at the mouth, or a cow who looks like its breakdancing, don't eat it! Have pork instead!

[Fischkoepfin 1]

I read somewhere last week that wild cats are being found now with the H5N1 virus, and are dying from eating infected wild birds.

The panic is because the flu pandemic that killed millions in 1918 also apparently was a bird flu. Sure, we now have better medicines to fight it, but people are still going to die from it if they come in contact. Not to mention if the virus mutates and jumps from birds to people. If its already infecting other species, it may not be far off.

Problem is we don't have better medicines because antibiotics don't work with viral infections. Anti-viral medications, such as Tamiflu, might prevent an outbreak for those lucky few who have access to it, but it already failed in treating one infected child somewhere in Southeast Asia, with indicates that the virus can become resistant to known anti-viral drugs.

Chances are, however, that some medications will be found. During the last pandemic (which caused similar symptoms) researchers found out that the only thing that helped with the lung infection caused by the fle was Heparin, a medication made from animal tissue.

Personally I think the media in general (not just European) can blow things all out of proportion no matter what it is. Bird flu, mad cow, anthrax, SARS, yadda yadda yadda...take it with a grain of salt. If you see a chicken foaming at the mouth, or a cow who looks like its breakdancing, don't eat it! Have pork instead!

I am in Europe right now, and I haven't noticed it being blown out of proportion even though the first reaction was a slight panic within the population when they discovered 150 or so dead birds in one place. It's more like something people joke about. The boycott of chicken and other bird derived meats is just indicative of European food awareness issues; ever since it came out that mad-cow meat was sold all across Europe people have stopped trusting their governments when it comes to food safety. Better safe then sorry is the motto...

Btw, don't eat pork there's a pig pandemic in Europe going on as well...

[Keigwyn 1]

I am in Geneva, Switzerland and am often within a few hundred yards of where they found a dead duck with bird flu. I don't see anyone wearing masks or fighting to get to the other side of the road. Life just goes on as normal. Yes, it was all over the papers, the news, but...its hasn't jumped species....yet!