"We should leave the monkeys in the trees"

[seesthru]

THere is a documentary called " Guns, Germs and steel" Your statement reminded me of it. It's worth a watch!

[Earthnut]

Seesthru, I am downloading it now and so look forward to watching it. Thank you It definitely looks good.

[seesthru]

ebola death toll is 142 and rising.

[Earthnut]

That's about something we already know about. What concerns me is something new and different, and how many people will die from it.

I've been so busy I haven't had time to watch the video yet. Shame on me. I will watch it soon.

[Walkabout]

all life forms evolve . The simpler that life form the faster this can be achieved. I remember when a cat virus mutated and jumped species to infect dogs. It became know as Parvo and killed thousands of dogs before a vaccine was invented. There are killer super bugs in hospitals that are mutations of non lethal virus. Its natures way . Make every day count before your time runs out, it's all you can do.

[Libby]

I hadn't realised the origin of parvo. I watch some "Animal Cops" programmes where, every so often, puppies are rescued, but have to be euthanised because they have parvo and are too far gone to be treated. It doesn't cost that much to get puppies vaccinated, but I think there's a lot of ignorance about why pets (and children!) should get vaccinated or immunised (I can never remember the difference between the two).

We live such crowded lives these days, and that makes it easier for diseases to spread or, worse, jump species. Good hygiene practices can help prevent that. But there needs to be more knowledge about how diseases are spread. For instance, only recently I learned that if I've bought chicken pieces from the supermarket, I shouldn't wash those under the kitchen tap, because the water spray will spread any bacteria around the sink area, where they could be subsequently picked up. Instead, they should be simply placed into the oven, where the temperature will kill off any bacteria. Maybe that's the reason why recipes for cooking chicken in a slow-cooker (where the temperatures are much lower) recommend frying the chicken pieces first?

[Walkabout]

as long as your internal temp on chicken meat reaches 180-200 [without touching bone ] its doesn't matter how long it takes to get there. This is why an accurate meat thermometer is so important. You can check accuracy in ice water [for low] 32 degrees F [ 0 C] and boiling 210-212 F [ 100 C]. Both readings give a better idea of how accurate your thermometer is.

Experts are now worried that over use of germicides , bleach, even steam are creating resistant bacteria and virus' as you rarely get 100% kill.

[seesthru]

This strain of Ebola IS a new strain. It's mutated again. It's not the Zaire like they originally thought.

Also, the first case of MERS ( Middle Eastern Respiratory syndrome) has cropped up here in the US. It's a cousin to SARS. Humans get it from animals, and pass it to healthcare workers tending them. It's passed through close contact, such as in caregiving. It's got a high kill rate too.

Lots of mystery illnesses cropping up all over. Hanta like virus in the east, polio like illness in the west. all kinds of mysterious outbreaks. Strange days.

[Earthnut]

Besides mankind wanting to play God and experiment, create, transform....and add pollution to the list, things are not going to ever get better. Nowadays, we have to be careful who we are even physically around. Did you all see the video on sneezing, and how much saliva is sprayed in every direction when we do? And that's just about sneezing, then there's the need to constantly wash our hands because of all the filth we touch, and then attempt to be aware and stop touching our faces all day. According to Wiki ~

You touch your face/head up to 2-4 times a minute, it may not seem like it but it does happen. That's up to 5,500 times a day.

[seesthru]

I got very sick in march. It was too long after my surgery for me to have contracted it at the surgery center.. It was not long after a trip to the grocery. I even used the sanitizer wipes for the grocery cart. But if you listen to the chorus of sneezes and coughs ther eon any given day, you know I got the flu there. It was horrible. Attacked my lungs.

What made me SO angry is that it's middle age and older people who seem to be hell bent on sharing their illness! Kids were coughing and sneezing into their elbows. The older folks were letting the spit and snot fly all over!