Fwd: Fwd: Fw: Good Info
Keith
d
This is quick read, explains why this bug is considerably more dangerous than flu and merits extra precautions. Pass it along.
Mike
Mike's Blog: http://edgem21.blogspot.com/
This
was written by
an Associate
Professor of
Microbiology,
Immunology
&
Parasitology
LSU School of
Medicine
Feeling
confused as to
why
Coronavirus is
a bigger deal
than Seasonal
flu? Here it
is in a
nutshell. I
hope this
helps. Feel
free to share
this to others
who don’t
understand...
It has to do
with RNA
sequencing....
I.e. genetics.
Seasonal flu
is an “all
human virus”.
The DNA/RNA
chains that
make up the
virus are
recognized by
the human
immune system.
This means
that your body
has some
immunity to it
before it
comes around
each year...
you get
immunity two
ways...through
exposure to a
virus, or by
getting a flu
shot.
Novel viruses,
come from
animals....
the WHO (
World Health
Org.) tracks
novel viruses
in animals,
(sometimes for
years watching
for
mutations).
Usually these
viruses only
transfer from
animal to
animal (pigs
in the case of
H1N1) (birds
in the case of
the Spanish
flu).
But once, one
of these
animal viruses
mutates, and
starts to
transfer from
animals to
humans... then
it’s a
problem, Why?
Because we
have no
natural or
acquired
immunity.. the
RNA sequencing
of the genes
inside the
virus isn’t
human, and the
human immune
system doesn’t
recognize it
so, we can’t
fight it off.
Now....
sometimes, the
mutation only
allows
transfer from
animal to
human, for
years it’s
only
transmission
is from an
infected
animal to a
human before
it finally
mutates so
that it can
now transfer
human to
human... once
that
happens..we
have a new
contagion
phase.
And depending
on the fashion
of this new
mutation,
that’s what
decides how
contagious, or
how deadly
it’s going to
be..
H1N1 was
deadly....but
it did not
mutate in a
way that was
as deadly as
the Spanish
flu. It’s RNA
was slower to
mutate and it
attacked its
host
differently,
too.
Fast forward.
Now, here
comes this
Coronavirus...
it existed in
animals only,
for nobody
knows how
long...but one
day, at an
animal market,
in Wuhan
China, in
December 2019,
it mutated and
made the jump
from animal to
people.
At first, only
animals could
give it to a
person... But
here is the
scary part....
in just TWO
WEEKS it
mutated again
and gained the
ability to
jump from
human to
human.
Scientists
call this
quick ability,
“slippery”
This
Coronavirus,
not being in
any form a
“human” virus
(whereas we
would all have
some natural
or acquired
immunity),
took off like
a rocket. And
this was
because humans
have no known
immunity...doctors have no known medicines for it.
And it just so
happens that
this
particular
mutated animal
virus changed
itself in such
a way that it
causes great
damage to
human lungs.
That’s why
Coronavirus is
different from
seasonal flu,
or H1N1 or any
other type of
influenza....
this one is
very slippery.
And it’s a
lung
eater...And,
it’s already
mutated AGAIN,
so that we now
have two
strains to
deal with,
strain s, and
strain
L....which
makes it twice
as hard to
develop a
vaccine.
We really have
no tools in
our shed with
this. History
has shown that
fast and
immediate
closings of
public places
has helped in
past
pandemics.
Philadelphia
and Baltimore
were reluctant
to close
events in 1918
and they were
the hardest
hit in the US
during the
Spanish Flu.
And let me end
by
saying....right
now it’s
hitting older
folks
harder... but
this genome is
so
slippery...if
it mutates
again (and it
will). Who is
to say what it
will do next.
Be smart
folks...
acting like
you’re
unafraid is so
not sexy right
now. Stay home
as much as you
can for now,
folks... and
share this to
those that
just are not
catching on.