H1N1 Concerns in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:12:00 -0500

Fewer than ten H1N1 cases are confirmed in Africa, but health experts worry the disease may spread in the continentâ€™s crowded slums.

Snake Oil Baron

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:20:06 -0500

Africa has one thing going for it in that much of it is hot and moist in climate. Flu viruses do better in cool and dry air as far as virus transmision goes. But as this new flu shows it is not enough to completely stop the virus. Because the virus is so new (virtually no one born after the 1950s has any immunity) it is spreading even in the warm moist months of the "non flu season".

But the virus is also new to humans and has been shown to be somewhat weak in its binding to our cell receptors. Yet it seems to infect cells from the upper respiratory tract (needed for ease of transmision) to the lungs (makes it potentially more deadly due to viral pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections) and even the gastro-intestinal tract. Once it adapts to better bind with our cells, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't, it will spread faster and kill more of those it infects while producing much higher absenteeism rates.

PRI: Public Radio International: National and World News, Talk, Arts, Entertainment and Music

H1N1 Concerns in Sub-Saharan Africa

Snake Oil Baron