An antiquated system and poor management in China may have created a potentially disastrous epidemic for the world: a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. A combination of poor testing and treatment appears to have created both a multidrug-resistant or MDR tuberculosis. Of million TB patients, 110,000 now have MDR TB.
The article below suggests that the Chinese made poor decisions on detection and treatment for patients that led to the creation of the MDR TB.
Now there is evidence of a Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) that can be passed from patient to patient. Few Americans remember when TB hospitals were common sights and TB was viewed as a leading cause of death in the country and around the world.
The lack of transparency and freedom of the press in China only serves to worsen this problem. In the West, the failure of the government in dealing with the problem would be the focus of extensive reporting. However, China routinely quashes stories that are critical of government officials. This is particularly harmful because such articles can educate people that they need to finish drug treatments — one of the causes for the epidemic.
Many of us have complained that our government is not prioritizing this threat of the resistance to antibiotics and the threat of a pandemic. We have our own dysfunctional political system that is willing to pump hundreds of billions into two wars but relatively little in combatting the coming pandemic. Science and environmental budgets are being slashed while we continue to gush money in Iraq and Afghanistan. History may record that we were all a ship of fools sailing blissfully toward the new pandemic in the 21st Century.
Source: NPR
It’s really very complicated in this active life to listen news on TV, so I only use internet for that reason, and obtain the latest information.
idealist707 1, June 8, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Dredd,
Mutation, ie evolution does not mean progress, ie survival increase.
Rapidly changing environmental factors cause species extinction.
I’d wager that when we get the arable land all under monoculture and under RoundUp will be the tipping point.
However any other perturbations in the meanwhile can do it as well as the above can. This could be a warm threshold passed, a toxification effect, or a number of other factors you could cite.
The environment is not a linear system. But non-linear effects don’t appear in our daily live, and thus we don’t even know that they exist.
99.99% anyway.
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idealist707 1, June 8, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Of course non-linear ones are in our daily life. We just don’t recognize them or understand them.
A slowly warmed pot of water will do for a start. It is even self-organizing. Fancy that. No computing power needed at all. Jst nature doing what comes naturally.
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I concur.
We have drug resistant gonorrhea in this country, particularly on the West Coast.
IndigoJones,
Misunderstand me correctly. The comparison to used car salesman was not as to intent or motive.
Rather the facility to sell and perhaps the facility to reveal to the customer the hard facts in the fine print.
Presenting the cold hard facts here would immediately lose your audience—but I have said that before.
Som a Tricky Dick, you are not. And your morals or ethics were not meant to be impugned by the comparison.
Sometimes one’s facility and love of similes carrys one away. Never had that problem? Most here are well controlled. How oould an uncontrolled lawyer succeed?
As for the knowledge of the ancients, I ask: how did we get here if they were so wise. Devolution?
And are we to believe that the Georgia Stones were placed there by the Asimovian Foundation? (Was it Asimov?)
Indigo Jones,
Don’t stop at what you regard as the pejorative intro, read my compliment and my reason for suspicion. Easily swallowed bait usually contains a hook.
No really, you have a genuine talent which I have acknowledged, and am grateful for as Blouise and the rest.
But deeper that these facile presentations are the cold hard facts, some of which may be more difficult to explain to us laypersons.
Welcome to accept that challenge, or skip it and proceed with your agenda. A good start should never be abandoned.
And I can’t help sprouting homilies, it’s Spring still.
With all due respect. Your moves will be eagerly watched by many, so much is sure. I won’t miss a one if I can.
Indigo,
Interesting charts. I may have to see if I can lay my hands on a copy of the book by Tainter they come from. Thanks!
@idealist707
I can’t recall ever being compared to a used car salesman before!
@gene
I’m glad you liked the Georgia Guidestones!
Here are some charts you two might like, as per my comment on this page above:
http://telesio.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/modern-medicine-chart-productivity-of-the-us-healthcare-system.png
http://telesio.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/patent-applications-productivity-of-reseach-dollars.png
I am not an immunologíst, but…..
Stimulation of the immune system by introduction of full strength antigens or vaccine-weakened doses will activate not only the ones directly effected by the specific antigen, but also those who are of general use. And a
list by me would not be helpful here, but: T murder cells, B cells, B helper cells, etc.
Exercise does not damage, it helps you be healthy. Heard that before? Applies to the immune system too.
And I’m not suggesting you go to India to embrace smallpox or other victims. Just in case.