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» Hatrack River Forum » Active Forums » Books, Films, Food and Culture » I'm sorry...did you say plague?!?!

   
Author Topic: I'm sorry...did you say plague?!?!
TheHumanTarget
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You can have your extremists, your communists, your natural disasters...what scares me is stories like this...

Lab loses mice infected with bubonic plague

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Parsimony
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Now where did I put those deadly mice....

Oh yes! I took them to the airport, perhaps they took a plane.

--ApostleRadio

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TheHumanTarget
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The downfall of the human race will come in small, subtle ways...
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Brinestone
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I don't mean to make light of this, but I'm pretty sure we have effective treatments for the bubonic plague nowadays. That's not to say that this couldn't be bad, but it's not going to wipe out a third of the population of North America either.
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The Pixiest
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People get plague now and then even today. Don't freak out. We're not going to have a major outbreak and it's not gonna kill (m)anyone.

Pix

(edit: "manyone". I'm going to have to use that word again.)

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beverly
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I don't know what sort of treatments we have now. I wonder.

New mice-powered biological weapon! Run for the hills!

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mackillian
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Antibiotics. Plague isn't communicable unless it's gone to the pneumonic plague and then it's transmitted by droplets in the air.

mmmmdroplets.

Otherwise, you have to be bitten by a flea that's bitten an infected mouse or rat.

Plague is now treatable, but still kills one out of seven who managed to contract it.

...I also thought the same thing when I read that headline last night. "Did someone say plague?!"

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Megan
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What everyone else said. There are fairly effective treatments for plauge, as long as it's caught early enough (I'm guessing that's where the one out of the seven comes in).

I'm far more concerned about the likelihood of a flu pandemic than I am the plague.

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0range7Penguin
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Nowadays we can effectively stop plague but whats scary is if these mice were stolen. Think of the weapon possibilites.
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Tante Shvester
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My kid goes to school in Newark. Commutes on the train. When I picked him up from the station last night, I told him about the plague mice that have been missing for the past two weeks.

He wasn't that pleased.

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Sopwith
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At least he didn't say, "Well Mom, I have these two pet mice I found that I didn't tell you about..."
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Tante Shvester
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quote:
"Well Mom, I have these two pet mice I found that I didn't tell you about..." [/QB]
That's alright, dear. Bubonic plague isn't contagious. It is one of those non-contagious plagues. You see those all the time.

(actually, this is exactly what I told my kid. He was skeptical.)

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Architraz Warden
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I'm disappointed no one as sung the theme song from Pinky and the Brain yet...
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maui babe
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quote:
Originally posted by Tante Shvester:
That's alright, dear. Bubonic plague isn't contagious. It is one of those non-contagious plagues. You see those all the time.

(actually, this is exactly what I told my kid. He was skeptical.)

Actually, bubonic plague *is* contagious, it's just not communicable from person to person. It's vector borne, like typhus, malaria and dengue. And as someone else mentioned, if the organism gets into the blood stream or the lungs, it can turn into pneumonic plague, which is extremely communicable from person to person.

All of our bioterrorism exercises use pneumonic plague as the agent of choice... public health folks are very sensitive about Yersinia

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ketchupqueen
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Eh. I had a friend who got bit by a squirrel while hiking once and had to be treated for bubonic plague. It's kind of endemic in some of CA's mountain areas.

It doesn't scare me as much as rabies. Those shots hurt.

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Belle
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From what I heard the mice might not be missing after all, I heard that the lab said it's possible they were eaten by other mice.

Fear the mice who eat plague carrying mice, I say.

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mackillian
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I think the mention of bubonic plague brings out a visercal reaction in people. The "Holy [expletive of choice], the PLAGUE!"
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T_Smith
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Jamie doesn't answer the phone. Jerk. Next time I call, pick up! [Smile]

Actually, I'm thinking more like "Holy poo, where's the Dark Man in the desert!!"

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Belle
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Am I the only person here who at first glance, thought the title had the word "plaque" instead and thought we were going to have a thread about dental visits?
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solo
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No Belle, you are not.
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beverly
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quote:
It doesn't scare me as much as rabies. Those shots hurt.
You've had to have rabies shots? [Frown]
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RackhamsRazor
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I don't look forward to getting my rabies shots in a year or two. I heard they are not fun, but, as far as I have been told, they don't give the shot to you in your stomach anymore...just the arm.
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ketchupqueen
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Stomach? Last I heard, it was the rump. [Frown] No, I've never had them. But my cousin did.
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dabbler
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You get the first one in the rump, or the site of bite. The others go into the arm, usually.
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ketchupqueen
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Maybe it was 'cause she was a skinny, tiny girl and this was 13 years ago. [Wink]
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The Pixiest
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I got bionic plague now I'm super human!

nananananananananana

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Princess Leah
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Didn't the first instance of biological warfare utilize the bubonic plague? I seem to recall reading about armies catapaulting (sp?) horse corpses with infected fleas on them into cities under seige. Then the inhabitants would get sick and die off until capturing the city went like that <fingersnap>.

Wouldn't it be interesting if those mice were used in the LAST instance of biological warfare [dramatic pause] EVER KNOWN TO THE DYING RACE OF MAN?!?!?!!?

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maui babe
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From NOVA- A History of Biowarfare

... according to medieval medical lore, the stench of rotting bodies was known to transmit infections. So when corpses were used as ammunition, they were no doubt intended as biological weapons.

1340
Attackers hurled dead horses and other animals by catapult at [a]... castle in northern France. The defenders reported that "the stink and the air were so abominable... they could not long endure" and negotiated a truce. [no evidence of plague here really]

1346
During a siege of Caffa, a port on the Black Sea, the attackers suffered an outbreak of plague. Before abandoning their attack, they sent the infected bodies of their comrades over the walls of the city. Fleeing residents carried the disease to Italy, furthering the second major epidemic of "Black Death" in Europe.

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rivka
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quote:
Originally posted by T_Smith:
Jamie doesn't answer the phone.

*narrowed eyes* I've noticed this too. [Razz]
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mackillian
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Call me right now, then.
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rivka
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Sunset is in less than 10 minutes.

Your timing sucks. [Razz]

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mackillian
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[Big Grin]
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rivka
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*narrows eyes*

You did that on purpose! You're just lucky I'm not mean enough to call you right now. [Razz]

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mackillian
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...where's that angelic smiley...
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rivka
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This one? O:)

I think if you tried to use it, it might spontaneously combust. [Razz]

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Occasional
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I am with whoever said that a new flu epidemic, or even a huge outbreak of the West Nile Virus is far more frightning. Even more frightning than that would be a new outbreak of the Smallpox. Although, I am not sure that is very likely. The Ebola virus is also a nasty critter, but it has shown itself to burn out quickly because of the fearsness of its attack. Now, if it showed up in a heavily populated area it could take longer to dissipate, but with careful actions it shouldn't spread more than a city or three.
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