macmanmike6100

As the <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/11/07/bird.flu.who.ap/">avian flu pandemic</a> becomes more and more likely, I'm becoming more concerned, primarily because I'm in China (Fujian Province). Confidentially, I was told that the avian flu already arrived in this city six months ago.

I know that antibiotics don't have a direct effect on virii but is there any antibiotic that might help me stay immunologically strong in the event that the flu hits humans? Tamiflu is the obvious choice but it seems that nobody can get their hands on it. Is there anything else, antibiotics or otherwise? I'm 21, exercise thrice a week, and have average weight for my height.

Rodney

I couldn't tell you about manmade antibiotics, but it sure wouldn't hurt to chow a lot of raw garlic; and your Chinese neighbors would agree with you. Garlic, when eaten fresh -- and I'm talking about several cloves a day -- has both antibiotic and antiviral properties. It's not especially strong, but it helps you fight both the initial viral infection and any followup bacterial infections. I worked in a class of second-graders for several months over the cold and flu season, and chowing garlic in the morning and evening kept me basically healthy all winter while the kids were sneezing and coughing all over me. Your breath _will_ smell like garlic all the time. But it works.

Redlemon

Are you saying that the bird flu crossed over to humans and is in a city as of six months ago? I have a hard time believing that such a thing could be covered up.

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Yakk

Deseases very rarely go world-wide pandemic with a high fatality rate. The 1918 flu was an exception because of the situations in the Western Front of the Great War.

Antibiotics do not work on a virus. The Flu is a virus, not a bacterial infection. Tamiflu is an anti-viral drug.

The issue with anti-biotics is that it also cleans out useful flora and fauna in your system. So don't go overboard with anti-biotics.

Placebos are useful for boosting your immune response.

If you where extremely worried, you could get a normal Flu shot (you don't want to have two flus at once!).

Also, avoid chicken-human organ transplants.

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Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.

superiorrain

Not that any government has enough of Tamiflu to give to the whole of the population. On the brighter side they don't know if Tamiflu would even work, in fact it probably won't. Even more on the brighter side as far as i am aware this has only killed about 60 people in the whole of asia, or about 3bn people. Again here the 60 people cause of death was suspected to be Bird Flu and each of these has been working closely with birds.

To sum up this is all media hype, which has helped to sell papers. If i'm wrong then i'll probably be dead so nevermind.

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BadForm

As others have already said, antibiotics will not help you at all. But as Yakk suggested getting a flu shot is beneficial.

Other than that, just lead a healthy lifestyle - get pleanty of sleep, get pleanty of vit C, drink water, wash your hands, etc. - so that your immune system is at its best if you encounter the virus.

snowy

As the avian flu is not yet passed from human to human, the simple way to avoid getting it would be...avoid contact with birds.

Ta-da.

As everyone else has said, antibiotics will do you no good; in fact, taking them would increase your antibiotic resistance, making it harder to treat bacterial infections you may get in the future.

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macmanmike6100

Thanks for the advice everyone. Just for the record, I'm fully aware that antibiotics don't stave off viruses at all, but I was thinking of going out to buy some so that when/if the flu spreads to humans, I can at least take some to prevent any bacterial infection/contagion from weakening my system further.

In any case, I guess I'll just have to keep up with a healthy regimen...sleep, vitamin C, eating well. I already have near-zero contact with birds (there are birds in the trees...) but have never heard the garlic thing. I'll keep that in mind.

Again, thanks everybody.

PS: Oh and no, the avian flu did not cross over where I am in China, it just killed several birds here. I'm sure a cross-over would be better publicized...or would it?? lol, certainly *I* would publicize it here, at least.

highthief

The comments about anti-biotics are true but leave something out - namely that anti-biotics do not stop viral infections, however, when severe flu pandemics have occured the incidence of bacterialogical infections does grow. Anti-biotics will stop secondary infections that do develop (at times) with the flu. But taking them as a preventative is not the way to go at all - you can seriously hurt yourself that way, allowing harmful bacteria a chance to mutate to defeat standard anti-biotics regimens.

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macmanmike6100

highthief: So then I'm right and I *should* stock up on some general antibiotics, to use in the event that an outbreak does occur? That's what I was thinking in the first place, but wasn't sure whether it was actually a good idea or not.

In that case, does anybody have suggestions for good "general" antibiotics to buy? Assume I can get most anything, as I'm in China and, honestly, all I have to do is *ask* and show cash and they give... :-)

Yakk

Are you allergic to pennicilin?

Note: do not use expired anibiotics. Do not flush expired antibiotics down the drain. Only use antibiotics in relatively high dosages. Exposure to weak or low-level antibiotics results in bacteria who evolve resistance to the antibiotic.

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Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.

VitaminH

Antibiotics will more or less not help you at all. I understand your rationale on staving off anything bacterial that might make it worse but in all honesty the chances of that are fairly slim.

Another pandemic will happen. Whether or not it'll be from this bug is a question no one can answer. If it makes the jump to humans and starts to spread, your best bet is just going to be avoiding contact with anyone who is sick, wash your hands, and just live a generally healthy lifestyle. Yes avoiding contact is a problem as those who are infected are contagious for 1 or more days before they get symptoms themselves, but there's really not a lot to be done for that.

Let me talk a little about tamiflu. I feel a lot of people (read: the US Government) are purporting it as the savior from this thing. It won't be. ALL it does is reduce the severity of the flu a little bit. The virus has to change to become human transimissable. It's entirely possible this change will alter the bug so tamiflu is not effective. Best case scenario and Tamiflu is effective? It won't last long. Viruses are very, VERY prone to mutating. The bug is going to mutate into something that is resistant to Tamiflu and boom it's no good anymore. So if this shit breaks into humans and we start blanketing everyone who gets it with Tamiflu? I'd give it a few weeks before you've got a bird flu that's completely resistant to Tamiflu. You don't hear Roche saying that of course do you?

Food for thought.

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macmanmike6100

A healthy lifestyle it is. I'll keep working on that.

Shame to hear about Tamiflu, although I had asked myself how a vaccine now is supposed to work on a currently-non-existent/not-yet-found mutant strain.

Nimetic

Tamiflu is an antiviral. There are a couple of other antivirals (relenza) - including some apparently that are off-patent but which have nasty side effects (including psychosis).

If you are science minded - you might try to get your hands on the older drugs. Dunno. Hey... I'd take care not to go too hard on exercise also. 3 times a week seems ok. I do know that people getting into the overtraining area get sick easy.

The following links have heaps of material if you are interested.


http://effectmeasure.blogspot.com (check the tamiflu discussion)

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/0505...l/435399a.html

I don't know. Maybe just maybe if I was in China, I'd wear a mask. I'm not normally into these things but now it seems a rational response.

Nimetic

I've been thinking about this...

I wish I'd some better ideas to contribute. Sorry.