Swine Flu Mexico shutdown: update and comment
Research suggests that the virus causing Swine Flu (H1N1) may turn out to be quite similar to normal flu in mortality rates (1 in 1000). This is based on a genetic analysis which shows that the virus has receptors which bind to the nose and upper airways, rather than to lung tissue. This makes it more infectious but probably less dangerous for each person infected. But these are early days.Swine Flu: "Pandemic imminent" says WHO
30 April 2009: WHO has raised the alert over Swine Flu to Level 5 - only one step short of a full pandemic. Two days ago they announced Level 4 had been reached - the first time since the steps were introduced following Sars in 2003. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon announcing partial suspension of all non-essential work and services from 1 May to 5 May. He urged people to stay at home with their families during the shutdown. Swine Flu continues to spread around the world but while the number of suspected cases is rising rapidly, especially in Mexico, the number of cases with formal confirmation remains small. What can we expect to happen next? What are the real risks?
Swine Flu - race to prevent pandemic. Sars lessons
Our world is right on the brink of an unstoppable global pandemic - whether or not this occurs will probably become clear within the next 2-3 weeks. Less than a week after first cases of severe flu were linked to a mutant Swine Flu virus, Swine Flu was confirmed in Mexico, US, UK, Spain, Israel,New Zealand with over 10 other nations reporting suspected cases. Swine Flu has spread further and faster than Sars did in 2003 - a virus which caused massive business disruption and social chaos in some parts of the world for several months. Fortunately, early indications are that those infected are responding well to antiviral therapy, plus treatment of secondary chest infections with antibiotics. Since 1987 I have been predicting the great vulnerability of our world to new mutant viruses or mutations of existing ones. Lessons from previous mutant viruses and global pandemics.
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Swine Fever - Urgent - "Lancet" on Global Threat
Here
is the full press release on Swine Flu from the Lancet medical
journal. It highlights the vital role that governments need to take,
and also how important it is that people with flu-like symptoms in
affected countries stay at home and away from other people. Those in the poorest nations will be most vulnerable. Need to do all we can to slow spread even if pandemic looks inevitable in future, to win time to create a vaccine (6 months)
Swine Flu – Global Pandemic Threat - loss of life and business disruption
Governments teams are meeting in emergency sessions around the world to plan urgent responses to Swine Flu Virus (H1N1) after over 1,600 cases were reported in less than 48 hours in Mexico with others reported or suspected in the US, Canada and the UK. By early 27th April 2009 over 1600 cases had already been reported in Mexico with over 100 deaths – up from zero reported cases in just 48 hours. John McCaulay from the National Institute of Medical Research in the UK has said that the death toll could be as high as that from Spanish Flu in 1918-1919 which is thought to have killed 30 million people – out of a much smaller world population – less than half the number of people in the world today.
Even if the spread of Swine Flu Virus is as well contained as Sars was in 2003, it is clear that huge potential exists for business disruption around the world. Sars only infected 8600 people of which 862 died, but wiped billions of dollars from stock markets in South East Asia and caused major challenges for international travel, as well as social chaos in places like Hong Kong where people feared for weeks to gather in public places. This mutant version of Swine Flu has jumped from pigs to humans, combining it seems elements of bird flu, swine flu, and human flu. People who have had human flu in the past are unlikely to be protected, nor those recently vaccinated against human flu.
Dr Patrick Dixon, Chairman of Global Change Ltd said: "We are in a race against time to prevent a global pandemic. We must also remember that even if the spread of Swine Flu Virus is as well contained as Sars was in 2003, there could still be huge business disruption around the world. Sars only infected 8600 people in 2003 of which 862 died, but wiped billions of dollars from stock markets in South East Asia and caused major challenges for international travel, as well as social chaos in places like Hong Kong where people feared for weeks to gather in public places. Sars only infected 8,600 before being contained, but this Swine Flu Virus has probably already infected well over 1,600."
* Dr Patrick Dixon is a Futurist, physician, author of The Truth about AIDS, Futurewise and The Genetic Revolution. He consults to a wide range of multinationals on health-related trends. Press / media contact: MEDIA
Read more: Swine Flu – Global Pandemic Threat - loss of life and business disruption
Technology Innovation: Future Trends
How future consumers will behave, the impact of the current global crisis, and how combinations of new technologies will fuse together to create a new world. It is easy to focus on clever engineering, or new product developments, and lose sight of what the future will actually be like. The truth is that our future is being shaped by technology or innovation, but will be driven by emotion. How customers feel, how they want to live, what excites them and what worries they have.Activists: How passion will change our world and impact of terrorism.
Radical political forces, activism, terrorism and single issues. Carbon trading? Global warming? Environment? Discrimination and social justice? Democracy what kind of system is best? Are other systems of government more appropriate in some emerging economies? Different systems of democracy. How democracy could work for a global government based loosely around the UN / United Nations. Should the majority global population have power to alter how the global village is run on ...
Read more: Activists: How passion will change our world and impact of terrorism.
Human brain: fuse with PC chips biodigital brain
Biodigital brains and rebuilding eyes in people who are blind using adults stem cells. Growing brain cells onto computer chips to extend memory and processing power of human brain. How to fuse brain and computer power together. Brain control of machines, and computers. Remote robotic control by thought alone. RFID devices. Ethical issues in robot engineering using brain tissue. Digital enhancement of human brain function. Innovation, divergence and convergence in mobile phone devices, personal organisers, bandwidth and global positioning systems. Consumer and customer changes. Why benchmarking kills innovation. Lecture by physician and futurist keynote conference speaker Patrick Dixon for 2008 Stein Am Rhein leadership summit - facilitated by Professor Prabhu Guptara.
Newspapers Future - online threat? Futurist Q&A
Q via http://www.twitter.com/patrickdixon on future of newspapers, magazines and traditional print media. Impact of online news channels, Twitter and other web media on newspaper readership, circulation, subscription and advertising revenues. Growth of newspaper readership in India and other emerging economies with fall in developed economies. Niche markets for magazines. Comment by keynote conference speaker and Futurist Patrick Dixon in response to questions via Twitter.
Mobile devices - and laptops - trends - FUTURIST Q&A
Questions to www.twitter.com/patrickdixon on future of mobile computing. Confusion in manufacturers and consumer choices. Mobile phones and web browsers still limited and always will be by screen size and data entry. Expect convergence of features and divergence in device sizes - great variety and most people in management to own and use many devices of varying size and function.
Read more: Mobile devices - and laptops - trends - FUTURIST Q&A
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