Stu's Sofa Discussion Group

Bird-Flu Pandemic
Can we be infected by eating or having sex with poultry?

Should you be worried or what?

What the  Panel on Stu's Sofa have to Say;
Fish - Mark Kelly - Steve Wilson - Karl Groom - Ratboy John Beck - Steve Hughes - John Mitchell- Stu Nicholson - Gina Wilde

With so many rumours and so much scaremongering, Galahad's Stuart Nicholson called up his panel of experts for an emergency meeting of musicians to find some clarity and make learned judgements on what is happening and if we should be worried that we might die. The implications for prog could be catastrophic, one estimate is that 1/4 of the British population will be killed which means many bands will be without key musicians. Marillion are so worried that they've auditioned musicians to replace each band member should one of them die before a tour.

The spread of bird flu, also known as avian flu, to Turkey, Belgium and Romania, and the increasing numbers of human deaths in Asia from the virus is causing concern.

It is only a matter of time before people in Britain start dropping like flies, the streets will be littered with corpses as the flu spreads like wildfire killing 25% of people.

But what is this disease and what are the  risks to humans and how will it affect prog?

Stu's Panel of Experts on his sofa;

Stu Nicholson - Galahad frontman, Sofa owner,  and author of "Food for Thought?"
.Fish - Solo star and ex Marillion frontman, keeps pigeons.
Mark Kelly - Outspoken Marillion Keyboard player, feeds ducks in Aylesbury
Steve Wilson - Musician, Producer and keen gardener. 
Karl Groom - Vegan Threshold guitarist and campaigner for issues.
John Beck - It Bites' keyboard player and parrot owner. Speaks for the people and seeks "truth".
Steve Hughes - Session drummer, poultry-farmer and Big Big Train boy. 
Gina Wild - German pornstar, eats chickens.
John Mitchell - Boat owner who comes into contact with waterfowl, swans, geese, and ducks.

Charlie O'Mara deals the facts ;

• Like humans and other species, birds are susceptible to flu.
• There are 15 types of bird, or avian, flu.
• The most contagious strains, which are usually fatal in birds, are H5 and H7.
• The type currently causing concern is the deadly strain H5N1.
• Even within the H5N1 strain, variations are seen, and slightly different strains are being seen in the different countries affected in this outbreak.
• Migratory wildfowl, notably wild ducks, are natural carriers of the viruses, but are unlikely to actually develop an infection.
• Domestic birds are particularly susceptible in epidemics.
• This is why the confirmation of the H5N1 strain in birds in Turkey and Romania is causing concern.
• Pakistan has seen cases of the H7 and H9 strains of bird flu in poultry, but no cases of these strains have been passed to humans

"In addition, they say monitoring of the migratory patterns of wild birds should provide early alerts of the arrival of infected flocks - meaning they could be targeted on arrival. Anyone know how humans actually catch bird flu?" asks John Mitchell

"Birds excrete the virus in their faeces, which dries and becomes pulverised, and is then inhaled. Symptoms are similar to other types of flu - fever, malaise, sore throats and coughs. People can also develop conjunctivitis.."  adds  Steve Wilson

"Entertainers who are in contact with birds must surely be at a added risk. Keith Harris must keep Orville away from garden birds as a preventative measure" adds porn star Gina Wild.

Keith Harris - worried about impact bird flu could have on puppets. Rod Hull wasn't so lucky.

Karl - "developing countries have less choice"

"A case in Thailand indicated the probable transmission of the virus from a girl who had the disease to her mother, who also died. The girl's aunt, who was also infected, survived the virus." he adds, gloomily.

"As of 10 October, 2005, there had been 117 confirmed cases of avian flu in humans in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, leading to 60 deaths." agrees John Mitchell.

"Avian flu does have a high fatality rate. In comparison, Sars has killed around 80,000 people worldwide and infected at least 288,400 since it first emerged in November 2002"

It has killed huge numbers of birds and led to more than 60 human deaths.

"This is only  the tip of the motherfuckin iceberg, The range of deaths could be anything between 5m and 150m.  More must be done" Ratboy adds.

"Eating poultry or having unprotected sex with poultry can only add to the possibility of infection ." informs Stuart Nicholson.

Steve Wilson- "Definitely. Experts also believe the virus could exchange genes with a human flu virus if a person was simultaneously infected with both."

"The more this double infection happens, the higher the chance a new virus could be created and be passed from person to person, they say."  agrees the Porcupine Tree frontman

 When person-to-person virus spreads we may all die

Stu - "More and more of my birds are dying cause of this new strain."

"There are loads of types of birds" adds Gina Wild.

"Marillion are based in Aylesbury which is also famous for the Aylesbury Duck, my fear is that the police and army will have to cull our ducks as a measure to protect people" worries Marillion's Mark Kelly

"But Aylesbury is more famous for Marillion than ducks" adds Steve Hughes

"Antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu, which are already available and being stockpiled by countries such as the UK, may help limit symptoms and reduce the chances the disease will spread."

Karl: "Concerns have been prompted by news a Vietnamese patient has become partially resistant to the Tamiflu, drug experts plan to use to tackle a human bird flu outbreak. It is all so confusing"

"Yeah, scientists say it may be helpful to have stocks of other drugs from the same family such as Relenza"  adds Steve Hughes. 

Birds - The meat industry.

Fish - "I'm angry at the hygiene standards within the poultry industry ."

Fish -"Consumers are starting to react. Chicken, turkey, mangoes and goose will not be on my Christmas table that is for fuckin' sure!"

"Yeah boy, I've not eaten poultry in 20 years so I'm not so worried." says Steve Wilson

"I thought that the only people thought to be at risk are those involved in the slaughter and preparation of meat that may be infected, but any contact with poultry is a no-no" adds Ratboy John Beck

"Everyone loves eggs, but are they a problem too?" questions stunning Gina Wild.

"As sure as eggs is eggs" says Stu

"No, hang on. This is a grey area"  warns John Mitchell. "The World Health Organisation recommends that to be absolutely safe, all meat should be cooked to a temperature of at least 70C. Eggs should also be thoroughly cooked too. To be 100% certain it is best to avoid eggs, especially raw ones that you can get in Tescos" he adds

"Yeah, and after the civil war in the reign of King Stephen, Thomas Becket founded the stone castle but after 1495 it ceased to be inhabited." says sofaboy Stu Nichollson

"And, bird flu is a 21st Century AIDS. Homosexuals might be more at risk, maybe" reckons Steve Hughes.

"Scarecrows will be at a high risk category" reckons Steve Hughes

Charlie O'Mara's Flu  Facts

Symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from typical flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory distress), and other severe and life-threatening complications. The symptoms of bird flu may depend on which virus caused the infection.

Do or Don't?