Well this isn’t at all scary: 
 

It was probably the most important research on flu in years, but most people won’t be allowed to read it all. As New Scientist revealed in September, researchers at the University of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, created a mutated H5N1 bird flu that could go pandemic – and would be lethal to half its victims.

 
Thanks to Contagion I now know what an R0 value means (yay…). That was an okay sort of movie if you like to feel utterly depressed. I had to cheer myself up by pretending to sneeze on MBH and looking at the reaction on her face (Sick sense of humour) (Ha! Didn’t intend that Pun at all). 
 
Back in the day I took a semester course in Human Toxicology. Well it seemed interesting and my degrees have absolutely nothing to do with my current profession – utterly stellar at career planning me… 
 
Anyway, it was fascinating and utterly horrifying at the same time. The Professor was an awesome guy who was also a WHO and UN advisor so this guy knew what he was talking about. Apart from the feeling of doom, all I remember from the course was learning to create Compound summaries – or whatever they were called. Basically for any compound you had to create a summary which gave every little piece of information you needed and all on one side of A4. I’m very good at summarising things now – so it’s true that you can always get some skill from an obscure course. 
 
I’m utterly convinced that Pandemics are a significant threat. Ease of travelling and overabundant use of antibiotics are just two of the factors that would contribute to a problem I reckon, 
 
“I have a cold and feel bad Doctor” 
“Here have a VERY STRONG ANTIBIOTIC and go away” 
 
What can we do about it? Not a whole lot. But there are people who work tirelessly on it. This was a good talk given by Dr Larry Brilliant when accepting the TED Prize in 2006. This is also a very interesting talk by Seth Berkly on advances in Vaccine development. 
 

Bioterrorism experts in the US immediately questioned whether the method for making such a plague should be published. Now the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity has recommended that the “general conclusions be published, but that the manuscripts not include the methodological and other details that could enable replication of the experiments by those who would seek to do harm”

 
Wow, that’s surprising. Not like our American friends to overreact to a perceived threat – alway’s seemed such a level headed bunch…COUGH 
 
Anyway! Stifling research isn’t the answer. The key to combating any potential pandemics is time and a quick understanding. Having some Homeland Security bunch hiding information is not what I’d call helpful. 
 
I would have loved to have taken Biology and Chemistry, but my ‘Career Advisor’ back in my school days (who was also my woodwork teacher…yeahhh…) said because of my other subject choices I had to take Physics. I feckin hated Physics. Had a knack for Chemistry and Biology but Physics just left me a dry husk – didn’t care at all. Our Physics teacher also subscribed to the ‘Copy pages 101-123 and be quiet’ education framework. Bloody useless.