1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, Welcome to Stuff from the Science Lab from how 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Hey, guys, welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: This is Alexon Madermer Science Center at how stuff works 4 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: dot com. And this is Robert Lamb, signed writer at 5 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. Yeah. Have you ever had 6 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: the flu? Boy? Have I ever had the flu? Um? 7 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: Tell me about it? Tell us about it? Okay, Well, 8 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: last year, Uh, my wife and I came back from Thailand, Yes, 9 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: and it was. It was an amazing trip and it's 10 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: amazing country. And got back, you know, ready to get 11 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: back to work, you know, hot back in the seat 12 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: and start writing some articles. I'm sure you were. I was, yeah, 13 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: I mean, but as it turns out, missed how stuff Works. 14 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,879 Speaker 1: Didn't you know? We thought about us constantly. Well some 15 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: of the time, I mean I definitely. You know, it's 16 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: like you can't go anywhere working here and not sort 17 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: of piece together, you know, something, you know, science related 18 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: when you get back. But but when I got back, 19 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: I was growing steadily, um sicker, and so like the 20 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: monday that I was supposed to go back to work, 21 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: I was instead. And this was like in October in Atlanta, 22 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: So it's it's still pretty warm out um, but I 23 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: was just burning up, just like just completely yeah, burn yeah. 24 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,679 Speaker 1: And then suddenly I was freezing and I would like, 25 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: you know, like had to drive myself to the to 26 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: the doctor and um, you know, wrapping myself up. And 27 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: it was in in like blankets in the car with 28 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: the heater on even though it was you know, hot out. 29 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: And at one point I was like laying on the 30 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:35,839 Speaker 1: couch and I was like just freezing with this flu 31 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: going on, just kind of delirious, and I like wrapped 32 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 1: up in the blanket and then the cat got on 33 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,559 Speaker 1: top of me, and I was like, oh, that's great, 34 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: you know because the cat is warm and I needed 35 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: warmth like crazy to stay alive. And then the cat 36 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: starts acting like she's gonna vomit on me, and like 37 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: that was that was the low point of my my 38 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: illness there. But then they don't know, injected a lot 39 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: of liquids into me and gave me some medicine. I 40 00:01:58,280 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: got better and it wasn't bird flu, but it was hard. 41 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 1: Was it swine flu? No, it wasn't swine flu either. 42 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: It was just some unknown Asian flu. Well I'm glad you, 43 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: uh you stayed home with that for several days because 44 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: there are a lot of people going around the office 45 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: as I'm sure they're going around yours or your schools 46 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: or what have you, sneezing and coughing up a storm 47 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: like crazy. The man in the corner office, I sent 48 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: him an email because in times fifty, because I swear 49 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 1: he must have sneezed like in innumerable times. Yeah, it's uh. 50 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: I have so many um um in interviews that I've 51 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: recorded with people over the phone that have like different 52 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: people coughing and changing in the background. The other funny 53 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: thing is that Discovery sponsors a wellness fair in which 54 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,639 Speaker 1: you can get a flu shot. Here, so a bunch 55 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,239 Speaker 1: of us had our flu shots. I did get one. Okay, 56 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,399 Speaker 1: here's the thing. She missed my arm when she put 57 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: the band aid on. Oh okay, but not the needle. No, no, no, 58 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: she the needle hit the band aid missed, so I 59 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: bled on my shirt. I mean she does this all day, 60 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: but she us is the spot where she put the 61 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,519 Speaker 1: needle in. Huh. I feel like that's a job requirement. 62 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: Little accuracy when it comes to the band aid and 63 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: they needle, Well, don't keep it in suspense. What color 64 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: was the shirt? That was turqoise. It was like a nice, 65 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: you know, pretty spring turquoise. Yeah. I think it'll come 66 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: out that blood spattery. Yeah, bloods battery. Really, so thinking 67 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: about all this flu led me no wonder. You know, 68 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: we have taken measures, public health has taken measures against 69 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: various diseases, stamping out disease. Why haven't they ever tried 70 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: to eradicate influenza? Or have they tried to eradicate influenza? 71 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: And so before we get to that, let's talk a 72 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: little bit about flu. I'm sure you guys know a 73 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: lot of this, so chime in along with us. But 74 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: flu is really just an infectious illness, right, and it's 75 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: caused by a particular virus, an influenza virus, and it's 76 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: going to affect your respiratory system. Yeah, you posted a 77 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: photo of the virus on or not a photo image 78 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,119 Speaker 1: of the virus on the Facebook. Yeah, and the guy 79 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:04,119 Speaker 1: got it within the one guy that I got it within, 80 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: you know, ten minutes or so. It looked kind of 81 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: like an orange with a bunch of golf teeth stuck 82 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: in it. Yeah, that was not my impression at all. 83 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: Golf balls do not golf golf teeese. Yeah, yeah, they 84 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: do look like golf teeth, a little blue golf teeth, 85 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: I mean blue and red. Wait, the blue ones I 86 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 1: think were the neuraminidase. That such a tricky word to say, 87 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: and the red were the the other. Well, we'll talk 88 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: about these in a little bit. So symptoms. One of 89 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: the symptoms, what are the symptoms of faint, Well, you 90 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: kind of get a cough, you get a sore throat, 91 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: running nose, you get the aky brakies. What are they breakies? 92 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: It's like muscle. But you know, the only time I've 93 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: ever heard a key breaking before this moment. You don't 94 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: call him a breaking No, No, that's the only time 95 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: I've ever heard that was in its song Akey Breaky Heart. 96 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: I did not know that anyone else. You use that 97 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: terminology for anything other than countries. Yeah, I don't think 98 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: he has a patent on that term, the breakies. So like, 99 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,599 Speaker 1: so if you have the achy breakies, that just means 100 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: you have sore limbs and do you know anything kind 101 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: of feel like hurts and you're really sensitive and it 102 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: doesn't feel good. It's muscle like more catchy way of 103 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: saying muscle like. I think, Okay, you're tired, you're extremely fatigued, 104 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: and sometimes, like Robert was you, you get a fever, 105 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: maybe a little vomiting to throw in there, mix it 106 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: up and me and maybe some some diarrhea too, But 107 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: just these latter two are mostly in kids. His kids 108 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: are messy, so why not giving them a messy stuff? Anyway, 109 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: So tip the bucket on all up. Did I ever 110 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: tell you about my Christmas last year? No, but now 111 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,559 Speaker 1: I'm a little frightened to hear with that kind of leading. 112 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: It's like kids are always vomiting and having diarrhea. Let 113 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,159 Speaker 1: me tell you about Christmas last year. Yeah, well it 114 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: was kind of crazy because that was what happened. You 115 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: need to make big plans. Maybe you're going to go 116 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: to your family, going to have a big meal post presence, 117 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: if you happen to sell at Christmas or whatever other 118 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,600 Speaker 1: holiday perhaps you celebrated around in that time of year. Yeah, 119 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:07,359 Speaker 1: we had all sorts of big plans, and you know, 120 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: all of a sudden boom we had We had some 121 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: vomiting multiple times. I mean, so the washer and the dryer, 122 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: we're going all day, and then we had no backup plan. 123 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: We obviously can't go to the house we're supposed to 124 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: go to, because who wants a vomiting kid at their 125 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 1: Christmas dinner? And then they have kids and they get sick. 126 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: So we wound up staying home and we had no food. 127 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 1: So we drive around to one of the local farmer 128 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,840 Speaker 1: members from targets that's supposed to be open three six 129 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: five days a year. No, it is not open three 130 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: So yeah, so the vomiting, Yeah, definitely happens in kids. 131 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,039 Speaker 1: This is very vomit heavy podcast. Actually, do you have 132 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: a week's stomach? I think that maybe you do a 133 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: little bit. I hope, well a little bit, but the 134 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: vomit doesn't bother me as much. But let's just I 135 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: hope my friend Becky is not listening because she gets 136 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,840 Speaker 1: freaked out by this. Sorry Becky. So how long? How 137 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: long are you out? Down for the count? I was 138 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:01,839 Speaker 1: out for it was I felt tough for about a week. Yeah, 139 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:03,720 Speaker 1: so a few days, and it might be as long 140 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: as two weeks. But if you get some complications going on, 141 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 1: and you know you're gonna get these in high risk groups, 142 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: and who are the high risk group? People? Um, people 143 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: like my parents, you people over sixty five pregnant ladies kids. 144 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: Of course, people with medical histories that have you know, 145 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 1: full stuff like heart disease, asthma, diabetes, they're gonna get 146 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: some complications going on that may eventually leave them to 147 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: the hospital. You know, they may wind up with pneumonia, 148 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: to may get signed us and ear infections, all sorts 149 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:34,679 Speaker 1: of stuff. You know. I just want to go ahead 150 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: and mentioned real quick. Um, this is something My mom's 151 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: a kindergarten teacher, so she's always driving home. To cover 152 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: your mouth when you cough and sneeze. So many adults 153 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: do not do that. What like, can you name some 154 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: people in our own I don't know about people in 155 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: our office, but like every other person on the MARTA 156 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: train in the morning, it's like, come on, enclosed space. 157 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: Didn't your kindergarten teacher ever tell you cover your mouth 158 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:00,679 Speaker 1: and knows when you when you sneeze and cough, because 159 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: that's how you spread this stuff, you know. Lately, I'm 160 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: kind of a fan of sneezing in the crook of 161 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: my elbow. Yeah. Yeah, that's like when you get your 162 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: hands fill filled up with well, you know, if I 163 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: don't have a tissue or something at the ready, the 164 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: crook of the elbow, it kind of contains it. What 165 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: do you really use the crook of your elbow for, 166 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: you know, because otherwise you can't use it in food? 167 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: Not so much, not unless I'm preparing that special cast role, 168 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: you know, just kidding. No, I think the crook of 169 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: the elbow is probably a good place for that to 170 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: take place. Makes more sense in the hands, right indeed, 171 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: So how does it get around town? All those droplets 172 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 1: that's spring free, just floating in the air of the marta? Yeah, 173 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: and you know the droplets spring free when someone's coughing, sneezing, 174 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 1: or even talking. Yeah, so again, if you don't cover 175 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: your head in your mouth and knows when you sneeze, 176 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: think about that, Like every time somebody lets one go 177 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: on the marta just sprays, Like I think we've all 178 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 1: seen the videos before where they slow it down and 179 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: they show just like how much of volume like leaves 180 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: the human face during a sneeze. I think I saw 181 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: something to the count of about forty droplets. Don't quote 182 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: me on this, but it was just insane. Yeah, it's 183 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: not just like a little drop, it's it's a lot 184 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:15,839 Speaker 1: of material being laid out there for the rest of 185 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:19,439 Speaker 1: the population, and even if you're not in the blast zone. 186 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,959 Speaker 1: I mean that stuff ends up landing on different surfaces 187 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: like the Marta pole for example, on the Marta pole 188 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:29,319 Speaker 1: or just you know, on both Like apparently like libraries 189 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: are pretty rough. Yeah, they always come out with studies. 190 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: I feel like every week, you know, oh, we found 191 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: this in the um in the sample cosmetics at X 192 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 1: department store. Yeah, there are germs all over the place. Yeah, 193 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: but I'm not really a germaphobe, are you. Um? I mean, 194 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: I'm not not in the sense that I actually have 195 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: a hardcore phobia about it. It doesn't like keep me 196 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,200 Speaker 1: from you know, you know, carrying on my life. But 197 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 1: I'm I'm pretty uh, I feel like I'm pretty aware 198 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 1: of it, especially when I'm on Marta. You know, I'll 199 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: look at the surface that a million hands have touched. 200 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: I'm like, I don't know if I want to touch that. 201 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: I think I'll. In fact, what I'll try and do 202 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: is wrap my my arm around it some of the 203 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: crook of my elbow. YEA an amazingly handy place, the 204 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: dirtiest place on the human body, apparently, just because we're 205 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 1: constantly sneezing into it and sticking it to the public martoples. 206 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: I remember once bringing back a friend of mine when 207 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 1: I lived in New York. She I think he'd come 208 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: in on the train and we're taking the subway somewhere, 209 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 1: and she had a bag of pretzels and she was 210 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:33,559 Speaker 1: really hungry. So I watched her opened the bag of pretzels, 211 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: and you know, you're sort of just frozen. I just 212 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: watched her in this morbid fascination, and she's grabbing the 213 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 1: pole and then she's sticking her hands. Oh my god, 214 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: and I couldn't say anything except just kind of my 215 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 1: mouth had dropped open. It was like, what are you doing? 216 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: Don't do though, well, that reminds that's exactly. Not exactly, 217 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: but I saw a very similar case on Marta one. 218 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: Are you going to talk about the chicken? Yes, it was. 219 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: I may have already apologies listener if you've heard this before, 220 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: but I saw a lady eating an entire rotisserie chicken 221 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: on the on the Marta one day. It was like 222 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,559 Speaker 1: she'd eaten it down to just like the grays, you know, 223 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: a little slivers, but she would like eat out of 224 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: it with her fingers, and then she would touch the 225 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: pole and then she would go back to eating them 226 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 1: the chicken. It was oh yeah, good times. Well the 227 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:22,839 Speaker 1: other thing, okay, let's get back to the sick people, 228 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: the people with the influenza virus. Yes, we've kind of 229 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,320 Speaker 1: gone off topic here, we have, indeed, but that's okay. 230 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: Feel free to write us with your crazy stories about 231 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 1: traveling on public transportation and the things you've witnessed. But 232 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:35,679 Speaker 1: here's the thing. I mean, a sick person we think 233 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,640 Speaker 1: of somebody coughing or sneezing or whatever. But you can 234 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: be passing along. You can be shedding virus before you're 235 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: showing symptoms, so, and you can be shedding virus for 236 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: as many as like five to seven days after. Okay. 237 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 1: So so even if if somebody is like follows all 238 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: the rules and they start feeling sick, they stay home 239 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: and then they come back to work after they're feeling better, 240 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:00,199 Speaker 1: they're still like they store likely infecting people along the way. Yeah, 241 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: it could be could be incubating, hanging out. Yeah, so 242 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: why does it occur in the winter. This is one 243 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: that I feel like I have to just get out there. 244 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:11,559 Speaker 1: Virus digs a cole there, It's pretty much all there 245 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: is to it. And I didn't think I had anything 246 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: in common with the flip, but we both like the 247 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaker 1: cooler weather and the cold, dry air specifically. So the 248 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: one big one that you guys know is swine flu 249 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 1: H one and one indeed, and that was responsible for 250 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: the first pandemic. And that just means, you know, an 251 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: epidemic that covers a big old area like the world, 252 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: say that we've had more than forty years. And that's 253 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,960 Speaker 1: interesting too, is when I was researching this, pandemics occur 254 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 1: about every forty years, so we just had one. Although 255 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 1: it wasn't so bad. It wasn't like say, the pandemic 256 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: of in which half of the world's population was infected, 257 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 1: like whaty million people died and that thing. Yeah, that 258 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: flows my mind. Half of the world's population was infected. 259 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,559 Speaker 1: I mean that's just crazy easy. That is a pandemic 260 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: of pandemics. That is a highly successful organism. Yeah, no doubt. 261 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: So what are we talking when it comes to deaths? 262 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:12,080 Speaker 1: Um You know, in a normal year last year with 263 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: swine flu, there are about twelve thousand ufs deaths attributed 264 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 1: to H one N one. But in a severe flu season, 265 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,079 Speaker 1: you're going to see as many as like forty people 266 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: dying in the United States and then take it to 267 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 1: the global level and how many What are the numbers there, 268 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: Robert between two and five hundred thousand deaths per year. Yeah, 269 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: so that's those are some pretty high numbers. So like 270 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: even yea, even the normal numbers are pretty pretty big, 271 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: Like we just kind of you know, they don't then 272 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 1: make the headlines necessarily unless the slow news weaker or 273 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: it really starts piling up. Yeah, a lot of us 274 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: tend to dismiss the flu. You know, you're so what. 275 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 1: I'm of a sicktic can watch a little daytime TV. 276 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,880 Speaker 1: My partner doats on me. What's the big deal? But 277 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 1: it is a darned big deal, So let's talk it. 278 00:13:57,240 --> 00:13:58,839 Speaker 1: I mean, so, why don't we eradicate the flu? Why 279 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:00,120 Speaker 1: don't we get rid of this? I mean, if so 280 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:04,080 Speaker 1: many people are dying, and how would we do it? Yeah? Like, what, 281 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 1: why don't we just come up with a vaccine? Right? Well, 282 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:09,000 Speaker 1: so we have a vaccine, right, They've been around since 283 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: not what I mean, they're not as refined as they 284 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: are now, but we've had them and in vaccine, in fact, 285 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: we are would probably be our best bet when it 286 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: comes to stamping out influenza, and it's they've certainly proven 287 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: to be our best bets and stamping out other diseases 288 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 1: like smallpox. You guys all know that smallpox has been eradicated. Yeah, 289 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 1: The last naturally occurring case of small pox was in 290 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: Somalia in nineteen seventy seven, or according to the CDC. Yeah, 291 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 1: in the States, our last case of naturally occurring smallpox 292 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: was in ninety nine. It's been decades. I find it 293 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:43,479 Speaker 1: nowadays you pretty much have to go to a laboratory 294 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: and find like a stored sample of it. Yeah, So 295 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: that's what eradication means. There's a pretty particular definition of 296 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: it in the public health world, and that is no 297 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: new cases in the world and no control measures are necessary. 298 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 1: You don't have to vaccinate for it anymore. The other 299 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: after the nine eleven scare, they did do some vaccinations, right, 300 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 1: I believe so, Yeah, because there was there were some 301 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:06,960 Speaker 1: concerns they're about about the use as a bioweapon, right, right, right, 302 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 1: So eradication is kind of the ultimate level and what 303 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: you're aiming for as a public health professional. But you 304 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: also hear them talk about a disease being eliminated. And 305 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: what does that mean. Um, elimination just means that you've 306 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,040 Speaker 1: decreased the number of cases to a very low level, 307 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: or a controlled level, right, And that's how the World 308 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: Health organization is kind of that's what the World Health 309 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: organizations is gonna tell you what's going on. And then 310 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: you also hear people talk about disease being controlled, and 311 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: that means, hey, folks were working on it. We got 312 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: ongoing operations going here, We've got interventions plan, we're trying 313 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: to reduce the number of new cases and the existing 314 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 1: cases in a population. So the battle is underway and 315 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: going well. Basically when it's when it's controlled and there's 316 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: there's there's also this kind of holy grail status and 317 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:57,880 Speaker 1: that's extinction. And no infectious organisms have been declared extinct, 318 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: and so this would be UM when an infectious agent 319 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: is no longer in the wild or in the lab. Yeah, 320 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: you'd have to really for that to take place. I 321 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:09,640 Speaker 1: think a lot of times you'd have to be talking 322 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: about coextinction like you'd have to, you would. It would 323 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,760 Speaker 1: not just be a matter of eliminating like this particular flu, 324 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: but everything the flu lives in. You know, it's just 325 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: get to that. That is a very good point, have it, 326 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: Hatten Food. It's just it's just too much, It's right, right, 327 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: And that is that's definitely factors into the picture of 328 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: ultimately why we can't eradicate the influence of IRUs. So 329 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: another more broadly applicable one is that populations can be 330 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: really tricky to reach, right. You get a war torn 331 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: region thrown in there, you get poverty, you get location, 332 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 1: you know, somewhere who's living in a someone who's living 333 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: in a particular remote place. Yeah, there's like poor infrastructure, 334 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: poor communication, like in many places, just outright chaos, you know, 335 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: and it's just not going to be very high on 336 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,840 Speaker 1: the um you know, on the list of things to 337 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: do right. And then in industrialized countries you definitely have 338 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 1: these concerns about the side effects of vaccines surfacing. So 339 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,879 Speaker 1: aside from that, you really can't make people be vaccinated, 340 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: so people are going to opt out. And it's I mean, 341 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: to have a disease eradicated, it is this major public 342 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: health victory, and it just can't happen without you know, 343 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:18,120 Speaker 1: a crazy organizational fee. Yeah, like even if you did 344 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:22,719 Speaker 1: like a huge you know, expansive you know, vaccine effort, 345 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 1: you know for something it's like you're like the one 346 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: they did for small box, right, you're still you know, 347 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,520 Speaker 1: run the risk of getting you know, people at the 348 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 1: top and the bottom who disagree with it and and 349 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 1: you know some resulting chaos. There was actually, back when 350 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:37,360 Speaker 1: I was researching the bioweapons article for how Stuff Works 351 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,240 Speaker 1: dot com that I wrote, I ran across this. I 352 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,400 Speaker 1: don't know that it was ever actually implemented, but there 353 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,800 Speaker 1: was a scheme to cre to create a like a 354 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: bioweapon a and you know taylored jameara virus that would 355 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 1: be pretty like you'd you would get ill with it, 356 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: but it wouldn't really become dangerous until it was treated 357 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: with a vaccine. Oh. Interesting. So you'd have people that 358 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: would say, oh, I feel sick, and then they'd go 359 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:06,120 Speaker 1: to their like the easter egg inside the right. Yeah. 360 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 1: But see the thing is they would go to their doctors, 361 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:10,239 Speaker 1: they go to their and their their government whatever, and 362 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 1: they would and they would get to get shot with 363 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:14,960 Speaker 1: something and then they would get worse, which would just 364 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,199 Speaker 1: totally like screw up you know, trust and h and 365 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 1: just lead to more like civil unrest is a pretty 366 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 1: evil ingenious scheme. Only a human could come up with it. Yeah, 367 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,119 Speaker 1: but no case, no known cases of that occurring on 368 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: their No, no no, no, no, no, that's I think it 369 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 1: was just purely in the in the ledgers of of 370 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,920 Speaker 1: these guys who were scheming all these biochemical weapons up. 371 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: So even if you had the perfect influence of vaccine, 372 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:41,880 Speaker 1: it's gonna be really hard to vaccinate everyone who needs 373 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:44,159 Speaker 1: to be vaccinated. Yeah, you can vaccinate some of the 374 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: people all the time, or all the people some of 375 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: the time, right, I mean, consider this. I was reading 376 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,320 Speaker 1: a statistic that said, in two thousand seven, twenty percent 377 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: of children don't receive the vaccines are scheduled for. And 378 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:56,960 Speaker 1: I was according to a massive report, massive awesome report, 379 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: I should say that was jointly published by the World 380 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: Health Organization, World Bank and un stuff that gave an 381 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: update on the state of vaccinations and stuff going on. 382 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: It was. It was a really good publication if you 383 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: guys are at all interested in public health. Of course, 384 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: the other thing about trying to eradicated diseases, it's pretty expensive. Yeah, 385 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: so just to give you some statistics to illuminate that picture, 386 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:22,400 Speaker 1: that expensive picture. It came across some numbers that said 387 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: eradicating smallpox costs the US hundred million spread over ten years. 388 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:33,679 Speaker 1: The flip side, however, is pretty good. Yeah, so you're 389 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,240 Speaker 1: gonna say you're gonna have some savings. Uh, you know, 390 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:39,399 Speaker 1: entreating and preventing costs after you know, you get rid 391 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: of a disease. So some estimates put this at one 392 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:45,920 Speaker 1: point three billion a year. We are saving one point 393 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,199 Speaker 1: three billion a year. So we've more than made our 394 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 1: money back on that one. Pretty good return on investment 395 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:55,679 Speaker 1: for eradication of smallpox. And then the trickier territory again, 396 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:57,920 Speaker 1: you know, we gotta do some easy ones the numbers, 397 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: and then it just comes down to politicking, right yeah, 398 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 1: and priority, like if you're going to wipe out one disease, 399 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,679 Speaker 1: like which one, which one has the most momentum, you know, 400 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,440 Speaker 1: which one has the most press which one is actually killing. 401 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,640 Speaker 1: If I'm a minister of health in a developing country, 402 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:17,920 Speaker 1: you know, I'm probably more liable to focus on something 403 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,560 Speaker 1: like AIDS or malaria, tuberculosis, the big three. You know, 404 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,520 Speaker 1: you have millions of people dying from these diseases every year. 405 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:27,919 Speaker 1: So I read one figure that factored in about four millions. 406 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 1: That's per year attributable to either malaria, AIDS, or tuberculosis, 407 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: and sometimes it co occur. Right. Yeah, so it's like flu, 408 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:38,720 Speaker 1: you know, flu. Yeah, I don't know if it's going 409 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:42,680 Speaker 1: to make the the number one flu rough los a killer. 410 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:44,399 Speaker 1: You know, we've we've said it already, but you know, 411 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,959 Speaker 1: compared to those three, it's not necessarily going to get 412 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,679 Speaker 1: the traction it needs. So really, we've talked about reasons 413 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,240 Speaker 1: so far that applied to a lot of widespread infectious disease, 414 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: but let's talk about some more that are specific reasons 415 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:00,160 Speaker 1: for why we can't eradicate influenza and also for why 416 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:06,399 Speaker 1: it's a very successful organism too. Yeah. Yeah, so mutation, Yeah, 417 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 1: that's a big one. It's huge. It is so huge. 418 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:11,600 Speaker 1: You think that you've you've figured out it's it's a 419 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: strategy and you have a counter strategy. It changes its strategy. 420 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 1: It how maneuvers you, It flanks you. Yeah. So humans 421 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:20,360 Speaker 1: are infected by two types of influence of virus, the 422 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 1: a's and the bees. And it sounds simple, but it's 423 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,760 Speaker 1: not really, especially when they're constantly undergoing change, and those 424 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:31,159 Speaker 1: means of change, for one, are antigenic drift. Right, So 425 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: this is virus is evolved. They change, but it's happening 426 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: all the time. Basically, they just start collecting genetic mutations 427 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:41,360 Speaker 1: and they collect them at the critical site, the site 428 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 1: where the antibody is that your immune system is sending 429 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,159 Speaker 1: out to fight the battle they like to find and 430 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:49,679 Speaker 1: the mutation, of course causes your immune system not to 431 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 1: recognize the antigen. Yeah, and this is this is why 432 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,160 Speaker 1: we get that flu shot at work every year, right, Yeah, 433 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:58,480 Speaker 1: and why that's why they talk about the flu shot 434 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: being a little bit of a guessing game. They're trying 435 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,360 Speaker 1: to figure out what strands are prevalent and what strands 436 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,440 Speaker 1: they need to prepare for in the flu shot. Yeah, 437 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: it's like a It's like again, it's like a it's 438 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: like a battle. It's like like like in a battlefield, 439 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: you know, between two armies where we make a move 440 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:14,640 Speaker 1: thinking the enemy is going to be here, but they're 441 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: maybe they're over here. We don't know exactly how it's 442 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: gonna work out. We just know we're not going to 443 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:21,840 Speaker 1: defeat them completely. So in both of those types of 444 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: viruses that infect humans, the A and the B influence 445 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: of viruses, antigenic drift happens in both kinds, right, So 446 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:31,840 Speaker 1: that's bad news for us. Much worse, or it can 447 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: be much worse, is antigenic shift. And this is like 448 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,679 Speaker 1: jaw dropping change. This is an abrupt process. You know, 449 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,159 Speaker 1: you think drift is bad, you haven't seen shift. And 450 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: this is what led to uh H one N one 451 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,680 Speaker 1: virus in two thousand and nine, the spine flu that 452 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 1: we were talking about before. It's like drift. It's like 453 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: I might drift from like listening to like, say a 454 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: person's listening to jazz, they might drift over into smooth jazz. 455 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 1: But a shift would be if they like, if they 456 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,119 Speaker 1: they're listening to jazz and then suddenly they're listening to 457 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: like drum and bass. You know, it's like the Slayer, Yes, 458 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: that pantera. I don't know why I just thought of pantera. 459 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:11,680 Speaker 1: So this is a situation where like like like bird flute, 460 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: where the big you know, the big fear is, Oh 461 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,680 Speaker 1: my goodness, it's it's the fluids and birds, but it's 462 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: gonna it could easily like crossover to humans who are 463 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 1: in close proximity to these birds. The bottom line is 464 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,280 Speaker 1: that it leads to such a crazy new virus that 465 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 1: we have no defenses against it. We have no immunity, 466 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,159 Speaker 1: and this is bad news for us. And this this 467 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,159 Speaker 1: one ties into when you start looking at the history 468 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: of of epidemics. You know, it's like a lot of 469 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,679 Speaker 1: it ties back to when humans started living together in 470 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:43,120 Speaker 1: large settlements because a all these people can spread diseases 471 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,159 Speaker 1: back and forth, but they're also generally living there with 472 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,119 Speaker 1: their animals, with their cows, with their sheets, with their dogs, 473 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:50,880 Speaker 1: with their cats. Um, they're they're having all the circles 474 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,440 Speaker 1: of food that's being fed up on by by rats, 475 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 1: by squirrels, by birds, et cetera, and uh and and 476 00:23:58,240 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 1: and any and you have in in the midst of this, 477 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 1: you have all these different viruses and they can jump 478 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:05,639 Speaker 1: from from rat to score all to human. You know, 479 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: it's there there. They keep taking that shift, right, they 480 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 1: can and they do jump absolutely. And so that's really 481 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: the last point about why we're not going to win 482 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: the battle against flu or. At least, we're not going 483 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: to win the eradication battle against influenza because influenza has 484 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: a vast reservoir and animals. And one of the most 485 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,439 Speaker 1: critical criteria when it comes to successful eradication is that 486 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:31,119 Speaker 1: humans are the only reservoir of disease, and it's not 487 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: the case with influenza, so bear that in mind. Wash 488 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 1: your hands a lot, sneeze into the crook of your elbow. 489 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 1: Any other tips for our listeners. Oh and of course 490 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 1: if you're sick, don't go to work. Yeah, don't go 491 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: to work, and don't let your boss tell you to 492 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:46,199 Speaker 1: go to work if you're sick. Yeah, see home in 493 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 1: your pajamas. Maybe watch a little daytime TV sprinkled in there. 494 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:55,159 Speaker 1: Yeah that. So do we have any listener mail? We do, 495 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 1: And we had a listener mail from a Phoebe from Australia, 496 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:05,199 Speaker 1: so she's already dealt with this whole influence of thing. 497 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: And by the way, listeners from Australia, thank you for 498 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 1: dealing with this, uh this flu podcast, because you guys 499 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,280 Speaker 1: have already h your past. Her season's passed and the 500 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:15,639 Speaker 1: Northern hemisphere is all in the mix with influence of it. 501 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,879 Speaker 1: So anyway, here's Phoebe, hi alisand Robert. I was so 502 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 1: happy to listen to your podcast, letting everyone know that 503 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: bacteria are so much more than the often touted sack 504 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:29,840 Speaker 1: of enzymes. I spent my PhD studying bacterial cell division, 505 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,639 Speaker 1: and let me tell you that they are complicated little books. 506 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,679 Speaker 1: Did you know that we still don't understand exactly how 507 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:39,200 Speaker 1: they undergo the fundamental process of dividing for rawn shape 508 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: bugs like E. Coli leva for a protein and she 509 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 1: names the protein that forms it kind of built at 510 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: exactly the middle which constricts and splits them into That 511 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 1: sounds like it's a tough way to replicate. Well, they 512 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 1: can handle it. Indeed they can, but how do they 513 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,560 Speaker 1: know where the middle is? Good point? And that's followed 514 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: by three question marks a lot of outstanding questions in 515 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,359 Speaker 1: the world of bacterial research. I made movies fluorescently tagged 516 00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 1: into protein and watching them divide to find that it 517 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:10,360 Speaker 1: forms a helix first and then a ring. So now 518 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: the question is how does the helix find the middle? 519 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: As always in science, the answer raises more questions. And 520 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:18,119 Speaker 1: she gave us a link to some movies if we 521 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: wanted to see the division action, which will post on Facebook. 522 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,919 Speaker 1: I love the show. Phoebe from Australia. Thanks Phoebe. We 523 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: like bacteria too. And one final note for today, this 524 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: is going to be my last podcast for Stuff from 525 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:35,399 Speaker 1: the Science Lab. Yeah, it's it's kind of a sad event. 526 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,359 Speaker 1: I mean I've had a lot of fun talking science 527 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,160 Speaker 1: with you across the table from me for all these episodes. 528 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:43,719 Speaker 1: I think we're almost something like a hundred and eleven. 529 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,680 Speaker 1: It like came out kind of spooky like that. Yeah, 530 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: but maybe you guys haven't heard all of them because 531 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,359 Speaker 1: you know, we had some early learning curves here in 532 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: the studio and probably thanks like all of them. But 533 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 1: so I was looking at some of my favorite topics. 534 00:26:58,200 --> 00:26:59,960 Speaker 1: There are a lot of them. We've we've covered a 535 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 1: lot of We have covered a lot to a week 536 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:06,080 Speaker 1: for a while. Let me do the math eleven, right, Yeah, 537 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,680 Speaker 1: I mean we've talked about snipers, we've talked about sci fi. 538 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:10,200 Speaker 1: I think that ranks as one of my all time 539 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 1: favorites just because it was kind of a new topic area. Yeah. Yeah, 540 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,560 Speaker 1: it was forcing me to get into a lot of 541 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:19,879 Speaker 1: the literature and I really liked it and I've delved 542 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: into it ever since. Yeah, that was that was a 543 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:23,960 Speaker 1: really fun one. You ended up reading too that at 544 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,159 Speaker 1: the Three Books? Yeah, another one, Um, you're an answer 545 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,639 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, we still got to work on 546 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: you with din that I don't know, may not be 547 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 1: the one for you regardless. I thank you guys for 548 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: sitting down each week with us and you know, talking 549 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: science and listening science and writing in and telling your stories. Um, 550 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: it's bitter sweet. I will be sad to say goodbye, 551 00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:49,760 Speaker 1: but I will be continuing on here talking science on 552 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:52,119 Speaker 1: the blogs and on Facebook and Twitter. So if you 553 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: want to check me down and ask me about the 554 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: laws of entropy, you know where to find me. Yeah, 555 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,479 Speaker 1: she was not sailing off of the sunset. And if 556 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 1: you're not, the just as We're going to continue to 557 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:05,119 Speaker 1: discuss science on the UM blogs and on Facebook and 558 00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 1: on Twitter. Uh. The podcast is not going anywhere. It 559 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 1: will be back next week and I'm going to find 560 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:14,920 Speaker 1: some mystery podcaster to come in here with me. So 561 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: keep tuning in and thanks guys for listening truly. For 562 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,920 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics, is that 563 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,359 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot Com. Want more how stuff works, 564 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: check out our blogs on the house stuff works dot 565 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: com home page.