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The 'vague' bit was about you saying 'Don't flame, answer'.
I see elbows went some way to respond but it's that that I was questioning - because I really don't understand what you're saying and I would like to - but 'exactly that' doesn't answer it. :confused:
If you can't be arsed to explain, that's fine with me, but if you can - after you've dropped something that sounds quite important - I'd like to hear it!

This and other recent emerging diseases originate from eating animals. Scaling to the meat eating needs of an ever growing population is clearly not sustainable both for the environment and for public health.
 
Several times now, I've seen the advice over here in response to the outbreak to thoroughly cook meat and eggs. I mean, OK, fine, no dippy eggs for a while, but why? :confused: How is cooking meat and eggs related to the transmission of the virus? Is it? Are they just sneaking a bit of extra health advice in while they've got our attention? :hmm:

The World Health Organisation do this too. eg a bunch of the stuff on this page relate to food safety:


In addition to this stuff likely being there because its a part of a standard parcel of generic response messages, I suspect this stuff is mentioned because they like to cover bases that are a subject of misinformation and fear. Rather than just countering specific bogus claims, or reassuring people that 'you cannot catch it this way', they would probably rather stick in some general tips for handling meat and dairy etc, so that they have at least addressed something to do with animals and food. And since so much advice during outbreaks is bound to be about hygiene, its not much of a leap to start talking about food hygiene too.

Reasons not to take this approach, to avoid including that stuff in public health messages about Covid-19, are that it could cause confusion about the main sorts transmission risks, or otherwise dilute the message. Certainly the UK tends to favour a very limited and focussed message in these sorts of campaigns, 'catch it, bin it' and wash your hands type stuff, and I would be more surprised if general food hygiene stuff was added to the message here.

Note that there are also various items on that WHO page related specifically to live animal markets, and these are far more specifically tuned to the assumed origins of this coronavirus. But again this is likely as much about responding to things that people have heard about, that may be on their minds, than the main ongoing risks in the current outbreak, which is mostly all about human to human spread now, not animals.
 
Several times now, I've seen the advice over here in response to the outbreak to thoroughly cook meat and eggs. I mean, OK, fine, no dippy eggs for a while, but why? :confused: How is cooking meat and eggs related to the transmission of the virus? Is it? Are they just sneaking a bit of extra health advice in while they've got our attention? :hmm:

Probs propaganda. Makes the population think you have some power over your fate. It also plants the seed to blame personal behaviour rather than a lack of government governance as a factor.
 
Probs propaganda. Makes the population think you have some power over your fate. It also plants the seed to blame personal behaviour rather than a lack of government governance as a factor.

We do have some power over our fate. Not a lot, and not always, but not none.

Governments receive a mix of fair and unfair criticism in these situations, and it is true that this is often factored into the messages they choose. But since part of good governance includes sending the right public health messages and trying to get people to do their bit to halt the spread, and that really matters, I may find it hard to do this subject justice without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
 
15 cases of the virus confirmed overnight here in South Korea. They're walking around spraying the hotel we're staying in with disinfectant right now. People are still going without masks, sniffing, touching their noses, touching the lift buttons. I am struggling to conceal my annoyance. :oops: :D :facepalm:
 
This needs to be said if you have an infectious illness do not go into work and definitely do not bring that shit onto public transport.
 
Several times now, I've seen the advice over here in response to the outbreak to thoroughly cook meat and eggs. I mean, OK, fine, no dippy eggs for a while, but why? :confused: How is cooking meat and eggs related to the transmission of the virus? Is it? Are they just sneaking a bit of extra health advice in while they've got our attention? :hmm:
Sensible precautions really - and probably reduces risk overall. People might be more susceptible to catching crow flu if they're already ill with food poisoning, or whatever.
 
Probably a good fifth of the workforce has a cold of some sort during January and February. You'd have to shut the country down if everyone took time off for a little cough

Japan has reached that stage:


Workplaces in the country, known for their long hours, need to encourage people to take days off without hesitation if they do not feel well, Abe said.

"The first thing that I want the people of Japan to keep in mind is to take time off school or work and refrain from leaving the house if they develop cold-like symptoms such as fever," Abe told a meeting of a government task force on the viral outbreak.
 
15 cases of the virus confirmed overnight here in South Korea. They're walking around spraying the hotel we're staying in with disinfectant right now. People are still going without masks, sniffing, touching their noses, touching the lift buttons. I am struggling to conceal my annoyance. :oops: :D :facepalm:

I've been thinking about the mask thing a lot recently and whilst I do appreciate there are some benefits as outlined on this thread I do think there is a futility to it all. I go to the gym and everyone is touching every piece of equipment and wiping sweat. You can't exercise with masks. Eating and drinking out etc

I'm off to SE Asia (Cambodia) next week and I can't decide whether it will be a good idea or not. My g/f who is a neuroscientist thinks its a waste of time. We've not got colds or anything at the moment and I'm worried about wondering around trying to eat and drink out wearing masks when the locals probably won't be. Would I end up looking like a Western twat with a side portion of racism...
 
I've been thinking about the mask thing a lot recently and whilst I do appreciate there are some benefits as outlined on this thread I do think there is a futility to it all. I go to the gym and everyone is touching every piece of equipment and wiping sweat. You can't exercise with masks. Eating and drinking out etc

I'm off to SE Asia (Cambodia) next week and I can't decide whether it will be a good idea or not. My g/f who is a neuroscientist thinks its a waste of time. We've not got colds or anything at the moment and I'm worried about wondering around trying to eat and drink out wearing masks when the locals probably won't be. Would I end up looking like a Western twat with a side portion of racism...

I was in China before I got to Korea, and I've been religiously wearing the mask because I was worried I might be contagious. I think that's the thing - if we all walk around acting like everyone might infect us, this won't work. We have to assume we're the infectious person. I don't know. I'm in such a heightened state of anxiety since this all kicked off that I don't know what's rational and what's hysterical any more.
 
The Guardian reports on the ship of doom.

After spending time on the ship, Iwata told the Guardian: “The cruise ship was totally inadequate in terms of infection control. A lot of officials are insisting there have been no secondary infections aboard the ship [since quarantine began] … that is their best-case scenario and they are sticking to that. They don’t want to accept that their plan has failed.”
 
The Guardian reports on the ship of doom.

After spending time on the ship, Iwata told the Guardian: “The cruise ship was totally inadequate in terms of infection control. A lot of officials are insisting there have been no secondary infections aboard the ship [since quarantine began] … that is their best-case scenario and they are sticking to that. They don’t want to accept that their plan has failed.”
I read a similar story on the BBC, but TBH I thought the main point of the quarantine was to stop it spreading beyond the people on the ship, rather than between them.
 
There have already been clusters of cases in Singapore that are linked to particular places of worship.

Now it sounds like South Korea has detected something similar:

South Korea reported 15 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, including 10 people involved in a surprise outbreak traced to several church services in the central city of Daegu.

Hundreds of people are believed to have attended services with Patient 31 in recent weeks at a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, a religious movement founded in 1984 by South Korean Lee Man-hee, who is revered as a messiah by followers.

 
Uh oh, I have to mention faecal pathways and rectal swabs again!


We found the presence of 2019-nCoV in anal swabs and blood as well, and more anal swab positives than oral swab positives in a later stage of infection, suggesting shedding and thereby transmitted through oral–fecal route. We also showed serology test can improve detection positive rate thus should be used in future epidemiology. Our report provides a cautionary warning that 2019-nCoV may be shed through multiple routes.
 
How long before fatalism sets in and people start holding chicken-pox-style parties so they get the infections over with?
 
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