Heartworms in dogs was confined to the southern US not too many years ago. We were too lazy or too civilized to go on a killing rampage so now, where there are mosquitoes, there are heartworms - worldwide. We get to feed pesticides, poisons, to our dogs each and every month in many areas just to keep the heartworms at bay. Now, we get advised that our cats need monthly heartworm pesticides because, although they get them at only 1-5% of the rate of dogs, they do get them; whether they are indoor or outdoor cats because mosquitoes don't respect the boundaries of our homes. Cats are an "atypical" host. But cats are indeed a host and so are we humans. "Humans are accidental and dead-end hosts of dirofilariae because adult worms do not reach maturity in the heart or skin. Most infective larvae injected into humans are thought to perish; therefore, infected individuals usually are not microfilaremic. Only one report of circulating diromicrofilaremia in a human exists in the medical literature (Nozais, 1994)." And there it is, the "one". "The true prevalence of human D immitis exposure and disease may be underestimated because canine infection is widespread throughout the world, and most infected people are asymptomatic." Id. But there are increasing numbers of human infections and "most affected adults are aged 50-60 years" and, if you aren't a smoker, it probably won't even be diagnosed! Id. When can I start getting my annual heartworm test? Oh, and the spread of the human infections is tracking the spread of the dog infections. If your dog is on monthly pesticides, you might want to start asking for your test too. Don't own a dog? You neighbor does so...
My mother was the first woman in the SW diagnosed with AIDS from a heterosexual relationship. I remember it well. Her doctor didn't want to test her because "women couldn't get that". When the HIV test came back positive, the doctor insisted on a second test. No surprise it was positive too. There were weekly national news updates in 1985 for AIDS. I watched the horror of the reporter announcing this "new" infection, this change to the area's statistics. Weeks went by and that "1" statistic stood so we knew it was her. My mother said all with HIV should be quarantined or else... Here we are 25 years later and "or else" has long since arrived. We're so humane these days. Now AIDS isn't a death sentence, it's a chronic illness. Lots of expensive drugs and one can live with it. Well, one can live with it for about 20 years or so. And that's lots of time to spread the love, isn't it?
Welcome to the era of the worldwide AIDS pandemic. Since 1981, over 25,000,000 people have died from the effects of AIDS, the opportunistic diseases that attack those with AIDS. In 2007, AIDS killed 330,000 CHILDREN. In 2007, some 33,200,000 were live carriers of AIDS. The potential to confine, to quarantine, seems to have passed when more are living with a disease than have died during it's recorded history. A "cure" seems as far off as it was in 1985. Perhaps a vaccine? I guess 31.2% effectiveness might be acceptable at this point and that's as good as it looks for now. We could all learn to live with AIDS; our children may have to do so. And that's because we were so very humane at the onset of this pandemic. In retrospect, does it seem the least bit humane to our children and grandchildren, this legacy of AIDS we pass to them?
How many pandemic diseases can we withstand? For now, we like the concept of vaccinations rather than quarantines and eradication attempts. That sounded lovely when it was a couple, a handful, a dozen. But count up those vaccines. How many of them are we all taking? And we really have no idea how they work, what long term effects they have on us and our DNA in these vaccine soups they now administer to us all. We do know that immunity isn't "life long" as was once thought so boosters are needed and then there's these pesky flus that necessitate an annual vaccine; oops, make that at least 2 annual vaccines now. Many are concerned about the preservatives in vaccines. Me too but I'm far more concerned about the adjuvants used in them. "dirty little secret" is right on the mark! It's these wicked little ingredients that run straight for your immune system and tinker with it in ways the scientists are just beginning to realize. Can our bodies withstand the pandemic of vaccines, preservatives, adjuvants (and who knows what else) to combat the pandemic of pandemic diseases without long term consequences? Somehow I doubt it.
Heartworms and AIDS are but minor examples of the pandemic nature of it all; well evidenced by simply counting up the number of vaccines now being recommended for us and our pets (not to mention the livestock we eat). Most of those vaccines were developed within my lifetime. We're told there aren't really "that many" vaccines or diseases to be concerned. Um, 2 vaccines per decade, cumulative is 20 in under 100 years and we're moving at a faster pace than that stacking up these vaccines. And we're doing the same with our pets. Your vet's sure to talk you into half a dozen vaccines per year plus at least 2 monthly pesticides (one for fleas and ticks; the other for heartworms and other worms) and each of these keeps getting more "stuff" added in. Oh, but we're being so humane. Yes, let's make sure no one, no person, no animal can live for long without pharmaceuticals on a regular basis. Let's don't eradicate anything, let's keep adding to those chronic diseases with every passing year. And today, here we go again.
H1N1 and all the "oh it's just another flu virus, keep it in perspective". It was identified in April, less than 8 months ago. It has spread around the globe. To pigs and humans, to turkeys, to pet ferrets and now a pet cat (and that's what we KNOW). And the downplaying of H1N1 and of zoonotic transmission from us to pets AND BACK to humans is still there! Are you kidding me? Most assuredly there are other health issues of great concern but how does the medical establishment ignore this stacking of disease on disease, vaccine on vaccine? How is that not amongst the "great" concerns? How the devil do you people KNOW that isn't what contributing to and confounding many of those other "great" concerns when you virtually dismiss it out of hand? How long before you get serious about testing for zoonotic transmissions instead of assuming they are rare?
I'm not for a second suggesting mass disposal of pets. MY pets are going nowhere. In fact, I, me, moi, may join them in going NOWHERE. Like many other victims of the stacking of pandemics and drugs, my immune system bites. It's likely to kill me in responding to a virus or ignore the virus and let it kill me. And while I'm on that subject, have you medical professionals taken note of the increasing numbers of people and animals with compromised immune systems? Could you take off those rose tinted glasses for mere moments to see that your policies of downplaying the cumulative effects of diseases and treatments, of ignoring the zoonotic transmissions that may be sitting in your offices undiagnosed are contributing to a declining health in the population (of humans and animals)?
My perspective is just fine, thank you all very much. You medical types need to check YOUR perspective!