Monday, November 14, 2005
Avian flu H5N1 #3 - cytokine storm
It looks like this flu triggers a 'cytokine storm' - an overreaction of the immune system that causes massive tissue inflammation, especially in the lungs. This is just what made the 1918 Spanish Flu so deadly. The healthier one's immune system, the more powerful the cytokine storm, and the more deadly the results. So young healthy people are most at risk. If I weren't already being hammered by one of the season's colds, I'd take this opportunity to run around flailing my arms and screaming. We may need all our luck to get past this one.
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# posted by Bert Wiener @ 11/14/2005 08:29:00 AM 
