2010-11-18

Here come the epidemics?

Diseases pick up as social mood declines.

Cholera and Dengue Fever: State health officials issue warnings of two diseases
State health workers say it's official: Florida is now witnessing incidents of two diseases we haven't experienced in years, if not decades.

"It's of course important for Floridians in all parts of the state, but especially South Florida," says Dr. Carina Blackmore with the state's health department.

The diseases being discussed are cholera and dengue fever. Cholera is spread by unsanitary conditions. Dengue fever, by mosquitoes.

So far, the Tampa Bay area has not seen an outbreak of either disease, but health officials are watching closely for people who exhibit symptoms.
Hong Kong Confirms Human Bird Flu Case
Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of human bird flu in seven years.

Health Secretary York Chow said late Wednesday that a 59-year-old woman had tested positive for H5N1 bird flu after returning to Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland, and is in serious condition in a local hospital.

With the announcement, the government raised the bird flu alert to "serious," meaning there is a risk of contracting the disease within the territory.

Chow said Hong Kong officials were meeting Thursday and would determine whether additional measures are needed to safeguard local residents.

The bird flu virus first struck Hong Kong in 1997. Six people died in that outbreak and all chickens in the territory were culled.
Here's a look at previous outbreaks compared with the Hong Kong ETF, EWH. Red lines indicate the bird flu outbreaks hitting the press. The low in 2003 also saw the SARS epidemic along with bird flu cases. The Asian Crisis followed the 1997 outbreak, the 2003 cases came near or at the market lows, while the current outbreak comes at a possible turn in the markets. Also, were the chart compared to gold, the recent advance would look more like a flat line.
The Socionomics Institute takes a longer view in Bedbugs Invade, A Sign of Infestations to Come?, while Elliot Wave International has a recent look at SARS and swine flu in Social Mood, Stocks and Epidemics.

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