TWiV 167: It starts with a cough

6 thoughts on “TWiV 167: It starts with a cough”

1. 

   Connor Bamford

   22 January 2012 at 2:27 pm

   I think the R0 pdf link is broken :/
2. 

   profvrr

   22 January 2012 at 6:20 pm

   Thanks for the heads up, I’ve fixed it.
3. 

   Jonathan Nichol

   23 January 2012 at 6:29 am

   Interesting post, I am so glad that I have visited your site. Really useful information!
4. 

   Chris

   24 January 2012 at 2:16 am

   Well, I still enjoyed the movie a bit more, even though I know about the glaring flaws.  I am not so upset over the lack of character development, mostly because I kind of think of the virus and situation to be the main character.  Because it was the same director I watched “Traffic”, it also was more about the situation then the people.  The people just seemed to play their roles as cogs in the machine.  So it was kind of expected.

   This is obviously a case of ignorance is bliss.

   Though I really do understand why a virologist would have some serious issues.  In my former life I was a structural engineer and there are several movies that I want to scream at the television for some very dubious physics. And sometimes I do.   In movie theaters I have actually had to clamp my hands over my mouth to suppress what I really want to say (and yes, I know Tintin is just a cartoon).  And FYI:  never see a movie about submarines with any one who served on one in the Navy.

   Spoiler Alert (go down, and really who is reading this unless they have seen the movie?): 
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   I really really wish the character played by Jude Law was brought to justice.  That would have been sweet.  Except the fact that his very high bail was raised by his readers shows exactly how much sway those guys have with their fans*.

   Speaking of which, a paper has come online recently about that particular crowd.  It could be a TWiV or TWiM topic:  Kata A. Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm – An overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement. Vaccine (2011), which was mentioned in this:
   http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/01/anti_vaccine_activists_9_11_deniers_and_google_s_social_search_.single.html

   Oh, wait!  A future podcast could be an interview with Anna Kata!

   (and Dr. Crislip wrote about an earlier article of hers at http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/just-the-facts/ .  You might ask why she put “facts” in quotes in the part he quoted)

   * Like the Andrew Wakefield fans.  My young adult son was hospitalized recently and I discovered the hospital gift shop was selling “Autism File.”  It is run by many of the anti-vax crowd, and even includes Wakefield on its editorial board.  I actually complained to the hospital.  It is a very slick magazine, it does not explicitly say not to vaccinate but “educate yourself.”   Needless to say, it being in a hospital that was publicly trying to control infection spread (including offering my son vaccines before he was discharged) was upsetting to me, a parent of a young man with several medical issues.

   PS:  I know this is getting kind of long, but I am on a roll!  I am just finishing the book “1491” by Charles C. Mann.  Much it has to do with the depopulation of the Americas due to disease.  I would say “decimation”, but that means only one out of ten died.  Except the estimates are nine out of ten.  What would you call it if only one out of ten survived?
5. 

   louis pasteur

   24 January 2012 at 1:40 pm

   kawasaki disease is it caused by a viruse    
6. 

   josh

   24 January 2012 at 7:54 pm

   The only thing that I saw as BIG flaw was the crystal structure was solved, refined and  in no time pretty graphics could be spun around on the screen…They  did this in that short of a time?… but you can’t even grow the virus in any cell lines? 

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