Pandemic Bird Flu and other health problems

I have been distracted thinking about pandemic bird flu. I have also been wondering about the public health risk of dumping untreated sewage into lakes, rivers and streams and whether this minor problem will compound the problems of pandemic bird flu. Finally, and this is the reason why my distraction has become your reading material, how did residents of the first century handle these problems? I have made another interesting reading list for myself and at the top of the list is: The City in Roman Palestine by Daniel Sperber. This book actually includes a chapter “Water supply, sewage, and drainage.” I will also be looking at Illness and health care in the ancient Near East: the role of the temple in Greece, Mesopotamia, and Israel by Hector Avalos.

I would welcome any suggestions for further reading.

As I was writing this piece, my friend sent me the following comment:

“Avian Flu presently is mutating into something, since the something is not yet identifiable thus no vaccine can be created. In 1918 the mutation of Avian Flu killed 100 million people within a period of 24 weeks, 80,000 in Philadelphia area. Analysis of corpses done recently confirms that it was Avian Flu. The water supply certainly is a major concern. Raw sewerage must not be allowed!”

I am adding The Great Influenza-The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John M. Barry to my reading list.

Copyrighted 2005

Religion

bird flu