"MERS jumps directly from camels (mostly young ones) to humans "

What would these humans be doing to catch something from "young" camels?

Where's the mind bleach?

Mark H

>"Nothing is safe from the gaze of the eco-warriors"

Essentially, anything most people like becomes the target, incessantly.

This is so said warriors can stay nagging in your face. It's quite deliberate.

> " ... [BP boss] Bernard Looney's first day in office ..."

Please tell me that isn't his actual name ... oh dear ...

It used to be thought that novel human flu strains were a union of human flu and bird flu mixed in pigs but it's now recognised that bird flu can mutate across the divide without mixing. Scientists took 2 naturally occuring low pathogenic strains of H7N9 from birds that had mutations that favoured human infection, and genetically mixed them to have all the markers needed for human transmission. The result was given to ferrets, who were then allowed to mix with non infected ferrets. The results were 'successful'. The uninfected ferrets caught the disease. All the ferrets died, even though the parent flu viruses wouldn't have killed more than about 60%. The American government shut the experiments down.

In many ways, a virus that is adapted to a mamal can more easily jump to humans than that from a bird because some of the mutations are already there. Bush meat is supected as the source of random outbreaks of ebola. Pigs are vector animals because they are very similar to humans but aren't essential to human infection. eg MERS jumps directly from camels (mostly young ones) to humans but there has never been sustained human to human spread, unlike ebola.

Infection at a market could be in two ways - a batch of animals with an existing mutated strain that can be spread human to human or a single human (stall holder probably) who then passes it on to their customers and fellow stall holders. It only takes one.

Wet markets aren't dangerous because people are close to infected animals but because those animals are cut open, gutted, skinned, chopped, etc. Flies track dung, blood and other fluids about the market. Droplets carry for a short distance but tiny particles drift round the stalls, landing on people, stalls and food. Dirty hands tough surfaces, money, mouths and eyes. People breathe the stuff in.

H/t our host's twitter feed:

"The eco boilers that cost families £5K a year: As Ofgem reveals plans to ban all gas boilers... the cautionary tale of a 'green' energy deal gone badly wrong
Falkirk Council installed eco-friendly boilers in around 900 council properties
Households were then offered access to a special tariff from Scottish Power
But supplier has hiked prices which expert described as 'absolutely outrageous'"

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-7966625/The-eco-boilers-cost-5K-year-green-energy-deal-gone-wrong.html

"On a cold Wednesday evening, the rain is pelting at the windows of the Slamannan Community Centre, where around 50 people have braved the weather to attend a meeting about soaring energy bills.

They are residents of this and other rural villages near Falkirk, in Scotland, where households have seen their bills jump to more than £100 a week — about £5,000 a year — in a matter of months.

Some families have been forced to use food banks so they can afford to heat their homes.

The problems stem from a decision by Falkirk Council to install new, eco-friendly boilers in around 900 council properties over the past ten years, in a project costing £6 million."

News, apparently:

"Priest, 77, joined Extinction Rebellion protest 'to save human life'"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-51389053

"Ms Parfitt, of Bristol, lay on the road at Oxford Circus during the protest."

Is Bristol taking over from Brighton as the barking-mad capital of Britain?

"PMQs: Corbyn and Johnson clash over climate change"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/51391611/pmqs-corbyn-and-johnson-clash-over-climate-change

"Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn used his time at Prime Minister's Questions to tackle the PM on climate change, accusing the government of spending "billions on fossil fuel projects abroad".

In reply Boris Johnson said Mr Corbyn didn't understand "what is happening in this country" insisting the UK was "leading the world" on wind power turbine designs."

Tweedledum and Tweedledee. God help us.

"David Cameron turns down offer to host COP26"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-51389204/david-cameron-turns-down-offer-to-host-cop26

"Former prime minister David Cameron has said a government minister should host the climate conference.

He said that someone outside of government at the conference would have the effect of having two people do the same job."

Please don't tell me that this failed has-been was offered the post.

"Nine protestors arrested at BP"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment

"British police have arrested nine people after climate change protesters temporarily shut down BP headquarters in London on new boss Bernard Looney's first day in office.

More than 100 Greenpeace activists attempted to place 500 solar panels in front of BP's office, blocking the building's entrances with oil barrels.

The people were "arrested for offences including aggravated trespass, highway obstruction and conspiracy to commit public nuisance and have been taken to police stations in central London", the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Looney, who was visiting staff in Germany on Wednesday, shares the "deep concerns" of the climate protesters, BP said.

He will set out his vision for BP's response to the low carbon energy transition in a speech next week.

BP said Looney "hopes that what he has to say then will give people a sense that we get it and are very serious about working to address the problem.""

Oh dear....

"The Guardian view on HS2: let the train take the strain"

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/05/the-guardian-view-on-hs2-let-the-train-take-the-strain

"Transport is the UK’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, which have been flat since 2008. HS2’s conservative estimate is that over 120 years it will not cut carbon emissions. Yet without a ready alternative to free up space on the rail network there will be no way of tempting people out of cars, trucks and planes. So far there’s no strategic plan from ministers that meshes the railway fix that HS2 provides with money and links to ambitious schemes for local buses, trams, cycling and walking. Government can’t just endorse HS2 without giving a green light to the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendations for significant investment in public transport. Ministers ought to also block the third runway at Heathrow. The Treasury has said public spending on infrastructure should be around 1% of GDP a year – about £25bn – for the next 30 years. There is no fiscal reason not to proceed with HS2 as long as it can be part of the answer to the climate emergency. On balance HS2 ought to go ahead in an integrated transport plan designed to cut carbon and maximise the transfer from road and air to rail."

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...

"PM under pressure to appoint COP 26 head as Gove tipped for job
Experts warn ongoing vacancy is damaging the UN climate summit’s prospects of success"

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/05/pm-under-pressure-appoint-cop-26-head-gove-tipped-job

"Met chief: update public nuisance law to tackle Extinction Rebellion
Cressida Dick says police need more powers to deal with protest groups such as XR"

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/05/met-chief-update-public-nuisance-law-tackle-extinction-rebellion

"EU focuses on enlargement into Balkans after Brexit
Brussels overhauls process for joining bloc as it seeks to make it ‘more credible’ for members"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/05/eu-to-focus-on-balkan-nations-enlargement-after-brexit

Good luck with that - the EU budget will be in an even bigger mess, then.

Good grief...

"Choose vintage, avoid stretch: how to wear jeans sustainably"

theguardian.com/fashion/2020/feb/05/choose-vintage-avoid-stretch-how-to-wear-jeans-sustainably

"Why are jeans so controversial? Is it the estimated 10,000 litres of water needed to grow the cotton for every pair? The dark blue lines of toxic pollution in China’s Pearl River that can be seen from space? The potassium permanganate, widely used to make new jeans look old and distressed, that may cause lung damage in workers? Or is it because there is no guarantee that those workers are paid a living wage, never mind being paid for the overtime they are forced to do?"

Nothing is safe from the gaze of the eco-warriors.

Tiny. I know nothing about disease transmission other than what I've read. I remember being very impressed with what Jared Diamond wrote about the link between the most common human diseases and those in our domestic animals. Even if the virus comes from bats (still I believe speculative) transmission to humans could still occur via the intermediary of domestic animals. I'm sure the frequency of interactions between humans and domestic animals greatly exceeds that between humans and bats.

AK, this virus seems to have come from bats (maybe with a bit of snake). There are no bat farms. They're caught from the wild. Sars was either from bats or civet cats. While pigs might be a vector animal, due to grubbing about in dirt, the real danger is hygiene, especially with wild animals - even poultry catch the new diseases from wild birds. Wild animals are often adapted to those diseases and don't get obviously sick. Modern farming produces animals and birds with reduced immune systems that, contrary to logic is a good thing. If they get sick, it shows, so we know that they've got something and can, if we choose to, deal with sick animals ruthlessly. Slaughter and disposal. Rural peasant commnities don't dispose of sick creatures, they eat them or sell them.

Humans can and do catch diseases directly from wild animals. Wet markets are a key danger zone and many of the index cases of this virus seem to have visited a specific market in Wuhan. That in turn may be deceptive, depending how long this was circulating before it was discovered. That doesn't mean that it didn't start with bat slaughter.

Tiny I somehow doubt it's what the Chinese eat but is because many Chinese live cheek by jowl with their domesticated animals. Even in major cities you can find chickens, pigs and even goats wandering about during the day and tucked up in houses during the night. It is generally accepted that most common human diseases were transmitted to us from such animals - especially pigs and chickens.