Dick Thompson
Dick Thompson
Richard KnightThompson, Jr.was an American racecar driver. A Washington, D.C. dentist by trade, he is known as "The Flying Dentist". He won numerous Sports Car Club of Americachampionships and was inducted in the Corvette Hall of Fame. Thompson brought credibility to the Corvette as a world-class sports car. Active from the late 1950s until the 1970s, Thompson raced for several notable racers, including the factory Corvette team for John Fitch and Briggs Cunningham...
ProfessionRace Car Driver
Date of Birth9 July 1920
concern difficult direct humans rare seems
There seems to be a heightened sense of concern about an extraordinarily rare disease. It is very, very, very difficult for humans to acquire, even with direct exposure.
cats deal event evidence extremely flock great guide infected likely people rarely rarer science spent time
There is very little science in this area. However, we know that people who have spent a great deal of time around infected chickens, for example, only rarely get infected themselves. If it is an extremely rare event to get infected from a flock of infected chickens, it is likely that infections from cats is even rarer still. But again, there is little real evidence to guide us.
available frame information narrow regarding routes sample species tag time track urgent
There's an urgent need to sample and tag and track as many of these species as feasible, especially considering the narrow time frame that we've got available to do it. We need more information on the migratory routes regarding these birds.
anywhere disease exists threat
As long as this disease exists anywhere that it's a threat everywhere,
acting cats hosts infected range unusual virus
This is a virus that isn't acting in a predictable way. It's unusual that cats would be infected at all. The range of hosts here is unusual for an avian virus.
samples sent
This is not confirmation for us. We need to have samples sent to a certified laboratory.
pandemic progress step vaccine
This is progress and an important step in pandemic vaccine development.
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During SARS, we worked like hell to contain a global outbreak. Now we're trying to feel our way through this next generation of problems.
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It is always worrying to have a new case in a new country because it raises concerns among the public. But we have to understand that so far this is just one case.
attention difficult disease draws fact
I think it's significant because it draws our attention to the fact that this is a very, very difficult disease to get for humans.
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Pigs are known to be able to be infected with both avian and human viruses, and they too can serve as mixing vessels, just like humans.
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There are a lot of scary stories out there about the next pandemic, but we have to make difficult decisions without a lot of information. The real answer is we don't know until the next pandemic virus appears.
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Surveillance and response of H5N1 in both animals and humans needs to be strengthened in all regions bordering countries where outbreaks have been identified.
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I hope we are not creating a sense of panic... because we need the public's trust to encourage governments to begin or continue pandemic preparedness efforts.