Scotland Yard issued a warning to airports about female suicide bombers with exploding bras. Apparently the bras are primed to go off while the bomber is being frisked at the airport.
I wonder how long it will take for someone to invent 'suicide dentures', which can be detonated by clenching the jaw. Or possibly, a poisoned needle concealed in an orifice (your choice of orifice). It would probably make the rubber-glove wearer a little more cautious. Defensive diaphragm usage, coming soon to a customs line near you...
In 2003, polio was contained to 6 countries. With a detected case announced in Indonesia this week, making it the 16th country to be re-infected, that total is 22 countries and spreading fast.
It is unclear how many cases exist, but their presence suggests widespread circulation of the virus, since only one case in 200 produces paralysis. Confirmation takes time; each requires two stool samples taken at least 24 hours apart and then shipped to a laboratory and cultured for days or weeks before testing. - nytimes.com
It may become wise to resume polio vaccinations in NZ shortly. Indonesia is not so very far away, and in a population that has been without the protection of a vaccine for many years, polio could spread very quickly.
I find it interesting that there has been no mention of polio in the New Zealand news, but every time there is a bird flu in Asia it's headlines all over.
Actually, I can't be positive cos i don't know where the plunket books are, but I'm pretty sure Connor got vaccinated with the oral polio vaccine, and hamish got the newer injection. So perhaps we are still vaccinating. The one we dropped was smallpox, hence the possibility of using that for terrorism.
Posted by: toni at May 5, 2005 11:28 AMI know for a fact that I have never been vaccinated against polio, but maybe you are right for majority of kids? Cos my parents were weird about vaccination - I've had my tetanus shots and that is all.
So were other people my age vaccinated against polio? If so, I'm safe enough as long as I keep a protective sheild of vaccinated people around me as a defence. Perhaps I could sew you into a kind of poncho that I could wear in public, and a smaller, evening-wear version using younger children for around the home.
I was definitely vaccinated against polio. If I remember rightly, it's something they drop on your tongue rather than a shot.
Posted by: suraya at May 6, 2005 12:34 AMI don't know if I got polio when I was a kid, but cos I've been travelling recently I got a polio shot.
Posted by: Emba at May 6, 2005 11:12 AMPolio is one of those ones you get as a kid. I also recently got it again going overseas a couple of years ago. I got a couple of hepatitis ones and a tetanus one then too! All those vaccines are expensive! This year I'm going to get the flu one, as soon as school gives it to us for free anyway. Today we also handed out forms for vaccinating against Meningitis. It's free for the students and being done through school. Apparently takes 6 injections or something! Goodness!
Posted by: giffy at May 6, 2005 11:42 AMActually, its three injection at 6 week intervals - and boy oh boy am I glad Connor's get done at school, and I don't have to hold him down. He is not brave about these things!
Posted by: toni at May 6, 2005 01:29 PMI can imagine patience wearing *very* thin at the end of a line of squirmy, scratchy, frightened, bored, tired youngsters.
"Sit down"
"Be quiet"
"Just a small scratch..."
"YAAAAAAAAH!"
"Next"
"waaa... MUMMY!!!....waaaaa.......WAAAAAA!!!"
Posted by: phreq at May 7, 2005 02:39 PMyeah, if my work offers flu jabs again i'll take it. we have the EVIL air conditioning of doom, that takes the small cough at one end of the office, mutates it, mixes it with someone elses sniffles, and then gives you either a 6 week seal-bark, or a weird mix of irkful symptoms (damn my twitchy eye!!). last year i got jabbed for first time and had only 2 days off all winter/spring, and they were more precautionary than anything else (eg didn't want cold to get worse b4 going to visit my elderly grandmother)
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Posted by: Bill at March 7, 2006 02:03 PM