In a dramatic press update on 27 August 2008, Sharp Corporation unveiled its latest technological weapon against bird flu! Incorporated in its ionic air purifier, the Plasmacluster Ion Technology (more on this in a later post) has just been scientifically proven to be 99.9% effective in destroying the bird flu virus known as H5N1.
Every now and then, the press reminds us that bird flu is the prime suspect to cause mankind's next pandemic. Pandemic sounds terrifying. It is. That’s when a highly contagious and deadly virus goes global, in a very negative sense. 50 million people may die in a global pandemic. No way, you say. But its happened before, during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic! World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on 5 October 2005 that the 1918 Spanish flu was caused by H1N1, a bird flu virus.
If fear is gripping you right now, is it time to PANIC?
Not just yet. Statistically, as recorded by WHO as at 10 Sep 2008, "only" 245 people have died from the H5N1 virus. This is since 1996 when the virus first surfaced in China. So what’s the fuss? The greatest nightmare for scientists monitoring the bird flu virus is to see it attain human-to-human transmission capability. As of now, there has been only one probable case of human-to-human transmission recorded in Thailand in September 2004. But if (it seems the virus has not reached the “when” stage) the dreaded virus mutation takes place, you can expect pandemonium on a global scale.
As the threat grows day by day, countries around the globe are conscientiously preparing for the worse (more on this in a later post). At the individual level, we should start making preparations too.
Ok, so what’s all this got to do with Sharp’s ionic air purifier. Is it not just another ionic air purifier? It is ordinary in that it performs the usual functions of the run-of-the-mill air purifier by getting rid of dust, dirt, smoke, dander, pollen, cuisine and pet odours, pollutants, allergens etc. But if we can get protection from all these and more in one ionic air purifier, especially one that is a tested defense shield against a potentially deadly virus, why not? That's what Sharp is saying, get the all-in-one air purifier with their Plasmacluster Ion Air Purifier.
Obviously, for the value-conscious, the next logical question would be “yes, that makes a whole lot of sense but at what cost”? Sharp claims that it's at no extra cost! Sharp asserts that it is cheaper than any other ordinary ionic air purifier when measured over 5 years. Hey, that's great value for money! How is it possible in this nothing-is-for-free world?
Sharp says that its definitely possible. Using the Plasmacluster Ionic Air Purifier Model FP-N40CX as the basis, Sharp contends that it is great value for money as there is no filter replacement costs for the first 5 years. Upfront costs at US$399 for the Sharp model is higher than the typical competitor's US$160. But the latter requires annual filter replacement costs of US$100, adding to a total cost of US$560 over 5 years.
Feedback on relevant data on Sharp or its competitors will be very much appreciated. Just email me if you have actual numbers.
In the meantime, I'm going to investigate intently the Sharp Plasmacluster Ion Technology. The time to research is now, while bird flu is still not quite at pandemic proportions.
Its never too soon to get ready. I have been there. It was like a horror movie that ran for months. Paranoia abounded in crowded places even as people commuted to work on buses and MRT trains. Taxis cruised empty as stories were told of the infected travelling in them to hospital. It was near pandemonium in many Asian cities as pandemic fears took hold. For the uninitiated, it was the year 2003. The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus originated in Asia, infected 8,096 people around the world before finally resulting in 774 fatalities. We all know that being well prepared is half the battle won.
Watch this space as we track exciting developments in our pursuit of safe, pure and clean air with nothing more than an ionic air purifier.
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