I have to say its a bit scary considering how many people are dieing in Mexico. I feel for those peoples family's. I do think all the media Hype is scaring people. Admittedly me at first. I stepped back and thought about it and I read about it and figured that if i start to feel sick i'll go to my dr. No use living in fear. You only live once why waist it worrying right ^_^

Well, the real risk is that now that its out it could combine with a drug resistant strain, then its boom boom, out go the lights, as this is an air born virus, one that can live outside the host for a bit, that's what makes it very bad.

I have a bit of a sore throat. If I have this flu, horror of horrors, I may get mildly ill, and then, *gulp*, arg, I can hardly bear to think it... make a full recovery! Oh tourturous swine of a disease! The terror!




This is like Bird Flu and SARS all over again, only even more pathetic.

Clearly, news isn't news unless people can get into a hysterical frenzy over it.

Well I was in Asia for the bird flu, glad I am back in the states for Swine Flu. A friend tried to get her son into the doc today but they are only seeing patients who think they may have Swine flu. Sometimes I think if we spent money teaching people to calm down and not panic things might not spread literally and figuratively so fast and things might actually be accomplished and diseases stopped faster.
Myles
I do know this is serious in some respects, I have a friend who works for the WHO in Cambodia heading up a pandemic team there.

Quote from: myles on April 28, 2009, 06:33:04 PM
Well I was in Asia for the bird flu, glad I am back in the states for Swine Flu. A friend tried to get her son into the doc today but they are only seeing patients who think they may have Swine flu. Sometimes I think if we spent money teaching people to calm down and not panic things might not spread literally and figuratively so fast and things might actually be accomplished and diseases stopped faster.
Myles
I do know this is serious in some respects, I have a friend who works for the WHO in Cambodia heading up a pandemic team there.

Bird Flu can only be caught from birds so unless you're in a chicken market in Indonesia you've nothing to worry about.

This virus can be caught anywhere...

I was also there for another one, can't remember the name of it but the avian one is the one that came to mind as it was there also. Everyone from the states was panicking for me but the people that were dying was from being improperly treated by doctors in rural areas not from the disease itself. I have not read of any confirmed deaths in the US to date. Not saying it can't be passed from people but proper treatment can help and we have the ability to provide that.  Now if it becomes a drug resistant strain then we have a problem. My theory is a lot of things can be caught  Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria... should we be concerned  about Swine Flu maybe, but we shouldn't panic.
Myles
From Wikipedia
The Avian Flu claimed at least 200 humans in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Romania, China, Turkey and Russia.

200 deaths compared to the 35,000 deaths from common influenza every year in the US alone?

BTW Avian Flu is still around in Indonesia but the authorities are doing their best to stop things getting out of hand. Nasi Goreng Ayam anyone?

In the end I wish there was no flu at all of any kind. I was actually looking for that common influenza number earlier as I had seen it and was amazed , but i had to take my son to Taekwondo so couldn't find it in time! Amazing 35K deaths!
Have a nice night,
Cheers
Myles

Its about 140 miles from where I live. Not surprising at all that Florida's first case is in the Orlando area.

http://www.wftv.com/news/19311020/detail.html

For the latest headline links, www.drudgereport.com

On the plus side its about 70F, breezy, low humidity.

Downside... I have a sore throat, that could be the Camel Lights however.

Mich'

note to self....quit smoking you idiot.

35K, or 65K including (as the CDC does, other upper respiratory stuff that is flu related) is a lot, but not a huge number. 

Here are the stats, per year.
Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

    * Heart disease: 652,091
    * Cancer: 559,312
    * Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 143,579
    * Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 130,933
    * Accidents (unintentional injuries): 117,809
    * Diabetes: 75,119
    * Alzheimer's disease: 71,599
    * Influenza/Pneumonia: 63,001
    * Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 43,901

What makes this different, and what worries people is:

a) a 30% fatality rate, striking mostly people in the 20s-30s, which is for some reason unknown, a pandemic marker.  Most flu deaths in that normal 35K year to year deal is very young (babies) and very old (infirm) persons.  The real killer strains target and kill the MOST HEALTHY persons in the population, as this one is doing.

b)Speed of movement.  It moved very fast, no doubt at this time, its beyond control - thank airplanes for that, and in this case, Spring Break in Mexico, where most of the US cases came from.

c) swine based.  There are two types of flu viruses that can make the jump from animal hosts to humans that wind up killing.  One is from pigs, the other from birds (Avian flu).  Like the 1918 pandemic, swine based ones tend to be worse.

d) airborne.  The worst kind.  Look, viruses are a long established life form on this planet.  Way older than humans.  And like all life forms, as Malcomb in Jurrasic Park would have it "Life finds a way."  They mutate, change, evolve even.  If it would cross with an avian strain, it would be very bad.  Airborne viruses can live for a while outside the hosts, and that is very dangerous.

e)  OK, one for the old people here.  When do you get flu shots?  Late fall right?  Because the flu season tends to be when?  Winter.  January/Feb tend to be the height of the infections.  This one is starting in early spring, so it could continue into summer, and again, somehow (and no one understands why) the viruses that can survive into summer tend to have the worst effects.

Its not time to panic yet, but its good to be prudent.  And its nothing to pass off.  Sure, we get them all the time, but when they start to rock and roll, well.

The 1918 pandemic killed some 25 million people in the first few weeks, or about the death rate for AIDS in the 25 year history of that virus.

I'm investing in the companies that sell hand sanitizer, with a few shorts in case this thing hopefully fizzles out!!!

Quote from: tekla on April 28, 2009, 11:44:23 PM
the viruses that can survive into summer tend to have the worst effects.

Viruses survive better in cold weather.  If they can survive warm/hot weather, they might be hardier than normal and that could make them have worse effects.

Quote from: tekla on April 28, 2009, 11:44:23 PM
35K, or 65K including (as the CDC does, other upper respiratory stuff that is flu related) is a lot, but not a huge number. 

Here are the stats, per year.
Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

    * Heart disease: 652,091
    * Cancer: 559,312
    * Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 143,579
    * Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 130,933
    * Accidents (unintentional injuries): 117,809
    * Diabetes: 75,119
    * Alzheimer's disease: 71,599
    * Influenza/Pneumonia: 63,001
    * Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 43,901

What makes this different, and what worries people is:

a) a 30% fatality rate, striking mostly people in the 20s-30s, which is for some reason unknown, a pandemic marker.  Most flu deaths in that normal 35K year to year deal is very young (babies) and very old (infirm) persons.  The real killer strains target and kill the MOST HEALTHY persons in the population, as this one is doing.

b)Speed of movement.  It moved very fast, no doubt at this time, its beyond control - thank airplanes for that, and in this case, Spring Break in Mexico, where most of the US cases came from.

c) swine based.  There are two types of flu viruses that can make the jump from animal hosts to humans that wind up killing.  One is from pigs, the other from birds (Avian flu).  Like the 1918 pandemic, swine based ones tend to be worse.

d) airborne.  The worst kind.  Look, viruses are a long established life form on this planet.  Way older than humans.  And like all life forms, as Malcomb in Jurrasic Park would have it "Life finds a way."  They mutate, change, evolve even.  If it would cross with an avian strain, it would be very bad.  Airborne viruses can live for a while outside the hosts, and that is very dangerous.

e)  OK, one for the old people here.  When do you get flu shots?  Late fall right?  Because the flu season tends to be when?  Winter.  January/Feb tend to be the height of the infections.  This one is starting in early spring, so it could continue into summer, and again, somehow (and no one understands why) the viruses that can survive into summer tend to have the worst effects.

Its not time to panic yet, but its good to be prudent.  And its nothing to pass off.  Sure, we get them all the time, but when they start to rock and roll, well.

The 1918 pandemic killed some 25 million people in the first few weeks, or about the death rate for AIDS in the 25 year history of that virus.

I think the 1918 virus came in two waves, one in spring and one in autumn... It was the second wave that was devestating.

According to the news here in UK those  suffering from it have been quarantined but have been unable to access Tamiflu despite our government boasting that it has doses for 50% of the population. Frankly knowing the slowness and bureaucracy of our healthcare system and the fact that the doses will of course be distributed first to "key workers" I doubt it will be available to the general public.

Maybe I'm confused. From what I have read this present virus is a combination of bird, swine and people flu. The CDC considers flu virus to be extremely dangerous because it can mutate 20,000 times by the time it spreads across one major city. I'm not worried. If the Mayans were right we'll all be gone in Dec. 2012 anyway.

Hi
Of course they were right.
They are extinct.
just got the date wrong.

kissess hun
I'm not knocking you
CJ

Of course, if you don't watch TV, no panic. 

I'm looking forward to it, They are predicting 40% of Londoners will catch it. If 30% of those die, I might actually get a job at last....I'm nearly serious about that comment.

A lot of sense in that Pica.  There are some very real reasons that the Renaissance followed the Black Death Euro Tour.

Well, If I survive (Okay I am 20-30, shake many people's hands, travel public transport and bite my fingernails - i am however a pretty tough ol' boot) I want to be part of this renaissance.

Quote from: Pica Pica on April 29, 2009, 01:53:56 PM
I'm looking forward to it, They are predicting 40% of Londoners will catch it. If 30% of those die, I might actually get a job at last....I'm nearly serious about that comment.

I'm a Londoner and that adds up to 1,000,000 dead in London alone. You shouldn't even be nearly serious about that. It's very, very wrong. Think about it.