Flu pandemic concern grows with more U.S. cases

[Jack Frost]

Yes. Canadian health ministers are telling us "DO NOT WORRY, EH!"

 

It's not sure it has spread to New Zealand and Israel. It's only "possible" cases. Other countries with possible cases: Colombia, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia.

Edited April 26, 2009 by Jack Frost

[glomph]

They have samples of this strain from which they could produce vaccine. The flu vaccine producers are already ramping up for production for this fall. One option would be to delay that production and go whole hog (sorry) in making this vaccine at the risk that this whole strain fizzles with the end of flu season and people are left vulnerable to the 3 strains next year. Another option would be to figure that this will be dormant soon, but might come back to bite us next season, so then they'd see if they could piggy-back (CDC's word, not mine) a fourth one on to the 3 in preparation or if they'd need to substitute this one for one of the three. And then how do you know which one to leave out?

 

And by fall they could all mutate some anyway. Even if they don't get the choices perfect, there is some help from immunity to a strain from the same general family. I think the shots include some type A and type B every year on that assumption.

 

With luck, some people have some immunity from exposure to something similar years ago. Old people lose their immunity, and younger people haven't been around long enough to have had contact with a similar strain. So sometimes there will be an epidemic that affects people, say, under 35 and people over 60, for the most part. Something like this may have something to do with why this strain is more virulent in Mexico than among US travelers. I don't know enough about details to have even an uneducated opinion.

 

Those of us old enough to remember the Ford administration may recall the swine flu scare then. It fizzled, and there were some problems from the shots, and as I recall they suspended vaccinations early in the process. And the WIN buttons didn't whip inflation. That took Paul Volkler.

[Mark Arbour]

They have samples of this strain from which they could produce vaccine. The flu vaccine producers are already ramping up for production for this fall. One option would be to delay that production and go whole hog (sorry) in making this vaccine at the risk that this whole strain fizzles with the end of flu season and people are left vulnerable to the 3 strains next year. Another option would be to figure that this will be dormant soon, but might come back to bite us next season, so then they'd see if they could piggy-back (CDC's word, not mine) a fourth one on to the 3 in preparation or if they'd need to substitute this one for one of the three. And then how do you know which one to leave out?

 

And by fall they could all mutate some anyway. Even if they don't get the choices perfect, there is some help from immunity to a strain from the same general family. I think the shots include some type A and type B every year on that assumption.

 

With luck, some people have some immunity from exposure to something similar years ago. Old people lose their immunity, and younger people haven't been around long enough to have had contact with a similar strain. So sometimes there will be an epidemic that affects people, say, under 35 and people over 60, for the most part. Something like this may have something to do with why this strain is more virulent in Mexico than among US travelers. I don't know enough about details to have even an uneducated opinion.

 

Those of us old enough to remember the Ford administration may recall the swine flu scare then. It fizzled, and there were some problems from the shots, and as I recall they suspended vaccinations early in the process. And the WIN buttons didn't whip inflation. That took Paul Volkler.

 

WIN buttons. Now there's a memory.

 

The scary thing is that the disease seems to effect young adults, those who you'd expect to be the fittest to combat it. Then again, immunology is largely Greek to me.

[Daisy]

Speculations....

 

The guardian is reporting of speculations that they May have found a possible source for the outbreak.

Originating with Smithfield, the worlds biggest pork producer led by US Virginia pork baron Joseph W Luter III, at a factory/farm in eastern Mexico. Of course they are denying it. They are suggesting that it may possibly be carried by flies or could be caught from excretion - at least initially.

 

Smithfield has previously been fined for environmental damage in the US. In October 2000 the supreme court upheld a $12.6m (

Edited April 28, 2009 by Smarties

[Phantom]

Well... this is kinda eerie to me...

 

I take public transportation all the time, meaning i'm around large amounts of people. The train line i'm on is directly connected to NYC (one of the areas that has cases of this flu), to boot I was also in NYC today and it hit me on the way home that I could've been exposed to this.

 

Needless to say, it has me thinking. I now carry with me alcohol sanitizer and wipes to use on my hands. I also (in an effort to keep my immune system strong) have 1 bottle of Airborne on the go (immune system booster) and I've been eating things that also boost the immune system (vitamins, etc.).

 

Don't expect me to start wearing a surgical mask anytime soon though (but should there be a case close to me in NJ, I might consider it).

 

Huh... rereading this leads me to wonder.... Is this overreacting or is it preemptive behavior?

[Tiger]

This is basically happening in my back yard. I didn't realize at first how bad this could be, but people are dying in Mexico. There have been several cases already in The Metroplex. This is scary.

[Daisy]

Well... this is kinda eerie to me...

 

I take public transportation all the time, meaning i'm around large amounts of people. The train line i'm on is directly connected to NYC (one of the areas that has cases of this flu), to boot I was also in NYC today and it hit me on the way home that I could've been exposed to this.

 

Needless to say, it has me thinking. I now carry with me alcohol sanitizer and wipes to use on my hands. I also (in an effort to keep my immune system strong) have 1 bottle of Airborne on the go (immune system booster) and I've been eating things that also boost the immune system (vitamins, etc.).

 

Don't expect me to start wearing a surgical mask anytime soon though (but should there be a case close to me in NJ, I might consider it).

 

Huh... rereading this leads me to wonder.... Is this overreacting or is it preemptive behavior?

 

ahh but some of the speculation is that it is worse in people who have strong immune systems.

I think people can over-react. but then you don't want it to be you do you. but i also think even if you did get it there is a very high chance that you will survive. I'm not panicking nor will I stop my life over it (scottish cases have been confirmed). although I would be concerned for my gran etc, she didn't get over pneumonia all that long ago.

[Aeroplane]

At this stage, nobody in a developed country such as your own actually needs to worry. So far it is only people in Mexico who have been dying from this, and the reason for that is unknown. Coinfection with a local disease or poorer healthcare have been suggested.

Even if you do catch it (very unlikely) you are also very unlikely to die from it.

[Daisy]

also to add the mask is contested as being useful, if not causing more problems. the hand-washing yes that is useful. the mask can also just carry the virus around, and spread it that way, especially if you then touch your mask etc.

[Jack Frost]

Washing hands is simply a matter of common sense that should be applied at anytime.

 

Let's the health officials freak out. That's their job. They want to be "be safe than sorry" and that is how outbreaks are usually contained such as the cases of SARS, 1997 Hong Kong flu, H5H1 bird flu, etc.

 

And we just relax. Thousands haven't gotten sick yet in a week, unlike the start of 1918 outbreak. It is highly unlikely that 1918 will repeat itself as it was a freak and rare virus.

 

Needless to say, it has me thinking. I now carry with me alcohol sanitizer and wipes to use on my hands. I also (in an effort to keep my immune system strong) have 1 bottle of Airborne on the go (immune system booster) and I've been eating things that also boost the immune system (vitamins, etc.).

While it is not confirmed, it is still somewhat possible that this virus can mutate to a form that woud cause such strong immune system to overload and kill you by drowning your lungs with fluid. A strong immune system is not always good in some cases. This is what happened in 1918... it was unusual because it killed off so many young people with good immune system and health.

 

So a strong immune system could just go against you instead of the virus.

 

ahh but some of the speculation is that it is worse in people who have strong immune systems.

So far it hasn't been confirmed yet. It may be H1H1 virus (same type as the 1918 Flu), but it's a sub-type and not a direct descendant.

 

Besides, we have come a long way in knowledge of medicine and diseases. Back in 1918, doctors thought it was just a "flu bacteria" due to the recent theory about germs. Now we all know it wasn't. We have developed treatments to control and calm down the immune system to prevent an overload on the lungs, filling it up with fluid. Pneumonia is caused by excessive fluid and invasion of bacteria that are normally harmless in the nose and mouth (the cilias are destroyed or overwelmed by the virus, making this possible).

 

Flu doesn't really kill. It's the secondary inflections that do after the virus did its destruction on the air system.

 

At least we could take some comfort that we're lucky enough to be born in an era of the most advanced medicine so far in history.

Edited April 28, 2009 by Jack Frost

[Phantom]

Hmmm never thought of it like that with the mask.

 

It stinks though... I live right near NYC and basically we get everything from them (including bad drivers ). My ma told me that there were 5 confirmed cases in NJ today, all along the train route, so I'm gonna be careful, wash my hands or sanitize them when I get on and off the train (I've seen a lot of people do this lately) and the same when I get to work and touch money.

 

I'll forget the mask for now... but I'm gonna still take my vitamins and such...

[clumber]

Ok, from what I can gather this 'Swine Flu' thing started with 68 deaths in Mexico City...

 

There is one peice of information that nobody is giving though. How many people usually die from flu in Mexico City? For all we know this particular virus might actually be barely more dangerous than the usual strains. At 68 deaths (over how long?) it could even be comparatively weak compared to other strains. Most of the information being given is useless unless its put into context, and journalists always have a thing against context because it makes their stories less impressive.

 

Martin

[Daisy]

Ok, from what I can gather this 'Swine Flu' thing started with 68 deaths in Mexico City...

 

There is one peice of information that nobody is giving though. How many people usually die from flu in Mexico City? For all we know this particular virus might actually be barely more dangerous than the usual strains. At 68 deaths (over how long?) it could even be comparatively weak compared to other strains. Most of the information being given is useless unless its put into context, and journalists always have a thing against context because it makes their stories less impressive.

 

Martin

 

yeah perspective is necessary. that's why I am not worried. the problem with pandemics is not just that people die, but that it brings down whole areas at a time, its the social havoc that happens, which is compounded by people panicking. it is the unusual deaths they are concerned about. They are suggesting they may have found another source of the outbreak that wasn't Mexico city, and the levels of sick are unusually high, destructively high if everyone is ill at the same time. for example (link above):

A Mexican village whose inhabitants were overwhelmed by an outbreak of respiratory illness starting in February has emerged as a possible source of the swine flu outbreak which has now spread across the world.

 

The state government of Veracruz in eastern Mexico has confirmed one case of swine flu in the village of La Gloria with the sufferer named locally as a four-year-old boy, Edgar Hern

[Daisy]

How “The NAFTA Flu” Exploded

Smithfield Farms Fled US Environmental Laws to Open a Gigantic Pig Farm in Mexico, and All We Got Was this Lousy Swine Flu

 

By Al Giordano

Special to The Narco News Bulletin

http://narconews.com/Issue57/article3512.html

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect on January 1, 1994. That very same year Smithfield Farms opened the “Carroll Ranches” in the Mexican state of Veracruz through a new subsidiary corporation, “Agroindustrias de M

Edited April 29, 2009 by Smarties

[JamesSavik]

I have a craving for yummy, yummy brains...

[Adrian Michaels]

Apparently there's a suspected case in Milwaukee, which means that it's gotten to Wisconsin.

 

Of course knowing us, maybe we'll just drop to below freezing tomorrow, and that will kill it off.

 

Our ridiculous weather here has to be good for SOMETHING.

 

As a college student living in the dorms, we were all given emails about precautions, as if we DID get hit on campus, it would be very bad because everyone is in such close proximity.

 

Buuuuut, I'm not too worried. And I JUST got done being sick. Though, Swing Flu would probably be the ultimate excuse for not getting my papers turned in...

[Tiger]

There's been a death in Texas. This is starting to scare the shit out of me.

[Adrian Michaels]

I'm honestly not that concerned. The last REALLY bad flu outbreak we had was in 1917 or something like that.

 

I have enough faith in medicine to not be too worried. I just feel bad for those living in areas that don't have high water quality, or water availability. (some of the areas in Mexico that have been hit pretty bad...)

 

Though I would imagine that areas with high health standards should be fine... Unless of course this is a zombie virus or something.

[Graeme]

There's been a death in Texas. This is starting to scare the shit out of me.

The death in Texas was a 23 month old Mexican who, with his parents, were visiting.

 

There are a few confirmed cases in New Zealand, from a school group that had just returned from Mexico. The Australian government is trying to track down people who were on the same plane as them. There is also, I believe, mandatory screening of all flight crews on International flights from affected areas.

 

However, I'm not panicking at the moment. The numbers are still sufficiently low that it's not a concern. They seemed to have gotten onto it fast enough that the virus doesn't seemed to have reached a critical mass of people (yet).

[Drewbie]

The death in Texas was a 23 month old Mexican who, with his parents, were visiting.

 

There are a few confirmed cases in New Zealand, from a school group that had just returned from Mexico. The Australian government is trying to track down people who were on the same plane as them. There is also, I believe, mandatory screening of all flight crews on International flights from affected areas.

 

However, I'm not panicking at the moment. The numbers are still sufficiently low that it's not a concern. They seemed to have gotten onto it fast enough that the virus doesn't seemed to have reached a critical mass of people (yet).

 

 

That's what I heard about the baby on the news, I think though they were trying to get to a US hospital.

[SRevol]

hello everyone

 

here you

[SRevol]

i forgot don

[Phantom]

On a lighter note....

 

[J_Ross]

Eck, and my immune system is on the wrong side of SUCK. There's only one confirmed case this far upstate NY, so far as I know, but still... *shakes head* I catch everything...

Edited May 3, 2009 by J.Ross

[SRevol]

Eck, and my immune system is on the wrong side of SUCK. There's only one confirmed case this far upstate NY, so far as I know, but still... *shakes head* I catch everything...

 

 

i hope you don