U.S. swine flu cases climb to 40

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC

Obama expresses concern, "not alarm" about spreading disease

The United States and other countries across the globe increased their vigilance as the World Health Organization said there are now 40 confirmed cases in the U.S.

That’s twice the number previously reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. None of the cases in the U.S. has been fatal.

Amid increasing worries about a possible global pandemic, President Barack Obama said Monday the threat of spreading swine flu infections is matter of concern but “not a cause for alarm.”

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682

[xchrom]

1. it only takes the right person for a flu to be fatal. nt

[saigon68]

3. La Grippe Porcine

http://www.romandie.com/ats/news/090427115515.6xvrvrc2.asp

[L. Coyote]

5. No. It only takes a poor person without medical care. Best argument yet for health care is

to allow poor to get help fast, so global pandemics do not start!

[xchrom]

8. my mother is not poor -- and she has good health care --

but she is elderly frail -- and would find a bad case of the flu pretty devastating.

many of my friends have good health care -- but their immune systems are severely compromised -- they would find a bad case of the flu devastating.

disease is opportunistic -- and while it doesn't take away from your point re: poverty and health care for all -- disease will slip into any crack availabe.

[MercutioATC]

9. Actually, both statements are true.

Poor access to health care increases the likelihood of more severe symptoms...but some people with the best of care will still die.

[Old Hob]

10. how would having insurance stop a virus for which there is a.) no cure and b.) no vaccine?

herd immunity is what would slow something like this down and that means quickly developing a vaccine to the strain, disseminating it to county/local health offices and public schools and then administering it to as many people as possible as quickly as possible free of charge of course with a focus on health care workers and the most succeptible groups.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

15. Prompt medical care decreases mortality not morbidity rates. nt

[Mojorabbit]

2. The WHO is meeting at 4pm Geneva time today

speculation is they will raise the level to 4. I am following twitter in these two places and it is quickly spreading over the world.
http://twitter.com/breakingnews
http://twitter.com/veratect
The best website for news on this is http://www.newfluwiki2.com/frontPage.do

[Toucano]

4. Why is the WHO reporting different numbers than the CDC?

Where does the WHO get their numbers from, if not the CDC?

[rainbow4321]

6. Outpatient clinic testing

I can tell you all the steps being taken in our TX outpatient clinic. Our county health dept sent out a notice saying that if any patient presents with respiratory symptoms and a fever they are to be given the rapid flu test for influenza A. If that comes back positive then the provider is to do a specific swab for swine flu and send it off to the county health dept for testing.
I imagine if these steps are being followed eveywhere, we may see a dramatic case increase over the next few days. Before all this we just did the first step of testing for influenza A and sent people home...they may have had the swine flu all along but we didn't start that testing part til today.

[Seldona]

7. Thanks for the info.

Glad the testing for swine is standard now with a positive reaction to influenza A. Given that there are only about 40 known cases atm, the response time was good imo. Even if a pandemic breaks out, modern medicine, as well as cutting edge disease tracking techniques used by the CDC and those like yourself, will allow us to minimize the effects.

That is my hope anyway. Thanks for your 'service.' It takes a lot of chutzpa to be a front-line provider in situations like this. Bravo!

[Initech]

11. 40 / 320,000,000? And this is a pandemic?

Am I missing something here?

[Akoto]

12. Only takes a spark to start a wildfire. Best to be vigilant. n/t

[Initech]

17. I know that from experience.

[hedgehog]

13. I think this is a case of "tip of the iceberg" . The cases are

widely scattered and not all can be linked back to Mexico.

[arikara]

14. Nothing like creating panic

The "news" was advising everyone with any symptoms to get to their doctor and get checked out, then interviewed a big strapping guy who said he had a bit of a tickle in his throat for the past couple of days. He guessed he'd better get over and see his doc. As there is nothing the doctor can or should do for the cold or flu if the symptoms are mild why would you want to go sit there among other coughing sneezing people and be exposed to their germs? I dunno, but it seems to me that's the ideal place to pick up something if you didn't have it to begin with.

All this swine flu reporting has the additional benefit of taking the focus off of torture.

Koyaanisqatsi. Crazy world indeed.

[John68]

16. More Sources

I found more information here:
http://www.nashville247.tv/News/Health/2009/04/27/Swine-Flu-cases-jump-in-US/1240854808.html

[Varner911]

18. Quite alarming. Like something from a science-fiction novel.

Not good, not good..

[Hardrada]

19. Or an SF movie from the 1950's with white-haired white-coated scientists

and Army generals and a young blonde woman and her handsome hubby as the chief trouble-shooters! And big reel to reel tapes on the walls behind them all. And special emergency phones.

[Bankhead_ATL]

20. The Oink Flu

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

21. In a normal year, 100 people a day die in the US from the flu.

More people are dying right now from non-swine flu. A 100x more per day(actually an infinite amount more with no deaths).