Before this latest flu panic starts - READ THIS

[TwixVoy]

Before the next crazy flu panic conspiracy starts just keep this in mind - ALL the cases that have been confirmed in the United States have already been cured.

If this was going to be anything serious those people would be dead. End of story.

[Control-Z]

1. One can hope.

I live down here in So Cal, very close to the border and San Diego. :scared:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. I hope you're safe, in fact,

I'm sure you are and this is going to turn out to be nothing.

But, at the same time, I have a loathesome rightwingnut former family member who lives in SD, and now I'm really, really torn.

Could you move somewhere else, maybe for a little while?

[Control-Z]

6. I've already run with that thought a little -

moving to my sister's in NC. If it starts to hit San Diego, I will take my children and go. I'm in Soouuth OC. So close it really is scary.

I've already warned my children to refrain from close contact with anyone, no hugging or shaking hands, and to wash their hands often. I'm looking for flu shots, but there are none available that I can find so far. (the news reported that current flue shots are helpful) I'll have to wait until Monday to call our doctor. I wish I knew how serious this might get, and how soon. I have a girlfriend who could probably get us the shots earlier if I asked.

Thank you for your concern. I hope your family member, wingnutty or not, stays well.

[FourScore]

10. Cautioning the kids is good

But if it really is the beginnings of a pandemic, it will reach NC probably quicker than you and your kids will.

[Control-Z]

11. You've got a point.

Unfortunately.

[FourScore]

37. Check this out. I have kids in school in NY .

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/2009/04/24/D97P84080_us_school_sickened_ny/

NYC Heath Department: 75 kids sickened at 1 school

Apr 24th, 2009 | NEW YORK -- New York City health officials say that about 75 students at a Queens high school have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms and testing is under way to rule out the strain of swine flu that has killed dozens in Mexico.

The Health Department's Dr. Don Weiss said Friday that a team of agency doctors and investigators were dispatched to the private St. Francis Preparatory School the previous day after students reported fever, sore throat, cough, aches and pains. No one has been hospitalized.

The handful of sick students who remained at the school were tested for a variety of flu strains. If they're found to have a known human strain that would rule out swine flu.

Results could take several days.

[FourScore]

31. dupe. delete

[Control-Z]

40. That is a lot

of students to fall sick. Unless the school is huge, which I doubt, since it's a private school. Really scary.

Keep us posted if you hear more?

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. They have to develop the vac first, and that will take about six months

:rollseyes:

[Control-Z]

21. News reported

this season's flu vac was helpful. Just what I heard.


:rollseyes:

[FedUpWithIt All]

26. From live blogging of the Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity conference call today...

>>>Question: Were current cases vaccinated?

Answer: 1 of the 8 US cases received current vaccine. Others either not vaccinated or unknown. Looking at cross-reactivity with seasonal H1N1. Preliminary evidence is that the current vaccine is not a good match. Vaccine development is underway - traditional and reverse genetics - and live virus vaccine.<<<


>>>"Current diagnostics... for seasonal influenza ... will not be able to tell you if individual has swine flu or seasonal flu." Thus it's hard to know how to treat patients with influenza symptoms in US, since swine flu is amantadine resistant and seasonal is resistant to Tamiflu. <<<

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/04/latest_on_swine_flu_from_cdc.php#more

[Control-Z]

32. Thank you.

I guess the report I heard was wrong.

[FedUpWithIt All]

34. Really, i suspect people don't really know facts yet. This is all moving pretty damned fast.

There is a touch of frenzy to it all. It certainly wakes you up but it also adds to the confusion.

Things will shake out in a day or so.

In the meantime...be safe.

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. I am watching the Mexican Government to see where they are in the

disaster plan

If they close the metro... the shit officially hit the fan

[FourScore]

39. Have you seen this?

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/2009/04/24/D97P84080_us_school_sickened_ny/

NYC Heath Department: 75 kids sickened at 1 school

Apr 24th, 2009 | NEW YORK -- New York City health officials say that about 75 students at a Queens high school have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms and testing is under way to rule out the strain of swine flu that has killed dozens in Mexico.

The Health Department's Dr. Don Weiss said Friday that a team of agency doctors and investigators were dispatched to the private St. Francis Preparatory School the previous day after students reported fever, sore throat, cough, aches and pains. No one has been hospitalized.

The handful of sick students who remained at the school were tested for a variety of flu strains. If they're found to have a known human strain that would rule out swine flu.

Results could take several days.

[nadinbrzezinski]

43. hmm ... we may need to start our own epidiomology spread map

Private school ... these kids ... spring break was last week

Incubation is seven to ten days... holy week was two weeks ago

What I want to know if any of them (or preferably several) went down there

That is the question to ask...

Or if they came in contact with anybody who did (pesky patient zero)

[FedUpWithIt All]

46. I am hoping that this is simply a late seasonal outbreak and panic reporting.

There are also reports all over the place of quarantine at international airports.

For example...

>>>By the way, I dont have an English link yet however this morning on the NHK Japanese news they are reporting that a plane full of Japanese tourists who came back from Mexico are under quarantine now. At least 6 of them had fever and symptoms. This is troubling on many fronts, especially the fact it is currently not being widely reported.<<<

http://www.curevents.com/vb/showthread.php?t=100575&page=3&pp=40


It is all word of mouth at this point though.

[nadinbrzezinski]

48. Ok that does it, I need to print a map and start marking it

Damn it, THEY SHOULD HAVE CLOSED THE AIRPORT

Old flashback and old story

[Control-Z]

58. Be sure and post it? n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

59. that means using campaign cartographer

slaps hand on head... of course I could use campaign cartographer...

Why have I spend some time trying to print silly map

[MissB]

42. Our office seems pretty freaked out.

I work next to the epi's. They're concerned.

[FedUpWithIt All]

49. Can you elaborate?

:hi:

[MissB]

52. They appear to be gearing up.

Nothing major- just seem to be gathering staff and concentrating on this.

It just seems so fast- some of my coworkers and I were pretty oblivious until today. An emergency exercise scheduled for today was put off, supposedly because folks were too busy with this.

We're a bit farther north, though. No cases here, so I suspect all the effort is just going into "what if".

[FedUpWithIt All]

60. It is all moving really fast. The first reported case was barely a month ago.

Thank you for responding.

:hi:

[Control-Z]

54. Thank you again.

I suppose if I were in another state, even No Cal, it wouldn't feel as frightening.

[nadinbrzezinski]

56. It shouldn't be frightening, unless we start seeing clusters

why I said, we need maps

Pesky maps

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. I am actually feeling sorry for those

poor clinicians

:-)

[FedUpWithIt All]

38. Yes. There is a certain "mood" to all of this. Hopefully, it will simply fizzle out. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

44. If measures work it will be another dud...

Ye are or were in the field I suspect

[Tangerine LaBamba]

14. There is no vaccine .........

Don't waste your time. On the news tonight, a scientist was talking about how long it would take even to get to the testing stage for any kind of effective vaccine. Swine flu, as this is being called, just surfaces sometimes. I don't see it as any kind of serious threat. I mean, eight people died in Mexico? That's hardly noticeable. And the two cases diagnosed in the US are healthy now, so I think we're all safe.

Should it hit at Dick Cheney's house, though, well, that would be tragic, wouldn't it?

[FourScore]

15. This has killed at least 60 out of 800 suspecteded cases.

Not 8. I'm not sure where you got that number.

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04240903/H1N1_Swine_Mexico_Pandemic.html

[Tangerine LaBamba]

50. Sixty!!!

I got that number - eight - from a guy on MSNBC late this afternoon.

Thanks for the correction..............

On edit: this article says there are twenty confirmed swine flu deaths, with forty more cases being investigated -

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-mexico-swine-flu25-2009apr25,0,3847221.story

Sounds like all the incoming information is getting scrambled. It goes so fast. It'll be interesting to see what happens, but the hysteria level on these things usually zooms initially, something Dick Cheney and John Ashcroft would encourage.

It comes, it comes. Not much anyone can do about it right now ..........

[FedUpWithIt All]

17. 60 people have died in Mexico and at least 18 are confirmed. There are over 900 suspected cases.

There have been 8 cases so far in the US.

[Mojorabbit]

61. Over a thousand cases now. nt

[FedUpWithIt All]

62. And 68 suspected dead.

:(

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Look for data on the 1968 Swine Flu Pandemic

go on, use the google

[FedUpWithIt All]

3. Nearly all the cases in the US were children.

In many pandemic situations it is the healthy young adults who are more seriously affected.

This has also been the case with the swine flu in Mexico.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm

I believe only two of the US cases were adults.

[walldude]

4. LOL... I would hope after the bird flu scare

people wouldn't fall for that shit again. You know "Fool me once shame on me... Fool me twice.... ... won't get fooled again."

[Control-Z]

7. Sounds like the folks in Mexico

aren't just scared. They're dying, the way I hear it.

[madeline_con]

20. WHO said that. And that dinglebery, DUH-bya.

[spanone]

5. not so for mexico

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-mexico-swine-flu25-2009apr25,0,3847221.story

[FourScore]

8. Before you advise people not to be concerned, you might want to read

a little more about recombinomics.

Start here:
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04240902/H1N1_Swine_CA_TX_Clusters.html
Poke around that site a bit and do a little more research.

Maybe it's nothing and you're right. But you're going to feel like a real shit if it's the beginning of a true pandemic and people around you start dying. Pandemics happen. Is this one? Some experts think it is.

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04240903/H1N1_Swine_Mexico_Pandemic.html

I'm certainly watching this situation very closely.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Do me a favor, as you keep calling this a scare

go review the HISTORY of pandemics.

The last one was not even in 1918, but 1968

You knew that right?

No you didn't

Why we are a tad overdue... and why those folks who are taking it seriously, like the Mexican Health Ministry and the World Health Organization are taking it seriously

And while you make fun of this because after all our folks have survived this... we haven't even gotten close to the level of infection YET...

I do hope this is another "dud" but know full well that sooner or later we will get one... and yes, we are overdue

[TwixVoy]

16. For the love of god

they are TRICKING YOU WITH A BS STORY! Remember shark attacks? It is freaking entertainment. You are not going to die of the evil mexican flu.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. No they are not, those of us who are actually aware of this

know this may be what the WHO has been warning folks was coming

Perhaps because I was a front line medic when the warnings first came out, to look for a really bad flu season I know this might be that animal?

You know Peter and the Wolf, well Peter is the WHO, the Wolf is the actual pandemic, we have gotten them every two generations or so

You really do not want me to repeat some of the more colorful gallows humors jokes we used to say when preparing plans for this eventuality

Now here is a free clue... if this is the real deal and I happen to catch it, knowing what I know... I fully expect to be triaged into the dead pile.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

55. People are sheep, did you forget that?

And the hysterics among us thrive on situations like this.

They can get as worked up and frantic as they want to, but the simple fact remains that there's not a thing anyone can do about it.

So, life goes on and the Chicken Littles have a field day.

Me, I'm gonna do some serious KC rub on some beautiful baby back ribs, because life goes on, and we might as well eat good ................

[Mojorabbit]

63. It is not a trick.

I have been following this for over a week and been following H5N1 for five years. The best epidemiologists in the world have been doing the same for H5N1. The WHO doesn't overreact. In fact they are slow to do anything and they are worried. If you ever took microbiology in school you must remember that this is how the viral world works. This may end up being nothing or not. Time will tell.

[FedUpWithIt All]

64. I agree about normal WHO reaction. They are behaving differently. n/t

[ohheckyeah]

13. I'm still waiting for us all to die

from the bird flu.

I remember the last swine flu scare. A number of people died from the vaccine.

[dflprincess]

22. Of course, if this turns out to be something this time - how many people might die because

they couldn't afford to see a doctor when they first got sick? I'm sure that's a number we'd never hear.

[ohheckyeah]

27. Too true.

I personally don't put a lot of belief into this being a pandemic HOWEVER, I'm always careful about washing my hands and not being around sick people if I can help it. I've read that one of the dirtiest things we come into contact with is the handle on shopping carts. I always use a hand sanitizer as soon as I walk out of a store where I used a shopping cart.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. You were around for 1968?

* Flu pandemics occurred three times in the past century: the Hong Kong flu in 1968, the Asian flu in 1957 and the Spanish flu of 1918.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN24445615

WOW I'm impressed

[ohheckyeah]

24. No, it was in the 70's

and they were giving out vaccines for the swine flu. I didn't say I was around for a pandemic but a scare. They were scared enough to recommend people get the vaccine.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Yeah, that is SOP when you get the signs you have one

probably developing

Like you can expect airports to start tracking people coming from North America for possible flu symptoms

[ohheckyeah]

28. I didn't get the vaccine because

I don't trust shit the government wants to inject into my body and I hate needles. :-) I'm not saying that's smart, it's just true.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Your prerogative

if this is the real shit, not saying it is, if it is... that prerogative will be gone

Like it was in ... 1918

[ohheckyeah]

36. Why would that

prerogative be gone? What, are they going to shoot people who refuse the vaccine?

[FourScore]

41. If this is a true pandemic

You're gonna opt for the shot.

[ohheckyeah]

51. Don't count on it. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

53. Oh I count on it

as I said, plenty of case law

And guardmen can be lots of fun

[nadinbrzezinski]

45. True pandemic, your choice will be simple

take the shot, or take the shot. Ok they may be nice, 22 g or 24 g needle, not likely, this is where the use of shot guns comes in... modern ones don't use needles

Public health takes precedence and there is plenty of case law as well

Now if you should get sick, quarantine will also be in your future.

[marybourg]

57. Yes. And of my study group of 6 women, all with young kids at home,

the only one to get sick was the 1 who opted for the vaccine. In '57, I was in high school and had slight tightness in my chest for 8 hours. That was my case of flu. Don't panic!

[1]

29. what? you want to live forever?

[uppityperson]

47. Thank god for decent Border Patrol and Homeland Security!

Keeping that bad swine flu out of the USA. :sarcasm:


Did you know that there are now 68 reported dead in Mexico? People are dead.

[Tutankhamun]

65. I live in Carlsbad, just North of San Diego, butI 'm not scared at all.

I mean, if the swine flu were really a threat the authorities would be quarantining the areas where it was particcccc ack gggg gurgle yelp! help! gurgggggggle ahhhh! yeck! bleccccchchhhhhhhh! nooooooooooooooo!

[Bluebear]

66. What are you medical and/or epedemiological credentials?

[roamer65]

67. I think this one just could be the dreaded recombinant we have been worried about.

People should not panic, but taking advised precautions are certainly in order.

Only thing I am surprised about is that its coming from Mexico and not China.

[Spider Jerusalem]

68. Not 'cured'; run their course without fatality.

Significant difference. There is no 'cure' for a viral disease, whether acute or chronic, once infection has taken place.

Also, there have been far fewer observed cases in the US at present than in Mexico. Lacking depth of data for comparison, it's premature to say 'nothing to worry about'.

Present reports from Mexico indicate +/- 1000 known cases, with around 70 deaths, which do not fit the common profile of flu fatalities (having occurred in otherwise healthy adults between 25 and 45 years of age). This mortality profile is similar to the 1918 Spanish flu (which caused a cytokine storm; massive over-response from the immune system, resulting in death). The mortality rates for the 1918 flu are estimated at 2.5-5%, with fatalities estimated at between 20 and 100 million. It's early, but so far, the mortality rate in Mexico is at SEVEN percent, which, combined with the mortality profile, is worrying. Saying 'there's nothing to worry about' is at best uninformed; whether there's anything significant to worry about will become clear in coming weeks.

[DainBramaged]

69. WOW the "experts" have not violated this thread yet

maybe you are onto something they don't want known.