11 more suspected swine flu cases in U.S.

[seemslikeadream]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-flu26-2009apr26,0,2116819.story

Total reaches 19 with a couple in Kansas, schoolchildren in New York City and a person in California believed to have mild cases of swine flu. It is not clear yet whether virus is easily transmitted.
By Thomas H. Maugh II
April 26, 2009
Kansas health authorities had confirmed two new cases of swine flu in their state, California has confirmed another case in Imperial County and New York City officials have identified eight probable cases, bringing the U.S. total to 19 likely cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously identified six cases in San Diego and Imperial counties and two cases in Guadalupe County, Texas.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jeep789]

2. My guess is that there have been thousands of cases

that were never identified since most people don't go to the doctor for a mild flu and even when one does they don't usually attempt to identify the strain.

Our family went through a rather strange flu a few weeks ago and we are in Southern CA (though not in the "identified" areas). Could it have been?

The symptoms seem to be the same as any other flu and just like any other flu, range from mild to severe.

[elocs]

3. Wow! 19 confirmed cases in a nation of 306 million. Yes, time to panic.

You can never start too early and beat the rush.

[seemslikeadream]

4. I never used the word panic only YOU 'VE DONE THAT

[elocs]

7. That's kind of the point, isn't it, with only 19 cases in a nation of over 300 million?

I bet my chances of being killed by a drunk driver are much higher, yet where are the posts about how many have been killed by drunk drivers in the past few days? That is much more of a concern to me compared to getting the flu.

[readmoreoften]

21. It's called "a contagious disease." You might want to look up the term "exponential".

This virus may come to little in the US, but the initial numbers of an illness have little to do with the possible extent. It's called EXPONENTIAL MATHEMATICAL MODELS. Pandemics don't start as pandemics. They start with a "patient zero."

There are many reasons not to panic about this, but the ratio of genetically proven cases to the population as a whole has nothing to do with pandemic potential. The distance and mildness of the cases seem to be more heartening.

Moreover, everything isn't about YOU. The flu might not be a big deal to you, but it is for those of us with friends and family in the hospital with compromised immune systems.

[Avalux]

9. I too feel the need to defend SLAD -

the swine flu outbreak is an evolving story and there's nothing wrong with posting news as it happens. Some of us are interested in the news. NONE of us are telling people to panic.

[seemslikeadream]

10. Thank you

I have never once used the word panic and have just been posting legitimate news stories and yes it is evolving rapidly, now a flight crew in Britian

[laundry_queen]

15. I agree.

Not to mention just because it's early and there's only 19 or whatever cases, doesn't mean it's not going to be widespread. In general, influenza spreads easily and there is an incubation period also. It's likely it's already widespread. There's nothing much any of us can do but wait and see; See what the severity of it is in the US. I appreciate being kept updated.

[Snazzy]

5. clarifying NY

They tested a sample of the kids from the school in Queens. 8 of 9 tested positive. Over 100 stayed home sick or didn't go to school. They are not planning testing the rest of kids as of today.

Source: me, watched press conf.

(edit to add: proving once again that whenever you have any personal contact with actual news you will find that it is widely reported wrong)

[seemslikeadream]

6. Read this Snazzy things are changing as we type

:hi:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/04/25/2009-04-25_nyc_health_officials_at_least_8_queens_students_likely_have_swine_flu.html

[Snazzy]

12. hey there

my dinner probably burning as we type too. Yeah looks like daily News says 200, pretty sure that's not what I heard this afternoon. Think it was "over 100" or "about 100" by the health comm. But he gave the impression that since it's mild and confirmed they don't need to test more kids--they know they have it. And yeah he mentioned the Bronx too (daycare), but didn't know wtf yet.

Alright gotta check on my Mexican veggies, heh.

[seemslikeadream]

13. lol and don't fly BritishAirways in the near future lol

[Snazzy]

17. noted

(edit oops that was giant)

[Snazzy]

16. NY DOH press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release # 015-09
Saturday, April 25, 2009
...


Health Department Testing Finds Probable Cases of Swine Influenza in Students at a Non-Public School in Queens

Department calls for increased vigilance for possible spread of swine influenza virus


April 25, 2009 – The Health Department is investigating a cluster of respiratory illness in a non-public school in New York City and has determined that at least 8 students have probable human swine influenza. More than 100 of the school’s students were absent several days this week due to fever, sore throats and other flu-like symptoms. The Health Department has interviewed more than 100 students or their families, and all students have had mild symptoms; none have been hospitalized. Some family members have developed similar symptoms, suggesting spread in the family.

In response to confirmed cases of swine influenza (swine flu) in Mexico, California and Texas, the New York City Health Department is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess the possibility of the spread of swine flu.

Swine flu is a respiratory infection caused by influenza type A viruses that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can occur. Human cases typically involve people who have had direct contact with pigs, but person-to-person transmission is suspected among recent cases in the Southwest. The cases in Mexico have had a high fatality rate, but the eight recently confirmed cases from California and Texas have been mild. All of the non-NYC patients have recovered.

The Health Department’s Public Health Laboratory has completed preliminary viral testing on nose and throat swabs from nine affected students. Eight of the nine tests are positive Influenza A. Because they do not match H1 and H3 human subtypes of influenza A by available testing methods, they are considered probable cases of swine flu. The specimens have been sent to the CDC in Atlanta for confirmatory testing. Results of those tests are expected Sunday. (The attached chart outlines the steps required for confirmation.)

Patients experiencing severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, should seek health care and treatment. Otherwise, the Health Department recommends at-home care. If affected students at the school in question have household contacts at high risk for complications from influenza – young children, the elderly, and people with chronic illness – those at risk should receive preventive treatment. The most effective way to lower the risk of transmission is for people with symptoms to stay home.

All New Yorkers should cover their mouths when they cough. Additional precautions:

* Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

* Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

* If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to avoid infecting them.

Swine influenza cannot be transmitted from eating pork or pork products. The symptoms of swine flu in people appear to be similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

For facts about influenza, and more information about swine flu, please visit the Health Department and CDC websites. Some specific resources:
From New York City Health Department

Facts about flu
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cd/cdinflu.shtml
From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

General information about swine flu
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm

Swine Flu Case Definitions
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/casedef_swineflu.htm

Swine Flu Infection Control and Patient Care
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidelines_infection_control.htm

Preventing the Flu
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm

[Snazzy]

19. Today's release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release # 016-09
Sunday, April 26, 2009


Testing Confirms Swine Influenza at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens

No citywide increase in illness and no other cases or clusters identified in NYC so far


April 26, 2009 – Tests conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed cases of human swine flu among students at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens. The school is suspending classes on Monday. The affected students have experienced only mild symptoms and many are already improving, but a similar virus has recently caused deaths in Mexico.

All of the U.S. patients have recovered fully. The Health Department’s surveillance system has not shown a citywide increase in flu-like illness. An investigation of a cluster of children with illness in a Bronx daycare facility has so far not identified any confirmed or probable cases.

The Queens investigation began last week, when more than 100 students at the St. Francis School developed flu-like symptoms, including fever and sore throat. The Health Department’s Public Health Laboratory tested nine nose and throat swabs. Eight of them tested positive for Influenza A but did match any of the known human variants of that virus (the H1 and H3 human subtypes) by available testing methods. On Saturday, the Health Department deemed them “probable” cases of human swine influenza and sent the samples to CDC in Atlanta for confirmatory testing. Those tests confirmed the presence of swine influenza viruses.

...

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2009/pr016-09.shtml

(just want to keep this together--I'm sure it's posted elsewhere)

[Snazzy]

22. Outbreak at N.Y. School Followed Cancun Trip (New York)

Outbreak at N.Y. School Followed Cancun Trip (New York)
4/27/2009, 10:17 p.m. EDT
Keith Richburg
The Associated Press

(AP) — NEW YORK ? St. Francis Preparatory School was closed Monday, and its front doors locked, as cleaners inside worked to scour the building that has become the epicenter in the United States for the swine flu virus spreading across the globe.

...

Stephanie Maglaras first started feeling ill last Tuesday. She went home, and stayed there Wednesday, suffering from vomiting, diarrhea, body aches and coughing. She wanted to stay home Thursday, too. But Stephanie, a 14-year-old freshman at St. Francis Prep, was worried about missing too much time, with finals coming up.

When she returned Thursday, she was stunned to see how many of her schoolmates were out sick ? five or 10 from every class, maybe a few hundred of the 2,700 students at the school. Students were lined up outside the nurse's office, some so sick they were in wheelchairs. Their symptoms were similar ? coughing, aches, high fevers, diarrhea.

The rumors started swirling. Maybe it was food poisoning from the cafeteria. Or rat poison. Or something in the air from the construction tied to the school's 150th anniversary. No one then suspected it might be the group of about 10 seniors who had recently returned from a spring break trip to Cancun, Mexico, bypassing the school-sponsored senior trips to Hawaii and Italy.

Stephanie finally went to the hospital on Saturday afternoon. As soon as she said she was from St. Francis, "they took me, put a mask on me, and they put me in an isolation room." She stayed there for the next six hours, along with many of her classmates. "It was horrible," she said. "By the time I left, there was a good 15 kids."

....

http://www.silive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-3/1240886490172110.xml&storylist=simetro&thispage=2

(hadn't seen this, someone was asking where NY students got it)

[Avalux]

8. Mexican Officials: Death toll now at 81 with 1324 infected.

No school until May 6th and they are setting up a TV channel for updating on the outbreak.

http://twitter.com/breakingnews

[BlooInBloo]

11. We're doomed.

[seemslikeadream]

14. Texas says tracks third probable case of swine flu

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN2548155920090426

HOUSTON, April 25 (Reuters) - Texas state health authorities on Saturday ordered a high school near San Antonio closed indefinitely after a third student showed symptoms of swine flu, which has killed dozens of people in Mexico.

"A third student is listed as a probable case with confirmatory lab test results pending," the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement.

Swine flu was confirmed earlier this month in two students at Byron Steele High School in Guadalupe County near San Antonio.

"The original two have recovered, and the third is recovering," the state health board said.

[captainjack08]

18. Could be much to do about nothin.. but in light of this April 20th Georgia Guides Stones story...

...I just read, and the recent story on the Horse virus gone missing from Fort Detrick... you have to wonder if maybe some of these "pandemics" are manmade? These Guide Stones are located in Elbert County Georgia.

Interesting article in May issue of Wired Magazine on the Georgia Guide Stones and one of its calls to reduce earth's population...which wouldn't be so bad in truth if it could be done by human choice to not have as many kids so we all have more space and access to dwindling resources. Here is the April 29th online link to it:

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/ff_guidestones?currentPage=all



As a side note, the Center for Disease Control (also in Georgia) says the swine flu cannot be contained
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/26/2552700.htm

And the World Health Organization (WHO) based in Geneva Switzerland, is convening an emergency meeting over a possible swine flu pandemic
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i_AZWy_CmwkfQ17w1-rP99e3xZnwD97PGO5G1

The WHO has contacted drug maker Roche(a Swiss company) to deploy drugs as needed. Shares of Roche are up 3.8%:
http://www.reuters.com/article/google/idUSN2425534220090424

And one more... an old London Times article on how the WHO possibly triggered a prior pandemic by its vaccination program in Africa:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/577245/london_times_smallpox_vaccine_triggered.html

Putting this out there for consideration... not that I necessarily believe something nefarious is definitely going on in this swine flu story.

[Shell Beau]

20. I do feel like ass! I hope it isn't the swine flu.

Mainly kidding!