Author Topic: Flu Outbreak 2009  (Read 9220 times)

Offline Scott

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Flu Outbreak 2009
« on: April 25, 2009, 09:35 PM »
Anyone else scared out of their gourds right now?   :-\


Offline Jayson

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2009, 10:06 PM »
Anyone else scared out of their gourds right now?   :-\

I don't think I'll be traveling south any time soon.
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Offline Scott

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2009, 10:38 PM »
Yeah but how many people already have traveled south...and come back...and sneezed on their hand and opened the door with it right before you touched the same handle. 

Offline Darth Kenobi

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2009, 11:11 PM »
I'm glad I don't work in a grocery store anymore.  Hopefully this doesn't spread to much either unfortunately I have heard reports that 2 cases were found in Kansas and a school in New York has 75 kids who have flu like symptoms and early samples of blood work shows that it could be Swine Flu. 

Offline Dressel Rebel

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2009, 11:25 PM »
I'm about as worried as I was about SARS and Bird Flu.  There are 400 million people in this country, a couple hundred cases where even most of those people live isn't going to ring the doomsday bells just yet.

I'll try not to toss and turn too much tonight.

Not that the few cases where people die aren't sad.
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Offline Dressel Rebel

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2009, 11:28 PM »
I'm glad I don't work in a grocery store anymore.  Hopefully this doesn't spread to much either unfortunately I have heard reports that 2 cases were found in Kansas and a school in New York has 75 kids who have flu like symptoms and early samples of blood work shows that it could be Swine Flu. 

From FoxNews:

"The symptoms in the New York cases have all been mild, and no students have been hospitalized."

A sore throat and a little fever for a few days won't be the end of the world.
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2009, 11:52 PM »
I'm torn.  Part of me says we're so long overdue for a major, lethal outbreak it isn't even funny.  The other part of me says the fear is part of a major media construct, which is doing exactly what it is supposed to: scare the pants off people and have them tuning into the news 24/7 for new updates.  So how serious is it in an era where lawsuits will fly like crazy if people aren't warned of the absolute worst possible outcome at the first hint of trouble?  Is it really serious or are we in litigation avoidance mode?  These days it is impossible to tell which is which.

I don't know that I'm not wrong about the overdue part.  Yeah, I've heard that from a lot of smart folks, but is it actually an acknowledgement of the current conditions we live in or a misunderstanding of the general health/conditions/situation at the time of the last major flu outbreak?  We may not actually be due because we are generally healthier as a population than ever before. 

I'm about as worried as I was about SARS and Bird Flu.  There are 400 million people in this country, a couple hundred cases where even most of those people live isn't going to ring the doomsday bells just yet.

That's about where I sit, at the moment as well.  It is horrible that people have already died and more may well, but we've become so completely unrealistic about how nature actually treats us that a few folks dying from food poisoning is major news.  It used to be a whole lot more and something that just happened.  Now its an outrage.  Look back at history and you'll find we have it pretty good, especially with respect to child mortality rates.  That's harsh, but it is also true. 
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Offline Angry Ewok

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2009, 12:15 AM »
I'm with you, buggy - I feel like we're long overdue for some sort of plague to waste a quarter of the population. BUT, any time the media talks about some sort of exotic flu epidemic I just roll my eyes.

Offline Morgbug

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2009, 01:20 AM »
Went digging for information on it and it seems to be H1N1 with some recombinant mutations to it.  From the reports it is about 80% something we've seen before and 20% recombinant, so that's the new stuff creating the buzz. 

If substantial mortality starts to appear in the US, then I'll start wondering, but much of the mortality thus far could be attributed to poor living conditions in Mexico combined with poor, limited or no health care and a particularly virulent flu.  It's not so much the flu that killed them as the flu plus the other conditions compounding it.  That's how I'd judge it thus far anyway. 
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Offline Nicklab

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2009, 12:33 PM »
So far there are reports of swine flu cases in the following areas in the US:
-Flushing Queens, NY
-Topeka, KS
-San Antonio, TX
-Minnesota (unclear on the city)
-San Diego, CA

People are concerned because the outbreak in 1918 is estimated to have killed over 20 million people worldwide.  Additionally the WHO is saying that this particular strain could have pandemic potential.
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Offline Scott

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2009, 01:54 PM »


I guess based on the fact that not many of the Americans have died yet...I am agreeing with you Brent that the living conditions/health care in Mexico are contributing to the number of casualties.  And while so far it looks like no Americans have died...there are lots and lots and lots of countries that are even less well off than Mexico and if this spreads further to those areas it could get ugly


And while I am not worried about myself or anyone here, I think the whole thing is frightening based on the fact that while we are all dodging the bullet this time (so far)...next time we may not be so lucky.

I also wouldn't put all of this on the media...the WHO and CDC are both raising legitimate cautions.  I'm not naive enough to not see that there is a benifit to those orginizations for being a tad bit alarmist (government funding through increased exposure).  They have to realize that creating panic for no reason should not be in anyones best interests

Offline DSJ™

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2009, 01:59 PM »
Sources say flu has been detected in Canada.

Quote
Reports indicate that Canada's first cases of swine flu have been detected at different ends of the country.

Sources say the cases have turned up in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

Lab results show people infected with unidentifiable influenza A viruses. Swine flu is so new that most laboratories don't have tests to identify them as such.

It appears that Nova Scotia has three cases in people with a travel link to Mexico. B.C. has reportedly found a pair of cases, but it's not known if there's a Mexican link there.

Officials are planning a briefing Sunday afternoon on the swine flu situation in this country.

Offline Morgbug

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2009, 02:43 PM »
And while I am not worried about myself or anyone here, I think the whole thing is frightening based on the fact that while we are all dodging the bullet this time (so far)...next time we may not be so lucky.


No disagreement at all on any of your post Scott.  I'm just not sure what to think.  I agree, it can't all be put on the media but at the same time I'm confused on how much is eventual lawsuit avoidance and how much is legitimate alarm.  You just can't tell anymore.  WHO I'm not such a big fan of, but the CDC I would definitely trust.  I think when you read into the details of the releases from WHO and CDC it's more precautionary than anything else.  The media then takes those bits and alters the context just enough to scare the pants off people. 


People are concerned because the outbreak in 1918 is estimated to have killed over 20 million people worldwide.  Additionally the WHO is saying that this particular strain could have pandemic potential.

And this highlights my own personal confusion.  I'm no health care authority, so my thoughts are as meaningful/meaningless as anyone here.  At the same time, think about the conditions of 1918.  Are we in the same situation as then?  Not even remotely in terms of living standards for most, and surely all of us on this board.  This could play an incredibly important role in whether we even ever see another outbreak of that magnitude, no matter how overdue we may think we are.  You need only look at the rates of malaria in Texas versus Mexico to see that even in what are essentially neighboring communities, the differences in rates are staggering and the only real differences are standard of living and access to health care.

But I can easily counter that with the nanny approach we see in society with avoidance of challenging our immune systems.  And we have folks that avoid vaccines that could easily provide a substantial "in" for any number of illnesses that are already under control.  So are we setting ourselves up for some major problems?  I dunno. 
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Offline Nicklab

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #13 on: April 26, 2009, 04:25 PM »
Sources say flu has been detected in Canada.

Quote
Reports indicate that Canada's first cases of swine flu have been detected at different ends of the country.

Sources say the cases have turned up in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

Lab results show people infected with unidentifiable influenza A viruses. Swine flu is so new that most laboratories don't have tests to identify them as such.

It appears that Nova Scotia has three cases in people with a travel link to Mexico. B.C. has reportedly found a pair of cases, but it's not known if there's a Mexican link there.

Officials are planning a briefing Sunday afternoon on the swine flu situation in this country.

Canadian health officials are holding a press conference right now.
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: Flu Outbreak 2009
« Reply #14 on: April 26, 2009, 05:19 PM »
Quote
"These cases are mild. No one in Nova Scotia has been hospitalized because of the illness. All those who have been affected are recovering. At this point we're not seeing severe cases like those occurring in Mexico," Dr Robert Strang, chief public health officer for the province of Nova Scotia, told a televised news conference.
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