Swine Flu

[path12]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

I cross-posted that pic of the kid licking the pig's nose to another board.

Do you think they have a chance of getting infected.

I'll hang up to listen to your response, kthx.

I sent that picture to everyone I know, and I'm not the type to send internets stuff all willy-nilly. Hope nobody dies.

[path12]

Originally Posted by Bad-example

lung butter.

Ew. That's gross even to me. Almost as bad as snot vampire.

Unless you mean Lung Butter of 69. He seems cool.

[JPhillips]

[Lathum]

lol

[PurdueBrad]

My son has a bunch of Winnie the Pooh stuff in his room and I've just pinned this up over his crib. See how long till the wife notices.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by PurdueBrad

My son has a bunch of Winnie the Pooh stuff in his room and I've just pinned this up over his crib. See how long till the wife notices.

You are a sadistic, brilliant man. Just make sure to take it down before he can read

SI

[whomario]

Don´t blame the Pigs ! (time article)

Egypt just ordered all pigs in the country to be killed. Well, it´s mainly just a timely excuse for the muslim leaders to get rid of them for good.

[DaddyTorgo]

Do You Have Swine Flu?

[CU Tiger]

I got a text earlier that says "People always said a black man would be President when pigs fly. Look here 100 days in office and BAM pig flu"

[Mac Howard]

Originally Posted by Samdari

It seems that 'fact' is likely a anti-vaccine hyberbole.

I don't want to get into a debate on whether or not vaccines are useful, just seemed that fact was extremely unlikely. I have seen nothing to dissuade me from that view.

Just quoting the man, samdari, and I don't assume that I have any competence to call his expertise into question, despite access to google. He clearly was not pursuing an anti-vaccine agenda as you suggest but trying to bring some reasonable perspective to CNN's somewhat overblown coverage by pointing out the danger in calls for an early vaccine. Did he exaggerate in order to make his point? Possibly but his point, it seems to me, is still valid - rushing out a vaccine in response to calls from a relatively unsophisticated media and public carries dangers of its own and should be resisted.

Personal point here - my mother had an awful reaction to an anti-flu vaccine in the late 1990s only part of which, ironically, was that she couldn't shake off flu-like symptoms for over six months causing me to investigate and learn that there was no shortage of such reactions and some fatal.

What is needed is a rational response coming out of medical expertise not the knee-jerk reaction demanded by media hype and public panic. Communities are closing down, international travel is coming to a halt and there is every danger that the recent modest indications that the world economic downturn is levelling off could disappear overnight for what might, in the end, prove to be another Y2K style panic. We need a rational, informed response to this situation not one driven by media hype.

[JeeberD]

One of my employees had to leave town three days ago because her dad had the flu and was in the hospital in Brownsville. I heard today that it was confirmed that he has the swine type. Now all the rest of the employees are demanding that she not work for at least a week once she gets back into town.

I came in to work around 2:30 today and a server who had worked in the morning apparently wasn't feeling well and had a slight fever. As soon as I got there another server asked if she could talk to me and told me about the sick server and told me that she was making everyone nervous, and how they were sanitizing everything that she touched. She was supposed to work the night shift, but I convinced her to go home, though she doesn't have insurance and doesn't want to go see a doctor unless she starts feeling even worse...

*sigh* It's starting to really hit home...

[Lathum]

It's probably going to get worse before it gets better

[Lathum]

dola- just saw 13 cases in Seattle and they have announced 5 schools closing.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

*sigh* It's starting to really hit home...

I understand that line. And I am not talking about myself, but I got to help deal with spreading the word that the soccer games were not canceled this weekend, and had to deal with the parents of one of my players who hadn't been showing up this week. They said they have been keeping their kids inside most of the week as much as possible. I didn't think they were the type to go overboard about this type of thing. I forgot to ask if they had kept them home from school too? An open soccer field is not any more risky then a closed up classroom.

[Butter]

So, why is everyone freaking out over this? From what I understand, this flu isn't even that nasty to get. It's just like any other flu strain we've had in the past. It will kill those who are particularly susceptible. So what's the big fucking deal? People have been around other people with the flu throughout time. Now all of a sudden no one can be near anyone else who might've been slightly ill? What the hell?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

So, why is everyone freaking out over this? From what I understand, this flu isn't even that nasty to get. It's just like any other flu strain we've had in the past. It will kill those who are particularly susceptible. So what's the big fucking deal? People have been around other people with the flu throughout time. Now all of a sudden no one can be near anyone else who might've been slightly ill? What the hell?

Check up the thread a bit, there were several posts that tried to point out the differences between this vs the usual flu season situation.

[Ksyrup]

After 2.5 days of flu symptoms, I'm heading to the doctor this afternoon. I thought I was getting better yesterday morning, then it really hit about 6pm last night. I've lost over 4 pounds in 2 days (3.5 the first day, but I drank 4 gatorades yesterday which I guess helped). This sucks - whatever it is.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Mac Howard

Just quoting the man, samdari, and I don't assume that I have any competence to call his expertise into question, despite access to google. He clearly was not pursuing an anti-vaccine agenda as you suggest but trying to bring some reasonable perspective to CNN's somewhat overblown coverage by pointing out the danger in calls for an early vaccine. Did he exaggerate in order to make his point? Possibly but his point, it seems to me, is still valid - rushing out a vaccine in response to calls from a relatively unsophisticated media and public carries dangers of its own and should be resisted.

Personal point here - my mother had an awful reaction to an anti-flu vaccine in the late 1990s only part of which, ironically, was that she couldn't shake off flu-like symptoms for over six months causing me to investigate and learn that there was no shortage of such reactions and some fatal.

What is needed is a rational response coming out of medical expertise not the knee-jerk reaction demanded by media hype and public panic. Communities are closing down, international travel is coming to a halt and there is every danger that the recent modest indications that the world economic downturn is levelling off could disappear overnight for what might, in the end, prove to be another Y2K style panic. We need a rational, informed response to this situation not one driven by media hype.

I understand what you were doing.

My point is that an article decrying media pandemic hysteria completely unsupported by fact does not really drive home the point that we need a measured response when it contains anti-vaccine media hysteria completely unsupported by fact.

You are right of course, that every vaccine has risks that the patient will get the disease being vaccinated for. I would go further that these risks are not communicated well to patients recieving said vaccines very well. However, they do prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths every year, even while causing a few. From a public health perspective, that vaccine is a no-brainer. From perspective of the families of the few, it is an incredible outrage.

[terpkristin]

Interesting talk from the 2007 TED conference about "lessons learned" from the 1918 flu pandemic. Laurie Garrett on lessons from the 1918 flu | Video on TED.com

(also available on the TED video podcast feed on iTunes)

They also did a follow-up interview with her the other day, posted it to the TED blog: TED Blog: Q&A with Laurie Garrett: "This is a huge wake-up call"

It's interesting stuff.

/tk

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

After 2.5 days of flu symptoms, I'm heading to the doctor this afternoon. I thought I was getting better yesterday morning, then it really hit about 6pm last night. I've lost over 4 pounds in 2 days (3.5 the first day, but I drank 4 gatorades yesterday which I guess helped). This sucks - whatever it is.

good luck

[Sun Tzu]

Aparently they closed down a high school and a middle school in San Jose, which is a *very* populated are about 10 minutes from here. Karlifornia actually lives in San Jose.

I just got over a bit of a head cold, in fact I wound up staying home on Tuesday just to recoup, but I'm feeling 100% peachy now. My wife has the same thing...stuffy, runny nose, sneezy, sinus headache. It lasted about 2-3 days and cleared up rather quickly. This was not to be confused with allergies though, having grown up with allergies I know the difference between a bad allergy hit and a bug.

I don't know anybody around here who has come down with this thing, so it hasn't really hit home yet. You can bet that when my wife started feeling sick that I made sure that she didn't start getting chills or feeling achey.

Good grief.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Check up the thread a bit, there were several posts that tried to point out the differences between this vs the usual flu season situation.

But then I have to read the whole thread.

*pouts*

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Lathum

It's probably going to get worse before it gets better

Very insightful!

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Subby

Very insightful!

You're right, this is a much better contribution.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Subby

Very insightful!

Are you one of those internet blog spammers?

[Senator]

So much for Fort Worth Mayfest. Damn, that is a fun time.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Lathum

You're right, this is a much better contribution.

Well as a wise man once told me, they'll probably get worse before they start to get better!

[Subby]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

Are you one of those internet blog spammers?

Maybe you should report the post.

Just kidding...I know you aren't that big of a tool.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Subby

Well as a wise man once told me, they'll probably get worse before they start to get better!

Zing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

So, why is everyone freaking out over this? From what I understand, this flu isn't even that nasty to get. It's just like any other flu strain we've had in the past. It will kill those who are particularly susceptible. So what's the big fucking deal? People have been around other people with the flu throughout time. Now all of a sudden no one can be near anyone else who might've been slightly ill? What the hell?

The responses by most health departments / officials are really solid. Because this is a "new" virus, most people have limited immunity, so it's likely to hit LOTS of people. Media needs to keep reminding folks that most of those getting sick from this are recovering fine (that's always buried near the end of stories, so people think they're going to die if they catch it, which is unlikely), but any flu can be serious, and flu already kills 36,000 a year here in the US.

The big concern is small death rate times large number of ill folks equals lots of deaths, even with most recovering fine. So health officials are trying to limit the spread as best they can, especially while they make a vaccine to give folks immunity. Media needs to moderate coverage to stop panicking folks.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mac Howard

Possibly but his point, it seems to me, is still valid - rushing out a vaccine in response to calls from a relatively unsophisticated media and public carries dangers of its own and should be resisted.

Most vaccines that have caused problems have been from live viruses, and they use dead a lot more (although the nasal spray flu one was using live for a while, if not still; I won't get one from a live virus if I can help it). And allergies to latex and eggs are warned about with every flu vaccine I get and also cause problems. However, do you think going slow with a polio or smallpox vaccine would have been a good idea?

[duckman]

Looks like this is not as bad as feared:

hxxp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518578,00.html

[Cringer]

Swine Flu: The Packers from brienlee on Vimeo.

[sterlingice]

We had signs out at the grocery store today over the meat section saying "Pork is perfectly safe to eat, provided you cook it past a 160 degree internal temperature". Damn, no more medium-rare bacon!

My even-tempered and much-less-sarcastic-or-cynical-than-I wife pointed this out to me while scoffing at it.

SI

[Sun Tzu]

awesome

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

One of my employees had to leave town three days ago because her dad had the flu and was in the hospital in Brownsville. I heard today that it was confirmed that he has the swine type. Now all the rest of the employees are demanding that she not work for at least a week once she gets back into town.

Well, she called tonight to say that she was on her way back to town, and that she was hoping to pick up some shifts this weekend. I wonder how the other servers are going to react...

And yes, she said that her father DID have the swine flu, though by the time she got down there he was already recovering and was no longer contagious.

[JeeberD]

Dola-

My local school district, Lewisville ISD, has canceled all classes until May 11 as well. Luckily, Denton ISD (the school district in which my restaurant is located), hasn't canceled anything...yet.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...s.3f77bd4.html

Lewisville school officials are canceling classes next week because of a confirmed case of swine flu and a number of probable cases – a decision that affects about 50,000 students in 13 cities.

[mauchow]

We have not gotten an update from KSyrup, I expect only the worst......

[Ksyrup]

This is not Ksyrup, this is Mrs. Ksyrup. I found a note in his wallet to let you guys know he died...

I'm doing better. I went to the dr. yesterday and they told me I had either a viral infection or a stomach bug. Whatever it was, it kicked my ass. I drank 10 20 oz gatorades in 18 hours, and still needed an IV drip at the dr.'s office when they saw me. My stomach is still popping and rumbling every now and then, but nothing like the last few days. I still haven't eaten anything but crackers, soup, and toast since Tuesday. Even the thought of real food is still making me a bit sick to my stomach.

[Logan]

Damn, feel better man.

[Sun Tzu]

If u had teh swine fluz, u culd change ur name to Kswyne lolz

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

This is not Ksyrup, this is Mrs. Ksyrup. I found a note in his wallet to let you guys know he died...

I'm doing better. I went to the dr. yesterday and they told me I had either a viral infection or a stomach bug. Whatever it was, it kicked my ass. I drank 10 20 oz gatorades in 18 hours, and still needed an IV drip at the dr.'s office when they saw me. My stomach is still popping and rumbling every now and then, but nothing like the last few days. I still haven't eaten anything but crackers, soup, and toast since Tuesday. Even the thought of real food is still making me a bit sick to my stomach.

Dibs on Ksyrup's post count.

[chinaski]

'Walking well' flood hospitals with -- or without -- flu symptoms - CNN.com

Why are humans so dumb?

[Ksyrup]

Gotta love the 2-for-1 for the media - coverage building up the emergency, and then coverage about the overreaction.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by chinaski

'Walking well' flood hospitals with -- or without -- flu symptoms - CNN.com

Why are humans so dumb?

Blame the sensationalist media.

[Chief Rum]

As long as we're doing a check in, I hope to see a post here from Cringer soon as well.

[Chief Rum]

Well, okay, he posted the Packer vid yesterday, so I guess he's okay, but an update to be sure on how he's coming along would alleviate concerns.

[Cringer]

Uhm, I may die soon. (OK, probably not but I sure didn't help myself out today)

I have had trouble sleeping with this, but finally got over that yesterday morning it seems as I slept until 5 p.m., fever went away, the diarrhea went away (for the most part), got up for about 6 hours then went back to sleep because of youth soccer games this morning. Woke up at 4:30 a.m., and by 7 a.m. when I needed to wake up I was ready to fall asleep again.

Went to soccer, coached both teams, one at 9, the other at 10. Then the kicker, it was Parent's Day so the parents and coaches played games of their own. So I played in two games. It was very difficult to play in two games. I drank a gallon plus of water doing it. I don't think I will play soccer with the flu again.

Got home, slept, just got up, I should live. Feel like crap, but I am sure I will get better at some point here in another day or two.

[Passacaglia]

So you had flu symptoms, and went to the hotbed of overreation that is a youth soccer game? Gutsy.

[Mac Howard]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Most vaccines that have caused problems have been from live viruses, and they use dead a lot more (although the nasal spray flu one was using live for a while, if not still; I won't get one from a live virus if I can help it). And allergies to latex and eggs are warned about with every flu vaccine I get and also cause problems. However, do you think going slow with a polio or smallpox vaccine would have been a good idea?

This is not polio or smallpox, gstelmack, it's a media-hyped flu strain.

But you're tilting at windmills. My point is not against vaccination but against RUSHING OUT a vaccine as the media would have them do. Three times in the last couple of days I've seen medical professionals try to tell media personnel that even if a vaccine were produced in a couple of weeks it would be 6 months or more before it would be made available to the public. Far too late for any significant affect on the current outbreak.

Of course they'll go ahead and develop the vaccine and it'll be used but hopefully when the information about allergies etc that you mention above is also available to protect those at risk from severe unintended reactions.

The responses by most health departments / officials are really solid. Because this is a "new" virus, most people have limited immunity, so it's likely to hit LOTS of people. Media needs to keep reminding folks that most of those getting sick from this are recovering fine (that's always buried near the end of stories, so people think they're going to die if they catch it, which is unlikely), but any flu can be serious, and flu already kills 36,000 a year here in the US.

The big concern is small death rate times large number of ill folks equals lots of deaths, even with most recovering fine. So health officials are trying to limit the spread as best they can, especially while they make a vaccine to give folks immunity. Media needs to moderate coverage to stop panicking folks.

I couldn't agree more.

I saw a press conference on Friday night on A-PAC (the Australian Community Access Channel) with the Australian Chief Medical Officer and it was refreshingly free of hyperbole and sensationalism. He emphasised that this is a potential pandemic, not actual, and the advisories coming from them were precautions aimed at preventing the pandemic not actions aimed at controlling an existing one and castigated the press for not communicating a sense of perspective.

"Suspected" cases he explained were officially categorised thus:

1) people who presented themselves to GPs and hospitals with "flu" (or these days "swine flu")

2) those who actually had flu symptoms. These are "suspected"

3) those whose symptoms corresponded to known swine flu symptoms and whose recent past realistically supports the idea they have made contact with the disease. These are designated "probable"

4) confirmed cases. These are, of course, "confirmed".

He pointed out that, despite the extensive media coverage in the Australian press and tv, there wasn't even a single "probable", let alone "confirmed", as yet.

All cases outside of Mexico excepting the Mexican boy, have been mild. Which is not unexpected because it is a variant of the usual 'seasonal" flu and there's no reason to believe it to be more fatal than that ie 1 in 1000 and even that 1 tends to be people with other medical problems.

Another interesting comment: at the time he spoke it was unknown whether the current vaccines were effective against this variant. They're assumed not to be because it is a previously unknown variant and it would be irresponsible to imply that people are immune if they have recently been vaccinated, causing them to act less cautiously, when this may not be the case. Nevertheless he advised people to be vaccinated as we are now going into winter and the traditional flu period.

He pointed out that even if a vaccine were developed tomorrow it would be nigh on 6 months before being made available to the public and only useful if there were a second wave and not for this first.

He also commented on the original idea that it seemed to attack young people. Further investigation shows that the appearance of this in Mexico was probably because the majority of young people affected were health workers and had much greater exposure to the virus.

Another piece of good news is that the incubation period was not 2-7 days as originally thought but was much closer to the 2 than the 7. That means less chance of contracting the disease from people who seem to be ok. Also that the first symptoms were nearly always fever. The effectiveness of thermal imaging systems at airports he said was impressive because of these two facts.

All in all, the current virus will probably not lead to a pandemic but you can't rule out further mutation which could change that (of course those who don't believe in evolution can ignore that ). The precautions taken by medical professionals are sensible, responsible but should not be overstated to the extent that they cause panic in a relatively unsophisticated (in medical terms) public. One negative that has come out of the sensationalised coverage is that the stockpiling of anti-viral drugs by the public has brought complaints from some GPs of the difficulty some patients who genuinely need the drugs have had finding them. Manufacturers have been asked to ramp up production.

Oh, and just to illustrate that we too have our Joe Bidens, a government advisory has told Australians to stock up on at least two weeks of canned food just in case of a pandemic requiring people to stay indoors for a forthnight. Guess what happened So if you happen to have a couple of cans of Spam on the shelf stick them Australian ebay. You could get a good price for them.