All things swine flu (H1N1)

[RAELON]

I have a question, just thinking and thought I'd share my daily thought process for today


Seeing that from what I am reading, once you get this virus you should have an immunity built up...so, wouldn't it be better to get this so-called "mild" virus
now before then real flu season hits in a few months? I hope this thought doesn't
show my ignorance too, too much....

From what I heard on the radio today, it could mutate and get stronger and hit again in the fall winter similar to the 1918 flu that killed millions, but they do not know yet.

 

[justthinkin]

I am so tired of hearing it doesn't do any good to close the barn after the horses are out. HOW LONG DO WE LET INFECTED HORSES KEEP COMING? I have heard that many are coming here for medical care. Close the borders and set up treatment centers there to help those who are infected. If this is just an invented scare for some reason, enough is enough. But if it is a real threat, please take steps to curtail it and closing the border is an essential first step in my opinion.

What? And turn all those potential or future $$ taxpayers away? Snark, snark.

 

[Blue_Dolphin308]

I beleive that they won't close the border do to fear of being called racist.

 

[smart blonde]

Speaking of shutting barn doors after the horses are already out...

If we shut down the border due to the current flu, FORMERLY KNOWN AS 'Swine',
we would have some pretty heavy-duty drug cartels ticked off at us!

(I can snark-snark, too)!

 

[justthinkin]

Here's a video from Dr. Niman who I believe is the head person on the team doing the genetic sequencing of this flu. A lot of questions we've posed here today, he answers. I'm going to warn you, you won't be thrilled by what he has to say. Some of his colleagues disagree with him, so that is the bright note here. Dr. Niman could be wrong or his colleagues could be. Not even they will know until fall or until after the flu season in the southern hemisphere which is starting now.

http://www.wpxi.com/video/19313969/index.html

 

[Kat]

IMHO, and this is only my opinion, but after reading that there are some groups that support Hispanic interests that are calling for the boycott of the 2010 census. (If you aren't familiar with that boycott here is a link:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2009-04-15-census_N.htm

to close the border would create far more problems within the US than we are ready to address. Do I think it is right to leave them open? Not really. If we are going to close the borders though, we will need to close all routes in to our country. That is considerably larger than the border.

To lockdown the border between USA and Mexico really isn't going to stem this tide. It's too late now. I'm sorry but that really is my opinion. I find this situation frustrating too. I'm sure the whole world does as well, the USA isn't the only Country being inundated by this illness.

Have the raised the level to pandemic yet? So far, this first wave isn't alarming me much, but it's the next wave of illnesses that makes me cringe when I think about it possibly happening.

(O/T before anyone thinks that I'm being racist or hateful, my DH is hispanic.)

 

[angelmom]

Here's a video from Dr. Niman who I believe is the head person on the team doing the genetic sequencing of this flu. A lot of questions we've posed here today, he answers. I'm going to warn you, you won't be thrilled by what he has to say. Some of his colleagues disagree with him, so that is the bright note here. Dr. Niman could be wrong or his colleagues could be. Not even they will know until fall or until after the flu season in the southern hemisphere which is starting now.

http://www.wpxi.com/video/19313969/index.html

He's awful chipper for someone predicting millions of deaths!

 

[Wytchy]

Speaking of shutting barn doors after the horses are already out...

If we shut down the border due to the current flu, FORMERLY KNOWN AS 'Swine',
we would have some pretty heavy-duty drug cartels ticked off at us!

(I can snark-snark, too)!

The government saying 'closing the borders now is like closing the barn door after the horses are out' is just moronic to me.

The way I look at is if I have 10 horses in a barn and ONE of them gets out, then I should just throw up my hands and say 'too late to close the barn door now'?

Not in my mind. If I let one horse get out, then shame on me if I don't close the door to prevent the rest from getting out. It's just insane to say 'it's too late' to try to prevent the spread into the U.S. from Mexico.

But, I'm not at all surprised by the conflicting things I've been reading over the last few days. I haven't trusted the U.S. government for years now, and my distrust has only grown in the last five months.

 

[Jholi]

The government saying 'closing the borders now is like closing the barn door after the horses are out' is just moronic to me.

The way I look at is if I have 10 horses in a barn and ONE of them gets out, then I should just throw up my hands and say 'too late to close the barn door now'?

Not in my mind. If I let one horse get out, then shame on me if I don't close the door to prevent the rest from getting out. It's just insane to say 'it's too late' to try to prevent the spread into the U.S. from Mexico.

But, I'm not at all surprised by the conflicting things I've been reading over the last few days. I haven't trusted the U.S. government for years now, and my distrust has only grown in the last five months.

Yup. It's like chemotherapy or rad treatment; there does come a time when the body is so overwhelmed, you give up. But by their reasoning, chemotherapy even at early stages is worthless.

"200 cells metastasizing? Oh, well, injecting another 10,000 - which will also multiply - won't make a difference."



It's not logical, unless they know we are a whole, whole lot further gone than they are admitting.

 

[ziggy]

I have a question, just thinking and thought I'd share my daily thought process for today


Seeing that from what I am reading, once you get this virus you should have an immunity built up...so, wouldn't it be better to get this so-called "mild" virus
now before then real flu season hits in a few months? I hope this thought doesn't
show my ignorance too, too much....

That is a good point and I would agree although (and I have no expertise in this area) you might not get a mild form. What if it is man generated and we are unable to develop natural immunities?

Logically it would make sense to be exposed and build ammunities against it. Hope someone with bio-chem experience can comment.

 

[angela]

I have a question, just thinking and thought I'd share my daily thought process for today


Seeing that from what I am reading, once you get this virus you should have an immunity built up...so, wouldn't it be better to get this so-called "mild" virus
now before then real flu season hits in a few months? I hope this thought doesn't
show my ignorance too, too much....

This is exactly what I was saying to my co workers today. The people who have recovered from the "mild" cases should have some antibodies against this if it returns in the fall. Antibodies may not prevent them from getting it again but they would help fight it.

 

[ziggy]

By the way, I won't let anyone pull that racist crap with me when it comes to the border. It doesn't matter where the virus is coming from - you stop people from going back and forth to that country or coming in from it and it will help.

If say 1,000 people came from Mexico and were ill and are spreading it. The virus is already spreading in the U.S. HOWEVER, if you let 2,000 more people in who are ill and will spread the virus, then it expontially increases the likelihood that you will come in contact with someone and get sick.

In the long run it will be worse for the country. As this thing blows wide open, no one will be going to restaurants, sporting events, malls...

The government is talking nonsense and they better check their barn doors - they should be more responsible. Who cares if there's a little panic going on? We can't afford for this to get worse with our economy teetering.
STOP IT NOW.

 

[smart blonde]

This is exactly what I was saying to my co workers today. The people who have recovered from the "mild" cases should have some antibodies against this if it returns in the fall. Antibodies may not prevent them from getting it again but they would help fight it.

Unless, by the time the 'recovered' flu victim gets re-infected, on the second go-round, the virus has mutated so much it won't even matter, and will be as if the patient is being hit with a whole new super flu?

 

[Diamond]

Unless, by the time the 'recovered' flu victim gets re-infected, on the second go-round, the virus has mutated so much it won't even matter, and will be as if the patient is being hit with a whole new super flu?

That is what I'm thinking...wouldn't you just be immune to that exact virus and still be susceptible to other strains?

 

[justthinkin]

That's a good question, smart blond, and one I'd like to know the answer to as well.

If nothing else, closing the border could slow the process, and to me, that would be worth it.

 

[txsvicki]

I'm not so sure that anyone in the 25-45 age range should chance getting this flu now since that is the age group it killed in Mexico. My area of texas says there are no cases, but a friend who works in the restaurant business called earlier and said her coworker has a 25 year old son with swine flu who's going to be hospitalized for over a week. May get out this weekend. I don't know if the mom just thought he had it or if he's in normally good health, but I told my friend to ask these questions and find out. If it hospitalizes this age range for a week then who wants to chance that plus catching other things while in the hospital. Another relative says there have been no cases at the hospital where he works with patients. I just got an automated call from the superintendant of schools commending folks for sending their kids to school this week as usual and reassurances that there are hourly watched for this flu. I don't know what to believe, but I'm doing my big bunch of grocery shopping tomorrow and getting stocked up for the month so I don't have to go out in public much at all.

 

[hockeymom]

I was at Sams Club today and noticed they were passing out wipes if you wanted to wipe down the cart,and as you left you could wash with hand sanitizer. I think people everwhere are being diligent.

 

[Kat]

I was at Sams Club today and noticed they were passing out wipes if you wanted to wipe down the cart,and as you left you could wash with hand sanitizer. I think people everwhere are being diligent.

O/T but hockeymom that's an excellent idea. I may start carrying them with me just not in the car now (old habit from having so many kids, never broke it). I absolutely cringe because almost every time I go out to the store I see a small child with their mouth on the handle of the bascart. ACK.

Also at the risk of sounding even more paranoid, I was shopping today for a few groceries and saw people touching and bringing produce up to their faces smell it and to check it out. I have to admit that I brought my apples home and washed them in the sink before I sat them out for the kids. I usually rinse them but I actually used a bit of soap ....I know, I know...getting silly here.

 

[Adrienne37]

Also at the risk of sounding even more paranoid, I was shopping today for a few groceries and saw people touching and bringing produce up to their faces smell it and to check it out. I have to admit that I brought my apples home and washed them in the sink before I sat them out for the kids. I usually rinse them but I actually used a bit of soap ....I know, I know...getting silly here.

Kat, I don't believe you are being silly at all. Right now, I believe it is IMPERATIVE that we take whatever means we have to protect ourselves and our children.

 

[Diamond]

Kat, I don't believe you are being silly at all. Right now, I believe it is IMPERATIVE that we take whatever means we have to protect ourselves and our children.

I agree.

I don't think we should panic, but I think it's only natural to be concerned and careful. Especially, when it comes to our 'babies'.