All things swine flu (H1N1)

[txsvicki]

I don't have a link and can't confirm it, but it's a little odd that President Obama was in Mexico the same time this flu was reported there. The man who greeted him at the museum he visited is said to have died the day after of flulike symptoms.

 

[Claycat]

What makes you think that?

I don't trust our world governments. The world is over-populated. I think they would like to see many of us die.

Aside from that, I believe the pharmaceuticals sometimes engineer diseases, so they can make a lot of money on medication.

Then there's the odd thing about all the microbiologists that have died/been killed over the last few years.

Plus, the fact that it would be hard for the combining of swine, avian, and human flu to occur naturally.

 

[Claycat]

I don't have a link and can't confirm it, but it's a little odd that President Obama was in Mexico the same time this flu was reported there. The man who greeted him at the museum he visited is said to have died the day after of flulike symptoms.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/was...use-says-obama-not-affected-by-swine-flu.html

 

[Blue_Dolphin308]

Its already resistant to the two oldest Anti-viral drugs.

 

[JoeFromLB]

The prep school students had been to Mexico the week before I believe. I don't know about Ca., Tx., and Kansas but if we go to Walmart we don't know who all there may have been in Mexico or has family who have visited from Mexico recently. Especially in Texas or California.

Good point. Here in SoCal I feel like I'm in Mexico every time I go into the local Walmart. We're overrun here with illegal immigrants.

I'm staying away from Walmart for awhile. The Target stores (another discount chain) are not much better.

 

[byo]

this is a great google map of suspected (pink) cases and confirmed (purple) cases of this strange new strain of influenza (which consists of influenza a, influenza b, avian, european swine & asian swine - who or what cooked that combo up!!!)

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...22809,-111.357422&spn=35.796953,63.896484&z=4

I'm pulling this google map from the other thread.

Unfortunately, I zoomed in to see the SanDiego County cases, only to discover that 3 cases are within a few miles of my house!

Bummer. Now my throat is beginning to hurt. . .

 

[MistyM]

stay safe byomoi!

updates:

Swine Flu in United Kingdom
Quote
[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]

'Fears are growing that a deadly human strain of 'swine flu' that has claimed 81 lives in Mexico has arrived in Britain.

A British Airways cabin crew member yesterday complained of 'flu-like symptoms' midway through a flight to Heathrow from Mexico City, where the virus first surfaced.

Last night the unnamed man, understood to be a British national, was in isolation in a West London hospital and was being treated by staff trained in infectious disease controls. '

New Zealand Swine Flu CONFIRMEDQuote
[link to www.3news.co.nz]

Health Minister Tony Ryall has this evening confirmed ten positive influenza results from testing carried out on 13 Rangitoto College students who returned from Mexico early yesterday morning.

"Ministry of Health officials advise me there is no guarantee these students have swine influenza, but they consider it likely. All precautions are being taken to allow for this. However, I am also informed none of the affected patients are considered seriously ill, and most in fact seem to be on the road to recovery," said Tony Ryall.

"I am advised ten students have tested positive for Influenza A, and these results will now be sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Melbourne to ascertain whether it is the H1N1 swine influenza." H1N1 influenza is a subset of influenza A.

A timeline when those results will be available will be advised, however it is expected given the global situation that they will be treated with considerable urgency.

Other passengers on NZ1, the flight the Rangitoto College students returned on, are encouraged to consult with their GP or other health professional if they develop flu-like symptoms.

Tamiflu has been released from Middlemore Hospital to the Auckland Regional Public Health Service to treat patients and those who have had contact with them.

The Ministry continues to be in contact with the WHO and is liasing with Australia in terms of what their response at this stage is. We are also working closely with Auckland Regional Public Health, district health boards and other Government agencies including MAF, Customs and the Ministry of Education.


Two suspected cases of swine flu in France: official

• Foreign

2009-04-26 16:34
PARIS (AFP) - French health authorities have found two suspected cases of swine flu in travellers returning from Mexico and others are expected to follow, the top health official said in an interview Sunday.
"We do have suspicions, but these have not been confirmed, about two people who have returned from Mexico," general health director Didier Houssin told Le Parisien newspaper.
"There will certainly not be a lack of other cases in the coming days because there have been a lot of flights and boat trips" from Mexico, he added.


http://www.mysinchew.com/node/23675

 

[MistyM]

been reading alot about this, (i am a biology student who want's to specialize in infectious diseases so this is an amazing story that holds great interest to me), i found a report on another site about a possible reason for why this happened but it's in spanish, so it's translated. looks like it may have started at a pig farm and got a village quite sick, which then spread about.

Carroll farms brought about the respiratory epidemic of the evils in Perote, according to municipal agent
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2009/04/...rticle=030n1est


Jalapa, To see., 5 of April. Clouds of flies emanate of the oxidation lagoons where the company Carroll Farms dumps the faecal remainders of its porcícolas farms, and the contamination to backs water the open thing already generated an epidemic of respiratory infections in the town the Gloria, of the valley of Perote, said to Bertha Crisóstomo Lopez, municipal agent of the town.

He added that there is a situation of alert epidemiologist, because since the beginning of March of this year many neighbors contracted influenzas that in just a short time become neumológicas infections, and located medical personnel in the area tended a sanitary wall that includes the fumigation of all the houses and the vaccination of all the inhabitants.

(more at link if you can understand or care to translate)

 

[Trino]

It's my understanding that this is a different strain, but I wonder about the swine flu vaccinations of the 1970's - if they will have any positive effect. Anyone get the government sponsored shots?

 

[fortytwo]

I don't trust our world governments. The world is over-populated. I think they would like to see many of us die.

Aside from that, I believe the pharmaceuticals sometimes engineer diseases, so they can make a lot of money on medication.

Then there's the odd thing about all the microbiologists that have died/been killed over the last few years.

Plus, the fact that it would be hard for the combining of swine, avian, and human flu to occur naturally.

(bold above by me)

I left my aluminum foil hat in the bomb shelter with my other survival gear so I'll pass on commenting on the first three items except to point out that when the 1918 Flu Pandemic (possibly the worst disease pandemic in human history) occurred there wasn't world government, global pharmaceuticals, or microbiologists to engineer a conspiracy. The flu virus itself wasn't even isolated until fifteen years later. If you're really desperate for a conspiracy feel welcome, but it just isn't needed to account for the situation.

As far as the last point is concerned, I believe that you'll find, after some study, that the 'natural' progression of a flu strain can indeed include avians, swine, and humans, and commonly does.

Different variants of flu strains are better adapted for different species, and those species act as reservoirs for those flu strains, but all strains are hugely adaptable, and will cheerfully evolve to transmission from one species to another.

Where things become of greater concern is when those strains evolve further to enable transmission within species. In other words, the transmission of a swine harbored flu from swine to human becomes of greater concern when that variant evolves even further and human to human transmission becomes possible.

Much like Rodney Dangerfield, flu 'don't get no respect'. Certainly not the respect it should.

A 'normal' flu year kills half a million people, approx. 30,000 in the U.S. alone. If flu got a fraction of the press that salmonella in pistachio nuts got then respirator masks would be mandated by law.

Pandemics are a regular occurrence, happening every 10 to 20 years.

 

[dee10134]

What the media fails to mention is that somewhere between 250,000 to 500,000 people die worldwide each and EVERY year from the normal, plain old "garden variety" seasonal flu. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs211/en/index.html

There have been 80 deaths attributed to the swine flu worldwide, so far, in Mexico and none in the confirmed cases in the United States and New Zealand. I think the main reason that Mexico had so many deaths is because the availability of health care and medications is no where near what it is here in the United States and other developed nations. In addition, I'm not sure how many of those 80 deaths,are attributed directly to the swine flu or other causes that may have cropped up after infection with the virus. WHO reports that 59 people in Mexico City died from pneumonia, not swine flu. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_24/en/index.html

This strain has yet to come anywhere near this number and I doubt it will. Even the WHO and the CDC are saying that the strain has yet to display high transmission rates between humans, which means this strain could quite possibly die out fairly quickly.

For those repeating misinformation: The UK case is NOT "swine flu." http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE53P0M820090426

For those referencing the 1918 Pandemic, the majority of those deaths were NOT from the flu. They were actually caused by bacterial pneumonia: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal...ost-deaths-in-1918-flu-pandemic_10086380.html Had there been widely available antibiotics in 1918, we would not have seen mortality rates anywhere near what they were, since most of the deaths were caused by a bacterial infection after transmission of the flu virus, NOT from the flu itself!

Although I agree wholeheartedly to take adequate precautions (thorough hand washing, don't put your fingers in or around your mouth, etc.), I do not agree with the alarmist mentality that you must stay inside, stop your normal activities, and wash your foods/products that may have come from Mexico with bleach water! It's a tad bit over reactive, if you want my honest opinion. Just stay vigilant and wash your hands!!!

Here is a fact sheet from the WHO, for anyone that may be interested: http://www.who.int/csr/swine_flu/swine_flu_faq_26april.pdf

 

[dee10134]

(bold above by me)

I left my aluminum foil hat in the bomb shelter with my other survival gear so I'll pass on commenting on the first three items except to point out that when the 1918 Flu Pandemic (possibly the worst disease pandemic in human history) occurred there wasn't world government, global pharmaceuticals, or microbiologists to engineer a conspiracy. The flu virus itself wasn't even isolated until fifteen years later. If you're really desperate for a conspiracy feel welcome, but it just isn't needed to account for the situation.

[Respectfully snipped]

A 'normal' flu year kills half a million people, approx. 30,000 in the U.S. alone. If flu got a fraction of the press that salmonella in pistachio nuts got then respirator masks would be mandated by law.

Pandemics are a regular occurrence, happening every 10 to 20 years.

Excellent post! :clap:

I just need to add to your comments about the 1918 Pandemic. The 1918 Pandemic was caused by a strain of the flu, but all the flu virus did was open the door, so to say, for bacterial pneumonia, which is what killed most of the people in that pandemic. Had there been widely available antibiotics, the number of deaths in the 1918 Pandemic would have been drastically reduced, quite possibly to the same mortality rate numbers we observe on average today.

And you hit the nail on the head with the "normal," or seasonal, flu. WHO estimates that between 250,000 and 500,000 people die EACH year world wide and the media ignores this statistic in the name of ratings.

 

[dee10134]

Its already resistant to the two oldest Anti-viral drugs.

You say that as if it was not resistant to begin with. FWIW, this strain of swine flu (H1N1) was never controlled by the two oldest antiviral drugs. I could be wrong, but IIRC, most of the flu strains we see today, including the seasonal flu, are also resistant to these drugs.

 

[Trino]

Interesting chart from WHO:

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html

WHO also issued the statement that the current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. And, I am concerned.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090425/en/index.html

 

[Kat]

WHO also issued the statement that the current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. And, I am concerned.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090425/en/index.html

Thank you for the link Trino. I had read that yesterday too. I noted that the link that I had posted yesterday has changed but is still at level 3. They have broken down the levels into more clear steps.

I am concerned too. I am watching closely. Hopefully, this will burn out. I have my fingers crossed.

 

[SuziQ]

I guess Bloomberg is having a presser at this moment? I'm not where I can watch.

I've been thinking about the differences between the 1918 flu and this one. One of the things that is different is how mobile we are now. I think that is why we are seeing it spread so far and wide so fast.

 

[SuziQ]

Excellent post! :clap:

I just need to add to your comments about the 1918 Pandemic. The 1918 Pandemic was caused by a strain of the flu, but all the flu virus did was open the door, so to say, for bacterial pneumonia, which is what killed most of the people in that pandemic. Had there been widely available antibiotics, the number of deaths in the 1918 Pandemic would have been drastically reduced, quite possibly to the same mortality rate numbers we observe on average today.

And you hit the nail on the head with the "normal," or seasonal, flu. WHO estimates that between 250,000 and 500,000 people die EACH year world wide and the media ignores this statistic in the name of ratings.

Well heck, why is WHO so worried now? I can see the media exagerating, it's what they do. But why would a health agency?

 

[Kat]

I just wanted to post this interesting information. I am not trying to make any point by posting it, just for reference of anyone that has interest.

Past flu pandemics

1918:
The Spanish flu pandemic that started in 1918 was possibly the deadliest outbreak of all time. It was first identified in the U.S., but became known as the Spanish flu because it received more media attention in Spain than in other countries, which were censoring the press during World War I. The 1918 flu was an H1N1 strain — different from the one currently affecting Mexico and the U.S. — and struck mostly healthy young adults. Experts estimate it killed about 40 to 50 million people worldwide.

1957:
The 1957 pandemic was known as the Asian flu. It was sparked by an H2N2 strain and was first identified in China. There were two waves of illness during this pandemic; the first wave mostly hit children while the second mostly affected the elderly. It caused about 2 million deaths globally.

1957:
The most recent pandemic, known as the Hong Kong flu, was the mildest of the three pandemics this century. It was first spotted in Hong Kong in 1968 and it spread globally over the next two years. The people most susceptible to the virus were the elderly. About 1 million people are estimated to have been killed by this pandemic, an H3N2 flu strain.

This gives anyone that has not read about the 1918 pandemic and the other pandemics that occured during the last 100 years a perspective.

I'm still going to defer to WHO, rather than the media on whether or not this is/or will be a pandemic. Although I am concerned and am following closely, I will be watching WHO for guidence and details.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682

 

[justthinkin]

What the media fails to mention is that somewhere between 250,000 to 500,000 people die worldwide each and EVERY year from the normal, plain old "garden variety" seasonal flu. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs211/en/index.html

There have been 80 deaths attributed to the swine flu worldwide, so far, in Mexico and none in the confirmed cases in the United States and New Zealand. I think the main reason that Mexico had so many deaths is because the availability of health care and medications is no where near what it is here in the United States and other developed nations. In addition, I'm not sure how many of those 80 deaths,are attributed directly to the swine flu or other causes that may have cropped up after infection with the virus. WHO reports that 59 people in Mexico City died from pneumonia, not swine flu. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_24/en/index.html

This strain has yet to come anywhere near this number and I doubt it will. Even the WHO and the CDC are saying that the strain has yet to display high transmission rates between humans, which means this strain could quite possibly die out fairly quickly.

For those repeating misinformation: The UK case is NOT "swine flu." http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE53P0M820090426

For those referencing the 1918 Pandemic, the majority of those deaths were NOT from the flu. They were actually caused by bacterial pneumonia: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal...ost-deaths-in-1918-flu-pandemic_10086380.html Had there been widely available antibiotics in 1918, we would not have seen mortality rates anywhere near what they were, since most of the deaths were caused by a bacterial infection after transmission of the flu virus, NOT from the flu itself!

Although I agree wholeheartedly to take adequate precautions (thorough hand washing, don't put your fingers in or around your mouth, etc.), I do not agree with the alarmist mentality that you must stay inside, stop your normal activities, and wash your foods/products that may have come from Mexico with bleach water! It's a tad bit over reactive, if you want my honest opinion. Just stay vigilant and wash your hands!!!

Here is a fact sheet from the WHO, for anyone that may be interested: http://www.who.int/csr/swine_flu/swine_flu_faq_26april.pdf

Dee, at the time I reported on the pilot in the UK, the latest report out was that he was being treated for what they thought was swine flu. Since then it has been determined not to be swine flu. The key words are "since then."

Sure, it's the secondary infection that does the killing, but it is the flu that causes the secondary infection in the first place. No flu, no pneumonia.

Call me an alarmist if you like, but I'd rather err on the side of caution until we have real confimation of what kind of risk we're dealing with. The 1918 flu pandemic spread worldwide in 8 weeks.

Also, the country of Mexico is in dire straits at the moment, from rapidly dwindling oil production to the drug cartel wars. Tourism they depend on is down. Do you think it possible they might suppress information on death tolls from the flu or a secondary infection associated with the flu? I do. Given the state of their economy, I wouldn't necessarily trust the info they distribute to be correct.

On the flu front today, it doesn't appear we will have a pandemic on our hands. This morning we could have awakened to learn flu numbers had rapidly escalated in the USA, but we didn't. Still, the number of countries taking precautions tells me the potential risk for this to be the feared pandemic was out there. I wouldn't take that info with a grain of salt if you KWIM.

http://www.haverford.edu/biology/edwards/disease/viral_essays/warnervirus.htm

 

[eleven]

I am waaay to skeptical. There were 8 known cases of it in the US and every single one of them recovered?

Hmmm....let me predict something. Within a couple of days, after all the cable news networks are regurgitating this "BREAKING NEWS....SWINE FLU CASES RISING AND EVERYONE CAN DIE...", there will be a pharmaceutical company that comes out with an injectible that will prevent and lessen the effects of the swine flu, and it will be widely reported and millions of people will have purchased these drugs by the end of the week. Bingo Bango.

What's the easiest way to get the most people to do something?? Incite fear and panic to the masses (which they are obviously doing very well), tell them what to do in order to ease their fear and panic. Then, sit back and watch the results of your work. Predictable. It's alllll about money---even in this economy, we can all be herded around like sheeple....puppets on a string.

Hinky meter off the charts on this one. Yawn.