All things swine flu (H1N1)

[Brwnigirl]

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2009/04/27/9257736-sun.html

6 cases in Canada

 

[SuziQ]

Oh brother. I think everyone has more to worry about than what this disease is called. The article is kind of humorous given the seriousness of the situation:

Israeli Official: 'Swine
Flu' Offensive

The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed "Mexican" influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday.
Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said the reference to pigs is offensive to both religions and "we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu," he told a news conference at a hospital in central Israel.
Both Judaism and Islam consider pigs unclean and forbid the eating of pork products.
Scientists are unsure where the new swine flu virus originally emerged, though it was identifed first in the United States. They say there is nothing about the virus that makes it "Mexican" and worry such a label would be stigmatizing.
(more at link)
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/dpg_Israeli_Official_Swine_Flu_Offensive_SAB_042720092443793

 

[amandab]

As a joke, I read somewhere yesterday that since it's part swine flu and part avian flu, it should be called the Flying Pig Flu.

 

[Brwnigirl]

How ridiculous. How bout we try to save lives instead of worrying about something so trivial? This isn't the time to worry about religion.

He's offended by the reference to pigs but not too worried about how the people of Mexico and people everywhere might feel if it was renamed the Mexican flu.

 

[Sharedspirit]

Oh brother. I think everyone has more to worry about than what this disease is called. The article is kind of humorous given the seriousness of the situation:

Israeli Official: 'Swine
Flu' Offensive

The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed "Mexican" influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday.
Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said the reference to pigs is offensive to both religions and "we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu," he told a news conference at a hospital in central Israel.
Both Judaism and Islam consider pigs unclean and forbid the eating of pork products.
Scientists are unsure where the new swine flu virus originally emerged, though it was identifed first in the United States. They say there is nothing about the virus that makes it "Mexican" and worry such a label would be stigmatizing.
(more at link)
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/dpg_Israeli_Official_Swine_Flu_Offensive_SAB_042720092443793

Callling it the swine flu is also going to hurt the pork industry. I don't think calling it the Mexican flu is right either.

 

[Brwnigirl]

As a joke, I read somewhere yesterday that since it's part swine flu and part avian flu, it should be called the Flying Pig Flu.

lol:clap:

 

[fortytwo]

As a joke, I read somewhere yesterday that since it's part swine flu and part avian flu, it should be called the Flying Pig Flu.

I like it.

There's a human component as well.

The 'Flying Pig Man Flu'?

 

[Brwnigirl]

Callling it the swine flu is also going to hurt the pork industry. I don't think calling it the Mexican flu is right either.

Agreed. People will stop eating pork even though it has nothing to do with it.

 

[fortytwo]

I'm sitting here listening to CNN.

An announcer just got through breathlessly expounding on how authorities are now calling this a "global epidemic"

I found this to be excruciatingly funny. (Hey, ya gotta take it where ya can find it.)

"Why?", you ask.

Since the inception of this problem the media has been widely disseminating the term "pandemic", to the point where it has been grossly overworked. Not misused, mind you, just replayed to the point where it's losing its 'punch'.

In an effort to keep everyone on the cusp of panic they have moved on to "global epidemic"

Oddly enough, this is the definition of "pandemic"

Okay. I admit it. I'm easily amused.

 

[amandab]

CNN is reporting that the WHO has raised their pandemic alert level, but other than the headline on cnn.com, I don't see any other reports of it.....

Edit: here's a link that states as much: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LR672732.htm

 

[amandab]

Ok, if the headline now running on Drudge can be believed, it looks like the WHO has raised the alert to stage 4, though the WHO's website doesn't show that yet...

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

 

[Kat]

Yes they raised it, for those who wish to have a look here is the link:

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

Level 4

Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.

 

[amandab]

Thanks for the informative post, Kat. My posts, though intending to say the same things, are tending to have more than a twinge of panic in them, since that's what I'm feeling at the moment.

 

[Kat]

I don't blame you amandab, so far here in the US it looks like everyone is recovering well. Unless I've missed an update.

I don't look forward to catching the flu at any time. I had it once, that was enough misery to last me a lifetime!

 

[PattiAnn]

Roughly 10,000 to 12,000 illegal immigrants cross the US\Mexico border every single day, but closing the border is not warranted?


"Napolitano said Sunday night that there was no "realistic hope of containment" that would motivate a border closure, as was called for Saturday by Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.)."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/napolitano-closing-border-not-the-answer-to-flu-2009-04-27.html


Maybe it's just me, but this is ridiculous.

 

[delaney]

i just returned from my arizona home to my chicago home, and i am surprised
that this is not a huge story in arizona where we have a large population of illegals coming in every day.

also, this probably means nothing but while living in arizona, 4 weeks ago, i came down with the worst flu ( i'm 60) i have ever had in my entire life, it wasn't so much the sick to my stomach as it was the upper respitory congestion.
it occured to me while i was taking a cold shower to bring my fever down, that I was in serious trouble. I avoid the doctor at all costs, so it took me almost two weeks to recover.

its weird because i know someone else in az who had a horrible flu she is recovering from and she said it was her worst ever also.

just my 2 cents

 

[SuziQ]

It is interesting that the US border towns haven't been heavily infected yet. It might be the US border towns aren't being affected so much because the constant border crossovers aren't from the Mexico City area or Mexican areas heavily infected. This might be a matter of tourists traveling back and forth by plane. causing the spread.

 

[SuziQ]

Roughly 10,000 to 12,000 illegal immigrants cross the US\Mexico border every single day, but closing the border is not warranted?


"Napolitano said Sunday night that there was no "realistic hope of containment" that would motivate a border closure, as was called for Saturday by Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.)."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/napolitano-closing-border-not-the-answer-to-flu-2009-04-27.html


Maybe it's just me, but this is ridiculous.

ITA with her. The virus is already here. And I don't think the problem is necessarily due to people physically crossing the border on the ground.

 

[LovingTheChaos]

Roughly 10,000 to 12,000 illegal immigrants cross the US\Mexico border every single day, but closing the border is not warranted?


"Napolitano said Sunday night that there was no "realistic hope of containment" that would motivate a border closure, as was called for Saturday by Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.)."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/napolitano-closing-border-not-the-answer-to-flu-2009-04-27.html


Maybe it's just me, but this is ridiculous.

Chances are you probably can't keep the illegal people out by simply closing the 'legal' crossings. If we could close the entire border that easily, we'd have done it way before now.

 

[fortytwo]

Roughly 10,000 to 12,000 illegal immigrants cross the US\Mexico border every single day, but closing the border is not warranted?


"Napolitano said Sunday night that there was no "realistic hope of containment" that would motivate a border closure, as was called for Saturday by Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.)."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/napolitano-closing-border-not-the-answer-to-flu-2009-04-27.html


Maybe it's just me, but this is ridiculous.

If the illegal immigrants crossing the border are not the primary vector of disease transmission then not closing the the border would not be ridiculous.

It's likely that the primary cross-border vector at this time is air travel.

If this is the case then by your logic it is quite ridiculous that all air travel from any known contaminated area is not banned.

You could be right.