What is the survival rate for a relatively healthy young person?
Well that's the funny thing. The flu virus kills healthy young people pretty efficiently.
The young perish and the old linger
Well actually I dont know. I never really develop flu sever flu symptoms whenever I get the flu, and I get over it in a day or 2.
But the scare thing about the really scary flu viruses is that people who are normally relatively unaffected by the flu virus....well they get their asses kick by the ass kicking flu virus. Mostly because the body works a bit too hard against the virus and weaken itself.
This is right (for the flu variants that are most worrying). The relevant term is "cytokine storm".
Wait, the 1918 Pandemic was caused by swine flu? Fuuuuuck.
Er, there's been a kind of weird reappropriation of terms. The 1918 Pandemic was caused by an H1N1 strain that all modern flu strains share as a common ancestor. We don't technically know if H1N1 was endemic in pigs at the time; there was research conducted into using stored samples to catalog the genetic structure of 1918 'Spanish Flu' (how we know now it was H1N1), but since we have no example of any flu strains endemic in pigs at the time, we can't say if it was a hybridization of swine flu.
What we do know now though is that, now, a variant of H1N1 (a nomenclature specific to human-infecting influenzavirus, so it's technically always a variant if it can only effect swine) developed that stabilized and has remained endemic to pig populations. So ... it's a chicken-and-egg problem, kinda. We can't really call Spanish Flu 'swine flu' because it's impossible to know.
If we quarantine at all, we quarantine now. Once perhaps a few thousand people in any major US city are affected, quarantine becomes counterproductive. .
Effective quarantine is liable to be brutal. "Break quarantine and we'll fine you" doesn't work. Neither does "break quarantine and we'll jail you". While penalties will decrease the number of violaters, all you need is one idiot, and then you have a horde more people to quarantine. .
The experience with SARS in different nations is worth studying carefully - SARS, conveniently, rapidly tired out the people it infected, thereby ensuring that those who broke quarantine were very likely not infected. A more troublesome outbreak may not be so kind, and the behavior of people under the assorted quarantines is worrying. .
We can't rely on vaccines at any point in time. Expensive. Risk of mutation reduces usefulness. Lack of delivery infrastructure creates havoc. At best, the vaccines go to frontline medical personnel first; delivery to other demographics needs some weighing of costs and benefits. .
Another lesson from SARS: the first major problem is finding a place to treat people who are known to be infected. Hospitals run out of space quickly, and putting infected people near other ill individuals is just asking for trouble... cities can devote one entire hospital to the outbreak and shift normal hospital treatment to the others, but more remote hospitals will just have to start borrowing nearby buildings. And it's worth arranging all this in advance, because we can fully expect people to stonewall during the crucial early days. .
Factory farming conditions is of limited relevance (although factory farms have many other problems). The problem with this flu and others like it is just people, birds, and pigs living near each other, and it doesn't (directly) matter how organic it is. There is a correlation, however: hybrid virus outbreaks are not useful to farms of any kind (since masses of poultry/livestock will have to be incinerated), so the governments that can control factory farms will be the same ones that can reliably induce farms to report in quickly.
So, 8 or 9 cases among those students in NY is probable swine flu. Their way of determining if it was probable was to do a test. Its indeed a type A influenza, one that they can't identify. From this they assume its the swine flu. More conclusize tests to follow.
Two cases also confirmed in Kansas (all from CNN news).
Its important to note that almost all the cases in the US have been very mild, basically the same as the regular seasonal flu. One person in Texas had to be hospitalized, everyone else is fine.
This brings up the question of why are things seemingly worse in Mexico.
The CDC said yesterday that containing this thing wouldn't be possible, turns out they're pretty right. We'll be seeing this in Canada soon, and overseas not long after that. Its already had plenty of time to spread around and its already very spread out geographically.
WASHINGTON, April 25 (Reuters) - Kansas state health officials have confirmed two cases of swine flu, just minutes after New York health officials said they had eight probable cases, CNN reported on Saturday.
Two Montrealers are under quarantine at the Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe-Claire after vacationing in Mexico, CTV News has learned.
In a telephone interview with CTV Montreal's Rob Lurie, hospital spokesperson Louis-Pascal Cyr confirmed that the patients were put in isolation as a precaution, because of a deadly swine flu outbreak in Mexico.
"Because of the guidelines sent out by the Health Ministry, we're taking no chances with anyone coming from Mexico, and presenting with flu-like symptoms. Those people are being put in isolation for further investigation," said Cyr.
"So far, we have no reason to believe that this is the swine virus, but we are investigating. There is a good possibility this is something more common," he added.
Other media organizations are trying to confirm this, but the hospital is now adopting a "no comment" stance.
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HarrierThe Star Spangled ManRegistered Userregular
edited April 2009
This is becoming rather... disconcerting. I wonder how long it will take the virus to jump to another landmass.
Harrier on
I don't wanna kill anybody. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from.
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HarrierThe Star Spangled ManRegistered Userregular
A member of cabin crew was taken to hospital with "flu-like symptoms" today after falling ill on a British Airways flight from Mexico City to Heathrow.
Harrier on
I don't wanna kill anybody. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from.
A member of cabin crew was taken to hospital with "flu-like symptoms" today after falling ill on a British Airways flight from Mexico City to Heathrow.
Very likely, nothing is stopping it. Lots of rumours are going to by flying around over the next couple days.
I just missed going out to dinner with a friend who just got back from vacation in Mexico (a resort though, don't know how much that changes anything).
They quarantined the family of one teen after he got this. He's one of the eight that has recovered.
'sup from San Antonio. Specifically, the school that the outbreak came from.
This kid is not officially quarantined, as far as I know. Both of the guys that had it, they had it two weeks ago and had been back in school, and now apparently the family from the article just isn't letting anyone in their house (so they are basically quarantined, but by choice).
This won't be anything bad I don't think. It's not killing hundreds and hundreds just yet, and we seem to have noticed it early enough. Not worring time yet, but be safe and wash yo damn hands.
A member of cabin crew was taken to hospital with "flu-like symptoms" today after falling ill on a British Airways flight from Mexico City to Heathrow.
But seriously, this is freaking me out a bit. I'm at a job where I'm exposed to pretty much every cold and flu that makes the rounds, tourists coming in every day from all over the place, so, not a good job to be in with a possible pandemic.
But seriously, this is freaking me out a bit. I'm at a job where I'm exposed to pretty much every cold and flu that makes the rounds, tourists coming in every day from all over the place, so, not a good job to be in with a possible pandemic.
I have interacted with people that have recently returned from Mexico in the last week.
I started getting sick before all this info came out. A day or 2.
Needless to say I will staying very close to home.
This is more in my lungs, so I'm not that concerned that I have the flu they're worried about.
I don't have a fever, and my muscle aches are fairly minor.
I talked to some people GOING TO MEXICO yesterday.
I asked them about how they felt with the flu news.
They quarantined the family of one teen after he got this. He's one of the eight that has recovered.
'sup from San Antonio. Specifically, the school that the outbreak came from.
This kid is not officially quarantined, as far as I know. Both of the guys that had it, they had it two weeks ago and had been back in school, and now apparently the family from the article just isn't letting anyone in their house (so they are basically quarantined, but by choice).
No school for a week! Thanks, CDC!
Wait, from San Antonio myself, what is going on in the area?
Its easy to not know about it. Just dont watch the news.
I watched CNN for 4 hours last week in a waiting room. Topics covered?
How evil was obama for shaking Chavez's hand
A minor snip about a crazy guy on a plane
DID MISS CALIFORNIA LOSE MS USA BECAUSE SHES A HOMOPHOBE?
And one other stupid thing that I cant remember.
Honestly, whenever national news mentions the flu, I shut down.
SARS?
Avian Bird Flu?
Monkey Pox?
Media fear mongering. Every one of those my mother freaked out about. Every one I shrugged and pointed to the other examples of media stupidity.
And everyone she replied, "Well this one is serious"
Please dont let her be right, bird pig flu, please.
Son of a bitch. I used to work in the clinic at my school and so I still talk to some of the folks who continued to do clinic duty, etc. and we have had like a dozen or so people gone last week and the week before in our class with flu symptoms.
I mean really, every year there's one of these MASSIVE IMPENDING EPIDEMICS.
Well, SARS was caught early, and travel restrictions and quarantine measures proved effective.
Avian flu killed some people in SE Asia and elsewhere, but there were only a couple suspected cases of it jumping from human to human. So unless you have chickens in your house that wasn't an immediate threat.
This is already killing people, and its also broken containment measures. The CDC says that its unlikely to be able to control the spread of this, its had too much of head start. It will definately spread throughout North America and probably to numerous countries overseas. One of the big questions is how deadly it will be; its killed around 80 in Mexico, but none outside the country. Curious.
Once someone dies outside Mexico the media will throw a fit.
Posts
This is right (for the flu variants that are most worrying). The relevant term is "cytokine storm".
What we do know now though is that, now, a variant of H1N1 (a nomenclature specific to human-infecting influenzavirus, so it's technically always a variant if it can only effect swine) developed that stabilized and has remained endemic to pig populations. So ... it's a chicken-and-egg problem, kinda. We can't really call Spanish Flu 'swine flu' because it's impossible to know.
but they're listening to every word I say
They said that it was flu though.
but they're listening to every word I say
Oh no. Not the flu.
It's good to be cautious, though...
I would hate to work at a hospital or an ER right now. Not because of getting sick, but because of the people who think they have it rushing in.
.
.
The experience with SARS in different nations is worth studying carefully - SARS, conveniently, rapidly tired out the people it infected, thereby ensuring that those who broke quarantine were very likely not infected. A more troublesome outbreak may not be so kind, and the behavior of people under the assorted quarantines is worrying.
.
.
.
Two cases also confirmed in Kansas (all from CNN news).
Its important to note that almost all the cases in the US have been very mild, basically the same as the regular seasonal flu. One person in Texas had to be hospitalized, everyone else is fine.
This brings up the question of why are things seemingly worse in Mexico.
The CDC said yesterday that containing this thing wouldn't be possible, turns out they're pretty right. We'll be seeing this in Canada soon, and overseas not long after that. Its already had plenty of time to spread around and its already very spread out geographically.
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2547703020090425
Other media organizations are trying to confirm this, but the hospital is now adopting a "no comment" stance.
Very likely, nothing is stopping it. Lots of rumours are going to by flying around over the next couple days.
I won't be worried about conspiracies unless there's suddenly a new director of FEMA.
OBAMA DECLARES MARTIAL LAW
"The moratorium on heterosexual marriage is crucial in stopping the pandemic" says White House spokesman.
Maybe my shitty car has saved me from the taint.
'sup from San Antonio. Specifically, the school that the outbreak came from.
This kid is not officially quarantined, as far as I know. Both of the guys that had it, they had it two weeks ago and had been back in school, and now apparently the family from the article just isn't letting anyone in their house (so they are basically quarantined, but by choice).
They say it's not swine flu.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/26/swine.flu/index.html.
Not long, apparently.
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
Oh no its in Tier 2, and its pouring points into drug resistance!
http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Pandemic-2.html
But seriously, this is freaking me out a bit. I'm at a job where I'm exposed to pretty much every cold and flu that makes the rounds, tourists coming in every day from all over the place, so, not a good job to be in with a possible pandemic.
I have interacted with people that have recently returned from Mexico in the last week.
I started getting sick before all this info came out. A day or 2.
Needless to say I will staying very close to home.
This is more in my lungs, so I'm not that concerned that I have the flu they're worried about.
I don't have a fever, and my muscle aches are fairly minor.
I talked to some people GOING TO MEXICO yesterday.
I asked them about how they felt with the flu news.
They had no idea what I was talking about.
How the fuck do you not know about this by now?
Wait, from San Antonio myself, what is going on in the area?
I watched CNN for 4 hours last week in a waiting room. Topics covered?
How evil was obama for shaking Chavez's hand
A minor snip about a crazy guy on a plane
DID MISS CALIFORNIA LOSE MS USA BECAUSE SHES A HOMOPHOBE?
And one other stupid thing that I cant remember.
Honestly, whenever national news mentions the flu, I shut down.
SARS?
Avian Bird Flu?
Monkey Pox?
Media fear mongering. Every one of those my mother freaked out about. Every one I shrugged and pointed to the other examples of media stupidity.
And everyone she replied, "Well this one is serious"
Please dont let her be right, bird pig flu, please.
Not just for the millions of death.
But I wont ever hear the end of it if shes right
Well that is just dandy.
Or another avian flu?
I mean really, every year there's one of these MASSIVE IMPENDING EPIDEMICS.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Now if that changes, then...I don't know, I probably still won't be worried, because even more regular flu strains can occasionally kill.
When people start dropping like flies then I'll be concerned.
Well, SARS was caught early, and travel restrictions and quarantine measures proved effective.
Avian flu killed some people in SE Asia and elsewhere, but there were only a couple suspected cases of it jumping from human to human. So unless you have chickens in your house that wasn't an immediate threat.
This is already killing people, and its also broken containment measures. The CDC says that its unlikely to be able to control the spread of this, its had too much of head start. It will definately spread throughout North America and probably to numerous countries overseas. One of the big questions is how deadly it will be; its killed around 80 in Mexico, but none outside the country. Curious.
Once someone dies outside Mexico the media will throw a fit.