Swine Flu

[westsidesooner]

President Obama delared a public health emergency, and the EU is warning against travel to the US and Mexico. Meanwhile the number of cases in the U.S. have nearly doubled. So far there have been no reported cases in Oklahoma but its just a matter of time. Below are a couple of articles about the outbreak. How concernd do you think we should be?

AFP: US declares health emergency over swine flu

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/health/28flu.html

[HSC-Sooner]

I believe the WHO may upgrade it to pandemic status soon.

[Karried]

I can't believe it.... my good friend is in Cancun right now.. left this am at 4 before these new, latest results came out.

As of yesterday, there were no advisories or anything indicating that Cancun was affected... but last night, NY students virus was traced to Spring Break in Cancun.

She says everything is fine there for now. I don't think they get CNN at the hotel, hopefully not. yikes.

[westsidesooner]

I believe the WHO may upgrade it to pandemic status soon.

Yesterday the W.H.O. changed the alert level to 4 on a scale of 1-6 meaning

"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."

phase 5 gets much more serious and could be just a few days away since as of last night the virus was identified in several other contries including Israel, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Ireland.

"Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way"

Hopefully this is being overblown on the side of caution.....I hope so. I just wish someone would be able to tell us why there have been so many deaths in Mexico and not in other countries. This outbreak is already having a huge ripple effect on world and US economies. Some stocks (airlines and travel industries) are falling along with the price of oil. And some are sure to mae a quick profit off this. Glaxo smith klein, and whoever makes the surgical masks to name a couple.

Watching this unfold is like watching some horror movie. Hopefully thats all it is. Heres a Google map presentation showing the latest cases around the world. H1N1 Swine Flu - Google Maps

[fuzzytoad]

I just wish someone would be able to tell us why there have been so many deaths in Mexico and not in other countries.

Because Mexico's a third-world-country?

[bandnerd]

Yeah, we're wiping everything down constantly, sending home feverish kids just in case, we have masks, extra anti-everything soap in the bathrooms, the whole she-bang. They even sanitized the locker combo locks Sunday evening.

And some teachers have said this is getting blown out of proportion, or that they didn't miss much by being late to our meeting yesterday morning to discuss how we were going to handle the situation.

Hello? My generation hasn't seen anything like this. And it's teenagers and young adults that are going to be hit the hardest because of our lack of immunity. How can we know what's going to happen? I'd rather be prepared then get caught with my pants down. I know the administrators feel the same way.

Have you ever taken a Clorox wipe and wiped down a banister in a school? I have. Ewwwwww.

[HSC-Sooner]

Because Mexico's a third-world-country?

That could be it. Or that these victims have been exposed to a more evolved strain. Flu evolves rapidly and these victims may be the canary in the mine so to speak. The CDC and the WHO definitely has a valid concern in this bug.

This H1N1 strain is killing younger adults and healthy individuals (a very disconcerting thought).

[Karried]

omg.

Two Deaths being reported in CA from possible Swine Flu.

Age 35 and 44

[Karried]

Now many hundreds are sickened in New York.

I'm thinking of getting Tamiflu - where do I get it?

This is starting to get very scary.

[HSC-Sooner]

You would have to talk to your doctor about Tamiflu. I know doctors don't like to prescribe Tamiflu to patients for stockpiling purposes.

This is due to an increase risk that incorrect dosages can lead to Tamiflu-resistant viruses. Now that would be a very bad thing.

If you have symptoms, I would check it out now. Tamiflu is only effective against this virus in the first few days (2-3?). But once you take it, you should be fine. Just take the necessary precautions by washing hands, being hygienic.

From the way it sounds, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few Oklahomans walking around with this flu now and that they don't know it.

BUUUT, I don't have medical expertise since I'm just a medical researcher. You really should ask your doctor.

[Karried]

I think I need to stop watching the news. I'm starting to freak myself out.

[westsidesooner]

I think I need to stop watching the news. I'm starting to freak myself out.

lol....I know the feeling, I was watching the news last night and finally had to find a sit-com to cheer myself up. Lets hope we're being paranoid. I also heard that Doctors dont want people stockpiling Tamiflu. Duct tape and plastic over the windows maybe....jk

[Karried]

ha, last night was nothing.. you should see it today. It is like a freaking horror movie.... seriously. They keep putting up maps and showing more and more infected states.... I'm turning it off and disowning my friend (who is in Cancun) for a few weeks, lol.

[westsidesooner]

I'm to scared to turn on the TV...lol.<---nervous laugh Like I said I quit watching the news last night in favor the Big Bang Theory (real intelligent show, but it made me laugh) and tonight Im watching a movie. I've heard a lot of refences to the outbreak in 1918 recently, I wasnt around back then of course, and I dont think I want to know how bad it was.

[Luke]

I think I need to stop watching the news. I'm starting to freak myself out.

Yeah, don't worry about it. Worrying won't help anything.

Besides, you are exponentially more likely to die in a car accident than getting the flu.

Not to put a damper on things, but just to put things in perspective.

[Thunder]

Does anyone know how this specific virus strain capable to spread from person to person? Airborne? Touch? It does sound a bit freaky, considering how many people go to a grocery store. If by touch, then all the grocery they touch then the Sackers touch those grocery.

I could die!!!

[Karried]

Go get some Germ X and to be extra careful, spray all of your customers with Lysol ... (just not in the eyes).

[Thunder]

That'd be hard to carry Germ X and to use it before/after serving every customer. I only got a pocket for tips and a pocket for keys and pen/notepad.

We are all at risk. This is grave danger. I don't think the vacs that most people had gotten several months back will be effective. New strain, newly discovered, right? It takes time to study, develop a vac, start production, shipping to all locations, and getting them to the people. All of this will take much longer than the virus spreading people to people.

[Midtowner]

Yeah, don't worry about it. Worrying won't help anything.

Besides, you are exponentially more likely to die in a car accident than getting the flu.

Not to put a damper on things, but just to put things in perspective.

Actually, according to this death statistics table:

Death Statistics Tables

You're more likely to die of influenza or pneumonia than in a car accident. Yeah, I know, it's sloppy stats with the disjunctive and all... but that's how the CDC rolls.

That said, it's only 2.7% versus autos at 2.1%. So there's that.

See now y'all feel so much better.

-- But Luke's right, panic isn't going to help. Just turn off Fox and CNN.. watch the Food network instead.

[OKCisOK4me]

Yeah, I work at a tuxedo store and there's lots of exchange between customers and employees. I wash my hands anytime now before touching my mouth or eyes. I have a very strong immune system but I don't want to screw with this thing!

[Thunder]

I think my immune system is very strong, because I didn't get the flu or gotten sick during the winter. The last time I was sick was around a year or more ago. I didn't get any vac, either, and the last time I got one was 2 years ago.

Still, I'm tired a lot, not much energy, and constantly a bit down, so that could affect my immune system, but this past winter, I made it thru without any sickness. Keep in mind I don't eat veggies (Sorry, ECO.) and rarely eat anything close to it, such as a salad once every few months (If in the mood).

Spring is here and I'll be damned if this virus sneaks up to me.

[Thunder]

At the same time, U.S. officials urged the public to stop using the term "swine flu," since swine apparently are not infected with the virus and this misconception is triggering unwarranted fears about U.S. pork.

Officials Warn Swine Flu Outbreak Will Likely Lead to U.S. Deaths

USDA: Please Call It H1N1, Not Swine Flu

I guess a Mod need to change the topic to H1N1 or Swine Flu / H1N1?

Officials urged the public Tuesday to refer to the virus by its scientific name -- H1N1 -- not swine flu. And they criticized the dozen or so countries that have imposed bans on U.S. pork products.

[Insider]

I've heard a lot of refences to the outbreak in 1918 recently, I wasnt around back then of course, and I dont think I want to know how bad it was.

The outbreak in 1918 killed up to 20 million people world wide. This is **SO FAR** not like that and is not likely to end up like that. However, some worst case statistics according to the CDC to think about...

Worst case scenario is that approximately 40% of the US population will get sick with the Swine Flu/H1N1. Of those, approximately 2% would die. This would amount to about 2 million to 3 million people. This is just in the US. These numbers would be DRASTICALLY different in more populated places like India and China.

[OKCisOK4me]

The outbreak in 1918 killed up to 20 million people world wide. This is **SO FAR** not like that and is not likely to end up like that. However, some worst case statistics according to the CDC to think about...

Worst case scenario is that approximately 40% of the US population will get sick with the Swine Flu/H1N1. Of those, approximately 2% would die. This would amount to about 2 million to 3 million people. This is just in the US. These numbers would be DRASTICALLY different in more populated places like India and China.

Is this just the Earth naturally cleansing itself of us? Or is this one of the plagues from the Apocalypse? lol...

[Windshieldsplatter]

I have already bought 1200 rounds of 9mm shells, two pallets of cream corn, and 7 cans of Lysol spray. I recommend everyone buy plastic sheeting and duct tape for the windows and doors of the house. When this gets really bad food and bullets will solve all of my problems.