My thoughts on swine flu

[Nixee]

 

All I'm saying is that people need to calm down and get some education.

 

I'm actually completely with you on this point, except I can actually see the point in being prepared, so I can understand putting money into research. Whether 1.5 billion is necessary.... that I don't know... but preparedness is good. Given the choice, I'd rather have treatments and vaccines developed than not.

 

What tends to bother me more is the public reaction.... or rather OVERreaction that goes way beyond defensiveness to complete panic.

 

Yes, I realize that the flu can be dangerous. But this world is full of dangerous things. You are in far greater danger every day when you leave your house (assuming you get in a car). So why the panic now? Be healthy, practice good hygiene, get to a doctor and stay away from others if you yourself are ill. But don't listen to the television that says there are rising cases of a new flu strain and then decide you must therefore be in immediate danger. Right off the bat the WHO estimated the mortality rate of the swine flu at 1-4%.

 

Of course it is a threat, and something to be careful about, and prepared for. But live in fear of and panic over? Its always something.

If I lived like that... I'd have to leave my house wearing a mask for SARS, bird flu and pig flu, covered in repellant for west nile while running from killer bees.

[melrich]

rather OVERreaction that goes way beyond defensiveness to complete panic.

 

What's happening over there where you are? Are people heading for the hills? Looting shops?...what's doing?

[greywolf]

Yeah, I haven't really seen people making such a big deal about it over here. Although, I was told that in Mexico all stores are sold out of face masks already.

[Nixee]

i don't see anybody panicking. just getting ready for any emergency.

 

Lucky I suppose, I've definitely witnessed it. And the overreacting - cancelling all vacations, not eating any pork (really? you cannot even catch swine flu from eating pork), talking in a doom-and-gloom manner "I'm going to die from this!"

[melrich]

I haven't really seen people making such a big deal about it over here

 

No big deal over here. No one is queueing outside pharmacies, people aren't leaving the cities, schools are still open, shops continue to trade...life goes on. There is some polite conversation peppering the day about the flu but nothing more. People generally are considering our government is making an appropriate response.

[Nixee]

What's happening over there where you are? Are people heading for the hills? Looting shops?...what's doing?

 

haha.... thankfully no, mostly just fear and dramatic hypochondria. And I'm the type of person who refuses to live my life in fear. There have been 45 cases near where I live.

[melrich]

There have been 45 cases near where I live.

 

Well stay safe. It doesn't hurt to take some precautions without going over the top.

[COtuner]

What's happening over there where you are? Are people heading for the hills? Looting shops?...what's doing?

 

Yep it's escalating, people cancelling trips, avoiding anyone at work who sneezes, my company is sending out emergency notices, one couple decided to keep their kids home from school until this stops, and the news stations are tracking this case by case on giant maps. Of course the headline story today was the baby who died. yes, it's tragic for the parents, but babies die of all sorts of illnesses. They are young, vulnerable and have no immune system yet.

[COtuner]

haha.... thankfully no, mostly just fear and dramatic hypochondria. And I'm the type of person who refuses to live my life in fear. There have been 45 cases near where I live.

 

Agreed. I've lived through way too much in my life to run from a flu virus. I live as healthy a lifestyle as I can - that's the best defense I can offer. Flu is a natural part of life. I was far more afraid of being raped and murdered when I lived in South Central L.A....

 

As to Obama's billion bucks - Melrich, he's already spent our tax dollars for a millennium into the future. We don't need to be spending more money - where is the CDC's existing funding, and other private agency funding? With all the bird flu panic, I bet they didn't spend the time examining other possible strains which could be evolving. Although this came from another country, I think it points to the fact that maybe we're not allocating our resources appropriately. Doesn't mean to go get further in debt.

[Nixee]

Well stay safe. It doesn't hurt to take some precautions without going over the top.

 

Fair enough, and I agree. But I guess my point would be that I feel I always live this way, and everyone should. But it depends on how you define precautions.

 

For example: When I traveled to Honduras last year, I was careful to learn about what illnesses and insects, etc. lived there and took measures to protect myself and got my proper vaccinations. Its just a matter of learning how to deal versus living in fear. Sadly our media (especially in the US) tends to put things in our faces so much nowadays so as to breed fear it seems.

 

It is horrible to see people die from an illness of course (and yes, the news of the baby this morning was very sad), but just as COtuner pointed out, babies die everyday of all sorts of things. The numbers on this are still very small, and the sheer in-your-face attention this is receiving goes beyond the urging to "be prepared" to sensationalism. I simply think it is good to have some perspective. Plenty of things in this world still have a higher mortality rate than swine flu yet they aren't a top story because they aren't "news".

[jul-els]

So true. I think the wholesaleing of fear is far more dangerous than any virus. It's really sad. My remedy is to not watch. Or at the very least question what I hear and not take it at face value. I think the world would be a better place if people did more of that, disease and all.

[Miss Firecracker]

So true. I think the wholesaleing of fear is far more dangerous than any virus. It's really sad. My remedy is to not watch. Or at the very least question what I hear and not take it at face value. I think the world would be a better place if people did more of that, disease and all.

 

 

I prefer to watch myself. Paris Hilton decided not to.

 

 

link removed

[Miss Firecracker]

For anyone that cannot view this video...

 

Paris Hilton didn’t know about the swine flu. While there’s a panic in near every corner of the world, the blonde socialite shook her head when asked if she knew about the spreading flu. And to make matter more interesting, she added she doesn’t it pork, considering the fact the flu is contagious by human to human. A photographer questions Paris, “You worried about the swine flu Paris? It’s killing a lot of people in Mexico”, Hilton’s response was “I don’t eat that."

 

28 Apr 2009

[greywolf]

o.O I didn't learn about the swine flu until Monday.

[KG]

I got a notice in the mail from my son's school today. All about washing hands, don't send them if they are sick, etc.

[Miss Firecracker]

They are talking about closing a lot more schools here.

 

I just bought medical masks in case they sell out here. They may say they aren't 100% protection, but I'd rather do whatever I can if it gets bad here. If I don't need them I can use them for my work at the cat shelter or in the yard.

[sarey]

It is very unlikely to kill over here. It's death rate over in Mexico is so high because Mexico is poor as hell, with crap medical care. The NHS might have a list of problems as long as your arm, but at least we HAVE it and the ability to cure people if they do catch it.

[dangletsbang]

It is very unlikely to kill over here. It's death rate over in Mexico is so high because Mexico is poor as hell, with crap medical care. The NHS might have a list of problems as long as your arm, but at least we HAVE it and the ability to cure people if they do catch it.

 

It is killing in the US. I agree with the fact that we have better medical care, but if or when millions of people are demanding care for this strange strain of flu it's going to be complicated for everyone.

[ghost69]

It is killing in the US. I agree with the fact that we have better medical care, but if or when millions of people are demanding care for this strange strain of flu it's going to be complicated for everyone.

 

it is only killing people with weak immune systems. it is mostly the people that cannot get medical attention for it too. we should be okay in the US. the one death here was a newborn from mexico.

[greywolf]

it is only killing people with weak immune systems. it is mostly the people that cannot get medical attention for it too. we should be okay in the US. the one death here was a newborn from mexico.

 

Really? I thought I read somewhere that people are concerned about this flu because it seems that adults are the ones getting sick from it.

[SapphireNoir10]

My friends mum is a nurse. She said people were queing up to see doctors at the hospital panicking they had swine flu. People are going a bit mad.

 

I am fairly concerned but not panicking, and it worries me that my grandparents or my lil cousin might get it

[dangletsbang]

Really? I thought I read somewhere that people are concerned about this flu because it seems that adults are the ones getting sick from it.

 

Yeah, around here [in Texas]..the news confirmed that the main ages were 20 - 40..younger people..I'm not going to panic over it..but I am definitely washing my hands more and being more careful around our patients.

[ghost69]

Really? I thought I read somewhere that people are concerned about this flu because it seems that adults are the ones getting sick from it.

 

most people are cured very quickly though. and it's adults as mostly adults do traveling.

[Miss Firecracker]

I don't think people have noticed that this flu is more likely to kill healthy adults than young people and old ones.

 

link removed

 

The flu normally kills the very young, the elderly, or people with compromised immune systems. In healthy individuals the flu is rarely fatal. Swine Flu is killing mostly healthy people while those with weaker immune systems appear to recover without reaching the stage of respiratory failure.

[dangletsbang]

most people are cured very quickly though. and it's adults as mostly adults do traveling.

 

Yeah, there aren't near as many fatalities in the US as Mexico. For some reason, in Mexico..the respiratory system is greatly affected by the swim flu..but in the US, the system isn't near as severely affected like it is in Mexico.