Swine flu no worse than regular flu

[James Bond]

R?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH...ne.flu.main/index.html

Formatting fail - click link.

 

[eplebnista]

E?

 

[Newbian]

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E

Eplebnista got timewarped out of it.

 

[xanis]

What's that, the swine flu isn't as bad as everyone thinks? GEE, WHAT A SHOCK.

 

[torpid]

I wonder how much I can get for this hazmat suit?

 

[roid450]

paypal accepted?

edit: my post was supposed to go at the bottom of the page. its 4:07pm not 4:05

 

[Electric Amish]

The public over-react?

That's un-possible!

 

[Crono]

"In 1918, the Spanish flu showed a surge in the spring and then disappeared in the summer months, only to return in the autumn of 1918 with a vengeance," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said Sunday. "And we know that that eventually killed 40 million to 50 million people."

Health officials are not making such dire predictions in this case. And they can't know for certain whether the swine flu will make a big return later in the year.

Still, they're taking no chances.

"This is no time for complacency," U.S. Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius said Sunday. "We want to stay out ahead of this."

Hopefully people won't feel disillusioned by the level of media coverage and efforts to track/stop H1N1, and try to take every available and reasonable precaution for the future.

 

[Jeff7]

Good. Can we all go back to fearing the end of the world from the LHC now? :laugh:

 

[randay]

quick, kill all the pigs!

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: randay
quick, kill all the pigs!

Massive bacon fest?

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: Xanis
What's that, the swine flu isn't as bad as everyone thinks? GEE, WHAT A SHOCK.

An influenza virus isn't that bad when the healthcare system can still support it and stays on top of everyone? What a shock.

I doubted anything would be bad this spring. It's not flu season, so even someone who does get the regular flu (happens quite often, just not as common as in the fall and winter) is going to go to the hospital due to all the mass fear that has been spread around. Which is the first time I'm glad to see the media making a big deal out of something that has the chance of not being anything noteworthy in a few years.
So basically everyone is going to get treated and they'll be fine.

I still think it's going to cause the same reaction inside the body that the Spanish Flu had caused. It's not a concept of modern healthcare preventing it or anything, because swamped hospitals are swamped hospitals. Anyone put on a mechanical respirator had strong chances of pulling through during the Spanish Flu. Can't remember when the first mechanical means of respiration were brought into play, other than the simple hand-held pumps.
However, the reason I stated that, is because most of the deaths were caused by respiratory failure, or other organ failure, caused by the immune system. Healthy adults, with a certain influenza A strain (a specific mutation of H1N1), had an immune reaction that can essentially be called overdrive. Those with weaker immune systems, it either didn't cause that overdrive chain-reaction process, or it just bumped up their immune system to a "strong" level, and not to the point that the body attacked itself. Typically, it attacks the lungs when you have that reaction.

If you're going to get the Swine Flu, I'd say go out of your way to get it now. Get your body some immunity to the virus while hospitals can still provide exceptional care.

This is world wide, so it's going to kind of linger in the Northern Hemisphere, likely not killing anyone, except for those at risk of death for the typical influenza, and maybe not even reach the same mortality rate as the run of the mill influenza strains.
However, with no healthy adults having immunity to this strain whatsoever, and flu season beginning in the southern hemisphere, it's going to stay around. With luck, this thing won't mutate, and if it spreads at least a decent amount during this spring, we might be lucky to have a small example of herd immunity. Hopefully.
If it mutates, then its back to square one. If it currently has - or gains through mutation - the ability to multiply and invade cells at the same rate as the 1918 H1N1 (differences in protein composition is the only thing that causes any strain to either be pandemic potential or just another bothersome flu season strain), then come actual flu season, shit is going to hit the fan. Getting treatment at the onset of symptoms is pretty much necessary to beat that kind of immune system reaction.

I don't get everyone has to get all up in arms over the media, the WHO, and national governments sensationalizing new viruses and pandemic concerns. Rather they not? When the world doesn't put these things in the spotlight, the public doesn't have the same concern, and ends up treating what may be a potentially lethal bug as something ordinary due to the first few days sharing the same symptoms as other bugs. When its in the spotlight, everyone worries. Having that worry isn't bad at all when it comes to health, because it has definitely prevented far more problematic outbreaks. SARS was a concern, but the WHO and China stayed on top of it. The Avian Flu was and is still a concern, but it never mutated for human-to-human transfer, so it basically remained a local issue. If it does mutate and it retains the same characteristics, it'll be pandemic worthy as well unless, again, the world stays on top of it.

 

[dud]

We are not supposed to know this ... now the media can no longer blow the issue all out of proportion.

 

[Squisher]

Does this mean I can eat ham?

 

[91TTZ]

While the swine flu may not be as dangerous as once feared, it can still wipe out the Earth's population if it strikes in the winter combined with a giant asteroid hitting the Earth. So there's still reason to panic.

 

[Regs]

MhhhhhMMhhhh Brains.....

Oh damn my cover is blown.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: torpid
I wonder how much I can get for this hazmat suit?

Save it for the upcoming zombie flu. I hear it's much worse.

 

[IGBT]

Originally posted by: Xanis
What's that, the swine flu isn't as bad as everyone thinks? GEE, WHAT A SHOCK.

ya. but the obama used it to great political advantage to keep your attention diverted.

 

[Dualist]

Originally posted by: Xanis
What's that, the swine flu isn't as bad as everyone thinks? GEE, WHAT A SHOCK.

It's not spreading as fast because people and the communities took the precautions given by the CDC. It's somewhat good news but it's not over yet.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Shame we don't have another couple of hundred swine flu threads you could have posted this in.



Oh wait....

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: Dualist

Originally posted by: Xanis
What's that, the swine flu isn't as bad as everyone thinks? GEE, WHAT A SHOCK.

It's not spreading as fast because people and the communities took the precautions given by the CDC. It's somewhat good news but it's not over yet.

You're saying we're all still in danger of catching Hamthrax?

 

[manowar821]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Good. Can we all go back to fearing the end of the world from the LHC now? :laugh:

Hahahaha, it's always some damn thing for the idiot masses. :laugh:

 

[JasonSix78]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer

Originally posted by: Dualist

Originally posted by: Xanis
What's that, the swine flu isn't as bad as everyone thinks? GEE, WHAT A SHOCK.

It's not spreading as fast because people and the communities took the precautions given by the CDC. It's somewhat good news but it's not over yet.

You're saying we're all still in danger of catching Hamthrax?

:laugh:

Anyway, 0.00009% of the U.S. population is/was infected. With 286 out of 306,360,041
people, the odds aren't great that you will become a swine flu victim.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer

Originally posted by: Dualist

Originally posted by: Xanis
What's that, the swine flu isn't as bad as everyone thinks? GEE, WHAT A SHOCK.

It's not spreading as fast because people and the communities took the precautions given by the CDC. It's somewhat good news but it's not over yet.

You're saying we're all still in danger of catching Hamthrax?

The appropriate term is "manbirdpig".

 

[IEC]

Just wait until they blame the LHC for the creation of Hamthrax sent by a disgruntled federal researcher. They'll have covered four bases with that story!