I love the smell of a pandemic in the morning (official swine flu thread) - Page 6

katerpillar · October 16th, 2009, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightdragon

^^ So the end of the world will be from Kitten Flu and not the asteroid! The mayans were wrong!?!

No, they were right - but I'll actually be Llama Flu.

Man, that would be the best pandemic ever.

JuicyLucy · October 16th, 2009, 03:12 PM

Swine flu is a hoax. People only think it's the worst flu they ever had because the media told them it is. The same amount of people have died from strep throat, it doesn't mean the whole world should be turned upside down because of it.

t13nif · October 20th, 2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Annika

The thing that concerns me most about this flu actually is not death, but overwhelming the hospitals with flu patients. There are communities that are not ready to handle so many people in intensive care. So when the actual flu season 'starts' in the northern hemisphere and people get sick, the ones who get really sick, and might need mechanical ventilation etc. will be filling up the hospitals. hospitals already run pretty full as it is, can you imagine how crazy it will get with this on top of it?

it's gonna be a busy winter. it was pretty busy in australia. they had to fly people to other hospitals with proper equipment. luckily in our times we have the technology to keep you alive but when a crapload of people get sick then it sucks to have to think they might need to start picking and choosing who gets the help and who has to be let go. i hope it doesn't come to that.

They have mentioned that aspect in planning here in BC--how they were going to decide who gets treatment and who doesn't if it comes to that. I know that in my hometown of Winnipeg, the hospitals were literally using every ventilator--at one point there were close to 40 patients hooked up. The doctor said he had never seen anything so scary and it was clear that he was really shook up about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoogsBun

My kids were diagnosed with it yesterday, just waiting for myself and my hubby to catch it. The kids' coughing is the worst part, since they cough so hard, to the point of vomiting. Other that the coughing and the never-ending fever, it's pretty..meh.

When i flu 10 years ago, i woke up feeling like i might be coming down with something, and by that evening i was in the ER, coughing till i vomited, fever so high i was almost hallucinating and suffering from excrutiating body pain. Awful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JuicyLucy

Swine flu is a hoax. People only think it's the worst flu they ever had because the media told them it is. The same amount of people have died from strep throat, it doesn't mean the whole world should be turned upside down because of it.

Why do you think it's a hoax? Ten years ago I didn't need the media to tell me that i was the sickest i've ever been in my life. I lived it.

McJag · October 20th, 2009, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JuicyLucy

Swine flu is a hoax. People only think it's the worst flu they ever had because the media told them it is. The same amount of people have died from strep throat, it doesn't mean the whole world should be turned upside down because of it.

No hoax. Flu killed 60 children last year-the whole year. Alread 70+ this year.Swine flu is scary only because of the age of the victims-people over 65 are not dying. Children and pregnant women and young adults are. NBC news had the parents of a 20 year old -she died after giving birth. Yes-odds are low this will happen to you,but to ignore it is folly. For parents of young children to flat ass refuse to get them a swine flu shot is child abuse, IMO. That is-when it is available,November here.
Swine flu is rampent here-no one is in a panic or wearing masks. Just doing the hand wash thing as best we can. You don't have to run screaming in the woods,but to deny what CDC & WHO are fearful of is just not wise.

A*O · October 20th, 2009, 09:46 PM

If the vaccine is available then of course you should get the shot - just like kids should be vaccinated against smallpox, measles, mumps, polio, etc. The problem is that the media has latched onto swine flu as being especially deadly when the fatalities are no greater than any other year with "ordinary" flu. It's all about perception. Check out the fatal road accident stats too.

McJag · October 20th, 2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A*O

If the vaccine is available then of course you should get the shot - just like kids should be vaccinated against smallpox, measles, mumps, polio, etc. The problem is that the media has latched onto swine flu as being especially deadly when the fatalities are no greater than any other year with "ordinary" flu. It's all about perception. Check out the fatal road accident stats too.

Not true,A*O. I just quoted stats to the contrary. The fatalities-specifically for children-are alarming doctors. It is the age of the people dying that is somewhat scary.

A*O · October 20th, 2009, 10:18 PM

Kids died from diptheria before there was a vaccine. Now there's a vaccine for swine flu so just get the damn shot? I know everyone is on high alert in the US because you are just starting your annual Flu Season, but we've just been though ours and the overall death rate was no greater/smaller than other years. There will always be a tiny proportion of unfortunate people who die for no apparent reason, but most of the deaths happen to people with chronic underlaying medical conditions. Perhaps if we just call it "flu" instead of "SWINE flu" people will be able to assess the risks more objectively. I know one of the scientists who developed the vaccine and he says this strain of flu is no more or less dangerous than the others and now we have a vaccine it shouldn't cause so much unnecessary anxiety. Next year he has no doubt he will be working on yet another vaccine for yet another "deadly" strain of the flu virus. I'm prepared to take his word against what I read in the media.

t13nif · October 20th, 2009, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McJag

No hoax. Flu killed 60 children last year-the whole year. Alread 70+ this year.Swine flu is scary only because of the age of the victims-people over 65 are not dying. Children and pregnant women and young adults are. NBC news had the parents of a 20 year old -she died after giving birth. Yes-odds are low this will happen to you,but to ignore it is folly. For parents of young children to flat ass refuse to get them a swine flu shot is child abuse, IMO. That is-when it is available,November here.
Swine flu is rampent here-no one is in a panic or wearing masks. Just doing the hand wash thing as best we can. You don't have to run screaming in the woods,but to deny what CDC & WHO are fearful of is just not wise.

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We are on the same page when it comes to flu--any kind.

A*O--i'm not sure about the whole timing thing, but have you experienced the "second wave" of flu there yet? When it first emerged here in the spring, there was a lot of hysteria, and the virus turned out to be milder than they thought...there were still some deaths but nearly all of the people had underlying health issues. They cautioned that the second wave would be worse, just as in the 1918 flu.

My province is just beginning the second wave, and people are dropping like flies with flu. It hasn't arrived in the rest of Canada yet. We are seeing unprecedented absenteeism and now there are more and more cases of healthy, young people dying. The vast majority of people who get H1N1 will be fine--just like the vast majority of people who get seasonal flu will be fine. What apparently makes this flu scary is that they don't know how or why it is killing young, healthy adults as opposed to the very young and elderly. That kind of unknown is what's scary, because they can't predict what could happen. All of the previous pandemic and epidemic flus have been 'regular' flus, there is nothing inherently catastrophic about H1N1, but the world hasn't seen this strain before, and no one really has immunity. It's the perfect storm and i would rather an abundance of caution (which is still what i see now, not hysteria) than treating it like no big deal. Only hindsight will tell us how bad H1N1 really was.

McJag · October 20th, 2009, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A*O

Kids died from diptheria before there was a vaccine. Now there's a vaccine for swine flu so just get the damn shot? I know everyone is on high alert in the US because you are just starting your annual Flu Season, but we've just been though ours and the overall death rate was no greater/smaller than other years. There will always be a tiny proportion of unfortunate people who die for no apparent reason, but most of the deaths happen to people with chronic underlaying medical conditions. Perhaps if we just call it "flu" instead of "SWINE flu" people will be able to assess the risks more objectively. I know one of the scientists who developed the vaccine and he says this strain of flu is no more or less dangerous than the others and now we have a vaccine it shouldn't cause so much unnecessary anxiety. Next year he has no doubt he will be working on yet another vaccine for yet another "deadly" strain of the flu virus. I'm prepared to take his word against what I read in the media.

I'd say SOME aniety is in order. We do not have access to any swine flu vaccine yet. Again,it is the young age of victims that alarms doctors. Ordinary flu kills elderly. This one mostly skips elderly and kills people in their prime. Like a lot of our posters. That is why I fail to see any humor in this. Our media bends over backwards not to over alarm people. It is a concern, not a panic or even causing unneccessary anxiety. They are heavily pushing hand washing-which I think is sensible.

t13nif · October 21st, 2009, 12:17 AM

I just checked that flutrackers site. Yikes! Of the 111 severe cases of H1N1 in BC since Apr, a third of those have been IN THE LAST 7 DAYS. It's exponential. Even if the vast majority will recover, H1N1 is proving to be much more virulent than any seasonal flu many experts have seen. Absenteeism rates at some schools here are approaching 20%.

Oh, and we don't get the vaccine here until November.

A*O · October 21st, 2009, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McJag

I'd say SOME aniety is in order. We do not have access to any swine flu vaccine yet. Again,it is the young age of victims that alarms doctors. Ordinary flu kills elderly. This one mostly skips elderly and kills people in their prime. Like a lot of our posters. That is why I fail to see any humor in this. Our media bends over backwards not to over alarm people. It is a concern, not a panic or even causing unneccessary anxiety. They are heavily pushing hand washing-which I think is sensible.

I'd prefer to call it alertness and I don't see any humour either. But I don't see believe it's necessary to panic either. Hand washing is always a good public health precaution anyway.

We haven't had the predicted "second wave" in Oz but people are being encouraged to get the shot anyway. It's free and there's enough for everyone so why not.

AllieCat · October 25th, 2009, 07:02 PM

I've heard wild Oregano works at killing the flu virus. You can buy it at health food stores in pill and spray form. I think I'm going to try using this before I get an injection of a live virus.

Charmed Hour · October 25th, 2009, 09:47 PM

I've never received a flu shot, and don't think I've had any type of flu. My job gives seasonal flu shots for free and I've always turned them down. Both my bosses are primary care physicians, with small children (3-12 or so). I asked each of them if I should get the "regular" flu shot and swine this year and both answered no.

Both also stated none of their children would be getting the vaccines either. They've each been vaccinated, as it's hospital policy (I don't work in the hospital) but don't feel it's 100% necessary for a healthy child or adult to be vaccinated. They said it's more of a concern for children and adults with underlying issues such as unregulated asthma or other respiratory issues.

I'll take their word for it and should I come down with something this year, I'll gladly take an extended period to recuperate. LOL

pwry · October 25th, 2009, 10:14 PM

I've got it right now ... it was inevitable as I teach at a college here in Montreal. I would like to add that I haven't experienced such uncomfortable body aches before. Wow. It was not fun. I appear to be on the road to recovery -- fingers crossed, but so many of my colleagues and students and friends are dropping like flies. Please stay healthy everyone!

McJag · October 25th, 2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllieCat

I've heard wild Oregano works at killing the flu virus. You can buy it at health food stores in pill and spray form. I think I'm going to try using this before I get an injection of a live virus.

You cannot get a shot with LIVE virus. It is dead,dead. The nose spray has very,very mild live virus. Wild Orgegano might work-in conjunction with a flu shot. Or risk body aches that you only hope will kill you quick!