Forum Moderators: open
We could all do something to minimize the spread, and one of those things to wash our hands regularly.
It's difficult to get kids to do that, but as adults, common sense tells us we should be doing that anyway.
One thing to bear in mind, most people will not suffer greatly, beyond the normal flu symptoms. Only the infirm, elderly, and certain groups are at greater risk.
Time to leave the country, methinks. Anyone fancy a trip to Mexico? ;)
Things realy need to be kept in rational context. It may be a pandemic, but pandemic doesn't mean more dangerous to people who become infected. Pandemic simply means we have little or no resistance to it so the virus can spread very quickly through the population. Every year millions of people die of the flu, this strain h1n1 is just getting all the attention. The flu in general can be potentially lethal for people with underlying medical conditions, this outbreak is the same. the virus its self is no more harmfull than regular seasonal flu.
The people I know who have had it say it feels very mild. Worse than the common cold, but seasonal flu generaly feels a lot worse. Symptoms lasted about a week. One was given antiviral medicaltion one wasn't.
In the UK the gov have finaly admited the virus is out of its containment stage and the priority is now treatment as opposed to containment.
My concern is to much effort is being put towards the vacine and taking lab time away from the development of the seasonal flu jab vaccine. Seasonal flu is very dangerous for people with risk factors so the regular flu jab is a lifesaver.
Mack.
Kaled.
Kaled, the 100k estimate was for UK only. I'm with Neil on this one. I don't like predictions that are based partly on statistics and on guess work. We really have no idea of the true numbers, we may already have the 100K a day.
Mack.
a middle age range of adults isn't getting it, at all, they think they were exposed long so how do they account for that
they also say here that everyone has it already
I also have a kid who's been exposed and she got sick and she normally ends up in the hospital with any cold, heaven forbid a flu and she got over it
my wife's been exposed, a couple times, so has my Mom
that said there have been a lot of people who were very very sick and some that died, none of the numbers they throw around actually make any sense at all, in any context
the flu vaccine doesn't always have something new in it, sometimes its just the same old, so spending extra money rushing a vaccine for a new/active flu is probably pretty sensible, since that's what is making people sick now
so what does all that mean
nothing, you don't have the ability to analyze all that, nor do I
It's nice they're having a practice go and working through all the procedures for a serious pandemic.
<added>I'll take the shot, I have to due to my daughter and so will everyone in my house, will it change anything, yes, we'll be vaccinated
Do what it takes to keep the money maker well.
The vaccine will give the recipient a very small dose of the virus
Unless you normally have seasonal flu vaccines, there is no reason to have the swine-flu vaccine. There is anecdotal evidence that children may be more vulnerable so governments may recommend that they are vaccinated too but I doubt that will happen.
Kaled.
OTOH it's clear this is quite much like a normal flu, over-hyped to the extreme.
But it does seem that otherwise healthy people who watch their nutrition and get rest have mild symptoms.
So how do you tell a 21 year old, turned loose in Europe with her friends, to get plenty of rest, compulsively wash hands, etc? LOL.
Fingers are crossed.
From what Ive seen out here even doctors make sure their patients don't panic by telling them it's just a flu, nothing to worry about.
Good to see the doctors aren't joining the media and politicians into the hype.
The news bulletins on the program were very similar to those real life ones that I have seen on the various TV channels, albeit that in real life they are more strung out. Could this be a prediction, if so in a year's time those of us who survive will be killing each other to take possession of a few cans of corned beef in a trashed supermarket.
Time to stock up on canned food, bottled water and weapons?
...and weapons?
So its a cost/benefit analysis whether to go to the inner cities of Manchester, London and Brum and order guns. Risk your life now, or be unarmed next year.
Tricky stuff.
And can we get the design of POTUS' car for personal trasportation?
Will cash work as currency? Will its limited supply push up its value, or make it worthless? Will we enter a barter system, or use cigrettes and/or drugs* as an intermediary?
Most important, how will know that we should co-ordinate the next wave of mass hysteria in expectation of H5N1 hitting shores, brought to us by people on well-meaning relief missions (call them "missionaries") from the outside world?
*Idea borrowed from Luke Rhinehart's Long Voyage Back
[edit speeling]
[edited by: lawman at 11:37 pm (utc) on July 18, 2009]
Well, I'm not that old yet. Born in 1950. Makes it easy to cipher my age when I forget. ;)
On a more serious note, a lady at my girlfriend's work now has the swine flu...so I am hoping that we don't catch it anytime soon! :o
However, most people seem OK after 5 days of isolation and taking tamiflu.
