WHO plans emergency session over deadly Mexico flu outbreak

[the crispy badger]

NY prep school has now been Confirmed as case of Swine Flu ..it's getting closer

[transplant99]

This is getting a big scary....i know its easy to make fun of with "pig flu" and what not, but this is some serious stuff, as it appears to be a hybrid.

Health officials are worried because people appear to have no immunity to the virus, a combination of bird, swine and human influenzas.

At any rate, though you cannot contract it by eating cooked pork, you can get it from handling raw pork...so lots of hand cleaning everyone...all day.

[TheDragon]

Surprised nobody has posted this yet.

[photon]

I'm a bit surprised I haven't got a call from anyone asking how we're feeling yet actually.

[the crispy badger]

this just in from CNN..The federal government declares a public health emergency, as the number of cases of swine flu in the U.S. rises to 20

[stacey]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Even here in Calgary authorities are taking this very seriously. My roomate was feeling ill this week and he called the health 411 number and described his symptoms. He mentioned that he did some work with Mexicans last Friday. They rushed him in an ambulance and put him in the quarentine in foothills last night for testing and observation. Turns out he was just fatigued, but they gave him the whole "outbreak" treatment.

Another great reason why our health care system is strained...

[peter12]

Originally Posted by AC

I'll find out tomorrow. All I know is he picked up a naval reserve's worth of flu antibiotics.

Pretty sure those don't exist. Do you mean anti-virals?

[Jedi Ninja]

Originally Posted by stacey

Another great reason why our health care system is strained...

Our health care system gets much more strained when people decide to go into work when they are sick and thereby infect all their coworkers -- just because they don't want to lose one of their "days off."

[Jedi Ninja]

Originally Posted by transplant99

This is getting a big scary....i know its easy to make fun of with "pig flu" and what not, but this is some serious stuff, as it appears to be a hybrid.



At any rate, though you cannot contract it by eating cooked pork, you can get it from handling raw pork...so lots of hand cleaning everyone...all day.

Yah, they say it is a bird flu -pig flu hybrid. But I wouldn't worry about it too much. Pigs will fly before this turns into a full blown pandemic. ... Oh, wait a minute...



Seriously, tho, I hear the number of new cases in Mexico is on the decline; caution is warranted but not panic.

[BumbleBee]

4 confirmed cases in Nova Scotia:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...0ndDAD97Q9FFO0

http://www.vancouversun.com/Health/F...987/story.html

"We do have four confirmed cases of swine flu now in Nova Scotia," said Dr. Robert Strang, chief public health officer for the province. "At this point, we are not seeing severe cases like we are in Mexico.
"All those who had the flu are recovering."

The fun in all of this? I board a plane for Halifax tomorrow night.

[kipperfan]

Originally Posted by the crispy badger

NY prep school has now been Confirmed as case of Swine Flu ..it's getting closer

Well, it has now made it to Canada - both sides.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/0...swine-flu.html

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Flamesoholic

I work in health care here in Calgary and we are taking this VERY seriously. This flu has already killed 81 people in Mexico, and 11 in the U.S. WHO has said that it is "a public health emergency of international concern" with "pandemic potential."

Although there are cases outside of Mexico, nobody outside of Mexico has died from it.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/26...flu/index.html


"U.S. health officials said Friday that some cases of the virus in the United States matched samples of the deadly Mexican virus.

All the patients have recovered or are expected to."

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by peter12

Pretty sure those don't exist. Do you mean anti-virals?

Yup.

They are being vigorous with "tamiflu" in treatment of this thing.

http://www.tamiflu.com/

[Daradon]

Does anyone else find it interesting that our worst flu outbreaks are now coming from our meat industry?

As mentioned in a previous thread, our society really has to take a look at how we value meat and the environmental/societal/moral concerns related to it.

Not saying go completely veggie, just saying we really do need to change a few things.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Does anyone else find it interesting that our worst flu outbreaks are now coming from our meat industry?

As mentioned in a previous thread, our society really has to take a look at how we value meat and the environmental/societal/moral concerns related to it.

Not saying go completely veggie, just saying we really do need to change a few things.

It's animals are a convenient vector, not vegetables. Everytime we come in contact with any sort of animal, we risk coming in contact with a virus or bacteria which could cross species into our own. All major illnesses have started this way, tuberculosis, HIV, smallpox, influenze etc...

But you're right, in an increasingly globalized world, we have to keep working on ways to minimize our exposure while increasing our immunity.

[cKy]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Does anyone else find it interesting that our worst flu outbreaks are now coming from our meat industry?

As mentioned in a previous thread, our society really has to take a look at how we value meat and the environmental/societal/moral concerns related to it.

Not saying go completely veggie, just saying we really do need to change a few things.

If you take my bacon away from me, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you.

Then eat you hoping you taste like bacon.

mmmm... Bacon.





Bacon

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Flamesoholic

I work in health care here in Calgary and we are taking this VERY seriously. This flu has already killed 81 people in Mexico, and 11 in the U.S. WHO has said that it is "a public health emergency of international concern" with "pandemic potential."

Where do you get your information?

No deaths in the US...in fact only 1 hospitalization and that person has recovered. All 20 confirmed cases have been deemed mild.

Yet another instance of the media scaring everyone to death.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Where do you get your information?

No deaths in the US...in fact only 1 hospitalization and that person has recovered. All 20 confirmed cases have been deemed mild.

Yet another instance of the media scaring everyone to death.

In my case, it's working. I've gone through like 11 bottles of Purel already in the past few days.

But in the end, I think the fact that the 20 cases are all mild is the best news possible. The sign of a really dangerous flu is when relatively healthy people, between 20 and 40, start dying--which I gather is the case in Mexico.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

In my case, it's working. I've gone through like 11 bottles of Purel already in the past few days.

But in the end, I think the fact that the 20 cases are all mild is the best news possible. The sign of a really dangerous flu is when relatively healthy people, between 20 and 40, start dying--which I gather is the case in Mexico.

Well, it is certainly a good time to remind people to be sanitary (something they should be every day anyway).

I'm not familiar with the Mexican cases, the demographics and locales affected etc...but I have to believe a lack of basic sanitation and health care services plays a part in that number being so high.

Now we have someone claiming 11 US deaths with absolutely zero to back it up. I have a problem with that.

[Bagor]

Q & A Swine Flu.

The fact that all the cases in the US have so far produced mild symptoms is encouraging. It suggests that the severity of the Mexican outbreak may be due to an unusual geographically-specific factor - possibly a second unrelated virus circulating in the community - which would be unlikely to come into play in the rest of the world.
However, the fact that many of the victims are young does point to something unusual. Normal, seasonal flu tends to affect the elderly disproportionately.
What about treatments and vaccines?
The US authorities say that two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, seem to be effective at treating cases that have occurred there so far.
It is unclear how effective currently available flu vaccines would be at offering protection against the new strain, as it is genetically distinct from other flu strains.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8017585.stm