Swine Flu

[sechs]

Sadly, "pork flu" was not available.

A friend of mine sent me this:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.488281

I went to the CDC website, but couldn't find anything similar. In fact, all of the useful information appears to be on the WHO website... which is not that useful.

I did find that the pandemic flu website has been updated for pigs, along with birds:
http://pandemicflu.gov/

[Mercutio]

Media sensationalism. We'll be all about Swine Flu for a week and then another white chick will go missing in Aruba and we'll forget all about it.

[LunarMist]

What, me worry? I'm not hanging out with the pigs and birds.

[ddrueding]

An interesting point. Is this doing the human-human thing? Or just directly from animals?

[timwhit]

An interesting point. Is this doing the human-human thing? Or just directly from animals?

Human to human. It appears to be much more transmissible than bird flu, but a lot less deadly.

[timwhit]

Calling this swine flu is a misnomer.


The swine influenza virus isolated from patients in the United States was found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses – North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe – "an unusually mongrelised mix of genetic sequences."[10] This new strain appears to be a result of reassortment of human influenza and swine influenza viruses, in all four different strains of subtype H1N1.

[P5-133XL]

Tracking—and separating—the hype from the swine flu outbreak (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/04/dhs-cdc-and-who-gear-up-to-track-the-swine-flus-spread.ars)
Understanding the outbreak: an influenza biology primer (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/04/understanding-the-outbreak-an-influenza-biology-primer.ars)

[udaman]

Human to human. It appears to be much more transmissible than bird flu, but a lot less deadly.

You are mistaken, tell that to the families of young *healthy* adults in Mexico city that have died, more everyday (from complications, pneumonia). Much more transmissible? Umm, a lot of birds were killed in Asia...entire chicken population in Hong Kong area, IIRC, millions upon millions slaughtered, and plenty of people in Asia died from SARS too. All well and good to be glib Merc, until someone you know becomes the 1st to die in the USA, *then* you start paying attention.

Hey, AIDS ain't my problem, those gay people get it from unprotected sex...sure, not your problem, great line of thinking. You pay for medical insurance? Then it *is* your problem...unless of course you are wealthy enough that you don't care. As pointed out in some of the articles, if huge numbers of people get sick (don't need to die) it could further strain and already teetering health care system of every increasing costs, potentially slowing down any recovery from the recession. Does that then not effect most of you?

Right now, it's an unknown by the experts, they cannot give you definitive answers. Supposedly, if it makes it to pandemic stage, not much can be done until a vaccine is produced, perhaps 6 months from now at the earliest.

And some of you won't take a flu virus vaccine shot anyway, just ask jtr.
My father doesn't take flu shots, due to coming down with Guillain-Barré syndrome as a complication of a nasty cold virus he got from attending a professional business/political interests conference in Sacramento. IIRC he was on a ventilator machine in the hospital for a week @the peak of that illness, could have died. Now he's a risk to my mother, lol because he has no protection from contracting a flu virus. If he catches the swine flu, in his weakened elderly state, he just might die from it too. No skin off Merc's back of course, he's relatively healthy/stronger.

Guillain-Barré Syn
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/gbs.htm

I got my pneumonia shot & flu shot last Fall, early; because I was training my mother to pass the mandatory drive test, and did not want to end up killing her (elderly and in very weak/frail state) by transferring some germs I pickup while shopping, then transferring to the steering wheel.

I always use the wipes at the supermarket; if you saw how filthy some people are--- along with their children, you'd likely do the same to avoid getting their sicknesses. Sick people should stay home *always*, and employers show encourage that!

[Fushigi]

Fear tactics are being practiced by the governments and media. Yes, it deserves attention and precautions and people should practice good hygiene as a matter of course. But for crying out lout we lose well over 1000 people a day to heart disease. And another thousand plus daily to cancer. While the sickness from Kermit's mate needs to be addressed, we shouldn't ignore the larger risks that we are frankly more likely to be affected by.

Uda, I don't take the annual flu vaccine shot either. I don't see any value in it whatsoever. For one, the vaccine is composed of what the vaccine producer thinks will be the "big ones" for that year. Or it's composed of whatever (hopefully unexpired) stock they have left over. Or whatever is the most profitable. There's no general hard data to suggest what the vaccine is protecting you from relates to the strains that are in the wild that year. Also, I take care of myself. Sure, my health isn't perfect but I wash my hands, avoid contact with surfaces that others have just touched, and hold my breath for a bit whenever I see someone cough w/out covering their mouth (including children).

[timwhit]

You are mistaken, tell that to the families of young *healthy* adults in Mexico city that have died, more everyday (from complications, pneumonia). Much more transmissible? Umm, a lot of birds were killed in Asia...entire chicken population in Hong Kong area, IIRC, millions upon millions slaughtered, and plenty of people in Asia died from SARS too. All well and good to be glib Merc, until someone you know becomes the 1st to die in the USA, *then* you start paying attention.

Death rate is a percentage of humans that died after being infected. In Mexico the death rate is somewhere around 6%, but it's most likely much much lower than that because of unreported cases. The Avian Flu had around a 50% death rate. I am not talking about birds here, I'm talking about humans.

[timwhit]

Sick people should stay home *always*, and employers show encourage that!

I would agree with this. However, my employer gives me 3 sick days a year. I'm sure as hell not going to take an unpaid day because I'm sick.

[ddrueding]

I go to work one way or the other, I just lock my door, put a note on it, and don't see anyone. I work everything through the phone and remote desktop. Just another way to remind people that I don't actually need to be present more than 5 hours a week.

[timwhit]

I go to work one way or the other, I just lock my door, put a note on it, and don't see anyone. I work everything through the phone and remote desktop. Just another way to remind people that I don't actually need to be present more than 5 hours a week.

I don't have a door.

If they would let me I would work at home through RDP, but people don't like that there.

[ddrueding]

If they would let me I would work at home through RDP, but people don't like that there.

People don't like that here, either. I have fiber running from the office to my house; my home office is on the main office LAN. It takes as long to walk from my house to the boss' office as it does from my office in the west wing. There is absolutely no reason why I can't work from home all the time, but I've found it very important to walk around and be seen working at least twice a day.

[udaman]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/ap_on_re_us/us_swine_flu_us


At least seven people were in U.S. hospitals with swine flu Tuesday as the number of cases nationwide rose to 64 and a federal health official warned that deaths were likely.

Most of the nation's confirmed cases were in New York, where the city health commissioner said "many hundreds" of schoolchildren were ill at a school where several students had confirmed cases of swine flu.


Richard Besser, acting director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that although ordinary human flu accounts for 36,000 deaths every year, he was concerned by this strain.
"I fully expect we will see deaths from this infection," Besser said at an Atlanta news conference.


He said he did not know about a newspaper report of two deaths in two southern California hospitals in which the victims appeared to have suffered from swine flu symptoms.
New York has the largest number of swine flu cases, with a heavy concentration at a Catholic school in Queens where students recently went on a spring break trip to Mexico

jtr is busy learning microprocessor programing, no swine flu yet, but he's close to Queens, could be the 1st SF member to get it.

One of the 2 deaths in So. Cal. has been determined to not be swine flu.

Still it remains to be seen how this will go the course. Flu virus typically makes the rounds during winter months in the N. Hemi, this is atypical. Remains to be seen how many more than 36,000 die, how many more than aver 200k are hospitalized. It's a deadly serious matter for many, how many people died in total, including civilian casualties in the Iraqi war, compared to flu related deaths...for comparison?

Which do you think will have the greater effect on the US economy now?

[Handruin]

I would agree with this. However, my employer gives me 3 sick days a year. I'm sure as hell not going to take an unpaid day because I'm sick.

I get 5 personal days that can be used for sick days. I'm also not going to take an unpaid day for being sick when my employer encourages us to come to work sick (based on the limited days off that we get). It's normal for people to come to work sick, so I follow that trend. I am fortunate to be able to work from home, but I don't get as much done because of internet lag and a slower laptop.

[Handruin]

Hey, AIDS ain't my problem, those gay people get it from unprotected sex...sure, not your problem, great line of thinking. You pay for medical insurance? Then it *is* your problem...unless of course you are wealthy enough that you don't care. As pointed out in some of the articles, if huge numbers of people get sick (don't need to die) it could further strain and already teetering health care system of every increasing costs, potentially slowing down any recovery from the recession. Does that then not effect most of you?


Are you really that obtuse to think that only "those" people who are gay get aids...and it's only from unprotected sex? The way I'm reading what you wrote is that gay people are the problem. Are you really saying that?

[LunarMist]

Oh man, the killer quotes. The filters don't work on them.

[Handruin]

Everyone needs to get a little piece of uda from time to time. :-)

[LunarMist]

Yeah? Like I need the flu once in a while. :frusty:

[udaman]

Tamaflu is reported to be effective in ameliorating the symptoms, but the newly available test that only takes 24hrs to confirm, is not yet widely in use. Currently takes 3-4days, at which point Tamaflu is not nearly as effective.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090429/ap_on_he_me/med_swine_flu


President Barack Obama mourned the first U.S. death, a Mexican toddler in Texas, and said wider school closings in the United States may be necessary. Total U.S. cases surged to nearly 100.In other news, really need to change the name of the virus to 'human/bird/swine flu virus, that way those crazy Muslim countries can start slaughtering all those groups as a precaution...oh wait, they already do the human part, lol :p

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090429/ap_on_he_me/ml_egypt_swine_flu


Egypt began slaughtering the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country Wednesday as a precautionary measure against the spread of swine flu even though no cases have been reported here yet, the Health Ministry said...


In 2008, following fears over diseases spread by animals, Mubarak ordered all pig and chicken farms moved out of population areas. But the order was never implemented.


Pigs can be found in many places around Muslim world, often raised by religious minorities who can eat pork. But they are banned entirely in some Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Libya.


In Jordan, the government decided Wednesday to shut down the country's five pig farms, involving 800 animals, for violating public health safety regulations.

[Handruin]

Here are five reasons why the US should be fine (http://www.newsweek.com/id/195302?digg=1) against the flu.

[timwhit]

I wonder if birds can be infected with this strain of swine flu? That would not be good.

I also found this snippet interesting:

Influenza viruses bind through hemagglutinin onto sialic acid sugars on the surfaces of epithelial cells; typically in the nose, throat and lungs of mammals and intestines of birds (Stage 1 in infection figure).

[Mercutio]

You know, the regular-not-from-swine-flu has killed 13,000 people this year, and yet all our schools and restaurants have bravely remained open in spite of it.

Honestly, I think all of this - and I mean ALL of it - is coming from the media that is tired of covering financial news that they obviously don't understand.

[Handruin]

True, but that flu is expected even as what we call a season. People take measures to protect against it and know how to handle that strain. I somewhat agree with you that it's seemingly a bit blown out of proportion for the oink flu. I'm telling people to eat more pork to become immune. I watch House on TV so I'm almost a doctor now.

[Mercutio]

My company has had people call to ask if classes have been canceled because of swine flu. It's really, really, really that retarded.

[timwhit]

I have a mild cold and half the people that see me ask if I have swine flu.

I'm going to tell them I have SARS.

[Fushigi]

I wonder if birds can be infected with this strain of swine flu? That would not be good.
When pigs fly!

..

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Fushigi]

You know, the regular-not-from-swine-flu has killed 13,000 people this year, and yet all our schools and restaurants have bravely remained open in spite of it.

Honestly, I think all of this - and I mean ALL of it - is coming from the media that is tired of covering financial news that they obviously don't understand.
Fear and the Availability Heuristic (http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/03/fear_and_the_av.html)

[LunarMist]

I'm telling people to eat more pork to become immune. I watch House on TV so I'm almost a doctor now.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[paugie]

Yep, I already am sure its not Lupus in disguise.

[LOST6200]

OMG this is otuon control! They are clisng scholls just becfause a few strudents are sick without even knowning what it is.

Eklsewhers, China adn Japon have cancekllet the croporate summit meting for eASTren ZONes.

[sechs]

We're showing those pigs who's boss:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aQsB0MUW6Mh4

The growing worry now seems to be that this will bounce around during the "off" season, swap some genes with other strains, and come back in a serious way in the fall. Unlike the Spanish Flu, however, there shouldn't be any trench warfare going on.

[LOST6200]

Lionk i sdead.

[Handruin]

Link works for me.

[LunarMist]

Lionk i sdead.

Dial up? :D

[LunarMist]

4-5 more states in the next month. :( Airports are probably chock full of diseased people.

[Handruin]

https://firstaidmonster.com/images/products/FAM_MASKS_BIO_SURGICAL_10PKG-2685.jpg

[Fushigi]

The masks don't help much. Maybe not at all since the flu particles are apparently smaller than the masks filters can block. Also, common masks leak too much around the edges. Respirators help more but obviously aren't as common or convenient.

Better to be a hermit as much as possible.

[Handruin]

I only meant the mask as a joke/tease to Lunar, I didn't actually think they did much of anything.

[RWIndiana]

We're showing those pigs who's boss:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aQsB0MUW6Mh4

The growing worry now seems to be that this will bounce around during the "off" season, swap some genes with other strains, and come back in a serious way in the fall. Unlike the Spanish Flu, however, there shouldn't be any trench warfare going on.

Maybe it would be good to get this flu as soon as possible then. "Excuse me sir, could you cough on me?"

[sechs]

The problem is that it is not clear why this year's regular vaccine didn't seem to imbue any immunity. It's possible for this strain to swap enough genes that having caught it this spring would not stop you from getting it again this fall.

[Howell]

I heard you can get it from direct eye contact.

[LunarMist]

I heard you can get it from direct eye contact.

Even when wearing glasses?

[Handruin]

I'm not in habit of rubbing swine in my eyes.

[Howell]

Even when wearing glasses?

Nice, nice. Make sure you invest in the polarized lenses for complete protection. : )

I have a friend that is an infectious disease specialist and it is so easy to get him going by suggesting you heard you can get swine flu some incorrect way. Like that you can get it from eating pork or touching a pig.

Its even better to suggest something that sounds ignorant but in reality is ridiculous like looking a pig in the eyes!

[LOST6200]

Link works for me.

Sur4e;now it is wrokiing.!

[Mercutio]

Hotlinked but apropos.

http://flavorwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/large20.jpg

[ddrueding]

Excellent. That will be making it around the office tomorrow.

[udaman]

WHO: Swine flu pandemic has begun, 1st in 41 years



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090611/ap_on_he_me/un_un_swine_flu