Killer Flu, We're All Going to Die
Apr 26, 2009 10:26:37 GMT -5
Post by Jack Quinn on Apr 26, 2009 10:26:37 GMT -5
Killer Flu From CNN.com
In college I read a lot about the 1918 flu that spread across the globe during the waning months, and right after WWI. It killed between 40 and 60 million people across the world, and this strain of flu is the same type, H1N1.
Not saying we are in for a worldwide pandemic, I read one account that said this was very treatable if caught early enough, but it also depends on how many people are sick at once. Part of the problem with the 1918 flu was there were so many people getting sick at once that it was overwhelming the hospitals and people could not get the help they needed, so they would die in the streets.
We have come a long way medically since 1918, but this kind of thing is still scary. I don't know if they have the a vaccination for it yet, but from what I have read, if they don't, a vaccination to be distributed in any meaningful quantity could take 6 months to a year to create.
The scary thing about this is that it kills healthy people in the prime of their lives, generally 20-40, which means pretty much everyone on this board would be vulnerable should they be exposed to it. I don't want to sound like a doomsayer, but I hope people take this seriously. Mexico City seems to be on the verge of shutting down, and that is probably a good thing.
(CNN) -- No kissing to say hello. No large crowds. No close contact.
A couple kisses through their masks at the Historic Center in Mexico City on Saturday.
A couple kisses through their masks at the Historic Center in Mexico City on Saturday.
That's the advice of the Mexican government as more and more people die of swine flu, which has turned into a "public health emergency of international concern," according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO advised all countries to be on the lookout for "unusual" outbreaks of flu, following an emergency meeting Saturday as the seriousness of the outbreak became clear.
By Sunday, 81 deaths had been deemed "likely linked" to a deadly new strain of the virus by health authorities in Mexico. Viral testing has confirmed 20 cases, said Dr. Jose A. Cordova Villalobos, Mexico's health secretary.
In Mexico City, the massive downtown Cathedral of Mexico City was open but Masses were not scheduled. Dozens of worshippers put on masks and went inside the church anyway to pray on their own.
The H1N1 strain of swine flu is usually associated with pigs. When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it a tougher strain that is harder to treat or fight off.
Symptoms of swine flu include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. Learn more about swine flu and how to treat it »
In the United States, the number of confirmed swine flu cases stood at 11. President Obama recently returned from a trip to Mexico, but has not shown any signs of flu-like symptoms, the White House said.
But in New Zealand, officials said 22 students and three teachers back from a three-week-long language trip to Mexico may have been infected with the swine flu virus.
The 25 students and teachers at Auckland's Rangitoto College returned to New Zealand via Los Angeles on Saturday.
Fourteen have shown flu-like symptoms, with four "more unwell than others," said Dr. Julia Peters, clinical director of Auckland Regional Public Health Service. It is not clear whether anyone else who was on the plane with them has shown signs of the disease.
Health Minister Tony Ryall said 10 students tested positive for influenza A. The specimens will be sent to WHO to determine whether it is H1N1 swine influenza.
H1N1 influenza is a subset of influenza A. The WHO results are expected back by midweek. The group remains quarantined at home. Video Watch how public health officials grade phases of pandemic alerts »
"It certainly has not been confirmed that they have swine flu," said Dr. Craig Thornley of Auckland Regional Public Health Service. "We already have provisional information that some of the group have influenza A. We won't know if they have the type of influenza A that is swine flu."
A British Airways crew member developed flu-like symptoms during a flight from Mexico City to London and was tested for swine flu, but the results came back negative. Video Watch CBC report on Canadian microbiologists' concerns »
Don't Miss
* Family quarantined after son contracts swine flu
* CDC: Swine flu viruses in U.S., Mexico match
* CDC confirms 7 cases of swine flu in humans
"I can confirm that the patient doesn't have swine flu," said Jonathan Street, a spokesman for Northwick Park Hospital in north London. "We have done all tests, and they all came back negative."
The flight attendant is back at work, British Airways told CNN.
Britain is not putting travel restrictions in place, according to British Airways and Heathrow airport operator BAA, and the country's Port Health Authority has no reason for concern over swine flu, BAA said.
The Mexico Tourist Board said Saturday there are no restrictions on travel to the country. Video Watch efforts in Mexico to prevent spread of the virus »
In Israel, doctors are running tests on a man who recently returned from Mexico with light flu symptoms.
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.
The panic over the virus prompted Canada to issue a travel health notice, saying the public health agency was "tracking clusters of severe respiratory illness with deaths in Mexico."
South Korea said it will test airline passengers arriving from the United States. Japan will convene a Cabinet meeting Monday to develop measures to block entry of the virus into the country.
The United States has not issued any travel warnings or quarantines.
But US Airways said Saturday it would allow passengers to change plans if they wanted to because of the outbreak.
Airline spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said it was not asking people not to travel to Mexico, but wanted to "give them that flexibility" if "they don't feel comfortable."
Gregory Hartl of the World Health Organization said the strain of the virus seen in Mexico is worrisome because it has mutated from older strains.
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"Any time that there is a virus which changes ... it means perhaps the immunities the human body has built up to deal with influenza might not be adjusted well enough to deal with this new virus," Hartl said.
Mexico City has closed all of its schools and universities until further notice because of the virus.
A couple kisses through their masks at the Historic Center in Mexico City on Saturday.
A couple kisses through their masks at the Historic Center in Mexico City on Saturday.
That's the advice of the Mexican government as more and more people die of swine flu, which has turned into a "public health emergency of international concern," according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO advised all countries to be on the lookout for "unusual" outbreaks of flu, following an emergency meeting Saturday as the seriousness of the outbreak became clear.
By Sunday, 81 deaths had been deemed "likely linked" to a deadly new strain of the virus by health authorities in Mexico. Viral testing has confirmed 20 cases, said Dr. Jose A. Cordova Villalobos, Mexico's health secretary.
In Mexico City, the massive downtown Cathedral of Mexico City was open but Masses were not scheduled. Dozens of worshippers put on masks and went inside the church anyway to pray on their own.
The H1N1 strain of swine flu is usually associated with pigs. When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it a tougher strain that is harder to treat or fight off.
Symptoms of swine flu include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. Learn more about swine flu and how to treat it »
In the United States, the number of confirmed swine flu cases stood at 11. President Obama recently returned from a trip to Mexico, but has not shown any signs of flu-like symptoms, the White House said.
But in New Zealand, officials said 22 students and three teachers back from a three-week-long language trip to Mexico may have been infected with the swine flu virus.
The 25 students and teachers at Auckland's Rangitoto College returned to New Zealand via Los Angeles on Saturday.
Fourteen have shown flu-like symptoms, with four "more unwell than others," said Dr. Julia Peters, clinical director of Auckland Regional Public Health Service. It is not clear whether anyone else who was on the plane with them has shown signs of the disease.
Health Minister Tony Ryall said 10 students tested positive for influenza A. The specimens will be sent to WHO to determine whether it is H1N1 swine influenza.
H1N1 influenza is a subset of influenza A. The WHO results are expected back by midweek. The group remains quarantined at home. Video Watch how public health officials grade phases of pandemic alerts »
"It certainly has not been confirmed that they have swine flu," said Dr. Craig Thornley of Auckland Regional Public Health Service. "We already have provisional information that some of the group have influenza A. We won't know if they have the type of influenza A that is swine flu."
A British Airways crew member developed flu-like symptoms during a flight from Mexico City to London and was tested for swine flu, but the results came back negative. Video Watch CBC report on Canadian microbiologists' concerns »
Don't Miss
* Family quarantined after son contracts swine flu
* CDC: Swine flu viruses in U.S., Mexico match
* CDC confirms 7 cases of swine flu in humans
"I can confirm that the patient doesn't have swine flu," said Jonathan Street, a spokesman for Northwick Park Hospital in north London. "We have done all tests, and they all came back negative."
The flight attendant is back at work, British Airways told CNN.
Britain is not putting travel restrictions in place, according to British Airways and Heathrow airport operator BAA, and the country's Port Health Authority has no reason for concern over swine flu, BAA said.
The Mexico Tourist Board said Saturday there are no restrictions on travel to the country. Video Watch efforts in Mexico to prevent spread of the virus »
In Israel, doctors are running tests on a man who recently returned from Mexico with light flu symptoms.
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.
The panic over the virus prompted Canada to issue a travel health notice, saying the public health agency was "tracking clusters of severe respiratory illness with deaths in Mexico."
South Korea said it will test airline passengers arriving from the United States. Japan will convene a Cabinet meeting Monday to develop measures to block entry of the virus into the country.
The United States has not issued any travel warnings or quarantines.
But US Airways said Saturday it would allow passengers to change plans if they wanted to because of the outbreak.
Airline spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said it was not asking people not to travel to Mexico, but wanted to "give them that flexibility" if "they don't feel comfortable."
Gregory Hartl of the World Health Organization said the strain of the virus seen in Mexico is worrisome because it has mutated from older strains.
advertisement
"Any time that there is a virus which changes ... it means perhaps the immunities the human body has built up to deal with influenza might not be adjusted well enough to deal with this new virus," Hartl said.
Mexico City has closed all of its schools and universities until further notice because of the virus.
In college I read a lot about the 1918 flu that spread across the globe during the waning months, and right after WWI. It killed between 40 and 60 million people across the world, and this strain of flu is the same type, H1N1.
Not saying we are in for a worldwide pandemic, I read one account that said this was very treatable if caught early enough, but it also depends on how many people are sick at once. Part of the problem with the 1918 flu was there were so many people getting sick at once that it was overwhelming the hospitals and people could not get the help they needed, so they would die in the streets.
We have come a long way medically since 1918, but this kind of thing is still scary. I don't know if they have the a vaccination for it yet, but from what I have read, if they don't, a vaccination to be distributed in any meaningful quantity could take 6 months to a year to create.
The scary thing about this is that it kills healthy people in the prime of their lives, generally 20-40, which means pretty much everyone on this board would be vulnerable should they be exposed to it. I don't want to sound like a doomsayer, but I hope people take this seriously. Mexico City seems to be on the verge of shutting down, and that is probably a good thing.