Fear of pandemic as killer flu strain spreads!!

errr yea, im kinda concerned with this whole swine flu thing.
kinda scary considering how it rapidly spread in just couple of days.
i guess new york state currently has the highest # of confirmed cases so
i don't feel that secure at the moment.
hopefully it would stop spreading.

 

I think everyone--especially the media--is blowing this way out of proportion. It is scary, yes, we should be concerned, but not the panic that has happened. I think I saw the most useful thing about this on yahoo the other day when a FAQ appeared about it.

I don't know. It's not worth getting all scared about it. If it happens, it happens, and that's about it.

 

I agee. The media blows everything up to make you think that the world is coming to an end. Nevertheless, according to this evening's news new cases have broken out in Delaware and that's over here by me. I'm not worried though.

 

oh, good god, 20 people in the US have been infected, and THEY ARE FINE!
it's not a big deal. seriously.

 

eh, i've heard this flu has just about the same strength and symptoms as any normal flu. people die of the normal flu too but most dont, and we dont panic about it.

and since when are a few isolated incidents a pandemic?

 

It creeped me out in the beginning, but now I don't really give a shit about it lol.
And the government changed its name from swine flu to 2009 N1H1 virus or something like that...

 

Paco, nobody have said it's a pandemic disease, it CAN become one.

manoversomething, that's it's actual name, swine flu is it's common name to society.

 

me too...i work in biotech, and immunology is one of our specialties...we arent freaking ou yet, but then again the US has really good healthcare, hence no deaths yet...its poorer countries that dont get the help, and the highly populated areas are most at risk, which saddens me. but it will all blow over

 

all this flu hysteria... if you got flu just have a cup of tea and curl up in a blanket. no need to panic

 

just announced swine flu death in usa

 

And yet, more people die from more common illnesses every year.

It was a little boy. Kids immune systems are not as well as able bodied people (Didnt know how to phrase that). Kids can die from the common cold, if their immune system isn't built up enough yet -.-

When it kills someone in their 20s, then it can be worry worthy. No offense, and not to sound like I don't care and I'm heartless, or whatnot, but a little kid died to an illness. That happens everyday.

 

A 23 month old toddler from Texas.

I think we have to be aware of it and just use common sense. Wash your hands, cover you mouth when you cough and if you are sick stay home.

 

oh yeah, i got that, it just doesnt seem like its running extremely close to becoming a pandemic, at least from my point of view.

 

well i think weve 5 cases in uk now :S seems every western country has reported a case wonder how long it will be till they do i dunno.

best thing ive heard is the scientists who are researching this and believe with morefunding can take part of the actual infection to make a vacine to cancel it out. its logical thinking as its how most anti-venoms and poisons are made useing the thing itself.

 

Pandemic alert has been raised to Level 5 out of 6 bye the WHO.

 

^ i think that may be a bit dramatic lol

 

^ Why?

I'm just guessing you know a lot about this stuff.

 

I'm not worried about it really. I mean, it's a flu - people are blowing it way out of proportion because a little boy (whose immune system is still developing) died.
It's probably so bad in Mexico because it's technically a 3rd world country, with little health care.
Little kids and older people die of tons of diseases that don't kill other people, people are making it seem way worse than it is.
Just wash your hands and take vitamins.

 

I'm not scared.
However, I threw up a couple times yesterday, have chest pains, headaches, and a mild sore throat on and off.
Maybe I should be scared.

 

It is the flu. It has been around for always, and most likely will continue to exist forever. We can call it what we want. Some years may be more intense than others. If healthcare, hygiene, and living conditions are poor then the normal influenza can become a pandemic. It has happened before in history, so it may certainly happen again at some point.

Everything I see in the media points to money. Scare tactics = ratings = ad revenue = profit! I've seen it called the "mutant" swine flu. You think? Virii are constantly mutating, that is why we constantly have new strains of the virus. This isn't a mutant pig we are discussing. But the word "mutant" draws headlines and money, so let's throw that in there.

The flu can and will kill. It can be serious, and if you are prone to risk, the best advice is to take every precaution available. I am not trying to make light of health or generally safe practice. But the current treatment of a regular phenomenon is bordering on satirical.

So no vaccine exists for this strain? Each year they calculate, given the current understanding, what the most likely strains will be and vaccinate against those. They are often incorrect. Even if you are vaccinated in a given year, if the guesses were incorrect you will still get the flu. Even if they were correct, you can still get the flu depending on the circumstances. The vaccine does not eliminate the flu, it is just a statistical measure to reduce the severity and spread of the virus. Since the virus constantly mutates, and the mutation cannot be known beforehand, the effectiveness of the vaccination is always questionable. The standard advice is that if you are in a known high-risk category, by all certainty GET THE VACCINE. It can only help.

That said, getting the flu is not a death sentence. Usually it is only a mild illness. Once recovered, an individual has developed the antibodies to be 'immune' to the virus (the particular strain).