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Swine Flu in Mexico reaching Pandemic level?

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
This is starting to look very serious.

Swine Flu Emergency Caused By New Variant of Old Bug

"The virus has already evaded the first line of defense that health officials had hoped to use against a pandemic. International flu experts preparing for a pandemic had planned to contain the initial outbreak of a new, lethal strain of flu. The swine flu virus has already spread so far in Mexico and the U.S. that the containment strategy is out of the question, said Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for science and public health programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Atlanta-based U.S. agency.

“We don’t think we can contain the spread of this virus,” she said yesterday in a conference call with reporters. "

Hong Kong's reaction.

"Dr. York Chow, Hong Kong’s secretary for health and food, asked residents to watch the news for reports of which states in the United States have outbreaks and discouraged travel to these states, but reserved his strongest warning for travel to Mexico. “Do not travel to Mexico unless it is absolutely necessary,” he said."
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Folks should really read the link John posted but I did grab a excerpt from it

Health officials in the U.S. are asking both doctors and patients to be on the lookout for suspicious cases of flu. The lung virus normally causes symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, and can also bring on muscle and joint aches, headaches, and even diarrhea and vomiting, according to the CDC.

At a time when scientists can tailor drugs to match a patient’s genetic profile and people live longer than ever, the flu, first described by Hippocrates 2,400 years ago, still has the power to make millions bed-bound for a week and kill the very young, the elderly and those weakened by chronic disease.

The CDC estimates the germ is linked to more than 30,000 U.S. deaths annually.

In most cases, adults can resist succumbing to flu viruses that are identical or very similar to those they’ve been exposed to before. “New” viruses that the human immune system hasn’t seen earlier are the most dangerous, because they can overwhelm the body’s defenses.
 
O

Oxide Blu

Guest
... the flu, first described by Hippocrates 2,400 years ago, still has the power to make millions bed-bound for a week and kill the very young, the elderly and those weakened by chronic disease.

That is not this flu. This is an N1H1 swine flu with Type A symptoms. It really is no big deal -- yet. Those greatest at risk are young adults with healthy immune systems, the opposite if what we normally consider most likely to be flu vicitims. This flu causes a disproportional immune response leading to the victim's immune system attacking their own body's tissue (organs). It is not the virus that kills; it is the person's own immune system that kills them. That is why this flu has everyone's attention. This critter is amazingly similar to the N1H1 swine flu of 1918 (Spanish flu) that killed around 40-million people and caused an early end to WWI due to troop deaths from the flu. It worked the exact same way.

The 1918 Spanish flu was 2 waves - first wave is just like this swine flu, mild symptoms, a few people die, most people don't, who cares. Then the virus mutates from a 'swine' virus into a more 'people friendly' virus and comes back on a second wave that kills millions of people.

This current N1H1 swine flu is on its first wave. All it needs is one little, simple, common mutation to make it people friendly, and we will be in one hell of a lot of trouble when it comes back. The more people it infects now, the greater the opportunity for that mutation to happen.



ETA: This flu is now in New Zealand, too.
 

gero

New member
There is a cure for it; as of yesterday 80 people had died of it but it was because when a healthy joung person has a flue he or she usually just hangs on untill it pases. Now that there is noice, peole won't wait to go to the doctor.

School has been cancelled for obout 6 States in Mexico so far so most people are now awhare of it.
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...

waynelake

Member
In NZ:
22 students + 3 teachers went to Mexico.
10 have Influenza A, waiting upon swine tests from Melbourne Australia.
The virus is a new strain that can spread between birds/people/swine...
People being given "Tamiflu" to help lessen symptoms/effects.
NZ officials saying Tamiflu will be used + quarantine people...
 

Terry

New member
I am sooooo looking forward to flying to SF tonight, round trip to Seattle tomorrow and LA on Friday. NOT!
 

Georg Baumann

Subscriber Member
Personally, I would not travel at level 4 Terry.

Looks like it is getting more serious. WHO raised Alert Level from 3-4, meaning sustained human to human transmission is happening. Level 5 is pandemic.

Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.
Sitting for hours in an essentially closed system, breathing the air of your fellow travelers, and who the Hell knows where they just transfered from, would not be a good idea in my opinion.
 

Dale Allyn

New member
I flew to and throughout southeast Asia during the SARS outbreak and felt quite comfortable (on the often nearly empty planes) – even flying with people hacking and wheezing nearby. It's important to be careful, but in most cases it's not necessary to over-think it IMO.

BTW Terry, you may like to keep the air vent streaming cool air on you during your flight. I can't speak to the design of all commercial aircraft, but I was told by a Boeing engineer that the air that comes from the overhead vents (that the passenger controls) is mixed with more outside air, as opposed to the air which is simply recirculated (through the filters) and uses different mix ratios. The pilot controls the mix of cabin air as a means of controlling fuel economy, but I was told that the vents give us more fresh air in the mix. I've heard this a few times while flying with aircraft guys, but can't vouch for the validity. Still, I keep mine open and haven't had so much as a cold in over five years. I fly trans-Pacific regularly and have for over 20 years.
 
O

Oxide Blu

Guest
BTW Terry, you may like to keep the air vent streaming cool air on you during your flight.
Umm, Dale -- they quit putting those on airplanes I don't know how many years ago.

The planes you fly on, do they make you help wind-up the big rubber band before you get on? :D
 
O

Oxide Blu

Guest
BBC has very interesting comments from inside Mexico.

Yeah, well ... maybe take that with a grain of salt, if the BBC is reporting it.

If it is bona-fide, it will be available or verifiable from other news outlet sources.
 

Dale Allyn

New member
Umm, Dale -- they quit putting those on airplanes I don't know how many years ago.

The planes you fly on, do they make you help wind-up the big rubber band before you get on? :D
I don't know how you travel, but I flew to Asia last month and will again in six weeks. Last month's trip again included a leg with an aircraft engineer seated next to me who repeated the remarks I made above. In fact, he was cold, added a blanket, and opened the vent. It seems to be "common knowledge" among the most frequent business travelers on these long flights, though that doesn't make it "fact".

So... not sure how you're flying, but I'm just sharing my experiences. Maybe you have more useful info, and I'll gladly absorb it. But until I have new and accurate info conflicting this, I'll open my vents above seats 7-B or 7-C, 8-B or 8-C (lower deck), or all of row 15 (upper deck) on United's 747-400 (biz class); or seat 9-B on the 777 (also biz class cabin). All of these seats have the vents I mention, as does the rest of the entire section. Same goes for UA's regional jets with single-class service.

Happy travels. ;)
 
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Terry

New member
Thanks,
I'm a very regular flyer and adjust the air vents whenever possible. Just got into SF time for an airborne dose and off to bed before leaving for rainy Seattle at 0 dark hundred.
 

cam

Active member
Dale -- thanks for the tip! it's very much appreciated!!!

i usually keep those vents closed as they tend to dry out my eyes -- contact lens wearer who takes them off for most of the flight and i find my "naked" eyes are very delicate. but knowing that a greater mix of fresh air is in those vents, will help tremendously with my claustrophobia so i'm all there!

Terry -- if you're in LaLaLand sometime in May (between the 7th-31st), give a holler! if i'm not stuck in jury duty, it would be lovely to see you :D
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
I commute to work (2500 mile commute), flew some 80 times last year, all on Boeing 737-800's, the latest version of the plane, they all had air vents thank G-d. I get very hot on flights.
 
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