General Chat

Friends just back from Mexico with flu symptoms. They are isolated for a week.
Mexico is a popular vacation destination for us here on the west coast.

Mexico is "the" place for couples here to get married. My best friends son is to be married there in November, I hope it all over with by then.

I went to the doctors yesterday. On the door to the practice was a notice that read "STOP! If you have travelled to Mexico and have flu like symptoms do not enter. Please call us for more instructions."

I have heard that it is not offically to be called "Swine Flu". The new name for the virus is " H1N1 virus".

There was a doctor on the news last night, Daniel Kalla, a Vancouver emergency room physician who is also an author. He has written several books. One is called "Pandemic". What I didn't know was that up until LAST YEAR, no one knew what the 1918 flu virus was. They discovered the virus by digging up corpses in permafrost.

Also quite interesting:
"In each of the four major pandemics since 1889, a spring wave of relatively mild illness was followed by a second wave, a few months later, of a much more virulent disease. This was true in 1889, 1957, 1968 and in the catastrophic flu outbreak of 1918, which sickened an estimated third of the world's population and killed, conservatively, 50 million people.

Lone Simonson, an epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health, who has studied the course of prior pandemics in both the United States and her native Denmark, says, "The good news from past pandemics, in several experiences, is that the majority of deaths have happened not in the first wave, but later." Based on this, Simonson suggests there may be time to develop an effective vaccine before a second, more virulent strain, begins to circulate.

I am not a "worry wart" kind of person, but this is too close to home to ignore.

Stay well.

Deb

The WHO has now raised the alert to a level 5. Six being the highest.

More cases reported in BC.

CNN's coverage:


http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/29/swine.flu/index.html

Most airlines and travel operators are allowing customers to book alternative holidays at no penalty.

Deb

the strange thing (but good thing) is that it seems that people outside Mexico who have the swine flu appear to have it in a milder form than those in mexico. I did see on TV that, although the death toll seems high, the percentage of those who have died out of those who have had it could be a lot lower as a lot of people are thought to have had it before it began to be reported. (In Mexico). The vulnerable age group seems t be 20 - 50. But when they report the deaths they don't say if those people had any other illnesses, (asthma etc) to make them more vulnerable. It is easy to get scared about it but, other than take good hygiene precautions and staying away from danger areas (not difficult now that flights to Mexico are cancelled, sorry about peoples holidays but I can't believe that people were still prepared to go), there is not a lot we can do.

Ann
Glos

Thanks Purple - I have read it. Keep safe everyone
Julia in Derbyshire

nudging for Julia to see.

Lizx

The latest:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/27/swine.flu/index.html

The situation is going from bad to worse for Mexico.
I heard on the radio that they had an earthquake today (5.2)

WHO has upped the "danger level" to a 4. Highest rating is a 6.

More cases confirmed, including two here in BC.

Deb

Symptoms of Flu Virus doing the rounds this winter in UK:

* High Fever
* Headache
* Sore throat
* Dry cough
* Extreme tiredness
* Muscle aches
* Stuffy or runny nose
* Nausea
* Loss of appetite
* Stomach symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea (both adult & children)
.......
Anyone else see a similarity?

How do we know the difference?

It is worrying. Saw this on the BBC website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/8018428.stm

including this:

I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.
Yeny Gregorio Dávila, Mexico City

The scare tactics the news agencys employ saying it could be as bad as the outbreak of 1917, do they not realise medicines moved on a bit since then. I appreciate technology means these virus can spread around the world faster, but it also means we can protect ourself's and isolate actual cases quickly limitiing its spread.

Lets hope its not as bad as they are saying.

I was in Australia when SARS was on the go. We had a stop over in Singapore.It wasnt nice staying there, as were a few going around with masks on etc. I was desperate to get home.
While on the bus a man started to cough....I got up and changed seats lol.

Marion

Well I am not going out until it has disappeared


* checks Liz's list of symtoms*......too late!....I think I already have it!

Swine flu pandemic in Mexico and New York…here’s everything you need to know about the Pig Virus, Symptoms and Precautions.
Posted by: Sij on: April 25, 2009


The recent outbreak of the Swine flu in Mexico and U.S. has had a few alarm bells ringing with Anne Schuchat, Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, stating that the American cases were found to be made up of genetic fragments from four different flu viruses and viruses with this genetic makeup had not previously been found to be circulating in humans or pigs. Reuters reported that the total number of Swine flu cases in U.S. has totaled to 8 whereas the same pandemic has claimed as many as 60 lives in Mexico. CDC has stated that they presently do not have enough info to fully assess the health threat poised by this new and unusual strain of H1N1 Swine flu.

While everyone is looking to find what they can to be prepared for the Swine flu pandemic, I’ve found a few things that would help you know more about Swine flu.

Swine Flu: Symptoms and Conditions

Swine flu is different from the common cold in a few ways and it usually comes on suddenly, causing mild to severe illness and sometimes resulting in death. Swine flu symptoms are listed below:
* High Fever
* Headache
* Sore throat
* Dry cough
* Extreme tiredness
* Muscle aches
* Stuffy or runny nose
* Nausea
* Loss of appetite
* Stomach symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea (both adult & children)

Precautions for Swine flu

* You can not get Swine flu from eating pork or pork products as the virus can not be transmitted by food. Any pork heated to 160°F while cooking is safe to be consumed.

* Human infection with Swine flu viruses are most likely when people either come in close proximity to infected pigs, such as livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs or in pig barns. This can be further transferred human to human through sneezing or coughing of an infected person, much like common flu.

* CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment or prevention of Swine flu infection. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

* People with Swine flu virus infection should be considered potentially contagious up to 7 days from the onset of the illness. Children, especially younger children, might remain contagious for longer periods.

* As there is no vaccine available right now to protect against Swine flu, readers are urged to follow these everyday steps to protect themselves:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.



Deb, I am sure I heard something earlier on the tv news that said there were some children who were unwell but now were ok and it seemed to be a different type of virus but I might have got muddled.

Lizx

Sorry, had to nip to the store.
The first item on the news was about the WHO and their alert.
The case in Canada I mentioned has not been confirmed as a form of this particular flu.
Canada has issued a travel advisory for Mexico where a lot of Canadians vacation.

Yes Kaz, they are saying that it is a mutated swine flu, and is being passed form human to human.

Hi Liz. Are you saying that the children had the symptoms? Were they in Mexico.
I agree 100% regarding the hand washing, but who know's maybe this thing is airborn?

Deb

Hi Deb, I was a bit concerned as o.h.'s youngest son is living in N.Y. now with a girl and her two little school age daughters but it seems the children who were unwell are ok, and they are not sure if this is the same illness as in Mexico.

I think we all have to be sensible and take the precautions of washing our hands often and not getting into crowded places where the germs can travel more easily, when possible.

Hope everyone stays well

Lizx

Hi

I saw this on the news and yes it is worrying. They said that Bird flu was only contracted by humans in contact with poultry that had the virus. This Swine flu is being passed person to person so very different.

Hope it is not as bad as the media are making out however the people who have died are quite young (under 45) so I believe. So not the usual 'vunerable' groups!

Kaz

Yep I remember the bird flu scare, as you say it never developed.

Listening to the news, they said this could be another outbreak like 1917, but then again they said that about the bird flu.

Deb

dont think I will lose too much sleep Deb,after all bird flu was supposed to get us a wee while back.
Funnily enough they are talking about tamiflu being effective that drug company made billions with the last scare and it looks like they are set to make billions again

CNN has coverage:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/25/swine.flu/index.html

It was first talked about on Thursday, and it seems that it is spreading. A couple of new cases today in the States and Canada.
The World Health Organisation has called the outbreak "a public health emergency of international concern."

Deb