Swine Flu outbreak the government is not closing the borders

collegemom16 · 04-24-2009, 07:57 PM

80+ dead

over 1000 infected, it's in Ontario, Texas, California and Mexico.

'Reuters: World Health Organization says 12 out of 18 swine flu samples from Mexico are identical to those in California.'

Quote:

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Friday it was calling an emergency committee to advise whether outbreaks of swine flu in humans in the United States and Mexico constituted an international public health threat.

A deadly strain of swine flu never seen before has broken out in Mexico, killing as many as 60 people and raising fears of a possible spread across North America.

"WHO will convene, sometime in the very near future, an emergency committee under the International Health Regulations, which will consider whether or not this event constitutes a public health event of international concern," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told Reuters in Geneva.

WHO calls emergency meeting on swine flu | Science & Health | Reuters

Quote:

CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser told reporters in a telephone briefing it was likely too late to try to contain the outbreak, by vaccinating, treating or isolating people.

"There are things that we see that suggest that containment is not very likely," he said.

He said the U.S. cases and Mexican cases are likely the same virus. "So far the genetic elements that we have looked at are the same." But Besser said it was unclear why the virus was causing so many deaths in deaths in Mexico and such mild disease in the United States.

Reuters AlertNet - CDC says too late to contain U.S. flu outbreak

ldmom06 · 04-24-2009, 08:27 PM

Coincidentally, I'm in the middle of The Great Influenza by John Barry. GREAT book...very detailed account of the flu pandemic of 1918-1920. btw....almost as scary as the disease that killed millions during WWI, is the fascism of the Woodrow Wilson Administration. Just that discussion is pretty jaw-dropping.

At it's peak, this flu virus "killed more people in a year than the Black Death killed in a century..." more people in 24 weeks than AIDS has killed in 24 years". One thing that is disturbing is some of the similar warning signs...never before seen mutations and deaths of young, strong people well outside the usual flu high risk demographic. In the 1918 pandemic, they estimate, worldwide, 100 million people died including 10% of all young adults. It originated in Haskell County, Kansas and traveled the world via troops fighting in the war. Can you imagine, in this age of air travel, a similarly virulent strain emerging??

momfromme · 04-24-2009, 08:29 PM

The underfunding of preparations for a flu pandemic hopefully will not be coming home to roost.
Avian Flu Not a Priority for Bush Administration, Says DeLauro

Anarchy Bunny · 04-24-2009, 08:35 PM

Is swine flu related to avian flu? I mean, all flus not being created equal and all, this seems a fair point to make.

ldmom06 · 04-24-2009, 08:37 PM

momfromme - you are gonna hate President Bush until the day you kick, aren't you? It's going to be a part of your every thought, every moment of your waking hours.... and when you sleep, you are going to dream of ways to make him pay, aren't you.

It's okay. I think I already feel that way about Obama.

momfromme · 04-24-2009, 08:37 PM

Good point, AB, but a lot of the preparations involved buttressing the public health service, testing, and emergency care, so would apply to varied sorts of flu which could become pandemic.

momfromme · 04-24-2009, 08:38 PM

ldmom - I don't hate Bush. But I was concerned about public health services under his administration, as were many people.

ldmom06 · 04-24-2009, 08:39 PM

This particular flu is a scary one anarchy...my understanding is it's a swine flu with some components of human and bird viruses not seen before. I would think decisions made to direct funds to the previously mentioned avian flu outbreak would be independent of this particular flu.

ldmom06 · 04-24-2009, 08:40 PM

noooo...you haaate him momfromme. Go ahead and admit it. I mean, three posts into a thread about something else and you have to bring him up. You either hate him or you loooove him.

btw...I believe that article was about directing funds to the development of a vaccine for an outbreak, which did not occur in the US, back in 2005. Even layman know that vaccines are constantly reformulated because flu is a RNA virus that is constantly changing and mutating. (According to my book, RNA viruses mutate 10,000 to 1 million times faster than any DNA virus.) Another RNA virus is HIV and both mutate so fast that drug resistant strains can emerge within days. Scary. In fact, that is why the virulent strains are of such concern.

momfromme · 04-24-2009, 08:41 PM

One thing I don't do is use a lot of extra vowels. :}

ldmom06 · 04-24-2009, 08:49 PM

I looooove vowels.

momfromme · 04-24-2009, 08:51 PM

I tend to love commas. My teenage daughter read something I wrote and punnily said that I am a commanist. :}

pugmadkate · 04-24-2009, 08:55 PM

Please do not close the borders on Texas. Gov. Haircut already has people thinking we want to secede. Closing the borders could lead to some serious misunderstandings.

I want to be an American! Most of us here in Texas do! I promise.

ldmom06 · 04-24-2009, 08:55 PM

lol momfromme.

hey....I just learned the Texas cases are in SATX. I just assumed border, but that makes sense. A lot of air travel/commuting between Mexico City and San Antonio where many wealthy Mexicans bank.

ldmom06 · 04-24-2009, 08:56 PM

crossposted with pugmadkate - looks like the Texas cases are already in the interior of the state. I was hoping border because of the smaller airports/less air travel.