<p>^Bacon won’t give you swine flu, just heart disease. You’re good to go.</p>
<p>Mousebreak, the last two epidemics of influenza in the U.S. were in 1957 and 1968, although neither began to approach the severity of the 1918 pandemic. In short, we are overdue.</p>
<p>Helenback - we had never experienced a flu like that until what D2 had recently (my post #19). It was SCARY. No diarrhea, but one night she had fever and severe coughing fits, followed by vomiting and a heavy-duty bloody nose. Came THIS close to bringing her to the hospital – seemed like the Black Death or something. All I could do was give her the occasional advil and wait it out.</p>
<p>Regrettably, when you come right down to it, we haven’t any more tools to fight this with than they did in 1918. Anti-virals have to be taken within a very narrow window (24 - 48 hours) and aren’t always effective against all strains, antibiotics don’t work against viruses (though it may be helpful with secondary infections i.e. lung infections caused by the flu), and vaccines take 6 months to create, replicate, and get to the population. About all we can do is wash our hands, stay aware of our state of health, and treat symptoms. Our best weapon is communication. In 1918, it might have taken several weeks for word of a pandemic to reach everyone. Thanks to modern communication, we all know what is out there. </p>
<p>Let’s be cautious but not crazy.</p>
<p>Are you still in Texas, aibarr?? Living in Texas AND eating bacon-- you are living dangerously! :D</p>
<p>Novelisto - I do think what we have now that we didn’t have back then, are better sanitation and hygiene practices. Yes, we have instant news on the internet so that we are hearing about this now and will be constantly fed tips on how to avoid it. But we have diagnostic testing that didn’t exist then, which may help allay and/or treat some of the secondary complications. </p>
<p>I work in health care, and we always get emails when some sort of community health-related issue arises that we need to know about (even the peanut butter scare!), but we’ve yet to get anything on this. Now, I realize it is the weekend, and my bet is that something will be sent out no later than the middle of this next week. I tend to take my cues from the alerts that my agency feels is significant enough to send us. We work with a very vulnerable population, and if there are cautions to be taken (aside from the standard precautions and universal precautions that we already take), we will know about it soon.</p>
<p>I do question the projections of the U.S. having consequences similar to Mexico, and I don’t think it’s a fair comparison. Under-developed countries will always have higher mortality risks from such outbreaks. Many of these people have poor health to begin with, are distrustful of modern medicine (thus avoiding doctors), and don’t have access to decent medical care. Particularly in Mexico, the peasants are much more comfortable with curanderos, which may delay diagnosis and more effective treatment. </p>
<p>It’s still early in this whole pandemic, and I think we are wise to educate ourselves and keep informed, but jumping into mass chaos will do no good at this point.</p>
<p>Yikes. How did people die in a single day from the flu in 1918? If it was their lungs filling up with fluid, couldn’t today’s technology prevent that, with ventilators and so forth?</p>
<p>S is finished with soph. year in three weeks…can’t wait for him to be home.</p>
<p>It does appear that this flu responds to Tamiflu & its competitor, which is a good thing. It’s important not to over-react. This flu currently sounds a LOT less deadlyl than the SARS scare a while back.</p>
<p>I have used Tamiflu twice for two flus I had started years ago & was fortunately able to nip both infections in the bud. My doc requires that I bring it when I travel, “just in case,” since I have a severe chronic respiratory condition.</p>
<p>" My friend went to Mexico for spring break and I’d like to know whether I can let her in my house or not. "</p>
<p>The incubation period is 24-48 hours.</p>
<p>Tamiflu is great…if you can get it in time (within 24 hrs of feeling ill is the best window). But considering how long it takes to get a doctor’s appt (and the wait times will go up as more people feel sick), your best bet is just not to catch it in the first place. As for ‘better hygiene’, studies show that at least 25% of doctors in hospitals don’t wash their hands as often as they should, if at all, and even more of them don’t wash long enough to do any good. (I’ll post links if anybody wants them but two minutes of googling will give you what I can get.)</p>
<p>Helimom – The problem in 1918 was (they think…studies still go on) that the body attacked the ‘bug’ so violently that the defenses wound up being a bigger issue than the disease. Ventilators and such might help but there aren’t enough of them if hundreds of people all became ill at the same time. That’s the problem with a pandemic. Hospitals would be overflowing, staff would get sick, making the problems worse. At least in 1918, doctors made house calls. </p>
<p>I’m no alarmist but I worry that people will think ‘ah, modern techniques and medicines will save me’ when safe practices are still your best bet. A major pandemic is overdue. Practice good hygiene, stay away from infected people even if it hurts their feelings, avoid crowded venues, keep your hands away from your face. If you have a business, encourage ill workers to stay home. Tell your spouse or child that the world won’t fall apart if they can’t make it to work or school. Monitor your health carefully but sensibly. Take your vitamins. </p>
<p>Be well.</p>
<p>Symptoms:
1-Vomiting
2-Diarrhea
3-Fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.</p>
<p>What is swine flu?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.</p>
<p>Is this swine flu virus contagious?
CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it not known how easily the virus spreads between people.</p>
<p>For more questions and answers see: [CDC</a> - Influenza (Flu) | Swine Flu and You](<a href=“http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm]CDC”>http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm)</p>
<p>Calm Down!</p>
<p>Flu happens. It happens all the time. Sometime large, sometimes small, sometimes people die. It’s part of life.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, our enhanced communications that turns ever flue outbreak not a “chicken little” panic. Chill.</p>
<p>Vomiting and diarrhea are not the primary symptoms of Influenza.<br>
Influenza is primarily a respirtory disease, it is not a GI disease.
[CDC</a> - Influenza (Flu) | Key Facts about Swine Influenza (Swine Flu)](<a href=“http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm]CDC”>http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm)
while nausea and vomiting can occur with influenza - this is also the case for pneumonia and other repsiratory diseases.</p>
<p>IMO - any one with the hallmark symptoms of fever and overall achyness, should see a doctor. The anti-virals for Influenza work most effectively if they are taken early in the onset of the disease.</p>
<p>toadstool is right - no need to panic. Just practice common sense. If you have a respiratory condition be especially cautious.</p>
<p>What has the “experts” most alarmed:
is the number of young people who got very ill, very quickly in Mexico, where most people who become very ill are older and/or already immune compromised.
the current vaccine is not effective for this strain
it is a combination of human/swine flu that has not been seen before.</p>
<p>IMO - this is a make it or break it week… be prudently cautious.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I am soooo livin’ on the edge. =)</p>
<p>“Disagree.
It means tons. It means people are not developing cripling disease like they were a few years back when SARS was attacking. It buys us time to learn more about the virus before it mutates.
We can’t really compare todays outbreaks to the spanish flu. In those days people did not have access to antibiotics and were dying of pneumonia.”</p>
<p>Those people were not dying of bacterial pneumonia for the most part. They were victims of a cytokine storm, meaning their strong immune systems sent cells and fluids to the lungs in a futile attempt to fight the viral infection. Those people ended up drowing in their own fluids.</p>
<p>It’s not a given that ventilators can help someone whose lungs are completely filled with fluid. In fact, they probably would not be very effective at all.</p>
<p>Today, hopefully our antivirals and anti-inflammatory medicines might be very helpful. </p>
<p>I read a book about the 1918 flu pandemic. That was a really nasty, virulent virus. Horrible.</p>
<p>“The Great Influenza” was fascinating.</p>
<p>
yes - so bascially their young and strong immune system did them in and did them in quickly.
That is in start contrast to most of the influenza deaths that occur in recent history do so because of secondary infections and weakened immune systems.</p>
<p>Viruses typically weaken as they are passed from host to host. What remains to be seen is if this one will burn out too. It could very well weaken before as it moves out of Mexico City.</p>
<p>World animal health body says swine flu wrong name
Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:47pm BST</p>
<p>PARIS, April 27 (Reuters) - The flu virus spreading around the world should not be called “swine flu” as it also contains avian and human components and no pig was found ill with the disease so far, the World Animal Health body said on Monday.</p>
<p>A more logical name for it would be “North-American influenza”, a name based on its geographic origin just like the Spanish influenza, another human flu pandemic with animal origin that killed more than 50 million people in 1918-1919.</p>
<p>“The virus has not been isolated in animals to date. Therefore it is not justified to name this disease swine influenza,” the Paris-based organisation said in a statement.</p>
<p>If you read ‘The Great Influenza’ and other books on the subject, you’ll find that it’s only called Spanish Influenza because, at the time, Spain was neutral in the war. Therefore, they were not censoring their press. When people died there, the press reported it so people thought originated there. But it had begun in Kansas at a military base (Ft. Dix?) and had already spread to England, France and Germany before it ever hit Spain. It simply wasn’t reported for reasons of security. </p>
<p>I’ll be interested to see if internal parasites might have something to do with the greater death count in Mexico. I read an article not too long ago in Science News about intestinal parasites lessening the effectiveness of certain medications.</p>
<p>To the person who added “a misnomer” tag to this thread - shame on you. It is better to be safe and informed than bury your head in the sand and be sorry later. This thread was started to inform others of the potential problem without causing panic.</p>
<p>[Health</a> | US declares public health emergency for swine flu | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009125338_apusswinefluemergency.html]Health”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009125338_apusswinefluemergency.html)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[Health</a> | 40 swine flu cases in US; agents checking borders | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009095323_apmedswineflu.html]Health”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009095323_apmedswineflu.html)</p>
<p>I’m really hoping that this will not become a full-blown problem.</p>
<p>My two teenage sons are supposed to travel to Mexico on June 9th for a mission trip (staying at an orphanage in Los Cabo). I called their doctor and he advised against any travel to Mexico at this time. I know we are still six weeks out, but my gut tells me to cancel their plans. Any thoughts?</p>