To ask about the Chinese flu

[beckywiththeshithair27]

Is anyone else concerned about this? It's been on the news this morning and it sounds nasty. Seems like it's been taken very seriously by health officials and they're trying very hard to contain it - not sure how that's possible.

My dc7 didn't have his flu jab this winter as he was poorly for both the school vaccine and the catch up opportunity. Dp and I never have it.

I wasn't overly worried but now I've seen this I'm wondering if I should have tried harder to get him vaccinated elsewhere - although I did ask my GP and they refused. Does the British vaccine even protect against the Chinese strain? Or would it be ineffective anyway?

Is anyone else worried about this?

It's a different virus to the flu - coronavirus - and also only just mutated to people so jab won't be effective but although worrying hopefully it will be contained

Nothing will protect against it - it is new, it's a coronavirus (it has jumped from an animal to a human), and it causes viral pneumonia, which cannot be treated easily.

Having said that, the mortality rate is low currently: most of those who have died had pre-existing conditions, or were old.

Vaccinating against flu isn't going to protect you from a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT disease. Smh.

@damnthatanxiety yes that's what I was asking, apologises for not being clued up as you...

AFAIK the flu vaccine only ever protects against the specific strain/s it was developed for, which often took place a year or so previously. Scientists etc have to predict which strains they think will be most likely to be a problem in any given winter. So no, it wouldn't protect against the coronavirus. But there's only 1 reported case in the USA & none in Europe at all, yet.

This is why I wasn't too fussed about dc missing the jab - it's effectiveness is often debated and while I know the jab doesn't give the flu literally, I do know of a fair few children and some adults who have been quite ill after having it. Sometimes I guess you have to weigh up the risk factors. That said, I would hate for any of us to get any type of flu. I hear it's horrid.

It's not flu. It's a coronavirus (related to SARS) that causes respiratory illness (pneumonia). The BBC website has a few good/helpful articles about it.

My husband has been regularly travelling to and from China for the past several months, and is likely to make four or five trips there in the next two months. I’m having a real panic about it. Realistically, it’s impossible to keep it contained, but it sounds like everything that can be done is being done.

We live in Shanghai and there is a noticeable increase in mask-wearing. We wear masks most of the time anyway due to the awful air pollution, but this is unusual behaviour for the majority of the Chinese.

We've ordered an extra delivery in non-perishable food items as there are some rumours that Wuhan has been quarantined, so I'm taking precautions for this, although it may be unlikely? I've also seen photos of the military on the Metro, although my daughter was out shopping today and didn't see anything unusual.

I live in Shandong. People are a little concerned and putting off traveling, despite it being spring festival. People are wearing masks a bit more, but it's not looking like mass panic or anything.

Apparently, the chinese goverment is now restricting movement in and out of Wuhan, public transport is being shutdown, planes and trains out cancelled and people being asked not to leave or travel to the city!

Does make you wonder just how bad it is.

My eldest daughter is at LSE, and tbh I’ve been quite scared about her starting back there this week as there are lots of Chinese students.

Are there any preventative measures we can take?

Not really, we'll probably get a better idea how serious it is over the fortnight as a lot of people will be travelling due to Chinese New Year and the spring festival.

Not remotely worried. In one of the most populous regions of the world there have only been about 600 cases, and less than 20 confirmed deaths.

Mortality rate sits at about 5% currently. To put that in perspective, typical strains of A-like flu range between 0.2 and about 3%; SARS about 15%; Spanish Flu about 20%.

It could get interesting at Chinese New Year.

Biggest annual human migration + virus =

Probably more wary of these things as dc1 has serious asthma-was hopitalised last year by a simple cold.

According to sky news, 4 people are being tested for the virus in Scotland.
They have apparently traveled from Wuhan in the last 14 days.