To think that people really need to get a grip over the whole swine flu business?

[wannaBe]

Let's face it, we are all going to die. Nobody knows how, nobody knows when.

100 people have died of swine flu. 100 people. And yet people are talking of panic buying/keeping children home from school/wanting to know why flights from meccico have not been stopped.

100 people. worldwide.

I wonder how many people were killed on the roads during that time?

If you're going to catch swine flu, you'll catch it whether you panic about it or not. And given only 100 people have died of it so far, currently, the odds are pretty slim. And even if it reaches pandemic level (such as bird flu/sars didn't but the media were desparately hoping they would) there's still not much you can do about it.

100 people.

seriously.

The other big thing that has changed between now and 1918 is the vast amount of international travel going on, so yes these things do have to be taken very very seriously at an international level. As an expert on radio 4 said today, their job is to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Personally, I'm glad someone is doing that!

Just to add, I heard on BBC breakfast news this morning, there are anti-viral drugs available to treat 1 in 4 of the population, the UK and France are the best prepared countries in the event of a pandemic. During the bird flu media activity the government invested in the tamiflu (is that what it's called? Not sure) anti-viral drugs and more have been ordered.

All I keep thinking is "famous last words..."

YANBU. DH seems to love an imminent crisis. When bird flu was "imminent" the tops of our cupboards were stocked up with ridiculous amounts of bottled water, skimmed milk and tinned items.

Then when bird flu passed he got annoyed at me for using the UHT milk saying he didn't like it, but it was about to go out of date so it was either that or throw it out.

I'm in trouble now because DH and I had flu jabs last year but didn't get DS one in the end as he would have had to have two injections due to his age and didn't to put him through it. Have booked an appointment for later on today, because the grief I will get if I don't isn't worth it.

We also have masks and gloves that I see he has dug out, hope he doesn't expect me to wear one for work.

But the corker is that yesterday twas getting a bit narked as seemed to be on internet all day, turns out he was buying the tamiflan or whatever it is and unilaterally took the decisionto spend £300 on the stuff, justifying it by saying we could sell it back on Ebay at great profit if its not required

I am coing down with something I am sure - shivery, head aches, sore throat, tired and groggy. What do you reckon - cold or swine flu? Not that it makes much difference at present - still got work to do whichever way.

What's a Zombie plan?

Aha.

I think I shall just become a zombie with everyone else. Surviving in a post-apocalyptic world looks a bit hard.

Well I've banned any pork produce from entering the house. The children go to school wearing protective suits. We've set up an exclusion zone around the house so that no-one can leave their germs on the front door. All windows are closed and we've supplies to last us many months.

You just can't take these things too seriously can you?

A life without bacon is not something I want to contemplate.

GAAAAH I really need to get off my arse and clean the house, instead I am sitting here, hitting refresh on Mumsnet and talking about zombie bacon.

It amazes me how complacent Joe Public is regarding microbes.

Yes, medicine has moved on since 1918, but even so flu is still a killer - and that's 'ordinary flu'

This is a new strain, we have no immunity to it. And as for the poster waffling about anti-b's - it's a feckin virus you numpty

Like the 1918 flu it appears to be causing an over reaction of the immune system - a cytokine storm, and this is seen in people with 'good' immune systems (the young and healthy)

Also, as the virus works it's way through the global population it will evolve - and it could possibly develop a resistance to current anti viral treatments.

So the WHO are not scaremongering and no one needs to get a grip.

If people don't understand how serious this situation is then they're idiots.

people taste like pork, apparently. So you could still have your bacon..........

Especially if I was one of the zombie horde Rhubarb!

So what do you actually want us to DO lowerenergylightbulb. There is bugger all I personally can do to prevent a global flu epidemic, therefore it isn't something I intend to worry about.

I live in inner London and (and I hesitate to mention this) am married to a BANKER! A bloody BANKER. I have plenty more immediate worries thanks very much.

The virus is the H1N1 virus, we already have a vaccine for one kind of this strain. Also Tamiflu has been quite effective in treating the illness.

I don't see what widespread panic would achieve. We are already in the middle of a global recession which could actually prove much more disasterous than this flu strain, so we can't really afford to start closing down schools and factories can we?

No global recession could prove more disastrous than a flu pandemic. The virus currently shows some sensitivity to tamiflu - but if it hits a large, densely populated area - eg china, it will go through several evolutions and there is a real probability that it will develop resistance.

By the way, there are subtypes of the different flu virus strains - this is a totally new subtype.

What should WHO/Governments do? Fuck all eh? Just so the wheels of capitalism keep turning and house prices don't drop anymore.

I despair that someone thinks a fekin' recession is more 'dangerous' than a flu pandemic...

lowerenergylightbulb

"I despair that someone thinks a fekin' recession is more 'dangerous' than a flu pandemic."

It might not be more dangerous for us in our comfortable first world lives, but I suspect if you ask someone in the developing world whose livelihood and ability to feed their children is being threatened by the global mess, then they might have a slightly different view of what is more important.

I'm sorry but if you think that global recession will not lead to disaster then you are really ill-informed.

Think of Zimbabwe, how many people can no longer afford the basics. How they are dying from easily treatable diseases because they can't afford the medicine. How extreme poverty is shortening life-span and leading to riots and death.

And you think that's not important?

We wont have vaccine for 4 to 6 months at least and tgat will only work if the virus doesnt mutate again.
Remember the constantly shifting antigen in The Stand? He based the book on possibilities. The WHO bases their alert system on possibilities, which is why you do need to at least keep a lazy eye out.

Oh, I see the Bono brigade are out.....