Swine Flu. Are we in big trouble with this then?

[Meglet]

This sounds worse than the bird flu that thankfully never really happened.

news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/bbc_news/top_stories/801/80183/story8018356.shtml?

Sky news have a press conference on now about possible cases in new york. When do we start panic buying .

Agree with the handwashing advice. We drum it into the dc to wash hands, not touch faces etc and so far, luckily, we have not had any flu or tummy bugs, and hardly any colds since they started school (now 11 & 9). When we have been to Egyot we were the only family on the tours not to go down with something. Just are in the habit of washing hands regularly and always before eating anything. I do shake hands with people a lot in my business, but do not then touch my face or eat before washing hands.

Again, not surprising. Young children and the elderly are teh most likely to die from any strain of flu. No news on where this child was.

I'm from Texas.

It's huge.

If you're near the border - and keep in mind 'the border' is about 400 miles long, it's possible you live in poverty similar to what is found in Mexico, including no running water, or an illegal immigrant or legal migrant with very limited access to healthcare.

While I'm trying to be rational about this, a couple of things seem strange, like why is it taking so long to confirm cases in the UK? I am assuming our doctors now have samples of the virus and can test against it. Also, one of the reports I read said that the vaccine manufacturers aren't yet looking to switch production of the seasonal flu vaccine to incorporate this virus and yet we know that the lead time for vaccine production is several months.

Also, I think it's strange that in England, unlike Scotland and other countries, we are not being told how many people are being tested for the virus. I know some health authorities have released the information but I find it surprising that, for example, there are no reports of suspected cases in London or other big cities.

We're all going to die! Let's panic! The sky is falling!

Surely it cannot be common for people to be making a mental note to wash their hands after they have shaken hands with someone? It cannot be healthy to live like that.

Do you know what, folks, you are all highly unlikely to die from swine flu. And if you are going to die why not relax and enjoy your last few days instead of getting caught up in this swirling tabloidorama?

12 year old from Torbay tested positive, the school is being closed and the children given antivirals.
I'm watching PM Q's on the Daily Politics.

Exactly, Marmite!

Let's sit down and try to calculate the damage and death caused by hysterical, out-of-control people over the centuries.

No contest.

I'm calm expat, you though seem a tad excited

Plus I should have thought if you have tried to keep to your bubble & have never had a cold you'll certainly cop it when you get flu, it will be a much worse shock to the body than for most people's.

I've been eating a lot of chocolate in preparation for Armaggedon .

I want my last meal to have included Green&Black's.

Who's burying their heads? It's flu. It comes around every year, some people get it, others don't. Some die, most don't.

Part of life.

expat, that's not true about young and old people - 1918 killer flu, as well as other pandemics, were most likely to kill healthy young adults and no one knows why this is. This has also been true in mexico.

I'm not one for conspiracy theories but it is weird as has been pointed out before.

muffle a simple google of spanish flu shows the young adults died from cytokine storms, ie an overreaction of the immune system

Yes, 1918 pandemic's victims were mainly between 20 and 40.

I'm ashamed to admit this but I am feeling a teeny bit nervous.

'expat, that's not true about young and old people - 1918 killer flu, as well as other pandemics, were most likely to kill healthy young adults and no one knows why this is. This has also been true in mexico. '

It IS true, muffle. There are only about 20 confirmed deaths there from this. And we do NOT know the full story on these people - if they were well-nourished, if they had access to healthcare (the 39-year-old apparently didn't), if they had another disease or condition, if they lived with livestock, if they were ill (with even a cold) when struck down with this.

With every strain of flu, some young adults die.

There is no comparison between this and Spanish Flu. NONE. You had huge numbers of people then who were weakened by war and poor nutrition, no access to healthcare, limited treatment for the disease, lots of folks living in what we would consider squalid or unsanitary conditions.

Right now, this is FLU.

No I mean why it is a feature of these flu pandemics.

You said any strain of flu has that effect though. But you're right, I don't have firm evidence on what's happening in mexico now, just what the news has said about a majority of the deaths being healthy adults.

btw I'm not trying to scaremonger at all. I agree with the non-scaremongerers on this. Was just being pointlessly pedantic.

1918 killer flu also killed more men than women - maybe because of cytokine storms but possibly also because the young men of 1918 were particularly vulnerable to a pandemic! There had been a war going on for a while...

Most flu deaths in 1918 were from pneumonia which followed the flu. These days we have antibiotics, antivirals and a much better understanding of the spread of influenza.

I'm not panicking, but I am concerned. Yes, it is flu- of a sort, but a strain that has mutated fairly rapidly and is probably still mutating (I'm wondering if that is the reason they are not talking about working on a vaccine as yet) so it is an unknown quantity- it may be flu in name, but may turn out to be very different from the common flu in nature (eg transmissibilty, mortality) Saying it's "just" flu is a bit like saying typhoid is "just" diarrhoea. At the moment it seems to be producing mild cases here, but the potential is there for it to become something far more virulent. Even the WHO seems to be getting slightly alarmed, which suggests to me they have reason to think this could become quite serious. I'm not convinced that simple hand-washing will be sufficient, so I am interested as to what contingency plans are actually in place.

Expat I have been mindful that a pandemic has been overdue for the last 10 years. This flu is very worrying with the combination of pig/human/avain flu and the human to human transmission.
Im hoping for the best but vigilant in case of the worst.

Because any strain of flu DOES kill some young adults, muffle. There is no evidence to say these deaths are not along the same line particularly as it is unknown for most what other factors may have factored into their demise.

Why is there so little information about the Mexican fatalities? Even the experts interviewed in the media do not seem privy to much info about them.

We keep hearing about the 4yo first survivor and the 39 yo first victim - but nothing about the rest.

Perhaps there were more young than old because of the way it initially spread - e.g. through a workplace, nightclub, train or school.