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 .

any new flu virus that evolves from a combinatin of animal/human strains is bad news as it is a spanky new viral strain that no-one will have immunity against.

For vulnerable people (immunocompromised eg on chemo; very young, eldery) they are likely to be very ill if they beome infecdted with the new strain.

For the rest of us healthy bods, we'll be probably be ill, but recover, especially if Tamifu is prescribed.

costco is a warehouse like Makro

You but everything in bulk ie tins of soup etc are in trays of 12, loo roll is 12 lots of 4, pet food comes in sacks of 9kg, water is 12 bottles of 2litre,paracetamol come in 10 boxes of 16 etc

It is therefore very easy to spend lots of money quickly and it loads in the car nicely as it is all packaged in trays

if nothing happens regarding the flu, at least i don't have to go shopping for a while

Our Costco membership ran out a few months back, might try and rejoin since as we stay so close to one now.
Mind you every time I go in there DH buys bloody loads a toilet roll, drove me mad trying to find somewhere to put a 100 rolls of toilet roll! But he would insist, he says if he has to eat the food in my zombie plan he should at least have some nice soft toilet roll as he imagine that's were he will be spending a lot of the time due to all the beans.
Haven't told him yet that if we spend a lot of time in safe haven then I plan that we will be craping in a hole in the ground around the back of the garage.

Riven, thanks - interesting link!

Aporkalypse that is the best name EVER

Oh I like that link Riv, excellent - very calming and sensible.

Thats a great link Riven thanks for posting it. It has certainly made me think twice about taken tamiflu when the current strain of swine flu is so mild, the tablet sounds worse than the actual flu!

Our vitamin D levels should be fairly high we eat loads of fish.
Probably should go eat some tuna, got a spliting headache and had a bit of a cough.

Didn't anyone hear the guy on the news who's contracted it without going to Mexico? He was saying he was feeling much better and was just peeved at having to stay in for 5 days.

Seriously. Stop the panic. This is ridiculous! (And that coming from a born worrier!)

be careful about supplementing with vitamin D - it can cause nasty things like kidney stones if taken in excess. Best thing is to get out in the garden and get some sunshine over the bank holiday. Then your body will produce any you need - and you could even plant some veggies to save you going near a supermarket .

We had information from the school today about extra cleaning - so wonder who's been to Mexico on holiday. At least they are finally putting more soap in the toilets (I complain about that regularly as allergic people need to wash their hands carefully before eating).

I've had a briefing at work today about swine flu (am NHS staff). It was scary, I've been sniggering about it before but gov/NHS are taking it v seriously.

Tamiflu type drugs are going to be shipped to hospitals under coevr of darkness as they're worried about lorries getting hijacked.

Anyone who needs ventilating gets a max of 48 hours and then get turfed off to die and let someone else have it.

People with terminal illnesses won't be ventilated.

Clinical staff with flu will be expected to carry on working, but only with infected patients.

Clerical staff will have to come and help with patient care.

Tesco refridgeraed lorries are going to be used to store bodies in.

People with medical conditions that would normally warrent a hospital stay will be sent home if at all possible.

As I have said b4 I have kept my son off school since tuesday and not had contact with any1 since then, I an waiting for WHO to increase to phase 6, then I hope the school will close!!

stripey, were you ever given a similar briefing for avian flu or any other potential pandemic?

I wasn't worried about this until I read your post but I'm starting to shit it a bit now

stripey

We've been trying to be the voice of reason on this thread. I read the various Avian Flu pandemic plans some time back and remember the gruesome protocols.

But to be fair, I suspect you are talking about the worst case scenario there: there are lots of other versions surely?

No, never had a briefing for anything else before.

Yes, it is for worst case scenario - its not something we're implementing this weekend. But its worrying that it's been discussed, and I'm just a pleb on the ward. Its not like I'm high up management who talk about rubbish like this more often I'd have thought.

We've been issued with a huge (40 page approx) document detailing proceedures to be implemented if necessary.

oh bum!

Oh and don't expect any home births, water births, etc if situation escalates. Labouring women to stay at home pretty much till they have an urge to push (includes high risk pregnancies).

Mums and babies to go home 6 hours after birth.

If mum is poorly then dad has to take baby home. If baby is poorly then mum has to go home and leave baby at hospital.

All a/n classes, b/f support, etc will be cancelled.

Yes. And before everyone runs off waving hands in air and screaming, just remember that your travel insurance policy says things like 'in the event of dying a horrible death, you will receive a maximum of 10p for repatriation; and in the event of you tripping over a live bare electrical cable while still wet from the pool we will only pay out if you were previously smeared with bat's grease and were wearing rubber flipflops'

A preparedness plan is just that: a 'just in case' plan, NOT what is going to happen.

Bodies in Tesco refrigeration lorries!? Why do Tesco get the monopoly on everything!?

Thanks Lupusina - love it! Just read this hoping for the other side - now I'm off for a good night's sleep sans mares...

that can't be right surely!

Apparently cotton wool is more effective than a face mask.