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 .

[expatinscotland]

'I'd rather my family didn't die prematurely, thanks very much.'

Well, who would want that, edam?

But what is the point in panicking?

There is no reliable way to avoid the spread of this disease or contracting it should a person come in contact with it.

[edam]

yeah, I was a small child (in case I've made myself sound VERY old).

When I came round, I knew I'd been properly ill as my mother took a whole week off work. Unheard of. She was very brisk and we were never allowed to malinger or take a day off school for a cold. (Had worked as a nurse - there's a saying that cobbler's wives go barefoot and doctor's wives die young...)

[boredwithmyoldname]

i think we should panic buy chocolate anyway

i'm so glad i don't have to eat my trousers for Meglet

[Flightattendant25]

Edam that is a nice story

I disagree about the reliable way to avoid it thing.

We have got a CELLAR, yes a cellar and I am going to put lots of tins in it. Furthermore we can always live in it if we have to.

Asda has online shopping, how could anyone nOT survive?

[edam]

but what if the internet goes down because all the people who look after those massive computers that make it work (don't ask me for technical details) are off sick? Or the people who look after electricity generation? Or the farmers and shelf stackers?

[boredwithmyoldname]

STOP IT

[expatinscotland]

Touch wood, I had it twice, too, Riven. Once when I was 5, the other time when I was about 25. I went down like a ton of bricks and I was at my peak as far as fitness and health was concerned then. Living in Denver, climbing and working out every spare moment.

I'd gone to work as usual. Gotten off at 5 - amazing! - come home and by dinner had a 103 degree fever.

[edam]

[boredwithmyoldname]

ho but i have eaten only panic-bought chocolate and no vitamin C plus am gimmer so I will survive

[expatinscotland]

Screw chocolate, I'm going to stockpile booze!

Fags, too.

Either can be used as currency during the zombie times.

[georgimama]

I've just had a sausage sandwich whilst reading this thread (organic naturally ) and it was delicious.

Had you all been drinking too much last night? I will get worried when people are actually dropping dead in the streets here by which time there will be no point being worried - you'll either live or die. Even the bubonic plague didn't kill everyone in the world. We are all going to die of something one die, but we aren't all going to die now, of this. Relax, you'll all get an ulcer or something.

[georgimama]

one die?

Death on the brain

one day, is what I meant.

[cornsilk]

Swine flu? Maybe I should I attempt to read a newspaper then. Don't think it's likely to be featured in Marie Claire.

[georgimama]

It might be in Marie Claire, cornsilk, perhaps as a weight loss tip or something.

[cornsilk]

Oh good point georgi - 'swine flu chic' or something.

[GentleOtter]

Perspective - 6 billion people in the world (?)
20 million people in Mexico
1000 or so confirmed cases - most are responding well to the treatment ie getting better
81 deaths. Now I am hopeless at percentages but there were more deaths with Avian Flu but just as much panic.
Keep it in perspective.

[Ivykaty44]

Cars kill 120 thousand people every year in the western world - it is highly unlikely that the pig flu will kill anywhere nearl that amount of people.

But due to the fact that death by car is nothing new it is not newsworthy and in any case if they repoted every death by car the newspaers wouldn't have enough room for any other news

In effect a small town is wiped out every year by road deaths and yet know one gets in a panic - quite the reverse when cars arn't selling.........

[Ivykaty44]

goodness that is 328 people killed by cars in one day

That is 27 people in one hour!

That is 405 people that have died since this thread started and they have been killed by cars...

How many people have died of the pig flu since this thread started?

[expatinscotland]

It's usually the leading cause of preventable death among young people, too, not premature death by some virus.

[MsMargotBeauregarde]

Do those masks prevent the virus reaching your nose??? or do they just make people feel better?

and if they do prevent it do you have to change the mask often?

[TsarChasm]

Do you know what, I'm just going to stop listening to the news. Actually is that possible I wonder?

Then I can be quietly munching grass in my field oblivious to the comet/flood/volcano in Yellowstone Park/pestilence/flu/or recession that is about to take me out.

All this worry about what might kill us, is killing us I think.