RU afraid of H1N1?

[wet_suit_one]

Reading the topic of the thread again, I am not as concerned about H1N1 as I was originally. It has not proven to be as lethal as the Spanish Flu. However, it will still raise death rates and likely be a bit hit on the economy due to the number of additional flu victims that will be around (people who wouldn't normally get the flu). On a personal level I'm not concerned, but if I were a business owner with 1,000 employees, I'd be taking steps to deal with the 30 - 40% of them that are predicted to be out of work due to the flu.

I imagine that there will be a measurable and noticeable number of additional deaths due to the H1N1 flu, but while I'm now a possible target (unlike the usual flu that doesn't really kill people in my demographic), I'm not too afraid. It's a good day to die after all...

 

[jimmyt]

I have a cousin who is a Doctor. He told me that a lot of this, at least as far as he is concerned, is fear mongering. He has had 3 cases of H1N1 in his practice and all 3 were pretty sick, but it did not differ significantly from any other seasonal flu.

The same groups of people are getting it fatally, the very young, the very old, and those with heart and respiratory problems.

It has yet to mutate, so the vaccine (for this season anyhow) is going to be effective.

I am about as concerned as I am with getting any seasonal flu....take immune boosters (ie Cold Fx) all winter, get vaccinated, wash hands, and hope for the best.

 

[Cycleguy007]

I have a cousin who is a Doctor. He told me that a lot of this, at least as far as he is concerned, is fear mongering.

Hmmm ya think?

Get over it people... politicians/ medical professionals etc use every illness "scare" as another reason to gouge us for Health Care budget increases...

 

[dirkd101]

H1N1 is a very serious threat. Think SARS when you think of H1N1, except unlike SARS, which originated an ocean away, H1N1 has its origing right here in NA and is another potential worldwide pandemic waiting to happen.

Look up the pandemic flu that happened in 1919. That spread like wildfire in a non global world, when to get across the ocean was a week long adventure. Nowadays one can be across the pond in hours, not days.

 

[jimmyt]

H1N1 is a very serious threat. Think SARS when you think of H1N1, except unlike SARS, which originated an ocean away, H1N1 has its origing right here in NA and is another potential worldwide pandemic waiting to happen.

Look up the pandemic flu that happened in 1919. That spread like wildfire in a non global world, when to get across the ocean was a week long adventure. Nowadays one can be across the pond in hours, not days.

Think SARS? the two are not even close!!

Flu in 1919? Hmmmmm....how advanced was medical research then? was there a vaccine? did people even know that something as simple as washing hands lowered your chances of catching it enormously? You cant compare something from 1919 to now either.

Fear Mongering dude.......

 

[train]

H1N1 is a very serious threat. Think SARS when you think of H1N1, except unlike SARS, which originated an ocean away, H1N1 has its origing right here in NA and is another potential worldwide pandemic waiting to happen.

Look up the pandemic flu that happened in 1919. That spread like wildfire in a non global world, when to get across the ocean was a week long adventure. Nowadays one can be across the pond in hours, not days.

Where have you been for the last 5 months ?

1. It was already declared a pandemic 2 months ago by WHO. But don't confuse this dclaration with degree of seriousness the word pandemic does mean that;

2. So far swine flu is far less deadly than the old garden variety seasonal flu.
Over a 6 month period every year the seasonal flu kills 3,000 in Canada every year. So far in 5 months the Canadian death toll has been less than 100.

 

[dirkd101]

Think SARS? the two are not even close!!

Flu in 1919? Hmmmmm....how advanced was medical research then? was there a vaccine? did people even know that something as simple as washing hands lowered your chances of catching it enormously? You cant compare something from 1919 to now either.

Fear Mongering dude.......

Yes jimmy, they are diferent, but both very contagious. The relationship between SARS and the flu is how easily each are spread among the population. Washing your hands will lower your chances of catching this, but its the airborne part that is what you can't stop, unless you wear an N-95 mask and some sort of eye protection. These viruses have been known to survive on objects for a period of time, which is unknown. Sneezing and coughing is the problem and not all cover up when they do this. This is how these will spread.

The 1919 flu was a killer indeed and there is no vaccine for H1N1. Every year the flu vaccine that comes out is for the most widely predicted flu virus. The 1919 pandemic is what the experts fear the most as flu pandemics strike like this and no amount of preparation will stop it. H1N1 is a scary strain of flu.

Our control measures in place and good education, ie; people staying home when presenting are what is needed. No fear mongering on my part, just telling it like it is.

 

[dirkd101]

Where have you been for the last 5 months ?

1. It was already declared a pandemic 2 months ago by WHO. But don't confuse this dclaration with degree of seriousness the word pandemic does mean that;

2. So far swine flu is far less deadly than the old garden variety seasonal flu.
Over a 6 month period every year the seasonal flu kills 3,000 in Canada every year. So far in 5 months the Canadian death toll has been less than 100.

Yes train, I do know that and if I called it a pandemic I did not mean to. My meaning was that it could reach pandemic stages and the gov't is on guard for this. As for #2, the swine flu was suposed to go away over the summer months, like most flus do, this did not happen and has caused concern in the medical community.
The swine flu and bird flus are the ones that are causing a stir amongst those whose business it is to track and find cures for. These are not your "garden variety" flus. These are the ones that have the potential to reach pandemic stages.

 

[blackrock13]

I've not much to worry about as I'm in the low risk category. I'm over 50 so my bod's full of anti bodies from the 50's that are similar, I wash my hands a lot, I don't eat a lot of fast foods, I don't have any chronic or compromising medical conditions and I can't get pregnant.

I'll be getting the usual shot though. Even that's only good for 3 or 4 of the usual 10 viruses that can visit, but it's better than a kick to the nuts.

 

[tboy]

To answer the original question:

Not a bit. If I get it I get it, if I don't I don't. Now if I was elderly or really young, I'd be concerned. Considering more people die every year from the regular good old flu than H1N1 I don't see what the BFD is........

 

[blackrock13]

To answer the original question:

Not a bit. If I get it I get it, if I don't I don't. Now if I was elderly or really young, I'd be concerned. Considering more people die every year from the regular good old flu than H1N1 I don't see what the BFD is........

The elderly have a good chance of beating it back for reason already stated, but those people of all ages that are compromised health wise have chance of getting it. How many get really sick and then die is a long long guess.

 

[tboy]

The elderly have a good chance of beating it back for reason already stated, but those people of all ages that are compromised health wise have chance of getting it. How many get really sick and then die is a long long guess.

When it has the first go 'round the CDC was saying the mortality rate was less than that of the regular normal flu virus that hits us every year.....(now by regular I mean all the billion variations of the typical flu).

 

[JEFF247]

I will probably go from weekly visits to Fallsview Casino to once a month. Same for Sundowners Strip Club in Niagara Falls. Just isn't worth the hassle. I'll see how it plays out. I have always stayed away from large crowds because it's a pain and this is just one more reason.

 

[blackrock13]

When it has the first go 'round the CDC was saying the mortality rate was less than that of the regular normal flu virus that hits us every year.....(now by regular I mean all the billion variations of the typical flu).

I know what you mean by regular and the latest I heard there about 12 main varieties of flu that are of consequence every year. I can't say how the H1N1 will hit NA. Everyone is only making educated guesses.

It's been a long time since there was a screw up in NA with vaccines and the like; Thalidomide and Polio come to mind but that was 55 and 65 years ago. The fact that the two main contenders for the US market are completely different and are both being given more tests in Na and yet accepted in Australia and a couple of other commonwealth countries tells me the US is being very cautious.

 

[train]

Yes train, I do know that and if I called it a pandemic I did not mean to. My meaning was that it could reach pandemic stages and the gov't is on guard for this. As for #2, the swine flu was suposed to go away over the summer months, like most flus do, this did not happen and has caused concern in the medical community.
The swine flu and bird flus are the ones that are causing a stir amongst those whose business it is to track and find cures for. These are not your "garden variety" flus. These are the ones that have the potential to reach pandemic stages.

Sorry you misunderstood. It is a pandemic already. Just not a particularly dangerous one.

Avian flu, which was the last pandemic "big scare" raised by WHO has killed less than 300 people worldwide in the last 5 years. More people have been killed by lightening over that time period.

The swine flu did reduce but did not disappear in the summer and yet you still have exceptionally low death totals. What does that tell you ?

 

[warren buffet]

Alda Pharmaceuticals

Alda pharmaceuticals (APH-TSXV) makes a hand sanitizer that purportedly kills H1N1 in 15 seconds. They are also sponsoring the upcoming Winter Olympics

 

[S.C. Joe]

How many people go running to the doctors office at the first sign of a cold--very few. In 1919 people were getting sicking and DYING in little as 10 hours If a killer virus like the 1919 flu came around--or more likely when it does come around, things are going to be pretty ugly.

 

[hinz]

You will be very afraid of H1N1 if the following happens this fall,

-Massive drug resistance on Tamaflu due to wrong dossage and abuse such as taking the drug as a "precaution", something that is totally unwarranted
-the virus attack the lungs ferociously, so much so that Relenza, the last defense no longer an option to stop the infection
-the virus got mutated and most of the patients and death are 30 to 50 years old healthy people, instead of the usual suspects such as those suffering chornic illnesses
-Assuming there's no spike on Tamaflu resistance, there're shortages of ingridents for the drug, star anise in particular. That could delay the stockpile available for massive outbreak

Moreover, the Great recession we are having right now could exacerbate the spread of the virus as people will try to cut all the expense to survive, including health care. This could make more people vulnerable to infection. Poverty could be a catalyst for massive outbreak.

BTW, I hope those SPs/MPAs to whom I care a lot are fully prepared to tackle this onslaught

 

[Moraff]

Worried? not really.... as far as I can see the "swine flu" falls into the same category as SARS, avian flu, killer bee swarms, global warming.....

Sure they all exist and have consequences, but no where near as severe as the news media would have us believe. They wish to scare us in order to sell more papers and advertisements.

Will I get a regular flu shot? Probably if I'm in the right place at the right time to get one, but won't go out of my way to get one.

Will I get a swine flu shot? Nope. They're rushing it into production way too fast for my liking.

I have no problems with my immune system and don't work in a field that causes me to interact with hordes of people.

 

[S.C. Joe]

What I gather from the media was that nobody knows for sure how bad or not bad it will be. It does seem right now its not too bad, still a bit early to wave the all clear flag.