uh oh, this has a definite "1918" flavor to it.

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WHO warns of severe form of swine flu
Dangerous type goes straight to lungs in otherwise healthy young people

updated 11:15 a.m. PT, Fri., Aug 28, 2009
WASHINGTON - Doctors are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said on Friday. Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients infected with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need hospital care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said in an update on the pandemic. "During the winter season in the southern hemisphere, several countries have viewed the need for intensive care as the greatest burden on health services," it said. "Preparedness measures need to anticipate this increased demand on intensive care units, which could be overwhelmed by a sudden surge in the number of severe cases." Earlier, WHO reported that H1N1 had reached epidemic levels in Japan, signaling an early start to what may be a long influenza season this year, and that it was also worsening in tropical regions. "Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections," WHO said. "In these patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays." Minority groups and indigenous populations may also have a higher risk of being severely ill with H1N1. "In some studies, the risk in these groups is four to five times higher than in the general population," WHO said. "Although the reasons are not fully understood, possible explanations include lower standards of living and poor overall health status, including a high prevalence of conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension."
WHO says to brace for second wave

WHO said it was advising countries in the Northern Hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread. "Countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases," it said.


Every year, seasonal flu infects between 5 percent and 20 percent of a given population and kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally. Because hardly anyone has immunity to the new H1N1 virus, experts believe it will infect far more people than usual, as much as a third of the population.
It also disproportionately affects younger people, unlike seasonal flu which mainly burdens the elderly, and thus may cause more severe illness and deaths among young adults and children than seasonal flu does.

I don't feel I'm at risk so, no.

A journalist actually asked me that a few days ago, and I ended up in the newspaper.

My answer was: "No, I'm not worried."

The mundane, boring, regular, "who gives a s#!^" flu is a bigger problem than the current media darling cutely named flu they're getting halfway orgasmic over:

This happens every year.
And nobody cares, do they.


God, I love that line - hey, let's go ask four hundred thousand dead people if it meets their definition.


Thirty-six thousand deaths in this country from "generic, non-name-brand" flu ? Swine flu is a lame loser wannabe so far.

The above from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza

Last edited by southwestforests on 29 Aug 2009, 9:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

The mortality rate of the normal Influenza virus is about 0.01%.

The mortality rate of this "Swine Flu" is estimated to be around 0.023%-0.06%. Still seems kinda wierd to me, though. It has not been around long enough to build up reliable data.


By the way... doesn't the normal flu go straight to the lungs as well? Silly WHO.

I will get the shot when it becomes available since I'm in some groups that are more at risk than healthy people. So are my parents. I do worry as a result.

Last edited by Skilpadde on 01 Sep 2009, 2:43 am, edited 2 times in total.

The real question is, which ones of you will join Mother Abagail and which will join Randall Flagg?

I probably won't get the vaccine.

Or maybe not:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... 662321.htm

Its been an interesting flu, for sure. My job kind of puts me "front line" - we have a steady stream of patients a day coming in, many of them younger, a lot of them producing many sticky, technicolor fluids that they cheerfully spread around the place (yuk) and a lot of people don't seem to understand that staff at a medical facility aren't super evolved humans who don't get sick (you probably would be alarmed just to know how many people think it is okay to cough in our faces...). If I get the flu, I am required to stay home and recuperate, that rule was set in stone when this all first came out - thats expensive on my part because I don't get paid if I am not at work, so if there is a safe viable vaccine available to me, I will get it. We are usually provided with yearly vaccinations anyway, so if the H1N1 vaccine comes out I am sure we will be offered it, as my employers don't want a little reservoirs of disease running around, especially since that puts their more fragile patients at mortal risk.

Of course, its more than just the vaccine - proper hygiene when dealing with people is a must - washing one's hands frequently (we were asked to wash our hands before going to the washroom, and upon returning to the office), keeping one's hands away from one's eyes, mouth and nose, coughing/sneezing into the crook of your elbow and not your hands, actually covering up a cough/sneeze (people don't teach their children that any more, they just sit around our office hacking up bodily secretions all over the toys so the next little child gets to play with their germs.... A word from the wise, NEVER touch a waiting room toy if you can help it...) , staying home when you are sick so as not to spread the love around, etc.

We will see how things go when the school goers go back - there may be an alarming spike, there may be the normal sick level, but I guess its all coming.

1918 redux topic

I am waiting in line already.