Swine flu website, Am. government updates

[welovechickens]

007Dawn, you are right!

The swine flu scare is just that.....a scare tactic. Over 30,000 people die from various strains of influenza every year, and you don't hear about each of those people! Influenza viruses mutate many times each year, which is why flu vaccines aren't 100% effective (though I still get one, personally).

Help prevent the spread of this flu the same way you help prevent the spread of any type of influenza or other sickness: don't touch your face in public, wash your hands after being in public, STAY HOME if you do get sick (nothing makes me more annoyed than seeing people in the store who are clearly sick, coughing and sneezing. GROSS!) and if you have weird symptoms when you get sick, GO to the doctor, don't just "wait and see" what happens.

I know some people cannot always afford to go to the doctor, but there is always some way to get medical treatment, no matter your financial status.

And now I'll step off my soapbox.

 

[artsyrobin]

just saw this on the news- that it is linked to the 1918 virus... apparently it was mild at first then began mutating

Current Flu Linked to the 1918 Flu- same strain-
http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?s=10283753&clienttype=printable


Deadly 1918 Pandemic Linked To Swine Flu
Posted: Apr 30, 2009 8:16 PM Updated: Apr 30, 2009 9:37 PM
By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The worst flu pandemic in modern history killed 50 million people and is linked to the same H1N1 virus as the current outbreak.

Tourists donning masks. Schools shutting down. Doctors tracking new cases as they pop up around the globe.

It's eerily similar to the last time the swine flu wreaked global havoc 90 years ago.

The same virus sickening people from Mexico to Michigan is the same strain linked to the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. It was dubbed the Spanish Flu.

Back then, people wore masks and were urged to stay home.

For now, those killed are just over 100 worldwide. Then, the death toll was in the hundreds of thousands, in the U.S. alone.

Federal health officials say the pandemic hit in Oklahoma in late September 1918 with outbreaks in Tulsa and Clinton.

Just a few weeks later, 1,200 Oklahomans in 24 counties were sick with the flu.

In Tulsa, the Red Cross opened an emergency hospital, where 260 were admitted and 20 died.

Oklahoma City was forced to cancel a Food and Drug Administration conference because 300 were sick.

Doctors worked around the clock, but many couldn't keep track of all the cases, so the number of Oklahomans affected is unknown.

The 1918 pandemic swept the globe in three waves. Kansas officials first started reporting an outbreak in March. It didn't hit Oklahoma until six months later.

 

[speckledhen]

Reports this morning say that it seems to be leveling off, that the worst may already be over.

 

[Feathered Wings]

We have it in Georgia now had the first case reported yesterday and 2 suspected.

 

[Clay In Iowa]

Quote:
My best friend here at the U works on an H5N1 surveillance team, so he's quit versed in viral illnesses. His, inside, take on why all the hype is that the initial infection might not be the real problem. Viruses "learn" how to infect. The more people who get this strain the better chance this bug has to figure out a better more efficient way to infect more people. This particular strain in the opinion of many health experts will almost certainly return later. And if it does it will be much worse. It's that second wave the experts fear. Just as in 1917 it wasn't the initial wave that caused problems it was the back lase that killed 50,000,000 people.

Cover your mouths and wash your hands people.

 

[speckledhen]

They said that there is a protein missing in this one that has to do with replication of the virus.

 

[texaschickmama]

I pray to God that this is leveling off. It really has me freaked out. I'm not letting my son go to baseball practice or games. I know it may be ridiculous, but better safe than sorry. They closed all the Ft Worth ISD that is like 80000 kids. Schools are closing left and right. I'm not scared for myself, just my 3 yr old daughter and 7 yr old son. I'm a protective mama hen and I do puff up when my youngins' are threatened!!!!!!!!

Oh, occationally, I do growl.

 

[LynneP]

We were in Windsor, Nova Scotia, for groceries this morning. This is our closest community with regular facilities like grocery stores and a small mall. Several retirement and nursing homes are in the town. Everyone seems calm even though some students at the nearby prep school are still in isolation. The local hospital has become the flu assessment headquarters for the region. You are greeted by security, checked for flu symptoms and if necessary, escorted to a separate private exam room. The staff can provide Tamiflu and Relenza is in reserve if a serious case is diagnosed. Quarantine rooms have already been reserved in case serious cases come in, and the public has been asked to use health facilities lightly. People needing care will receive it, but if not necessary to be in a clinic, stay away. The lab is now equipped with the H1N1 testing equipment and staffed by viral techs. Results can be obtained very quickly from swabs.

All of the staff and students at the 'ground zero' school have received Tamiflu, and other schools are open. The provincial government is watching this community closely to make further decisions based on lab results. Anyone with symptoms is asked to stay home and phone their doc or the clinic for instructions before going into a public venue. Same with any contagious situation- do not go to doctors without permission over the phone.

So far, mild cases only, microbial wipes available in stores, and most of us have stocked up on groceries a bit in case stores have to close.

So we're following the international protocol and trying to be sensible.

My flock has always been closed and now the barn is to everyone but us.
Laundering barn clothes and other things daily and washing hands a lot.

 

[007Dawn]

welovechickens:

I agree with you 100%! And to add on: more children die from vaccines like other strains of the flu and are never mentioned. This one like another poster mentioned has a protein missing so it is not as likely to start off slow and mutate. And again it is TREATABLE.

I also have several friends that are docotors and even more that are nurses and they say it everytime. It is easier to get health care with no money than it is when you have insurance and money. So if you are showing symtons you can go to any clinic, the health department or hospital and let them know your circumstances. You will either be charged under $20 or nothing at all.

 

[Vince8]

I also agree with most of the views given here. Probably children are most affected by the swine flu and I can understand the caring parents, especially in the border regions like New Mexico, Arizona or Texas. But to be honest, as an adult I don't care much about the flu. I am sorry for the victims and I think some of the deaths could have been avoided by a faster reaction of the Mexican authorities. But now that we know that swine flu can be treated with the medication like Tamiflu or Relenza which are widely availabe in all developed countries. If you don't wait to long you won't have any big problems. When you feel symptoms you just have to see a doctor and that should be good. No need to worry at all.