[joele]

Allergies are not just "stuffy noses". Many folks with bad spring allergies get lung congestion and fatigue when they flare up, which they could easily mistake for the start of the flu.

Yeah I used to get like that..

Since antivirals only apparently really work well in the first 24-48 hours, I think hospitals are going to get flooded with false alarms..

They were just saying on the radio that the rates of actual deaths even though still rising are actually already slowing in Mexico and as others said in US/NZ etc it is not as deadly, hopefully that trend continues..

[reeftool]

Allergys can be very flu like. Using your allergy meds usually clear it out and I usually figure out I have a bad cold or flu after a couple of days and my allergy meds don't seem to be working. All this press is going to cause a lot of false alarms. For people with bad allergys or asthma, the flu can be fatal.

[Rustyoldbug]

Update from SD - They just closed the school down the street for a week because of confirmed cases and some of the local politicians are starting to make a lot of noise about the fact that the border is still open. Not sure how realistic the numbers are, but local news just said 340,000 people cross from Mexico to California every day... seems like an awful lot - but the lines were pretty hideous.

[Gooshin]

stay tuned next week: "Zombies Attack!"

[Gooshin]

10 char.. funny image

[woof]

how can you confuse a flu with allergies

unless your allergies generally paralyze you with nausea and high fevers....

the flu is not just some runny nose crap, its pretty serious business.

Heh... I think that was just his point - people overreact.

Look at your reaction to his post for example...

woof

[Gooshin]

well on the one hand, he is right, its just the flu

on the other hand, you can die from the flu if not treated correctly

this is an unknown strain and people have died from it, so at best it should not be taken lightly

is it the plague? no, but still, i think caution is the best approach here.

well on the one hand, he is right, its just the flu

on the other hand, you can die from the flu if not treated correctly

this is an unknown strain and people have died from it, so at best it should not be taken lightly

is it the plague? no, but still, i think caution is the best approach here.

It's a mutated strain. There were 2 other outbreaks in the past. 1918 and I think in 1975.

I would be more concerned of the illnesses that are resistant to our current antibiotics.

[ve2vfd]

You know until I went to read the Wikipedia page on this new strain of flu I was not in the least bit concerned... I figured that just like the avian flu and many other strains of flu, it would be dangerous to babies, the elderly and the sickly but of no concern to me.

The strain appears to be unusually lethal in Mexico, causing 152 deaths (26 confirmed) so far, mostly in Mexico City. There have also been cases reported in the states of San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Querétaro and Mexico State, all in central Mexico; Some cases in Mexico and the United States have been confirmed by the World Health Organization to be a never-before-seen strain of H1N1. The Mexican fatalities are mainly young adults of 25 to 45, a common trait of pandemic flu.

And

he virus has produced severe disease in Mexico, and some deaths. Furthermore, in Mexico (but not in the United States) the illness has primarily struck young, healthy adults, much like the deadly Spanish Flu of 1918, possibly because of the phenomenon known as cytokine storm. Most other influenza strains produce the worst symptoms in young children, elderly adults, and others with weaker immune systems

Definetly things that make you go hmmmmm!?

I run medical calls every day at work... I guess I'll be packing a few boxes of masks in the engine alongside the gloves.

Pat

You know until I went to read the Wikipedia page on this new strain of flu I was not in the least bit concerned... I figured that just like the avian flu and many other strains of flu, it would be dangerous to babies, the elderly and the sickly but of no concern to me.



And



Definetly things that make you go hmmmmm!?

I run medical calls every day at work... I guess I'll be packing a few boxes of masks in the engine alongside the gloves.

Pat

That's because since it's a new mutation our bodies haven't developed a resistance to it. Think about mexico though. It's basically a third world country. And on the raiddio this am one of the health guys were saying those masks work to prevent spreading the germ if you have it but don't do a lot if you're not infected. Stand a better chance by washing your hands and following good hygiene. The masks basically are for mental comfort but do little or nothing to stop you from getting the flu.

[Gooshin]

think of it as "mask week"

[ltdstar]

pandemic alert level raised to lvl 5 (out of 6) by the World Health Org (WHO)...pretty serious stuff...not only children and senior are at risk, young healthy adult are dying too, drs said its caused of their healthy immune system and cause too much inflamation that killed them...

[knochelbiter]

pandemic alert level raised to lvl 5 (out of 6) by the World Health Org (WHO)...pretty serious stuff...not only children and senior are at risk, young healthy adult are dying too, drs said its caused of their healthy immune system and cause too much inflamation that killed them...

Yeah, I think that's the detail that has WHO so worried... this flu in healthy adults can stimulate their immune systems into a "cytokine storm", causing inflammation and swelling that kills in a matter of hours. Just like the Spanish Flu in 1918...

Cytokine storm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On a related note, Cytokine Storm would be an awesome name for a punk band.

[ve2vfd]

On a related note, Cytokine Storm would be an awesome name for a punk band.

Bloody elll! You read my mind!

Pat

[Talisker]

"The strain appears to be unusually lethal in Mexico, causing 152 deaths (26 confirmed) so far, mostly in Mexico City"
Totally meaningless and typically Wiki...

We currently have no idea how many people in Mexico have been infected. There could be tens or hundreds of thousands infected but with no, or only minor, symptoms which they have ignored. Until serological studies are carried out which will give an idea of the numbers infected, and a true death rate can be calculated, it is difficult to justify calling something 'lethal'.