Swine Flu Outbreak in Mexico and USA

The Last Autobot · Post by **The Last Autobot** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 7:37 am

What do you think?

So we are dead?

Time to call Milla Jovovich?

Obfleur · Post by **Obfleur** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 10:11 am

Yes. Eight people* in the USA are infected. Let's panic.

*based on yesterdays swedish news

The Last Autobot · Post by **The Last Autobot** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 9:12 pm

Now they are 40

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090427/ap_ ... _swine_flu

and:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/swine ... itain.html

Maybe this won´t be "it" but definitely a virus like this can kill everyone in the future.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 9:20 pm

And so it begins.

I'm planning a vacation to the US this summer, but I think I'm going to wait a few weeks to book my ticket.

IronHide · Post by **IronHide** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 10:56 pm

Sigh....

Its the f**king flu. The media is just trumping it up into this horrendous outbreak. The reports from New York are saying that those with the initial infection are already recovering. It has the same symptoms as any normal flu strain. It'll be ok, really. Just stay in bed, take some antibiotics, drink lots of OJ and you'll be just fine in a couple days.

....christ.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 12:01 am

IronHide wrote:Sigh....

Its the f**king flu. The media is just trumping it up into this horrendous outbreak. The reports from New York are saying that those with the initial infection are already recovering. It has the same symptoms as any normal flu strain. It'll be ok, really. Just stay in bed, take some antibiotics, drink lots of OJ and you'll be just fine in a couple days.

....christ.

As someone who sees people dying from the flu in the hospital I take call at, I think maybe you're underestimating the impact of such a virus.

Granted, I do think it's being overly hyped to induce a panic state, but the potential for some real damage, to the elderly and the very young in particular, is very real. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infection. The flu is a virus, and for this particular strain, there is no cure except to weather it until the body 'learns' to combat it. Problem is, many succumb before one's immune system can fight back.

Hot Shot · Post by **Hot Shot** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 12:27 am

Reminds me of last year when I was spewing macaroni & cheese out of my nose uncontrollably, couch-ridden, and in-and-out of my bathroom for a week.

This will all probably pass in a few weeks. I just worry about catching it from my dad, the pizza man. You know, the guy that delivers pizza to several strangers nearly every night.

Obfleur · Post by **Obfleur** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:21 am

I'll start to worry when it has killed a million people or more.

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:57 pm

Then it'd better go ahead and do it and decrease the surplus population!

[/scrooge]

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:59 pm

Obfleur wrote:I'll start to worry when it has killed a million people or more.

Er, I think I'd be worried a long time before it reached a million!

But right now? No.

Optimus Prime Rib · Post by **Optimus Prime Rib** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:12 pm

Hot Shot wrote: my dad, the pizza man. |

sorry couldnt resist

http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/pornog ... apathetic/

IronHide · Post by **IronHide** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:37 am

Yaya wrote:
As someone who sees people dying from the flu in the hospital I take call at, I think maybe you're underestimating the impact of such a virus.

I'm not saying its not deadly, its proved otherwise in Mexico already, I just don't think it's worthy of the hype that its already gotten. People are freaking out like it is some kind of killer epidemic thats coming for them next.

Every flu season people die from the virus, usually the elderly and infantile as well as people recovering from cancer treatments. So I do understand the severity of the flu and in no way am I belittling the effects. My comment is based solely on the reaction that its now getting. The media just got lucky enough that this strain has a new name they can sling around like its goddamn Ebola.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:08 am

Ehh, so 150 people in Mexico died of the flu, really?

I read the article through, and not much below, in tiny letters, there was a mention that only 20 of these are confirmed to have died from THIS new virus.

I'd guess that after the chicken flu that led to millions of chickens, geese and other birds being slaughtered and also thousands of people who bred these birds to lose their jobs (it happened in Hungary), the eminent grey thought it's the swine breeders turn this time.

Next year, it's gonna be fish flu, trust me.

Even if the virus is real and dangerous, the uproar is just done by the media and used by certain people to plunge the agriculture of certain countries into chaos.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:40 am

BB Shockwave wrote:I'd guess that after the chicken flu that led to millions of chickens, geese and other birds being slaughtered and also thousands of people who bred these birds to lose their jobs (it happened in Hungary), the eminent grey thought it's the swine breeders turn this time.

Next year, it's gonna be fish flu, trust me.

Probably not. Fish don't seem to get influenza. Probably due to being cold-blooded and that their fully aquatic environment is a very poor medium for viral transmission.

The issue with swine flu is that pigs are excellent incubators for both the avian and human strain groups of the influenza virus, with the added bonus of possible recombinatory overlap between the two strain groups, creating strains that can infect BOTH humans and avians.

These new superstrains would be entirely new to both and therefore extremely dangerous, as, unlike human strains in a human, there would not be millions of years of developed immunity nor decades of vaccination to fall back on.

Plus, anyone infected would then be extremely vulnerable to other infections: pneumonic, bronchial, etc. and even if they do survive this new virus, their long-term health could easily be compromised.

Normal swine flu, on the other hand is something that has had thousands of years of human interaction and isn't of major concern. Except, maybe, to the infected pigs.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:14 pm

Rebis wrote: Probably not. Fish don't seem to get influenza. Probably due to being cold-blooded

So sprunk. BF. Guys, you're safe.

The Last Autobot · Post by **The Last Autobot** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 7:18 pm

We are dead anyway

Run!!!

saysadie · Post by **saysadie** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:31 am

A lot of people from my workplace have gone to mexico, everyone's come back intact. The only two known cases in my province are well on their way to recovery. I'm not overly worried at the mo.

Well, here's hoping I don't die now that I've said that...

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:15 am

Rebis wrote: Probably not. Fish don't seem to get influenza. Probably due to being cold-blooded and that their fully aquatic environment is a very poor medium for viral transmission.

I should have used the [sarcasm] quotes...

IronHide · Post by **IronHide** » Fri May 01, 2009 3:02 am

Wouldnt have helped. That Rebis is a real ball buster.

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Sat May 02, 2009 4:31 am

There are a lot of cancer patients rolling their eyes at this right now.

Hot Shot · Post by **Hot Shot** » Sat May 02, 2009 6:16 am

bumblemusprime wrote:There are a lot of cancer patients rolling their eyes at this right now.

AIDS patients are rolling their eyes, too.

saysadie · Post by **saysadie** » Sat May 02, 2009 6:36 am

I've got a cough! Watch out!

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:06 am

Hot Shot wrote:
bumblemusprime wrote:There are a lot of cancer patients rolling their eyes at this right now.
And AIDS patients.

oh dear, the logic fails me to point out the differences apparent here!

Hot Shot · Post by **Hot Shot** » Sat May 02, 2009 11:32 am

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:
Hot Shot wrote:
bumblemusprime wrote:There are a lot of cancer patients rolling their eyes at this right now.
And AIDS patients.
oh dear, the logic fails me to point out the differences apparent here!

Er...how did I screw up this time?

EDIT: Oh never mind. Bad wording. Fixed.

Post by **Best First** » Sat May 02, 2009 12:04 pm

only one man saw this coming...

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Sat May 02, 2009 8:48 pm

First case in Oxford today. Just imagine it - at this rate I might catch... flu.

*sneezes*

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:16 pm

There's an unconfirmed report of cases near Yokohama, Japan. If true, my students' class trip may be postponed or canceled.

Predabot · Post by **Predabot** » Sun May 03, 2009 4:01 pm

I'm personally taking a bit of issue with the name they've given this flue. Studies of the virus has showed that it's not actually a mutated strain of the Piggies own flue-virus, but rather it's a hybrid now innit'?

Seems to me like the real source of the problem is the AVIANS once more. Damn birdies...

Or maybe us humans only have ourselves to blame in the first place, since we're the only mammals that keep livestock.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Mon May 04, 2009 11:14 am

I'm a bit worried the media is showing us this as the new Ebola or Spanish Flu, when so far 150 (from this only 20 confirmed) people died.

I guess the general populace needs something new to fear for this year? Maybe a new war is in the planning phase and no-one will give a damn about it while fearing for his/her dear life due to this new disease?

Eh, at any rate, Hungary is as of yet unaffected. But I still choose rather not to eat Tortilla at the mexican restaurant last week... better safe then sorry.