Swine Flu Info Blog

7 comments:

Plant Grow Lights said...

What the CDC and Health Department knows is so different from what we are hearing in the media.
The virus is infectious for about 2 days prior to symptom onset. The virus sheds more than 7 days after symptom onset (possibly as long as 9 days). This is unusual.
Since it is such a novel (new) virus, there is no "herd immunity," so the
"attack rate" is very high. This is the percentage of people who come down with a virus if exposed. Almost everyone who is exposed to this virus will become infected, though not all will be symptomatic. That is much higher than seasonal flu, which averages 10-15%. The "clinical attack rate" may be around 40-50%. This is the number of people who show symptoms. This is a huge number. It is hard to convey the seriousness of this.
- The virulence (deadliness) of this virus is as bad here as in Mexico, and there are folks on ventilators here in the US, right now. This has not been in the media, but a 23 month old near here is fighting for his life, and a pregnant woman just south of San Antonio is fighting for her life. In Mexico, these folks might have died already, but here in the US, folks are getting Tamiflu or Relenza quickly, and we have ready access to ventilators. What this means is that within a couple of weeks, regional hospitals will likely become overwhelmed.
There are 10-25 times more actual cases (not "possible" cases -- actual), than what is being reported in the media. The way they fudge on reporting this is that it takes 3 days to get the confirmatory nod from the CDC on a given viral culture, but based on epidemiological grounds, there are more than 10 cases for each "confirmed" case
right now.
During the night, we crossed the threshold for the definition of a
WHO, Phase 6 global pandemic. This has not happened in any of our lifetimes so far. We are in uncharted territory.
President Obama will declare an emergency sometime in the next 72-96 hours.
It appears that this flu produces a distinctive "hoarseness" in many victims.The symptoms, in general, match other flu's; namely, sore throat, body aches, headache, cough, and fever. Some have all these symptoms, while others may have only one or two.

May 4, 2009 at 2:17 AM

jenneysl said...

It's the differences in health care systems and people's ability to afford health care. Mexico is having a rougher time than the U.S. with the global economic situation, thus less people working.

May 4, 2009 at 2:17 AM

soccerch said...

Because they have poor health care. & poor economy
Not like Other countries who have good health care, and a safe/clean community.

May 4, 2009 at 2:17 AM

myopinio said...

They do not have the meds and care in Mexico the way we do here in the U.S. that's why.
They are turning people away from public clinics and never have any mes to offer. Yes, they do, i am in error but not as much as we do.

May 4, 2009 at 2:17 AM

Alone said...

I'm guessing it's because it is quite a poor country and doesnt have a very good medical system. Also it spreads quite easily because it is quite over populated and not very good living conditions.

May 4, 2009 at 2:17 AM

football said...

I listened to the update on the news and the reason that Mexico is having all these deaths and the US is not is because we have better health care. there is currently no vaccine for the H1N1 influenza A virus but tamaflu is reccomended for slowing/decreasing the symtoms of the flu.

May 4, 2009 at 2:17 AM

Mike said...

Actually, those reports are inaccurate. the actual death toll directly attributed to the H1N1 virus is 10. Not the 150+ that was initially reported.
The CDC reports that this particular strain isn't as deadly as the normal strain we get here in the U.S. which kills around 36000 people yearly.
This is all a big scare, hyped up by the media.

May 4, 2009 at 2:17 AM