Pandemic/panic

[Fly Rod]

Was the swine flu a Pandemic? It most certainly was not. I know, I know, that you are going to tell me that Pandemic means global outbreak. There has been less then 200 cases of the swine flu in the USA to date, which by the way is influenza - A.

The news media played a big roll in creating panic amongest the people. They really hyped it up. I stopped watching the news for two days.

And the politicians stepped right up to the plate, and the senate even started to hold hearings on the matter, the President even was on national TV telling us to wash our hands. Do we need government thrown at us. Yes believe it, there are people that need to be told to stand here or there, I'm not one of them people, Sorry!

Why was there never any media hype with the common influenza - B virus? We don't go walking the streets with a mask. It's a deadly flu virus of which killed approximately 36,000 people in the USA in 2005 - 2006. Included in the toll are people that get the flu and have other complications from secondary bacterial pneumonia or other underlying chronic diseases.

How say you?

 

[JB]

Re: Pandemic/panic

I say they know exactly what they are doing. A new strain is a new strain.

91 Years ago a new strain killed more people than anything since the black plague.

If it turns out to be mild, that would be good. If it turns out to be severe a lot of people would be in big trouble if they didn't do what you are complaining about.

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Pandemic/panic

Well I sneezed today and did not cover my nose and only washed my hands once today I guess I am rolling the dice Wait I don't get sick the last time I had anything was in "75",the only people that will benefit from this are the dust mask folksbecause it is not an airborne thing it is a moisture thing

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Pandemic/panic

Saturday night while at the mall with the wife we encounter a parent of one of the wifes school kids.She extended her hand as my wife introduced me. A few minutes later I ran to the men room and washed my hands......Gez

 

[ob]

Re: Pandemic/panic

Corpus Christi ISD schools will be closed beginning tomorrow until further notice.I'd like to hear the explanation of how this procedure is to contain or limit this flu outbreak on the 'suggestion' to keep kids in house while out of school.Might be a good time to start a short term babysitting business.

 

[idrownworms]

Re: Pandemic/panic

The past outbreaks of the major flu epidemics started off much like this one. The strain was introduced during the the off season and seemed to go away without causing to much damage. When flu season came around again is when the serious outbreaks occurred. If this flu is following the same pattern it is just getting its foot in the door waiting for fall to begin phase two.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Pandemic/panic

Interesting story this morning suggests that it is likely that pigs have contracted this flu from humans in the first place....

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Pandemic/panic

It is all bogas today they announced that they are changing the closing of the school where a kid got the pig flu at first they were going to close the school for 2 weeks and today they say it will be open buy end of the week I am sick of the media and the pig flu

 

[ob]

Re: Pandemic/panic

CCISD officials are now rethinking their dismissing students from school which already took effect as of yesterday and have it resume before weeks end. Now comes the daunting task of notification.What a huge can of worms.

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: Pandemic/panic

Interesting story this morning suggests that it is likely that pigs have contracted this flu from humans in the first place....

It is not below humans to always stick it to what is considered to be a lesser specie.

 

[fdmsiv]

Re: Pandemic/panic

I don't think it should be called an pandemic until more people have died from strain xyz than average deaths from influenza.

I worry that something like this will come up every year, until people have become immune (pun intended) to the hype and you will have a Katrina type disaster.

 

[FBPirate95]

Re: Pandemic/panic

I don't think it should be called an pandemic until more people have died from strain xyz than average deaths from influenza.

I worry that something like this will come up every year, until people have become immune (pun intended) to the hype and you will have a Katrina type disaster.

I agree....however when it happens I think the magnitude of the problem will far surpass anything we've seen to date. Rate of infection is an exponential growth. Think about the outbreak in the early 20th century....killed millions. And that was a time when the world was big, and travel did not occur on a grand scale. Today, we have billions more people, and with the exception to JB's Hideout, nothing is really isolated any more. People are allowed to come and go as they please around the world. The law of probability ensures that if a pandemic ever does happen again it will be devestating.

I'm not saying all of this to be dramatic or a sensationalist. I'm a realist. Things happen for a reason and no matter what a lot of people out there believes, the world runs in a balance. If things get too far out of balance one way, something is going to happen to bring it back.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Pandemic/panic

I heard this morning on the local radio station that our county health department said there weren't any cases here. A close person I know that works at the local hospital said 3 tested positive for "A" but the tests were never sent to the CDC. Makes me wonder how many others are doing the very same thing?

 

[ezbtr]

Re: Pandemic/panic

Well I'm just gettin over "A" cold/flu, workin from home since Monday. The only symptoms I NOW have are sniffles and coughing up gunk. Had an over night chills/sweats one night, stomach thing and tired. Now I almost feel 80%?? Am I still contagious? We've been pushing for folks to work from home or take sick days - I surely dont want to spread anything!