Swine flu: The new pandemic?

[freeztar]

Can you please cite your sources mynah?

I found the following article which seems to indicate that it's on a decline.

The global swine flu threat is receding, but it could return in a far more deadly form in the fall.

The warning was given Monday by Dr. Margaret Chan, head of the 193-nation World Health Organization, in an interview with the Financial Times of London.

Chan warned that the swine flu virus known as H1N1 that caused the Mexico City-centered outbreak could return in the fall as a far more dangerous mutation.

After last week's warnings, school closings across the United States and the near shuttering of Mexico City, the current outbreak seems to have peaked.

Swine flu-HIV could devastate human race - UPI.com

[Turtle]

Never buy a pig in a poke, and always get your news from the horse's mouth.

WHO | Influenza A(H1N1) - update 14

[Moontanman]

Freezy, did you catch this one?

Swine flu-HIV could devastate human race - UPI.com

The four strands of the swine flu virus come from pigs, humans and birds. Experts believe that the virus mutated into its current form in the bodies of pigs. Health authorities are particularly worried that the capability to mutate already exhibited by the virus could eventually let it combine with the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.

[mynah]

Originally Posted by freeztar

Can you please cite your sources mynah?

I found the following article which seems to indicate that it's on a decline.


Swine flu-HIV could devastate human race - UPI.com

I couldn't find the original two reports I read as they're on a news site that is constantly updated - but here is another:

WHO may call phase 6 alert

As for it becoming worse in the fall/autumn... In half the world, that would be right now!

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by mynah

I couldn't find the original two reports I read as they're on a news site that is constantly updated - but here is another:

WHO may call phase 6 alert

As for it becoming worse in the fall/autumn... In half the world, that would be right now!

Calm down Mynah. We're all gonna die of something anyway. No but really. Going to phase 6 is not indicative of this getting "worse", rather it is simply a designation of how widespread the infection is. While it is possible that the current strain may mutate and pose a threat in the fall, for now the deaths in Mexico where this started have stopped for the past 4 days and in the US no new deaths either. The numbers we see going up have a lot to do with test results coming back and changing suspected cases to confirmed.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Moontanman

Freezy, did you catch this one?

Swine flu-HIV could devastate human race - UPI.com

I did catch the small mention of the H1N1 mutating with HIV.
Not enough details are given to interpret that though, not to mention worry about it.

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by freeztar

I did catch the small mention of the H1N1 mutating with HIV.
Not enough details are given to interpret that though, not to mention worry about it.

I about burnt google up with that one and I couldn't find a single hint that such a thing was scientifically viable. I know virus' do occasionally swap genes but ever thing I found indicates they have to be closely related for this to happen as in one flu virus swaps genes while traveling through several hosts with another flu virus. No evidence that far removed virus' can or do swap that way.

[Ganoderma]

the radio here (Taiwan) said that they were making a vaccine and had 200,000 planned by July. They are taking it very serious here, mostly because of what happened from SARS. they also developed a new test here that detects the first stage of the infection within hours. they test everyone in the airport now and plan to be giving vaccines soon to people like customs agents and other such people that deal with international traffic.

They are also tracking people down that have come from infected countries to test them. I saw on the news they quarantined a whole building in Hong Kong to test for it because one person on a flight that stayed there was sick.

the theory of distracting people from the recession (hell, this is probably boosting it through medical supply sales) may be a neat theory, but the fact that so many governments of countries, especially rich countries like US/CAN/Asian countries, are REALLY taking it serious. my mom works in blood testing in canada and they have all sorts of protocols and new things to do that has never happened in company history. here in taiwan, they are spending crazy amounts of money and basically not f'ing around at all.

I really have no clue if i should be worried and planning for 28 weeks type thing or not, but i do know at least locally it's not a joke adn the gov is taking it pretty serious.

i bought my alcohol soap

[mynah]

Alcohol is an effective antidote? I'm taking immediate measures against swine flu, then.

Seriously, though, according to this update it is still spreading. Can't make out how it compares in severity with ordinary flu.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by mynah

Alcohol is an effective antidote? I'm taking immediate measures against swine flu, then.

Seriously, though, according to this update it is still spreading. Can't make out how it compares in severity with ordinary flu.

Five deaths in the US now, contrary to your article, and the flu continues to spread. Time will tell I guess.

CDC H1N1 Flu

Originally Posted by CDC

last updated May 15, 2009, 11:00 AM ET
... It’s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread; mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus.

It’s uncertain at this time how severe this novel H1N1 outbreak will be in terms of illness and death compared with other influenza viruses. Because this is a new virus, most people will not have immunity to it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against this novel H1N1 virus. CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the coming days and weeks. ...