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westsidesooner
04-27-2009, 11:13 AM
President Obama delared a public health emergency, and the EU is warning against travel to the US and Mexico. Meanwhile the number of cases in the U.S. have nearly doubled. So far there have been no reported cases in Oklahoma but its just a matter of time. Below are a couple of articles about the outbreak. How concernd do you think we should be?

AFP: US declares health emergency over swine flu (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gu9VyDRrkNh1H7dszKlOs-jJQCtQ)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/health/28flu.html

HSC-Sooner
04-27-2009, 11:55 AM
I believe the WHO may upgrade it to pandemic status soon.

Karried
04-27-2009, 09:49 PM
I can't believe it.... my good friend is in Cancun right now.. left this am at 4 before these new, latest results came out.

As of yesterday, there were no advisories or anything indicating that Cancun was affected... but last night, NY students virus was traced to Spring Break in Cancun.

She says everything is fine there for now. I don't think they get CNN at the hotel, hopefully not. yikes.

westsidesooner
04-28-2009, 08:46 AM
I believe the WHO may upgrade it to pandemic status soon.

Yesterday the W.H.O. changed the alert level to 4 on a scale of 1-6 meaning

"Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion."

phase 5 gets much more serious and could be just a few days away since as of last night the virus was identified in several other contries including Israel, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Ireland.

"Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way"

Hopefully this is being overblown on the side of caution.....I hope so. I just wish someone would be able to tell us why there have been so many deaths in Mexico and not in other countries. This outbreak is already having a huge ripple effect on world and US economies. Some stocks (airlines and travel industries) are falling along with the price of oil. And some are sure to mae a quick profit off this. Glaxo smith klein, and whoever makes the surgical masks to name a couple.

Watching this unfold is like watching some horror movie. Hopefully thats all it is. Heres a Google map presentation showing the latest cases around the world. H1N1 Swine Flu - Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.488281&z=5)

fuzzytoad
04-28-2009, 10:00 AM
I just wish someone would be able to tell us why there have been so many deaths in Mexico and not in other countries.

Because Mexico's a third-world-country?

bandnerd
04-28-2009, 10:01 AM
Yeah, we're wiping everything down constantly, sending home feverish kids just in case, we have masks, extra anti-everything soap in the bathrooms, the whole she-bang. They even sanitized the locker combo locks Sunday evening.

And some teachers have said this is getting blown out of proportion, or that they didn't miss much by being late to our meeting yesterday morning to discuss how we were going to handle the situation.

Hello? My generation hasn't seen anything like this. And it's teenagers and young adults that are going to be hit the hardest because of our lack of immunity. How can we know what's going to happen? I'd rather be prepared then get caught with my pants down. I know the administrators feel the same way.

Have you ever taken a Clorox wipe and wiped down a banister in a school? I have. Ewwwwww.

HSC-Sooner
04-28-2009, 10:17 AM
Because Mexico's a third-world-country?

That could be it. Or that these victims have been exposed to a more evolved strain. Flu evolves rapidly and these victims may be the canary in the mine so to speak. The CDC and the WHO definitely has a valid concern in this bug.

This H1N1 strain is killing younger adults and healthy individuals (a very disconcerting thought).

Karried
04-28-2009, 12:05 PM
omg.

Two Deaths being reported in CA from possible Swine Flu.

Age 35 and 44

Karried
04-28-2009, 01:27 PM
Now many hundreds are sickened in New York.

I'm thinking of getting Tamiflu - where do I get it?

This is starting to get very scary.

HSC-Sooner
04-28-2009, 01:42 PM
You would have to talk to your doctor about Tamiflu. I know doctors don't like to prescribe Tamiflu to patients for stockpiling purposes.

This is due to an increase risk that incorrect dosages can lead to Tamiflu-resistant viruses. Now that would be a very bad thing.

If you have symptoms, I would check it out now. Tamiflu is only effective against this virus in the first few days (2-3?). But once you take it, you should be fine. Just take the necessary precautions by washing hands, being hygienic.

From the way it sounds, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few Oklahomans walking around with this flu now and that they don't know it.

BUUUT, I don't have medical expertise since I'm just a medical researcher. You really should ask your doctor.

Karried
04-28-2009, 01:47 PM
I think I need to stop watching the news. I'm starting to freak myself out.

westsidesooner
04-28-2009, 01:55 PM
I think I need to stop watching the news. I'm starting to freak myself out.

lol....I know the feeling, I was watching the news last night and finally had to find a sit-com to cheer myself up. Lets hope we're being paranoid. I also heard that Doctors dont want people stockpiling Tamiflu. Duct tape and plastic over the windows maybe....jk

Karried
04-28-2009, 01:56 PM
ha, last night was nothing.. you should see it today. It is like a freaking horror movie.... seriously. They keep putting up maps and showing more and more infected states.... I'm turning it off and disowning my friend (who is in Cancun) for a few weeks, lol.

westsidesooner
04-28-2009, 02:05 PM
I'm to scared to turn on the TV...lol.<---nervous laugh :sofa: Like I said I quit watching the news last night in favor the Big Bang Theory (real intelligent show, but it made me laugh) and tonight Im watching a movie. I've heard a lot of refences to the outbreak in 1918 recently, I wasnt around back then of course, and I dont think I want to know how bad it was.

Luke
04-28-2009, 02:14 PM
I think I need to stop watching the news. I'm starting to freak myself out.

Yeah, don't worry about it. Worrying won't help anything.

Besides, you are exponentially more likely to die in a car accident than getting the flu.

Not to put a damper on things, but just to put things in perspective.

:)

Thunder
04-28-2009, 03:11 PM
Does anyone know how this specific virus strain capable to spread from person to person? Airborne? Touch? It does sound a bit freaky, considering how many people go to a grocery store. If by touch, then all the grocery they touch then the Sackers touch those grocery.

I could die!!!

Karried
04-28-2009, 03:17 PM
Go get some Germ X and to be extra careful, spray all of your customers with Lysol ... (just not in the eyes).

Thunder
04-28-2009, 03:24 PM
That'd be hard to carry Germ X and to use it before/after serving every customer. I only got a pocket for tips and a pocket for keys and pen/notepad.

We are all at risk. This is grave danger. I don't think the vacs that most people had gotten several months back will be effective. New strain, newly discovered, right? It takes time to study, develop a vac, start production, shipping to all locations, and getting them to the people. All of this will take much longer than the virus spreading people to people.

Midtowner
04-28-2009, 03:27 PM
Yeah, don't worry about it. Worrying won't help anything.

Besides, you are exponentially more likely to die in a car accident than getting the flu.

Not to put a damper on things, but just to put things in perspective.

:)

Actually, according to this death statistics table:

Death Statistics Tables (http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/death_stats.html)

You're more likely to die of influenza or pneumonia than in a car accident. Yeah, I know, it's sloppy stats with the disjunctive and all... but that's how the CDC rolls.

That said, it's only 2.7% versus autos at 2.1%. So there's that.

See now y'all feel so much better.

-- But Luke's right, panic isn't going to help. Just turn off Fox and CNN.. watch the Food network instead.

OKCisOK4me
04-28-2009, 03:27 PM
Yeah, I work at a tuxedo store and there's lots of exchange between customers and employees. I wash my hands anytime now before touching my mouth or eyes. I have a very strong immune system but I don't want to screw with this thing!

Thunder
04-28-2009, 03:31 PM
I think my immune system is very strong, because I didn't get the flu or gotten sick during the winter. The last time I was sick was around a year or more ago. I didn't get any vac, either, and the last time I got one was 2 years ago.

Still, I'm tired a lot, not much energy, and constantly a bit down, so that could affect my immune system, but this past winter, I made it thru without any sickness. Keep in mind I don't eat veggies (Sorry, ECO.) and rarely eat anything close to it, such as a salad once every few months (If in the mood).

Spring is here and I'll be damned if this virus sneaks up to me.

Thunder
04-28-2009, 03:35 PM
At the same time, U.S. officials urged the public to stop using the term "swine flu," since swine apparently are not infected with the virus and this misconception is triggering unwarranted fears about U.S. pork.

Officials Warn Swine Flu Outbreak Will Likely Lead to U.S. Deaths (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/28/white-house-asks-congress-billion-fight-swine-flu/)

USDA: Please Call It H1N1, Not Swine Flu (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518272,00.html)

I guess a Mod need to change the topic to H1N1 or Swine Flu / H1N1?


Officials urged the public Tuesday to refer to the virus by its scientific name -- H1N1 -- not swine flu. And they criticized the dozen or so countries that have imposed bans on U.S. pork products.

Insider
04-28-2009, 03:40 PM
I've heard a lot of refences to the outbreak in 1918 recently, I wasnt around back then of course, and I dont think I want to know how bad it was.

The outbreak in 1918 killed up to 20 million people world wide. This is **SO FAR** not like that and is not likely to end up like that. However, some worst case statistics according to the CDC to think about...

Worst case scenario is that approximately 40% of the US population will get sick with the Swine Flu/H1N1. Of those, approximately 2% would die. This would amount to about 2 million to 3 million people. This is just in the US. These numbers would be DRASTICALLY different in more populated places like India and China.

OKCisOK4me
04-28-2009, 03:47 PM
The outbreak in 1918 killed up to 20 million people world wide. This is **SO FAR** not like that and is not likely to end up like that. However, some worst case statistics according to the CDC to think about...

Worst case scenario is that approximately 40% of the US population will get sick with the Swine Flu/H1N1. Of those, approximately 2% would die. This would amount to about 2 million to 3 million people. This is just in the US. These numbers would be DRASTICALLY different in more populated places like India and China.

Is this just the Earth naturally cleansing itself of us? Or is this one of the plagues from the Apocalypse? lol...

Windshieldsplatter
04-28-2009, 04:17 PM
I have already bought 1200 rounds of 9mm shells, two pallets of cream corn, and 7 cans of Lysol spray. I recommend everyone buy plastic sheeting and duct tape for the windows and doors of the house. When this gets really bad food and bullets will solve all of my problems.

HSC-Sooner
04-28-2009, 04:18 PM
Yeah, I work at a tuxedo store and there's lots of exchange between customers and employees. I wash my hands anytime now before touching my mouth or eyes. I have a very strong immune system but I don't want to screw with this thing!

This influenza virus can spread from human to human. Unfortunately, it is killing healthy adults in Mexico due to a phenomena called the cytokine storm. Your body produces cytokines during an infection to fight off the invaders but when your body is exposed to a strange virus like this, it overreacts. This overreaction is what generally kills healthy adults since your immune system is going crazy and destroying your cells.


We are all at risk. This is grave danger. I don't think the vacs that most people had gotten several months back will be effective. New strain, newly discovered, right? It takes time to study, develop a vac, start production, shipping to all locations, and getting them to the people. All of this will take much longer than the virus spreading people to people.

You are correct that the vaccine will offer little to no protection. Just take the general precautions and be hygienic. It will take time to study and come up with a vaccine.

HSC-Sooner
04-28-2009, 04:23 PM
I have already bought 1200 rounds of 9mm shells, two pallets of cream corn, and 7 cans of Lysol spray. I recommend everyone buy plastic sheeting and duct tape for the windows and doors of the house. When this gets really bad food and bullets will solve all of my problems.

Bullets?? It's not a zombie infection :hairyguy:

Midtowner
04-28-2009, 05:55 PM
The regular flu has already killed 36,000 this year.

This thing is a real tempest in a tea pot IMHO.

Luke
04-28-2009, 05:56 PM
KGOU is reporting a man in Muskogee recently returned from Cozumel, Mexico with "flu-like symptoms."

...And it gets nearer.

;)

Thunder
04-28-2009, 09:58 PM
Today, at work, during the first hour, I saw a father checking his son. He was listening to the back of his son's chest. That is one sick kid. It got me to wonder, is it here already? Who knows. We will find out soon.

HSC-Sooner
04-28-2009, 10:19 PM
They just found out the source for swine flu:

YouTube - Michele Bachmann Links Swine Flu To Democrats, Gets History Wrong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSDmBxsgL5I)

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann hints at the source lol.

westsidesooner
04-29-2009, 08:03 AM
It just makes your head spin. :dizzy: Maybe she inhaled to much co2. At least if she had said that the flu is a natural byproduct of nature she would be in the ballpark. Politics aside. I heard last night that they found the first case in Mexico. A 5 year old boy (now doing fine) who lives next to a pig farm.

I agree with Thunder that the name of this thread should be changed to H1N1 Virus. If a moderator could please change it for me I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Charlie40
04-29-2009, 08:17 AM
I like swine flu better

westsidesooner
04-29-2009, 08:26 AM
So does my brother....he wants to go to work today and start making pig noises to get out of work. "I'm not feeling grunt grunt very well, Can I grunt grunt go home" I know I shouldnt be making jokes, but sometimes you just gotta have a sense of humor to get through things. Besides, would you really want to have something named after a pig. Eat one maybe, not die with its name on your death certificate.

kevinpate
04-29-2009, 08:27 AM
> I'd rather be prepared then get caught with my pants down.

Sound advice for everyone, in just about any scenario one might conjure up
8^)

Charlie40
04-29-2009, 08:29 AM
Seal up your houses invest in a good vetilation system that filters the air to almost sterility and stay inside for the long term.

GuyB
04-29-2009, 08:43 AM
Just saw this today
First U.S. Death From Swine Flu Is Confirmed
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/health/30flu.html?ref=health

OKCMallen
04-29-2009, 08:52 AM
This thing is a real tempest in a tea pot IMHO.

This. :k-bunny:

Luke
04-29-2009, 08:54 AM
In the vein of light-heartedness...

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/swine_flu.png

westsidesooner
04-29-2009, 09:02 AM
This. :k-bunny:

That bunny is kinda freaky...I never have like that emoticon.

GuyB
04-29-2009, 09:23 AM
This. :k-bunny:


Rabbit flu could be comming next! j/k

PennyQuilts
04-29-2009, 09:23 AM
Rabbit flu could be comming next! j/k

Thunder, hide your bunnies!

Luke
04-29-2009, 09:26 AM
Thunder, hide your bunnies!

Just don't EAT the bunnies, and you'll be alright.

;)

Martin
04-29-2009, 11:43 AM
madagascar has closed its ports.

-M /obscure for okctalk?

westsidesooner
04-29-2009, 12:01 PM
madagascar has closed its ports.

-M /obscure for okctalk?

I think the cats already out of the bag, and it might be too late for that. Madagascar is about as isolated as you can get though. France is wanting to stop flights to Mexico too. BBC NEWS | Europe | France urges Mexican flight ban (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8024345.stm)

I know I've seen this movie before. :ohno:

Midtowner
04-29-2009, 12:16 PM
Flight bans are pretty pointless. They just require travelers to add an extra stop on their flight, e.g., a 1-way from Mexico City to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Orly.

Thunder
04-29-2009, 02:11 PM
Luke, this is what I had posted on Twitter the other day.


ThunderUSA: Swine flu continues to spread, more and more people is dying. I could be next. Could you be next? A time to panic.

ECO, I believe the virus is spread among human to human. I haven't heard of any animals being infected.

HSC-Sooner
04-29-2009, 02:46 PM
The WHO raised the pandemic alert to level 5..out of 6.

UPDATE 1-WHO confirms pandemic threat raised to 5 | Deals | Regulatory News | Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUSN2944469820090429)

westsidesooner
04-29-2009, 03:55 PM
Yeah, I caught part of the news conf. I wish the WHO sounded a little more optimistic. I keep looking for some clue that they are playing this on the safe side, but get the feeling they expect it to get pretty bad. By comparision, from what I've heard on cnn SARS was a level 3 and avian flu would have been also if the current table was around back then. I may be wrong there....I was trying to do two things at once and watch the news.

fuzzytoad
04-29-2009, 03:55 PM
The WHO raised the pandemic alert to level 5..out of 6.

but does that make it worse or better?

like with defcon.. the higher the number the lower the risk?

westsidesooner
04-29-2009, 04:09 PM
but does that make it worse or better?

like with defcon.. the higher the number the lower the risk?

Much Much worse.

http://www.who.int/entity/csr/disease/influenza/phases5-6.gif



"Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way"

fuzzytoad
04-29-2009, 04:11 PM
Much Much worse.


"Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way"


so you're saying we're just one step away from a porkcalypse?

FritterGirl
04-29-2009, 04:19 PM
so you're saying we're just one step away from a porkcalypse?

Exactly. It's time to break out the ham sanitizer.

westsidesooner
04-29-2009, 04:47 PM
You are making me sooooo hungry. I love pork.

Luke
04-29-2009, 05:51 PM
so you're saying we're just one step away from a porkcalypse?


Exactly. It's time to break out the ham sanitizer.

Yesssss!

Thunder
04-29-2009, 08:23 PM
Swine Flu Outbreak (http://news.aol.com/article/swine-flu-outbreak/452130?icid=webmail|wbml-aol|dl3|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle% 2Fswine-flu-outbreak%2F452130)

LATEST ON SWINE FLU OUTBREAK:

WHO Raises Pandemic Alert Level to 5
CNN Reports Swine Flu Confirmed at Marine Base
10 States Report Swine Flu Cases
Virus Extends Deeper Into Europe
Egypt Orders Slaughter of All Pigs

Karried
04-29-2009, 09:02 PM
Fort Worth just closed all of their public schools.

fuzzytoad
04-29-2009, 09:42 PM
Fort Worth just closed all of their public schools.

This is one of those times where I wish I had the ability/mindset/opportunity to teach U.S. history. I would *love* to be a high-school history teacher in the 2020s-30s just so I could go over the last 35 years with first-hand knowledge of the sheer idiocy that we've all been through and are going through..


1976 - Swine flu.. one confirmed death in the US.. 300+ deaths due to mass histeria(due to innoculation)

2003 0 deaths in the US for SARs

2006 0 deaths in the US for bird flu(H5N1)

2009 1 death in the US for swine flu(H1N1)


It's comedic to try to place any substance to these "issues" that seem to roll around every 6-18 months..

If I were the type to suggest a conspiracy was at play, it would only suggest that the news media was attempting to downplay other issues while focusing the general population into believing that the government was hard-at-work "fixing" a non-issue...

since we all know that this current adminstration would never attempt such a thing, especially in occlusion with news media as we know, one can only assume that people who fall subject to the mass histeria of this current "pandemic" are complete morons, there's no other course of action than to laugh at them after-the-fact and teach our children to respect government medical oversight...

I'm fairly confident that the future history books of the United States of America will label the late 20th and early 21st century as a very comical period.. Namely for these "pandemic" episodes we are currently experiencing..

Karried
04-29-2009, 10:18 PM
I agree.. a lot of this is probably so overblown and fear is definitely taking over.

But, then again, we can look at it another way too .. maybe the lack of deaths above can be attributed, in part, to the fact that precautions were taken due to the 'hysteria' caused by the government.

Who knows... I like to err on the side of caution when it comes to my kids but wow, is this going to be a huge financial strain on so many people.

From parents forced to pay for daycare to travel industries suffering and everthing in between, it's going to be costly.

kevinpate
04-30-2009, 04:44 AM
From a friend's email yesterday

For decades folks swore we'd only see a minority elected as POTUS when pigs fly.
And today, here we are. You can't turn on radio or the telly without someone carrying on about swine flu