SWINE FLU Information

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A new strain of swine flu that has killed as many as 81 and sickened more than 1,324 in Mexico has spread to the United States and is raising fears of a possible pandemic.

What Is It?

Swine influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs first isolated in swine in 1930, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness is caused by four different type A influenza strains that can cause outbreaks in pigs, though subtypes H1N1 and H3N2 seem to be more common. The death rate among pigs is low, with most infections occurring in the late fall and winter.

How Do People Get Infected?:
Human infection happens intermittently, with most cases occurring when patients have direct contact with pigs. But cases of an infected person transmitting the swine flu to others have also been documented, says the CDC. (A 1988 outbreak in pigs in Wisconsin led to multiple human infections, and there was evidence that a patient transmitted the virus to health care workers.)

About one case of swine flu in humans is reported to the CDC every one to two years, but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases were reported to the agency. According to WebMD.com, 11 of those people had direct or indirect contact with infected pigs.

Human-to-human infections do occur similar to the way the human seasonal flu virus is transmitted — through coughing, sneezing and coming in contact with a person or object with the virus.

People cannot become infected by eating pork or pork products. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit kills the virus as well as other bacteria, notes the CDC.

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to those of the regular human influenza virus: fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some who have been infected with the swine flu also reported having a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

How Is It Diagnosed?

A respiratory specimen must be collected within the first four to five days of illness, when the infected person is most likely to be shedding the virus. However, some patients (such as children), may shed the virus for 10 days or longer, according to the CDC. Specimens must be sent to the CDC for laboratory testing in order to identify swine flu.

How Is It Treated?

Four antiviral drugs are licensed to treat the disease in the U.S.: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. Most of the viruses are susceptible to all four, but the CDC currently recommends oseltamivir or zanamivir to treat and prevent swine flu infections. The antivirals should be taken as soon as possible symptoms appear.

Tamiflu, the generic name for oseltamivir, appears to be effective against the new strain when taken early, says the CDC

Thanks, Merle!

This video contains some useful information, especially about the sort of masks recommended.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dK5AngPPOo

Who knows, on a more cynical note perhaps our lack of social skills and contact will mean Aspies will inherit the earth.

What is the mortality rate?

sinsboldly wrote:

oink oink

Postperson won't be worried until it's Kangaroo Flu.

I lived though the last Swine Flue 'epidemic' in 1976.

Merle

Well if it is a 16:1 ratio then it sounds like have better than the spanish flu which I think had a 33% death rate. I heard that the infection rate for spanish flu was about 100% of the population. Spanish flu scares me a bit, I hope that a vaccine is found soon !

_________________
Health is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity I am not a jigsaw, I am a free man !

Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

the new strain of swine flu is a mix of H1N1, H3N1, and H5N1 (human, swine and avian respectfully), which, seeing as most of those killed so far are under 45, seems pretty lethal. The odds of this combination occuring naturally? must be fairly astronomical.

The incubation period for flu viruses in humans is about 12 days. the mexico outbreak began around the 23rd/24th of this month.

Approximately two weeks ago several samples of an experimental virus combining H1N1, H3N1 and H5N1 went missing/got out of Glaxo-Smith Kline laboratories in Switzerland, Germany and Czech Republic. There are only two circumstances I can think of myself where an organisation such as GSK would want to combine these viral strains:

a) They are attempting to create a vaccine against a biological weapon which either does exist or may exist.

b) They are trying to create that weapon.

There are reported cases of infection not only in Mexico City, but so far as I've heard, San Diego, Texas and possibly New York (schoolchildren are being tested following possible exposure on a trip to Mexico)

For several months now in upstate New York there are reported to be miles and miles of car transporters (pulled by trains) idling at a long disused rail depot with more being added over time. Some of these transporters are apparently fitted with benches and manacles/chains. Some are filled with plastic sheets, plastic coffins.

Yesterday the makers of Tamiflu, Glaxo-Smith Klein, approached the World Health Organisation to inform them that they had a large supply of tamiflu ready on 24 hour alert, and that it was effective against H3N1, swine flu, they may possiby have used the words "effective against this strain".

As a note, one of the largest shareholders in Glaxo-Smith Klein is one Mr D. Rumsfeld.

There is more.

I read things, I draw conclusions...

It's quite a mutation. Just found this website to keep track of it, don't know if it's any good http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/?area=&lang=eng