Do you NOT CARE about the whole Swine Flu issue?

Post Reply New Topic

IMO it'll be like SARS,Bird Flu,Mad Cow Disease a big media blitz then it'll die like the other "major" diseases. Sure it kills people and I hope it doesn't hurt no one in my family but like the other diseases I feel it'll blow over. I laughed at it on the news since I think back to the huge frenzy of news over those other illnesses and think oh great another one which IMO is why I laugh it's kind of humours and stupid to me.

You took the words right out of my mind! Oh, and don't forget MRSA.

You might be right, probably are, but I suspect plenty of people thought pretty much identical thoughts about the Spanish Flu of 1918. Including some of the estimated 50 to 100 million people who died.

Let it on this way: There is not a lot I can do about this, so why I should care?

There were always in history horrible epidemics which killed whole populations, but for a single person there not a lot of ways to protect himself; so why I should bother.

---

I am not certain: Perhaps it is a good idea to catch up an epidemic disease very early, because in this stage the health system may still work well and the chance of getting a good treatment is higher and therefore the surviving rate. I should pick in future the buses and train with the most coughs.

I care about as much about the Swine Flu as I care about almost everything else that gets reported in the news: I don't.

Unless I read tomorrow that Israel nukes Iran, the only thing I see in the headlines is: "FLASH! SOMEBODY STUPID DOES SOMETHING INCREDIBLY STUPID!" Yeah, that's really news...but hey, it's been on the covers of newspapers and websites forever!

Menigiccocal was not a media frenzy. A lot of people died from it and my area my even hit. My friend had it but lived.
I don't know I'm sort of worried about Swine Flu with winter approaching and a lot of people getting sick.

I keep thinking that if people followed the common sense advice about washing their hands, covering their mouths, staying home when sick, and all that ... it wouldn't even be an issue.

My husband just got through a bout with the flu (probably not swine flu but who knows - no one tested him) and no other member of our household got sick. Why? We followed the rules for preventing the spread of illness. We didn't allow any kids or guests to come over until well past his recovery, and we cleaned and washed and so on.

A friend of ours was out and about, not being careful, the day after he came down with symptons. His whole family always gets dreadfully sick with everything. Hmmm, wonder why ...

I think it's good that the media makes a big deal about things like this. It's one of the many things they can report that makes them useful. All treatment is most effective at the onset of the symptoms, so the more people who are aware of new illnesses out there that can be fatal, the more apt they will find treatment before it becomes fatal for them. Also, the media kinda acts as an enforcer to the agencies who handle these things because they know the world expects them to do something about these things to prevent a major worldwide situation, and they all know if they don't report to the media about what is going on and what they are doing about it, they will get slammed by the media for doing nothing or reporting nothing (like the Mexican government right now for instance). Besides, this is much better than hearing about some of the other crap they come up with. Most media drowned stories remind me of an over-played song on the radio.

I still can't find an AP writer who can organize information where it makes any freaking sense. My mind just shuts down when they spit out facts without any real organization to it. I've seen bulleted lists make more sense. And the Mexican government has yet to disclose information regarding the original cases from weeks ago. See, did that make sense for me to spit out about the Mexican government to anyone in this paragraph? No, it doesn't. So why does the AP start talking about one aspect of this story in a paragraph and then throw out things that has to do with the story but nothing to do with that paragraph? Really frustrating when 90% of the paragraphs are like that. You would think they could employ better writers in today's economy.

Either way, my husband read somewhere at work (or heard from a co-worker who read it somewhere) that it isn't a bad flu so much as much as it makes your immune system think it's worse than what it is, so then your immune system starts attacking your own body (like lung tissue). He also heard that smokers are more apt to experience a normal flu and less apt to be fatal than non-smokers because our immune system is already used to receiving different toxins. I want to find it in writing and save it so I can tell all the non-smokers out there, "Hah, bet you didn't see that one coming."

SEE, THAT is one reason why I say the world would be better if some of my odd traits were adopted by OTHERS rather than my adopting theirs. I have known some people for YEARS, and their skin may be cold SANDPAPER for all I know. I try NOT to touch others. I HATE it when I am forced to and I must then surreptitiously LATER clean my hands. If I fail to, I may touch my face and catch the cold. And MY hygiene is good and the average persons is NOT!
When I was FOUR, kids hated me because I wouldn't "share" my soda! HEY, I never asked them for THEIRS either!

Anyway, NO American has died or even really suffered(outside of ONE that suffered a bit). I haven't had the flu for a LONG time, and had a flu shot. Some say it might give partial immunity.

In short, I couldn't care less. I have so many other things to worry about.

I read that several flu anti-viral medications are effective against it... I think it's important to remember that all the deaths that have happened in this (last I heard) were in Mexico. I'd be willing to bet that those that died did so either because they couldn't afford or didn't have access to proper treatment for it.

I'm not that worried. I should probably worry more about wrecking on the way to school tomorrow.

Too early to tell. This really could have a potential of becoming a pandemic, or it could tail off because WHO is chasing it aggressively by issuing health alerts and increasing surveillance (we are two levels off of pandemic at the moment). If you recall, SARS was contained fairly quickly, but - places like Toronto were basically isolated and shut off from the world to stop SARS from spreading. I think we won't see anything like the Spanish flu circa 1918 just because we have better medicine now, and better conditions, and better access to medicines, but this one is moving fast, and is already poised to be graded higher than bird flu (which has been talked about for a long time but has got to be the slowest moving potential pandemic in the history of modern medicine).

I am not going to discount it quite yet, we will see how the virus progresses. I also have a bit of a professional and personal interest in it, so I am watching it, and I could quite frankly come into contact with it. I am,however, hoping its just a lot of hype. Unfortunately it has caused 100 deaths so far - would like to know if those were the 25-44 group, or if the deaths were mainly in the elderly/immune compromised/children group or like JameAlec said, if it was people in in groups not able to access modern medicine. Like I say, we will see how everything progresses, its a bit early yet.

MRSA kinda freaks me out because it was getting spread around hospitals and I knew a doctor who was seeing it happen, and a cousin of mine got it on his leg. But I think they must have gotten control of it now. It certainly wasn't a pandemic. :B

Swine flu, I'm not worried about.
Mad cow disease would suck hardcore to get, but it seems really rare.
Bird flu: I hear it may still "strike" any time during the next decade. Way to drag things out, huh? But I don't see why it's really something to worry about.

Last edited by wigglyspider on 28 Apr 2009, 2:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

What would be awful is if a virus like this came into contact with the bird flu virus and then mutate into a new virus like the bird flu but can be spread from person to person rather than bird to person. I think that's something they are trying to control as well.

There's no point worrying about things you can't change but...

The problem is;

a. Viruses are becoming more and more immune to our efforts thanks to an over use of medication. They're getting stronger.
b. Quarantine is becoming more and more impossible thanks to our fast global transport systems.

It's only a matter of time before a pandemic develops which travels the globe before it is recognised.


Bird Flu: flap, flap, sneeze, flap, flap, sneeze, flap, flap, sneeze, flap, flap, sneeze, flap, flap, sneeze
Swine Flu: walk, walk, oink, sneeze, walk, walk, oink, sneeze, walk, walk, oink, sneeze, walk, walk, oink, sneeze
Flying Pig Flu: flap, flap, oink, sneeze, flap, flap, oink, sneeze, flap, flap, oink, sneeze, flap, flap, oink, sneeze

- Ever see one of those old westerns, where they have a good old-fashioned moo-cow stampede?

Well.

There you have it.

And it does humour me so.

.

! !! !! !! !


.