Swine Flu, what's everyone's thought?

[WildThing121675]

K,

I've been watching a lot of stuff on network news, and cable news about this Swine Flu epidemic. I've NEVER seen anything like this in my life. To me, this reminds me of a bad movie, and it also reminds me a HELL of a lot of the opening part of Stephen King's The Stand.

In The Stand, the novel and the miniseries opens with a flu outbreak but that was through a virus created by the US military. This is not fiction this time around, it's reality.

This also reminds me of the 1990's movie Outbreak as well. The media has been going way overboard on it, and I don't know what to make of it all. I was wondering if anyone else like me feels like they've woken up to one hell of a bad fuckin' nightmare?

My hope is that interstate travel in the US is not suspended before Mother's Day 'cause I REALLY wanna see my mom and dad that weekend. I don't see them often.

WildThing121675

 

[BabyWolf]

The media is out of control. Frankly, if the media did and said a lot of the things it does now back in the 1950's, there would be a treason or sedition investigation, or they would be charged with inciting a panic.

My opinion: it's nothing to panic about. It responds to conventional flu treatments like Tamiflu. It's just a slightly stronger than average flu. In the United States, where public health and sanitation knowledge is high, the odds of it inflicting major damage are slim. Where such flus can pose a major threat are in poor and poorly-educated nations, where they have neither the knowledge nor the infrastructure to properly stop its advance. Places like Mexico and Central and South America are likely to be hit hard. Granted, Mexico did the right thing: they immediately closed all schools and restricted many other tightly-packed gatherings of people. That was the absolute smartest thing they could have done with the resources they have available.

 

[WildThing121675]

Very true.

I guess my problem is that it reminds me of so many movies, and novels that it's like seeing one of those come to life.

I never thought I would see something like this come to life like this. I've read a lot of novels about outbreaks, and such, and seen stuff on TV.

To me, this reminds me of a lot of those movies done like a fake news broadcast such as 'War of The Worlds', 'Special Bulletin' from 1983, and also from that era, 'Countdown To Looking Glass'. Just kinda makes you think. I had no idea it would get THIS bad this fast.

Makes you wonder how bad this will get before it gets better.

WildThing121675

That was why I made the post

 

[mm3]

"And I saw when He opened the 6th Seal, and a great earthquake occurred, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth...and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the chiliarchs and the rich men and the strong men and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one sitting on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand"

Revelations (6:12-17)

 

[dogboy]

Now we have two recorded deaths in this country, though I think the news said that 150,000 people in the U.S. die every year from the flu. At my school we will start our SOL testing the second week in May. I wonder what would happen if we get hit by the swine flu at about that time. Would they close the school and just send everyone home for the year? Taking the SOL's are state mandated, so I suppose we would have to go back to school when the epidemic was over. Man would that suck!

 

[Butterfly Mage]

I think humanity is extremely overdue for a massive population adjustment. It hasn't really had one since the Black Plague. But right now the world is so overpopulated that humanity is essentially stripping the world bare.

It would be better to have some plague reduce the world's population by 40-60% than to have the biosphere become so compromised that human life drops by 90% due to starvation.

If the population were cut in half, it would also have the effect of radically raising wages and lowering unemployment, since there would then be more jobs than people (at least that's how it worked out at the end of the Black Plague).

I'm not actually wishing for half the world to die. But given the choice of half the people dying versus an ecological collapse that kills almost everyone, I'd choose the lesser of two evils.

 

[Diapered Rabbit]

Swine Flu, what's everyone's thought? Bring out your dead!

:bunny:Bring out your dead! Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Scene 2

'Bring out your dead!'

[thud]
[clang]
CART MASTER:
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]

Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[cough cough...]
[clang]
[...cough cough]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead! Ninepence.
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
[clang]
Bring out...
[rewr!]
...your dead!
[rewr!]
[clang]
Bring out your dead!
CUSTOMER:
Here's one.

CART MASTER:
Ninepence.
DEAD PERSON:
I'm not dead!
CART MASTER:
What?
CUSTOMER:
Nothing. Here's your ninepence.
DEAD PERSON:
I'm not dead!
CART MASTER:
'Ere. He says he's not dead!
CUSTOMER:
Yes, he is.
DEAD PERSON:
I'm not!
CART MASTER:
He isn't?
CUSTOMER:
Well, he will be soon. He's very ill.
DEAD PERSON:
I'm getting better!
CUSTOMER:
No, you're not. You'll be stone dead in a moment.
CART MASTER:
Oh, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.
DEAD PERSON:
I don't want to go on the cart!
CUSTOMER:
Oh, don't be such a baby.
CART MASTER:
I can't take him.
DEAD PERSON:
I feel fine!
CUSTOMER:
Well, do us a favour.
CART MASTER:
I can't.
CUSTOMER:
Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
CART MASTER:
No, I've got to go to the Robinsons'. They've lost nine today.
CUSTOMER:
Well, when's your next round?
CART MASTER:
Thursday.
DEAD PERSON:
I think I'll go for a walk.
CUSTOMER:
You're not fooling anyone, you know. Look. Isn't there something you can do?
DEAD PERSON: [singing]
I feel happy. I feel happy.
[whop]
CUSTOMER:
Ah, thanks very much.
CART MASTER:
Not at all. See you on Thursday.
CUSTOMER:
Right. All right.
[howl]
[clop clop clop]
Who's that, then?
CART MASTER:
I dunno. Must be a king.
CUSTOMER:
Why?
CART MASTER:
He hasn't got shit all over him.

This is life imitating art. :bunny:

 

[Charlie]

Only heard about it due to a few mentions on the internet.

Apparently it's big news, but I can't watch the news so.

Although they're sending leaflets out here next week so I guess it's real. Not going to lose any sleep though.

 

[Darkfinn]

IMHO... this is all a reflection on humanity's overreliance on antibacterial everything to fight germs. Soaps, wipes, hand sanitizers, etc. These things kill 99.9% of all germs.

Great... right? WRONG!

That 99.9% means that .1% of germs are left over... the .1% that are already immune to the antibiotics. So only the strongest ones are left to multiply. This is how we end up with new mutant killer viruses and infections that are immune to all antibiotics. Maybe the common cold bug could have killed the Swine Flu virus... but since we've practically eradicated the common cold there is no competition for the Swine Flu... and it takes over.

This is the exact reason that I avoid things that are branded "antibacterial". The human immune system is an amazing and powerful thing... but like any good warrior it learns from experience. If you are never exposed to any germs because you sterilize your environment every day your immune system is going to be weak... and viruses are going to get you.

 

[itsme]

Now we have two recorded deaths in this country, though I think the news said that 150,000 people in the U.S. die every year from the flu. At my school we will start our SOL testing the second week in May. I wonder what would happen if we get hit by the swine flu at about that time. Would they close the school and just send everyone home for the year? Taking the SOL's are state mandated, so I suppose we would have to go back to school when the epidemic was over. Man would that suck!

One confirmed death (a child from Mexico brought to Texas for treatment) and it is actually 36,000 deaths from flu and flu complications (pneumonia mostly) annually.

I do believe that this is going to reach epidemic proportions, but I also believe that the media is going a little to far with it.

 

[Darkfinn]

I somehow seriously doubt this will become "epidemic". We all thought bird flu and west nile virus were going to be so widespread a few years ago... it didn't happen.

A lot of this is the media manipulating the facts to try and create a story... and all they are creating is unnecessary panic. Yet another reason I hate the media... they sensationalize everything and it really hurts us as a nation.

Also... we have to consider that most of the deaths reported so far have been of the elderly or of the very young... both segments of the population are very suseptible to disease... and generally in poor health to begin with.

 

[r0bino]

I haven't read much about this flu, but I'm not worried about it. Maybe a bit because older relatives might become sick, but personally I'm feeling pretty well, so a flu won't kill me that easily

 

[MysteriousVisitor]

I consider the hysteria rather amusing.

 

[recovery]

Only heard about it due to a few mentions on the internet.

Apparently it's big news, but I can't watch the news so.

Although they're sending leaflets out here next week so I guess it's real. Not going to lose any sleep though.

Charlie_F, I don't "watch" the news on TV. However, I do read the headlines of newspappers and have various news feeds on my computer. It's good to stay up to date with the general issues of the world.

I somehow seriously doubt this will become "epidemic". We all thought bird flu and west nile virus were going to be so widespread a few years ago... it didn't happen.

I don't think it's going to be bad as "the worst case scenario", however it's always best to be cautious and play it safe. So all we can do now is keep a close eye on people being diagnosed with the flu and how it is spreading.

A lot of this is the media manipulating the facts to try and create a story... and all they are creating is unnecessary panic. Yet another reason I hate the media... they sensationalize everything and it really hurts us as a nation.

I agree, I saw a very annoying head line today basically emphasising that we're all going to die tomorrow from this virus. I find it annoying that people don't take a second to think things through a little bit to form a better understanding of the situation, rather than let the media spoon feed them "facts".

Also... we have to consider that most of the deaths reported so far have been of the elderly or of the very young... both segments of the population are very suseptible to disease... and generally in poor health to begin with.

I'm not 100% sure on this, TBH, I haven't read much on it. But I've read that it's the immune system going into over kill and actually killing the host while it tires to get rid of the virus. It's odd, But I guess, mainly the young would be susceptible to underdeveloped immune system. Or those with a very good immune system that took things the wrong way.

But with all these bird flu, there is a vaccine I think that is a one from the family of avian flu. Wether it will be 100% effective for everyone is another issue. So don't get your hopes up if this does break out to be bad, or any other avian flu for that matter.

 

[Pramrider]

It's interesting, I was reading one report which says older people may actually have more resistance to this strain than younger ones. There's been similar strains of flu in years back which they could have had exposure, and built up a measure of resistance to, which could help them fight off this particular virus. I remember a swine flu outbreak back in the 1970s...not sure if that's the one they're referring to in the report.

Another nasty flu outbreak was the Hong Kong flu of the late 1960s. A good friend of mine caught that one and it took him a long time to recover. In fact, he also caught mono a year or so later, and I really think he was more susceptible to getting the mono because his health never completely recovered from the HK flu.

All you can do is take the normal precautions you would with any seasonal flu outbreak, get the flu vaccine if/when it's available and if you feel that will give you a greater measure of protection, and try to steer clear of anyone exhibiting flu-like symptoms or otherwise appearing ill.

Sure hope everyone here avoids coming down with the virus.:hug:

~Pramrider

 

[Falkio]

In my opinion, the Swine Flu is just another mutated virus with a hype blown out of proportion. Bird Flu never adapted like scientists expected. If an "end all" bug truly existed - wouldn't it kill its host before given the chance to spread? I read that in an article about the infamous Spanish Flu. And, as Darkfinn mentioned, all the other widespread diseases were eventually contained.

Even if things got drastic, the government would initiate a quarantine protocol. That reminds me of the movie "Right at your Door". The cover still haunts me.

 

[Jewbacca]

I'll say this about swine flu, pork is $0.99 per pound . And honestly, I agree with Butterflymage on this one, it's about high time for a mass genocide on the planet, and one that's caused by a mutated strain of a virus would probably be more generally acceptable than one initiated by a human being.

 

[diaperedteenager]

i would love it if all the people that went to Mexico for SB would be taken out of school and tested for it and quaretined untill they were pronounced clear to go. There are A LOT of kids in my school that went to mexivo and i believe some of them are stupid enought to kiss a pig there. I want them tested. There already are many cases of the disease in my state.

I would also like the U.S. gov't to put a tourism embargo on mexico untill this is resolved.

 

[g6s]

Wowwwwwwwww!

You are all insane...

to think that we actually have some real conspiracy theorists and media-haters... you guys should let up! They're in business and people watch the news more when the news is exciting and important! If they reported it the right way, people would be less interested in getting informed about it! I suspect that the mass "hysteria" they're causing is actually preventing the flu from spreading faster.

to the overworried, chill out... stay away from sick people and stop being so damn jumpy!

and for you people that advocated a human population reduction, shame on you! you're wishing the deaths of huge numbers of people and if that were to happen, I can only wish that you feel the most pain and suffering of everyone! Just imagine some people on this forum getting sick and dying and all you did was WISH IT. It's like saying, "let's nuke Iraq... because we have no value for the human life."

The human race will adapt to an overpopulated planet...

All y'all are crazy. thank you.

 

[chevre]

I think humanity is extremely overdue for a massive population adjustment. It hasn't really had one since the Black Plague. But right now the world is so overpopulated that humanity is essentially stripping the world bare.

There was the Spanish Flu is 1918. That killed like 50 million people, although it's still not quite on the scale of the black plague (which killed a few times that many).

IMHO... this is all a reflection on humanity's overreliance on antibacterial everything to fight germs. Soaps, wipes, hand sanitizers, etc. These things kill 99.9% of all germs.

Great... right? WRONG!

Well... I agree that overuse/abuse of antibacterials and antibiotics is a problem. But, influenza is a virus, so antibiotics would never have had an effect on it anyway. Right now, they say it is responding well to tamiflu, though.

Anyway, I'd say there's reason for concern, but not for panic. Take normal precautions that you would to not catch any airborne or waterborne disease: wash your hands, avoid touching your eyes, etc. And if you are laid up by the flu, stay home.