Swine Flu news and updates thread

reply to post by Absum!


Hi this one is quite quick with updates..


maps.google.com...,46.40625&spn=174.983666,360&z=1

So good ol' Janet said the US is declaring a Public Health Emergency. Anyone have any info on this? Is this like a state of emergency? What powers are lost and gained by certain agencies.... I am very concerned..... I need to know If I should break out my Protection..... Sounds like this may be serious....

Thanks in advance for the reply to my questions.

-Kdial1

[edit on 26-4-2009 by kdial1]

Oks will keep looking in on this thread for updates. Take care everyone, I have to go to work now

reply to post by kdial1


The White House just announced it in their briefing. . . it is ongoing right now. They claim it is "not as scary as it sounds" and "quite routine" in situations like this. However, they did say that it allows DHS and CDC to use "all of their resources" to mitigate the problems caused by the disease. Sounds like they authorized whatever force/powers those organizations feel are necessary.

Two people in Scotland admitted to hospital with Flu-like symptoms.

They are "suspected" cases...

[edit on 26/4/09 by blupblup]

reply to post by Pazzzzz


Thanks for that map! I just finished searching for one I saw last night and it's 3 hours behind; but I guess people do have to sleep.

A headline from this White House briefing is that the incubation period is between 24-48 hours. Napolitano says that the state and local governments are in charge of the actions taken at the moment. *edit* Gibbs joked through press conferences about economic crisis but he looks like he is distressed, really.

[edit on 26-4-2009 by beaverg]

Originally posted by Agit8dChop
Wow, so many cases in so many corners of different nations.
My guess is, if this is something deliberatey released, it was released during summer break, when all those young'somethings were partying.

The guilty party knew they'd take the bug home to all different corners.

Quite scary, it has the ability to kill, it spreads rapidly and has so much makeup from various other killer flu's from around the world, from various times.

Definately one to watch...

Exactly, some people just can't comprehend this(stormdancer777). It amazes me at how blind people are.

reply to post by fleabit


your u.s. value looks about right, i think that world value looks low by a half. are those just reported flu deaths?

ok, those are from the WHO site . . . ok, i'll defer to those figures even if they're quite a bit lower than the figures we were cited in an infectious disease class i took a good decade ago.

point remains a normal flu virus is a born killer, and until we start seeing deaths in, not to sounds like an ass, but more developed nations than mexico, i'm not going to get worked up over this.

here's what a nasty bout of flu can do, from the same WHO site:

"Much less is known about the impact of influenza in the developing world. However, influenza outbreaks in the tropics where viral transmission normally continues year-round tend to have high attack and case-fatality rates. For example, during an influenza outbreak in Madagascar in 2002, more than 27 000 cases were reported within three months and 800 deaths occurred despite rapid intervention. An investigation of this outbreak, coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), found that there were severe health consequences in poorly nourished populations with limited access to adequate health care (see "Outbreak of influenza, Madagascar, July-August 2002," Weekly Epidemiological Record). It is not possible to extrapolate the exact annual burden of influenza in the tropics from data from such occasional and severe outbreaks."

that's a 3% mortality rate, pretty high. mexico's looks a bit higher at first blush, hard to tell with the shifting figures, but let's see how it fares now that mexican hospitals know what they're dealing with.

and while mexico isn't technically a developing nation, it's close to that tier.

we haven't seen a death in the u.s. (that we know of) even though patients early on were no doubt treated like any other flu victim -- told to go home, get some rest, and drink liquids.

it merits watching, have said so, all i'm saying is even though it's new it doesn't merit panic yet.

what response from the government would you like to see? i think the response has been more than appropriate so far.

but the age of the victims? yeah, agree, that's a concern. didn't we see that with SARS as well?

reply to post by Pazzzzz


It is alarming to notice how rapidly that map has been covered with icons since the last time I've viewed it. France seems to have a significant presences of Swine Flu.

I'm listening to the White House now, and boy are they trying to down play this. I don't understand why they won't be more proactive. No matter what kind of flu someone may have, it can kill, it kills thousands every year. The fact that this is a new strain that no one seems to be immune to should raise more red flags. The virus could still mutate as it continues to spread. Wow, am I frustrated with these guys!!!

WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING:

When asked if they had any reason to believe this flu was MAN-MADE or TERRORIST CAUSED:

"We are analyzing the strain and continuing to do analysis... this strain is not unlike other new strains that have emerged... there is nothing we have seen that would suggest it is anything other than a natural event, but there is no evidence we have seen to suggest it is a bio-terror event."

Originally posted by tortfeasor1
reply to post by kdial1

 

The White House just announced it in their briefing. . . it is ongoing right now. They claim it is "not as scary as it sounds" and "quite routine" in situations like this. However, they did say that it allows DHS and CDC to use "all of their resources" to mitigate the problems caused by the disease. Sounds like they authorized whatever force/powers those organizations feel are necessary.

Yeah I am watching it right now... Of course they are going to say it is "quite routine" That is how they work. They do not want to let the truth out so the public will know what powers they are using....

I am not interested in their opinions that this is "Routine" I want facts on the Public health emergency and what powers are granted to Federal , state and local authorities by this declaration. Janet is playing it down..... IMO

-Kdial1

Spain has seen a rapid increase in reported cases. I worry due to their proximity to Northern Africa - the pathogen may return to lethal status once on the African plains.

Twenty swine flu cases confirmed in U.S.
www.reuters.com...

It seems to be picking up speed...

Another Dr has written into the BBC since yesterday , saying the same thing as the other Dr did in that the death toll is higher than being reported. He says 3 -4 dying a day in his hospital since it began a few weeks ago, I wonder how many hospitals are in Mexico...

"I'm a specialist doctor in respiratory diseases and intensive care at the Mexican National Institute of Health. There is a severe emergency over the swine flu here. More and more patients are being admitted to the intensive care unit. Despite the heroic efforts of all staff (doctors, nurses, specialists, etc) patients continue to inevitably die. The truth is that anti-viral treatments and vaccines are not expected to have any effect, even at high doses. It is a great fear among the staff. The infection risk is very high among the doctors and health staff.

There is a sense of chaos in the other hospitals and we do not know what to do. Staff are starting to leave and many are opting to retire or apply for holidays. The truth is that mortality is even higher than what is being reported by the authorities, at least in the hospital where I work it. It is killing three to four patients daily, and it has been going on for more than three weeks. It is a shame and there is great fear here. Increasingly younger patients aged 20 to 30 years are dying before our helpless eyes and there is great sadness among health professionals here."
Antonio Chavez, Mexico City

source & further comments from people in Mexico

reply to post by infinite


I was worrying about Africa too. I thought about it when I looked at the google map. Africa is worse than Mexico in regards to population, healthcare, and poverty.

Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy
reply to post by Stormdancer777

 

You are so very right that Yellowstone thing was hoax, nothing to be concerned with.We should have known better. I get your view, the calm approach and all and it has merit, however to stay a step ahead of trouble can keep you alive. A few weeks ago there was an earthquake in Italy, a scientist had warned the people there was going to be a big one. Well no one heard the warning, in fact he was told he would be arrested had he kept up with the message. And later lives were lost. So my point is, never underestimate the potential of a dangerous situation until you know your clear from it.

I don't know how you could view Yellowstone as a hoax as it was recorded swarms of earthquakes that even now could still blow and cause huge problems for the world. People may have over reacted but nobody was faking the earthquakes.

For your other point you need to do some more research. The guy predicted an earthquake in the wrong parts of Italy and if t hey would have listened to him they would have probably evacuated the people to where the quake happened. This would have raised the death toll.

I get your point though, it's better to be safe then sorry. Your point proves though that you can't be safe by doing everything you hear without research.

Originally posted by tortfeasor1
WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING:

When asked if they had any reason to believe this flu was MAN-MADE or TERRORIST CAUSED:

"We are analyzing the strain and continuing to do analysis... this strain is not unlike other new strains that have emerged... there is nothing we have seen that would suggest it is anything other than a natural event, but there is no evidence we have seen to suggest it is a bio-terror event."

Neat. I was stupid enough to have been watching the F word and they actually cut off the broadcast and went to their anchorman when *Napoleon was handing the follow up question off to the Surgeon General. (So I missed the complete answer)

Oh, there we go, Gibbs made a joke to end the conference! We're in the clear everyone!

Japan and South Korea are going to check American passengers for the flu, but America isn't checking anyone.

5 Confirmed cases in canada.... just reported on TV.

en.wikipedia.org...

Possible 200+ cases in the United States.

[edit on 26-4-2009 by infinite]