Update now a few months on and the hysteria has died down...
A very interesting article on H1N1 from wired.com - now that the dust has settled 😊
Apocalypse Not: Behind the Swine Flu Hysteria
Interesting development though - here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - people are again wearing the facemasks in the streets maybe 0.5%!v(MISSING)ery low... but now I hear of cases affecting people (friends of friends etc)
Reply to this There are still news reports about it. Apparently, it is serious because of how widespread it is. ie how many countries it has spread to.
.....the first global flu epidemic in 41 years. Thursday's announcement by the World Health Organization doesn't mean the virus is any more lethal only that its spread is considered unstoppable.
WHO: Swine flu pandemic has begun, 1st in 41 years
Reply to this I'd read somewhere that between 250,000-400,000 people die annually per year around the world from all forms of the flu. Though H1N1 is widespread, it's fatality rate is low when you consider the annual rate of deaths from the flu in general.
We seem to be spending a disproportionate amount of time focusing on this particular strain, and I think that the media is making something out of not much at all. Just imagine if the media decided to give all strains of flu the same attention as H1N1, it would be the only thing we would ever see on our televisions.
Reply to this There was one case on the news here (Japan) last night of a 14 year old in the next prefecture from me who has been confirmed as having it.
That's away from the general area which was a concern earlier, and apparently the kid has had no travel related contact.
Reply to this I think how widespread this flu has become is because it happened to find its way into some tourist areas and the tourists spread it to other tourists who got on planes and flew to various parts of the world with it. All flus are contagious, so they probably all have the potential to spread as this one has.
I might have just had it...
It is a good thing that not every virus can be transmitted accross the internet then. Swine flu may not be as deadly as some think, but getting any flu sucks. 😉
Reply to this It was more hysteria than anything and no worse than the normal flu. Although it was funny when someone here at work thought they might have it. I work for my brothers and we have a gentleman who has been with us for over 20 years. He never complains and so when he asked that we give him a ride to the hospital, I went. Sat in the ER and waited for him, because the hospital is better than 20 miles away. They got him so he thought he could go home. The next day my brother called me and said, "Did you take Randy into the ER? And did you hear any rumors?" I said yes I had taken him in and I had heard the rumors, but was not passing them on. At which point my little brother ordered me home and under quarantine. If Randy needed to back in I was to take him to make sure no one else would be exposed. Then they ordered that the molding room where he works to be disinfected. (They have molding presses that run at several hundred degs. and not much could live back there.) He did need to go back in, but it was not Swine Flu, he had gotten bad water (I can't spell what they called it) so I am off of quarantine.
What was funny was the tricks my mind was playing on me. "Oh I feel achy." "Shut up, it can't germinate that fast you fool," was the conversation in my head. LOL
Reply to this I would question any vaccine.
Why? Old people and very young people are often vaccinated against flues because flues can be life threatening for then, but not for the rest of us.
Reply to this Many people die from said vaccine. I can't count the number of people who have said, "I have never been so sick as when I got that vaccine," and now refuse to take it. The vaccine is common over here and pushed very hard. There are many studies which say - don't trust the vaccines they can do grave harm. And then there is that still small voice in me that no longer trust the government and what they might put in it.
Reply to this It's still a big deal in China. I must have had my temperature taken by the PRC a half a dozen times coming in from hong kong. People wearing masks is also a common sight.
Reply to this There have been over 250,000 cases of Swine flu worldwide and over 9,000 in the US (according to the latest CDC update). There have been thousands of cases of swine flu in universities across the country, and as a student it is a big deal to me. I am hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst (being trapped in my apartment while I recover), and I have stockpiled my house with plenty of food and bottled water, hand sanitizer, myclyns, cold medicines and fever reducers, Gatorade, and a T-5000.
Reply to this Don't for get a few hand grenades, KGBs, and assortment of ammo. LOL
Reply to this Well it is a serious matter. lol. Although not necessarily as deadly as the seasonal flu, the swine flu is more dangerous in respect to how contagious it is. There is little to know immunity to swine flu because it is a relatively new virus. This is why it is important to protect ourselves from the virus.
Reply to this Here in North America the flu season is starting up now that its getting a bit chilly, and in British Columbia, B.C. another girl died over the weekend from H1N1-the first death of a person who had no other health problems. She was 26 I think. I think its still very much real, as someone said earlier its a relatively new strain of the flu so theres still a lot of research that needs to go into it-but just as the same for every other type of flu strain, if you exercise precaution you minimise your chances of getting sick. Stay away from work if you
e sick, and if someone else is sick then send them home!! Wash your hands, cover your nose when you
e sick, don lick bus poles...etc etc.
Reply to this We have had many cases here. Finding out that the media is reporting deaths of it before they know the truth. I have two friends so far that have had drs. tell them not to get their children vaccinate. They say the testing on the drug is not up to snuff and if the virus mutates it will do no good. In all likelihood, it will mutate.
Reply to this people are still getting infected and the virus is still spreading even though the media is not that focused on it as it was before. well, I'm not really thinking of it that much considering that there are a lot of other diseases that could be fatal as well. some like HIV, Dengue, etc...
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