H1N1 Panic mode.

[bunnyboy]

So one of the posts on CS actually got me into thinking about this (well as well as discussing with one of my CWs) that it seems like most non-PECID people (Pregnant, Elderly, Child, Immuno-Deficient) are all up in a tizzy about H1N1 that has killed in the past year about as many people as the other flu does every year. I basically put it this way, SARS wasn't the monster it was made out to be, Avian Flu was definitely not what it was made out to be, nor were any of the flu before, around or in between these great civilization destroying diseases. personally I'm getting kinda sick of it and wanting to slap the CDC and/or WHO for not coming up with something better than Pandemic for something that goes across national lines. For example, I catch a cold in Canada, come back to the states and maybe 5 other folks get it (or knowing my subculture visa-versa) it becomes a pandemic... of course what the public hears and thinks is "BIG BAD COLD WILL KILL US ALL IT'S A PANDEMIC!!!!111eleventy1"

Truthfully I'm rather sick of hearing about it, I cough not because I have H1N1, but gasp because I've smoked almost daily for 10 fucking years, and before that due to problems with my sinuses and post nasal drip. Hell if we're gonna go for a pandemic that'll actually deserve this reaction lets Cross H1N1 with the 1918 flu, and I have the perfect name for it....


Captain Trips.

[lupo pazzesco]

(Re: avian flu) the way this was described to me in the class on diseases and history I took was that it wasn't so much the virus itself, but the fact that it had crossed the species barrier. The mutation, then cross species infection apparently didn't bode well for our immune systems because apparently, while the flu can be a big bad thing, previous exposure to human flu of any variety gives a leg up on defending against it. No such luck if it's an animal strain. Yes, it's highly infectious, but supposedly, it's only supposed to be infectious to birds, and the cases contracted by humans are those who are in close contact with said birds, and end up exposed to blood and other birdly fluids/matter. Even then, it wasn't so bad until it managed to jump from person to person, hence the panic, especially in a global economy with such ease of travel and thus disease spread. This equals pandemic and scariness.

and from what I understand of the 1918 flu, the reason that was so scary was that it wasn't killing the usual PECID victims, but it was taking out young healthy individuals in their prime (i.e., like the breakouts at army bases and whatnot, but then those weren't exactly the most hygienic of places in the early 1900s...)

Do I think people are overreacting? Yes. I think it's ridiculous because in all honesty, the regular flu has killed MORE people than swine flue, IIRC. (Have to double check the stats to date once I access the CQ researcher database I use...) Proper precautions should prove to be preventative and protection enough, but then hey, that's common sense. There were outbreaks of swine flu on my campus, allegedly. I shrugged, avoided close contact when possible, washed my hands more, and wiped stuff down with Clorox wipes if someone before me using it looked ill (like shopping carts or something). Lo and behold. No swine flu for me, and my immune system is generally crap. I just acted rationally and logically. I didnt' run out and demand an H1N1 vaccine (Just got the yearly flu shot, thank you), I took precautions and did my best to live healthy and clean.

And I can't remember who, but someone has their sig on CS.com saying something about common sense being so rare it's a super power.

I think this is where I end my rambling.

[fireheart17]

Run for your lives! It's the aporkalypse!

Sorry, it had to be said.

In my case, until I get quarantined, I don't have to worry about it.

[KabeRinnaul]

Run for your lives! It's the aporkalypse!

I always liked "Hamthrax".

And "Bacon Lung."

[DesignFox]

Yea. I don't get the panic. The people who have died of swine flu would likely have died of regular flu, a cold, being sneezed at, tomorrow, etc.

Healthy people aren't just dropping dead from swine flu.

Forgive me if I don't cringe in fear and slather hand sanitizer all over myself.

I do what I do every time I have interactions with people: cover my mouth when I cough/sneeze, wash my hands, wipe down my workstation as needed.

um...yea. Things that *should* be common sense.

[LewisLegion]

My coworker's 15 year old neice died of swine just a couple weeks ago. Of course, she was also diabetic...and for some reason the interaction of the flu and her diabetes caused her fever to sore to brain damaging levels.

[KitterCat]

If you look at it from a purely anti social outlook, its sort of entertaining. Annoying at times, but still entertaining. Especially if you listen to some of the uneducated publics opinions on how you can catch H1N1. My favorite to date was a customer complaining that he’d caught it from eating the stores bacon. Yes eating bacon is going to give you swine flu. Oh well more bacon for me then.

[Talon]

I wouldn't normally be worried about H1N1, except there was a story in the news here about a perfectly healthy 15-year old who lost his life to it. That and my best friend has a newborn has me somewhat concerned. But panic? What good has that ever done?

[Mr Slugger]

I wouldn't normally be worried about H1N1, except there was a story in the news here about a perfectly healthy 15-year old who lost his life to it.

But see to me that's one of those "moon and the stars align" type ones.

Like DesignFox said most people that died of it died because of other conditions. I think it's perfectly possible for someone to die from the common cold with the right medical problems.

[Rageaholic]

Add me to the list of those sick of hearing about H1N1. It's all my local news talks about. I'm prone to anxiety so I avoid the news like the plauge (no pun intended). I'm not getting all worked up over ONE disease. There's too many other things to worry about.

[jackfaire]

That's why I read the newspaper it's actually news versus "Oooooo ratings"

[Slytovhand]

Come to China - in almost every class I'll have students missing cos they're at the hospital. Face masks abound. I even had to lecture a couple of classes about the reality of it.. and telling them that I just had a chat with their main medical lecturer at the university about it! (true - we did have a chat, and a laugh about the panic here). And I'm talking very healthy (fitter than I) 17-20 years olds who are panicking...

[Kimmik]

I had to get the shot for it... meh I hate shots but being pregnant and also having a genetic defect means I was one of the first in line when flu shots, pneumonia shots, x shot comes up. Poor hubby that is fit as a horse also has to get them... I am the type that got a double respiratory infection from an allergy shot... go me.

I think that one reason for the panic is that we are now global. So that we hear much more then we did in the past. And I am sorry to say but society as a whole are a bunch of chicken littles. The running joke at my house is I will get the H1N1 and then Avian and my body will mutate them into the flying pig flu. But over all anything that is contagious can kill someone.

I take everything that the medical community spouts with a grain of salt... if they don't scream loud enough and things blow up they are at fault... if they scream to loud and it is a dud then they are at fault... So I guess they side with the better to be overly paranoid then have it be worse then they said.

[Nyoibo]

All I can say is god help everyone if Equine flu transfers to humans.

[BlaqueKatt]

Healthy people aren't just dropping dead from swine flu.

yes they are, but due to the number of cases countries are no longer required to report them.