In the 70s Swine Flu made an appearance in the US. They had vaccines for it, but not a lot & they were new stuff. They may have even been made with a little live virus back then. My prince had one because the military were guinea pigs.

I didn't get a shot nor the flu.

What I don't get is why they are treating this like it's all new! The news has made an issue of the fact it came from pigs & is being passed to humans now. That's how nearly ALL our flus work. Pigs get something, they pass it to chickens, who pass it to people. Each time mutating a bit.

I can understand the hoopla about ANY virus that we'd like to contain, but this one, if in fact it IS "swine flu", then it's not that big of deal.

Are we being lied to about what it is?:dunno:

As with any flu, the healthy that get it are uncomfy, but fine. The young, old & already sick are the ones at risk.

If it's THAT bad, why are they still allowing travel?:dunno:

Also if it "supposedly" is coming from Mexico would this be the perfect time to close the borders...... meaning Army national guard keeping it locked and border patrol actually making sure nobody crosses that isn't screened first.just my 2 cents

Also if it "supposedly" is coming from Mexico would this be the perfect time to close the borders...... meaning Army national guard keeping it locked and border patrol actually making sure nobody crosses that isn't screened first.just my 2 cents

Poor Mexico, first drug/gang violence and now swine flu. I won't be going there for a while.

There was an interesting FAQ on swine flu today on cnn.com at http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/27/swine.flu.qanda/index.html . The text is here:

(CNN) -- The World Health Organization has called it a "public health emergency of international concern."

Seemingly out of nowhere, the swine flu virus has spread from person to person in Mexico and the United States, triggering global concerns as governments scramble to find ways to prevent further outbreak.

Q. What is swine flu?

A. Swine influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. Outbreaks in pigs occur year-round.

The most common version is H1N1. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.

Q. Does swine flu affect humans?

A. While the virus causes regular outbreaks in pigs, people usually are not struck by swine flu. However, there have been instances of the virus spreading to people -- and then from one person to another. The only difference is, says the CDC, transmission in the past did not spread beyond three people -- as it has done this time.

Q. What is behind the spread of the virus this time?

A. Researchers do not know yet know. People usually get swine flu from infected pigs. For example, farmers handling infected pigs can contract the virus. However, some human cases have occurred without contact with pigs or places they inhabited.

Q. What are the symptoms of swine flu?

A. The symptoms are similar to the common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Q. How does the virus spread?

A. The virus spreads the same way the seasonal flu does. When an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person, the latter is put at risk. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. An infected person can pass the virus to another before any symptoms even develop.

Q. Why is this spread troubling?

A. Scientists are concerned whenever a new virus is able to jump from an animal to a person -- and then spread from person to person. When the flu spreads person to person, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight off.

The World Health Organization has said the current outbreak has "pandemic potential," and has urged governments to take precautions to prevent its spread. If the virus continues to mutate, drug makers won't be able to come up with vaccines fast enough.

Q. Can swine flu be fatal?

A. Just like the regular flu, swine flu worsens pre-existing medical conditions in people. So people with already compromised immune systems can die after contracting it.

Q. But doesn't the common flu kill more people?

A. Yes, common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year. But what worries officials is that a new strain of the flu virus can spread fast because people do not have natural immunity and vaccines can take months to develop.

Q. Have there been swine flu outbreaks in the past?

A. From 2005 to January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the United States, without deaths occurring, the CDC said. In September 1988, a healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died a week later. And in 1976, a swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey, caused more than 200 illnesses and one death.

Q. What does the World Health Organization mean when it says swine flu has "pandemic potential"?

A. If the virus spreads over a wide geographic area and affects a large segment of the population, it is upgraded from an "epidemic" to a "pandemic."

Q. How deadly have pandemics been in the past?

A. In 1968, a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people worldwide. And in 1918, a "Spanish" flu pandemic killed as many as 100 million people.

Q. How can one keep from getting swine flu?

A. There are no vaccines available. But several everyday steps can help prevent the spread of germs: Washing hands frequently; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; and avoiding touching surfaces that might be contaminated.

Q. Are there medicines to treat swine flu?

A. Yes, the CDC recommends using anti-viral drugs. They keep the virus from reproducing inside the body. And in an infected person, the drugs make the illness milder.


Q. Can one contract swine flu from eating or preparing pork?

A. No. Pork and other pig-derived products, if properly handled and cooked, do not transmit swine flu. The flu virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F (70°C).

But what's different THIS time than in the 70s? :dunno: So far it all sounds the same.... so why is it such a media blitz?

I guess this is the time for pharmacies to stock up a Tamaflu & the like.

I've never taken the stuff.... but I haven't had many flus in recent years. Until this year I'd had flu shots for a few years.

With the vague symptoms, I wonder how many haven't bothered to see a doctor. I wouldn't for a cold/flu thing. Of course, if it went into an infection I would. We still have a couple more months of no medical insurance. So I'd prefer not to get anything.

I should stock up on chicken soup.....:yes:

We really can't close the borders....they're too big. We can be more careful with the flights coming in & have some sort of health check. The Swine Flu is in Canada too. The states reporting it so far are CA, TX, KS & NY. So it will spread big time since it's already on both coasts & in the middle. Not much can be done now.

But what's different THIS time than in the 70s? :dunno: So far it all sounds the same.... so why is it such a media blitz?

I guess this is the time for pharmacies to stock up a Tamaflu & the like.

I've never taken the stuff.... but I haven't had many flus in recent years. Until this year I'd had flu shots for a few years.

With the vague symptoms, I wonder how many haven't bothered to see a doctor. I wouldn't for a cold/flu thing. Of course, if it went into an infection I would. We still have a couple more months of no medical insurance. So I'd prefer not to get anything.

I should stock up on chicken soup.....:yes:

We really can't close the borders....they're too big. We can be more careful with the flights coming in & have some sort of health check. The Swine Flu is in Canada too. The states reporting it so far are CA, TX, KS & NY. So it will spread big time since it's already on both coasts & in the middle. Not much can be done now.

OK I will do my best to answer this so everyone can understand. Well to start out with virus and other pathogens that infect us are rapidly evolving. Since they have a much shorter life span and humans do they are able to evolve and mutate much faster than we can.

So the quick and easy answer to your question about the outbreak in the 70's is that no it is not the same. The virus is able to very rapidly and is therefore very hard to treat and create a vaccine for. Now I would assume that there are plenty of Virologists at NIH and other big research institutions that will be working around the clock to come up with a vaccine. But it takes time to create a vaccine to a virus that can mutate every time it changes hosts (infects a new person). I am not saying that it cannot be done but it will take time.

About the symptoms I would like to think that since this has officially been declared an epidemic that people with flu like symptoms would get themselves checked to make sure it is not swine. And I am not sure about the medical insurance but since the govt has issued the State of Emergency I would like to hope this would help cover people without insurance.

And for anyone that got a regular flu shot, it will do nothing for you against the swine flu outbreak.

Hopes this helps and clears up some questions!

I just heard on the news about it being in CA. Coincidentally, I woke up to a very mild cough today.

Ahh....

So although THIS one has been named the same & has the same symptoms, it's not really the same? They should've named it something else. :)

I knew the current flu shots would be useless... they do their best to guess for the actual flu season & this one is very late.

Viruses are nasty little buggers! Seems like every couple of years they have one to panic us with! SARS, bird flu, west nile, Mad cow, etc.

So these poor people with allergies & have sinus problems that often lead to a cough will have to wonder if they are actually sick!? The anti-viral meds do better if taken right away... so they'd have to wait until they were sure & it might be too late for those meds!

I think we may just skip the trip to the boardwalk or other public places next weekend. He can take me to a beach nearby & pack a picnic!

This will also effect the economy! People shouldn't be traveling during an epidemic! Or doing much public stuff. Sheesh! This nation may actually go bankrupt yet!!!:paranoid:

This will also effect the economy! People shouldn't be traveling during an epidemic! Or doing much public stuff. Sheesh! This nation may actually go bankrupt yet!!!:paranoid:

Already having a small effect. The stock prices of pharmaceutical companies/drug makers are up today.... while the stock prices of airlines, gas companies, etc... basically, anything having to do with travel/tourism are down.

In CA it was in the San Diego area. In TX the San Angelo area, I think. Near Kansas City, KS.

It was changing rapidly though!

Makes me wish I was more stocked up on food & stuff already!! I've been collecting stuff for the hurricane season, but not enough yet. The less I have to go out the better. Unfortunately, my prince gets more exposed. He has to deal with people more & often finds a virus.

"Already having a small effect. The stock prices of pharmaceutical companies/drug makers are up today.... while the stock prices of airlines, gas companies, etc... basically, anything having to do with travel/tourism are down."

Yep, as I figured. :yes:

I'm thinking about becoming a hermit! OK, maybe a survivalist....:paranoid: I need lots of solar panels! :lmao: I'm teasing....although there are days the thought gets serious attention in my head!

I found a map of where it's been....

http://blogs.chron.com/newswatch/2009/04/swine_flu_map.html

Yes it is the same, but not exactly the same. I am afraid if I try to explain it more it could just lead to more question but I will try.

In general over time all things are going to evolve. Virus can do this over a much shorter time span. They will evolve to try and evade our immune system so they can "live a full life." It is just the survival of the fittest basically for viruses. The ones that our immune systems can kill won't replicate while the ones that evade our immune system will replicate and live on. So this "new" swine is still classified as swine flu but could be as different as a person from the ice age is from a person of today.

Like you said viruses are nasty little buggers.

I get the virus mutation thing. Been watching that stuff for years. :yes: It's the same as far as it apparently came from piggies, then to the chicken, then to humans from what they understand....different since it has mutated in it's very own way.

A person could easily become overly paranoid when you think about how flawless a virus can be! The one in the 70s had the same name, type & classification.

I wonder if we're making things worse by wiping out what used to be considered "normal" childhood deceases? I had about 4 different kinds of measles, mumps, & chicken pox as a kid. My kids only had chicken pox. My grandkids were vaccinated for all of it. So it seems each generation now has less chance to build up the antibodies, which COULD make them less able to fight off these viruses that come along. :dunno: Just a thought.

Even though I had all those things... I didn't get colds often. I had my very first cold when I was 6. I remember it. I had no clue how to blow my nose!! Kinda funny now. According to the doctors in my life I have an exceptionally good immune system. Could it be from the exposure I've had? I'm one of those "healthy as an ox" people. When I get a virus, I usually have it more mild than others around me. I'll get queasy, but not barf. I'll get stuffy, but not have a cough. Things like that.

My family has teased me about how I'd adapt somehow to live on another planet....:lmao:

6 confirmed cases in Dallas (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE53R03P20090428)


SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Texas state health authorities on Monday confirmed four more cases of swine flu that is threatening to become a pandemic, bringing the state's total to six.

To contain the outbreak, Texas officials closed 14 schools near San Antonio and one in Dallas.

In North Texas, Dallas health officials are tracking three more "probable" swine flu infections that could be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in coming days.

In Guadalupe County near San Antonio, all three confirmed cases involve students at Byron Steele High School, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.

The cases in Dallas affect a wider age group -- a 24-year-old, a 7-year-old and a 3-month-old, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services officials.

The new virus has killed up to 149 people in Mexico and there were 40 confirmed U.S. cases, though there are no confirmed U.S. deaths from the virus that spreads quickly between humans.

The World Health Organization on Monday raised its pandemic alert level to phase 4, indicating a significant increased risk of a pandemic, a global outbreak of a serious disease. It would be the world's first flu pandemic since 1968.

Elsewhere in Texas, local officials said they were tracking four possible cases in Nueces County near Corpus Christi.

In Schertz, Texas, two high school students have recovered and the third is recovering under voluntary isolation at his home, officials said.

In the middle class suburb outside San Antonio where the three confirmed swine flu cases live, residents did not show any alarm.

The first major outbreak was at an army base and was confined to that location. :paranoid:

Pigs have a unique biological makeup that allows several viruses to merge, ie the current pathogen is a combination of Avian, Swine and Human. :paranoid:

Is there a relationship between the first major outbreak and the current one? :paranoid: :dunno:

Everyone, this is not like the Flu breakout in the 70's. This strain mutats everytime it infects a new host.

Please check out www.infowars.com for more information on this outbreak.

Also, this has infected and kill more than what the media is reporting. There was 216 deaths alone as of Friday 24th. Check out the website and see for your self.

The big difference between the 70s outbreak and today is media coverage. More people are connected now than ever to news feeds, Twitter, YAHOO home pages . . . right to their phones and more often than not are on them 24/7 any more. It's constantly bombarding us and the media is as desperate as ever to propagate stories to boost their ratings. If swine flu is the latest kool-aid flavor (mmmmmmmm, swine flu), that's what they're feeding us.

Mother Nature will always find a way. . . paraphrase from that line in Jurassic Park. We've engineered out many of Mother Nature's population control mechanisms, she'll find a way to thin us out. :paranoid: :D

"Please check out www.infowars.com for more information on this outbreak. "


Funny.... I went there & one of the headlines was "POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE ROCKS SWINE FLU PLAGUED MEXICO CITY"

It was only a 5.6, which isn't considered "powerful" & it was at least 160 miles away! See, when I see that stuff, I tend to distrust more info. Are they sensationalizing the other info too?:dunno: Just asking....

You can thank our sensationalist and alarmist media for this brouhaha. This country's media is a complete joke. I get my news from Digg and The Daily Show ;)

I don't see what the big deal is .. it's perfectly treatable with Tamiflu.

im really not worried about this at all. im on a college campus where clearly there are a ton of people in a small area. there have been emails floating around warning us to wash our hands and just to be careful. i watched cnn this morning and i think i felt my iq drop. the way they are begging to get this become a huge issue is insane. im not going to change any of my habits or plans. i have no plans to go to mexico ever just not appealing to me but if i did have plans to go there soon i would not go. cnn i swear must be getting paid to promote twitter the way they covered people posting "tweets" about the flu.

people just need to calm down im pretty sure youve got a better chance of getting hit by a car today then getting the infection and even if you do contract it it isnt automatically fatal.

Princess, there is a lot of information about the virus on that site along with a lot of other content.

The main thing I am trying to point out this is not normal. Yes 30k people die every year from the flu. However, the genetic makeup of this is bird, swine and human. As has been explained by MANY people, swine flu is not very contagious to humans because it has trouble crossing over from swine to humans and affecting our cells in the same way. This is one of the major reasons why this new “Swine” flu is so special. Not only has it crossed over to humans, it contains strains of avian, swine, and human flu. That is what makes it dangerous to humans, it can easily affect us.

1. Were are out of the Flu season
2. The travel of this break out is abnormal (normally from the east to west not west to east
3. There is no cure. (Tami flu is not working)
4. The strand of flu is mutating with every host it hits pointing to number 3#.

The worst of all the contamination lies dormant for up to 8 days and is contagious the whole time.

jsbh2005, I understand....I was just pointing out that the "facts" seem to very according to whoever is doing the reporting. :D

The idea of a world government isn't a good idea to me....another point of the source you shared. It is getting closer & closer to becoming a reality. If it does, then we will end up in some sort of global civil war. I big one. Then maybe later settle down to a nice peaceful time. Sounds like MANY movies, huh? I've often wonder how much "art" is reality & how much "reality" is art....:dunno:

Things I WILL change while this flu is rampant... I'll be more diligent about hand washing as soon as I come home from anywhere. I've had that as part of life for a long time....I will be better about it. I'll also make the boss do the same. I'm seriously considering canceling my weekend plans of dinner out this week. I can't go into a shell....too depressing, but I don't need to press my luck either.

Not having medical insurance until this Summer, I really don't want to need a trip to a doctor for anything! Being generally healthy, I doubt if I'd be one of the few that finds this fatal....but what if it's not that way for one of my grandsons? The meds that the 10 year old is on he can't take ANY cold medicine. So the idea of congestion for him could become an infection easier not being able to control it. The other one was a croupy baby. Colds settle in his lungs a bit more than the average kid. Less now than earlier in his life. But I'd never forgive myself if they were to catch something fatal from me! If by chance they were to get it from school, I'd be the one dealing with them. I've rarely ever caught any illness playing nurse.

Meanwhile, time to stick up on chicken soup.....I'm sure the shelves will be empty soon!:yes: Maybe I'll make some home made stuff... it works best anyway. Science has actually proven there's something to the old wives' tale about that. The combination of chicken broth, onion & garlic really do help with illness. Best if made from fresh ingredients. Being an old wife, I can come up with a few "cures"....:lmao:

I hope they catch this soon, it just seems to be spreading to quickly. Just found out 2 confirmed in Indiana and they had no contact with anything or one from Mexico. That is odd.

Like you said it will most likly end up in a global civil war. Just hope we are on the winning side.

I'm in Texas...they always win!!:lmao::lmao::lmao:

Well save a place for me, not liking the chicago area to much. Not to mention they have taken my gun rights away.

Have you seen any boarder patrol stop they have set up there? Last week they beat up a pastor for not allowing them to Illegally search his car. Its on Youtube just search pastor beat up by boarder patrol.

We actually had to go through boarder inspections just from moving to the state. They have some placed well inside the state. I think almost 100 miles! I'm sure this is in addition to the ones on the actual border.

We weren't harassed at all. We had our truck full & the boat we were pulling full.

On the actual border I can understand them being very picky.... many people defy the laws in the name of a church. (Helping/saving the poor & abused.) We can't have it both ways.... you can't complain about our "open" borders & then call the searches illegal. Last I knew they had a right to search any vehicle coming in....or out. Not so much looking for people as drugs. It's a major problem that's getting even worse on the US-MX borders.

Although we love to dive...I have no desire to visit MX any time in the near future. More because of the increasing violence than the flu. They've had a series of news stories about all the kidnappings & such going on lately.

TX is even more unique & wonderful than I imagined. Coming from the land of PC (political correctness) it's been refreshing to hear more honesty! I am against socialism....in CA that makes me a racist, which I am not! ANYONE that knows me & my family would easily see that I'm not. (my family is a "melting pot")

TX is far from a racist area too. I actually expected to encounter a bit. Nothing. Zip. Zero. People here have seemed fair & determined to keep things equal for all. The governor got ripped by the media when he refused the help of the FEDS & said light heartedly that maybe we should leave the union. The people saw the point. The media kinda missed it. He was simply saying he didn't want to 1. put more financial burden on the FEDS, 2. be in the position of being told HOW to spend the funds, & 3. was sure that given TXs better economy we could handle it on our own. Quite the bunch here! Imagine not wanting a hand out! Actually wanting to do it on their own! WOW!

So if down the road there's some sort of civil war...globally, I think TX will be on the winning side. There's a lot of integrity here along with armed people. They will gladly give you the shirt off their back, but if you try to steal it....you may get shot!

I hope in this flu we don't lose many of the good people of this nation! I hope they can control it & cure it.

The way I'm understanding the difference with THIS flu isn't the fact it came via swine/poultry/people, it's that it's mutating better/faster than before. Which was the original question in this thread. What IS the difference? So instead of "swine flu" this one should be dubbed "SUPER swine flu"!!:yes:

I lived in a county with West Nile & had many skeeter bites, but didn't get sick. I lived in a county with some bird flu, but didn't get sick. I lived in a county next to known mad cow decease, still ate beef, didn't get sick. I hope my luck still holds!!:) I ate salad & strawberries right before they were recalled for e-boli, nothing. I'm not stupid though. I will wash my hands very well. Which is about the best thing we can do when a virus is present. No touching eyes & noses without washing before & after. No chewing on fingernails. Just common sense things.

I hope all of our family here stays well!!!

Princess.....your post makes me home sick :(

I miss TX....and those not from TX don't understand....

I bet property values around you go up wherever you move :)

Omg its already in the Bay Area. 3 people are being tested for it in Santa Clara county which is by my University. Today seemed so freaking scary, everyone on campus looked sick, coughing, sneezing and vomiting. I was so paranoid. heheh Also on the news earlier, a flight from the East coast to SFO had a very sick man onboard and they dont know if he has it yet. Scary.

Just saw in the news how it got into the U.S....



:paranoid:

3. There is no cure. (Tami flu is not working)


Wtf? Where are you getting your facts from, Fox News?

There are two classes of such medicines, 1) adamantanes (amantadine and remantadine), and 2) inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase (oseltamivir and zanamivir).

Most of the previously reported swine influenza cases recovered fully from the disease without requiring medical attention and without antiviral medicines.

Some influenza viruses develop resistance to the antiviral medicines, limiting the effectiveness of treatment. The viruses obtained from the recent human cases with swine influenza in the United States are sensitive to oselatmivir and zanamivir but resistant to amantadine and remantadine.



Omg its already in the Bay Area. 3 people are being tested for it in Santa Clara county which is by my University. Today seemed so freaking scary, everyone on campus looked sick, coughing, sneezing and vomiting. I was so paranoid. heheh Also on the news earlier, a flight from the East coast to SFO had a very sick man onboard and they dont know if he has it yet. Scary.
Gotta love panic-induced mass hysteria :lmao:.

Nice one namegoeshere! got to love those little buggers, dont think i will be letting my little girls near any animals anytime soon. LOL.

Besides the cooler with the swine flu exploding on the train yesterday in france dont think i heard anything else. But today is still young. Hope everyone made it though the night and all is ok.

Kopimon, no fox news is crap. Tamiflu is not stopping the spread and is increasing the spead in which the swine flu is consumming the host. Most of my information comes from main stream media, reuters. Infact Tamiflu has killed people in the past due to side effects.

Well bad news, first death in the US has been reported and in Texas.

But just on a side note, there are ten of thousands of deaths every year in the US from the normal flu, so there is no need for people to go into mass panic.

That's the county my prince works in.....:paranoid: I KNEW there was more here. Just no one was reporting what they thought was just a cold. Then also being allergy season.... well, how do you know if you're sick? All we can do is take ANY illness seriously. Get better before going back to work, school, etc.

Anti viral drugs (tamiflu) were causing deaths & many nasty side effects from day one. It's not a CURE, it just controls the symptoms enough to make the virus run it's course a little faster. Kinda like "cold-ese", it's claim is to reduce the time you're sick...not cure you.

I think the swine flu has been here a while.... & many went through it without even knowing what they had. They were just "sick".:yes:


WASHINGTON — A 23-month-old toddler died in Texas from the swine flu virus as authorities in the United States and around the world struggled to contain a growing global health menace that has also swept Germany onto the roster of afflicted nations.

"Even though we've been expecting this, it is very, very sad," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "As a pediatrician and a parent, my heart goes out to the family."

Besser said state health officials would have more details later, including perhaps a specific location, although Harris County was not reporting a death today. A call to the Texas Department of State Health Services was not immediately returned this morning.

In what has become standard operating procedure in this widening health crisis, Besser went from network to network today to give an update on what the Obama administration is doing. He said authorities essentially are still "trying to learn more about this strain of the flu." His appearances came as Germany reported its first cases of swine flu infection, with three victims.

"It's very important that people take their concern and channel it into action," Besser said, adding that "it is crucial that people understand what they need to do if symptoms appear.

"I don't think it (the reported death in Texas) indicates any change in the strain," he said. "We see with any flu virus a spectrum of disease symptoms."

Sixty-six infections had been reported in the United States before the report of the toddler's death in Texas.

The world has no vaccine to prevent infection but U.S. health officials aim to have a key ingredient for one ready in early May, the big step that vaccine manufacturers are awaiting. But even if the World Health Organization ordered up emergency vaccine supplies — and that decision hasn't been made yet — it would take at least two more months to produce the initial shots needed for human safety testing.

"We're working together at 100 miles an hour to get material that will be useful," Dr. Jesse Goodman, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration's swine flu work, told The Associated Press.

The U.S. is shipping to states not only enough anti-flu medication for 11 million people, but also masks, hospital supplies and flu test kits. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion in emergency funds to help build more drug stockpiles and monitor future cases, as well as help international efforts to avoid a full-fledged pandemic.

"It's a very serious possibility, but it is still too early to say that this is inevitable," the WHO's flu chief, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, told a telephone news conference.

Cuba and Argentina banned flights to Mexico, where swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people and sickening well over 2,000. In a bit of good news, Mexico's health secretary, Jose Cordova, late Tuesday called the death toll there "more or less stable."

Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities, has taken drastic steps to curb the virus' spread, starting with shutting down schools and on Tuesday expanding closures to gyms and swimming pools and even telling restaurants to limit service to takeout. People who venture out tend to wear masks in hopes of protection.

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States rose to 66 in six states, with 45 in New York, 11 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one each in Indiana and Ohio, but cities and states suspected more. In New York, the city's health commissioner said "many hundreds" of schoolchildren were ill at a school where some students had confirmed cases.

New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Britain, Canada and now Germany have also reported cases.

But only in Mexico so far are there confirmed deaths, and scientists remain baffled as to why.

The WHO argues against closing borders to stem the spread, and the U.S. — although checking arriving travelers for the ill who may need care — agrees it's too late for that tactic.

"Sealing a border as an approach to containment is something that has been discussed and it was our planning assumption should an outbreak of a new strain of influenza occur overseas. We had plans for trying to swoop in and knockout or quench an outbreak if it were occurring far from our borders. That's not the case here," Besser told a telephone briefing of Nevada-based health providers and reporters. "The idea of trying to limit the spread to Mexico is not realistic or at all possible."

"Border controls do not work. Travel restrictions do not work," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva, recalling the SARS epidemic earlier in the decade that killed 774 people, mostly in Asia, and slowed the global economy.

Authorities sought to keep the crisis in context: Flu deaths are common around the world. In the U.S. alone, the CDC says about 36,000 people a year die of flu-related causes. Still, the CDC calls the new strain a combination of pig, bird and human viruses for which people may have limited natural immunity.

Hence the need for a vaccine. Using samples of the flu taken from people who fell ill in Mexico and the U.S., scientists are engineering a strain that could trigger the immune system without causing illness. The hope is to get that ingredient — called a "reference strain" in vaccine jargon — to manufacturers around the second week of May, so they can begin their own laborious production work, said CDC's Dr. Ruben Donis, who is leading that effort.

Vaccine manufacturers are just beginning production for next winter's regular influenza vaccine, which protects against three human flu strains. The WHO wants them to stay with that course for now — it won't call for mass production of a swine flu vaccine unless the outbreak worsens globally. But sometimes new flu strains pop up briefly at the end of one flu season and go away only to re-emerge the next fall, and at the very least there should be a vaccine in time for next winter's flu season, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health's infectious diseases chief, said Tuesday.

"Right now it's moving very rapidly," he said of the vaccine development.

It's not a CURE, it just controls the symptoms enough to make the virus run it's course a little faster. Kinda like "cold-ese", it's claim is to reduce the time you're sick...not cure you.

As is the case with the regular flu. How many people died from swine flu in the USA already? I haven't been paying attention, but I bet it pales in comparison to the 36,000 (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm) that die from the regular flu every year.

As is the case with the regular flu. How many people died from swine flu in the USA already? I haven't been paying attention, but I bet it pales in comparison to the 36,000 (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm) that die from the regular flu every year.

The death in Texas of the child has been the only confirmed death in the US. And I agree that it is not even close to the 36,000 int he US every year and up to the half million people worldwide. It is just different since there is no vaccine, it is moving much faster than the regular flu, and at least in Mexico it is killing young health adults, which the regular flu usually does not.

at least in Mexico it is killing young health adults, which the regular flu usually does not.
Yeah that's because the swine flu turns the immune system against the body .. that's just about the only time that a strong immune system is a bad thing :eek:

11yr old in Chicago, school is closed but they are still allowing kids and teachers to enter but to a save place to teach/babysit.

Very odd how this is spreading about. No detailed outbreak area unlike a normal flu would. Has anyone thought this could be in the jet stream. spread with the chemtrails that have increased over the years.

Another article that also mentions the one in the 70s.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.aspx

The people given the vaccine back then weren't all "soldiers" my guy was a flyboy.:D

Not to scare anyone too bad, but the WHO has raised their alert to 5 on a scale of 6. So they are thinking this is going to be a major outbreak.

I was also talking to an immunologist today who studies the flu in her lab, she brought up the concern that many people are thinking that since the flu season is coming to an end, the outbreak now could die down in the near future. But during the summer months the flu strain could continue to mutate and become more resistant to the bodies immune defense as well as the anti-viral drugs. Then come the fall and the winter, the start of next years flu season, there would be a major outbreak much worse than now.

But on the flip side of that, it gives all the virologists and immunologists a chance to study the strain and create a cure/vaccine that could be very beneficial if a second outbreak to occur. With the advances in medicine as of lately I believe if it goes dormant over the summer another outbreak will be very controllable, but that is just my opinion.

still not worried....

Not worried...but not stupid. I'm not going to TRY to get sick.

I hate being sick with anything. I never get to just rest...too much to do & have a hard time being still. :D

So bad news for me, just got a confirmed case in my town at an elementary school.

No need to get worried in the US anymore until we start getting mass deaths, which I dont think is going to happen anytime in the near future.

Confirmed death of 2yr old in NY. Hispanic girl that came from mexico. Is this a racial killing flu, like many other things effect differnt race of people?

effects all but kill only????

Not sure how much time that girl spent in Mexico, or which part she came from, but I read that people from Mexico City are sensitive to this flu because the poor air quality has already degraded their pulmonary health.

But if it attacks the healthiest immune systems, then how would being in high pollution areas & weakened lungs make a difference?:dunno:

I think the two are unrelated.

They don't really understand why it's so dangerous to people with strong immune systems .. From a timesonline.co.uk article:
One possibility is that the virus triggers a massive immune reaction called a cytokine storm, which is worse in fit people with a strong immune system.

As for the other point, from Wikipedia:
The flu can worsen chronic health problems. People with emphysema, chronic bronchitis or asthma may experience shortness of breath while they have the flu, and influenza may cause worsening of coronary heart disease or congestive heart failure. Smoking is another risk factor associated with more serious disease and increased mortality from influenza.

They closed all of the schools in my county today and tomorrow due to two unconfirmed cases. The two kids never went to a hospital and are recovering from whatever they have at home. No big deal for us b/c my wife stays home with my 4 year old, but a lot of people at work are griping about having to scramble for someone to watch their kids this morning.

At the boys (old) school in CA classes were canceled due to 6 sick kids & several others feeling "icky" in ONE class! They had Spring break later than most & there's a high Hispanic population in the city & that school district. So many may have headed to MX. It's very common.

Very true, although this has effected people in mid-class mexico out side of Mexico city.

GREAT! 5 city's in my area of Chicago are effected. COME ON STOP THIS CRAP! I have a 3 year old and I am worried to death.

Very true, although this has effected people in mid-class mexico out side of Mexico city.
How far outside? There's also speculation that low quality healthcare in Mexico is a factor, but I believe Mexico City has an adequate healthcare system

This we've had 9 am news conferences.. the mayor of Houston, the local head of decease control, & others telling us the latest in the area. some schools are closed due to confirmed cases.

I've decided to head to the store for a case of soup, 7-up & other remedies.

Alright, I still don't get it. Why are so many worried over the flu? Okay...so it looks as though it will be far reaching, certainly not good.

But for people to be exclaiming they're "worried sick" as if this were an automatic terminal diagnosis...I don't get that. With my three girls, all of which are in school amongst other kids, I frankly expect to see something show up in the household unfortunately. And if and when, we'll make sure they are as comfortable as possible while getting the best possible medical attention...cause that's what you do when you have the flu.

The biggest problems will come from the potential numbers of affected people. But that's not what is necessarily being communicated...at least from what I am hearing. You get to the point where the critical supplies needed are disappearing and it can be a bad spot certainly. But again...it's the flu. People unfortunately suffered from it in the past, will do so now, and will do so in the future.

This was in the chronicle:

http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2009/04/computer_simula.html


I just got back from Wallyworld. They are completely out of hand sanitizers already. (not what I was going for) I went ahead & bought some anti-runs & anti-puke stuff. I also got chicken & now have some stock simmering in the crockpot, which I will freeze for later use if needed. People were already stocking up on things like soups & crackers.

Personally, I'm not worried as far as it being a "death sentence". I am worried about having to take care of family members that may get it & the loss of income if they do. My prince MAY have gone through it already though. 10 or 11 days ago he had a tummy thing & as soon as that ran it's course, he got a cold thing. He was down 2 weekends in a row. His cold thing had a fever, which he doesn't get very often. He's fine now. :thmsup: He did miss day of work.

At the moment he's more worried about the fact his coffee maker quit this morning!! (the reason I was at Wallyworld) I couldn't find another under the counter one. I got him a sit on the counter one. He'll have to rough it! Lucky for him I remembered we have the travel one. So he didn't go coffee-less this morning!!:lmao:

the local head of decease control :lmao: That would be this guy (see below)

Now THAT'S scary!!!!!!!!!!!!! :paranoid::paranoid::paranoid::paranoid::lmao:

Now a dead coffee maker could spark revolt in this house. Like many I think this flu crap is so blown out of proportion that it's not even funny. The only thing more stupid is Obama's jet flying around NYC scaring the shit out of people! What a totally dumbass thing to do.

oopps! Sorry....sleepy fingers!:D

It was just funny, couldn't help it.

We may such a department any day with all the government offices and programs being created.

"Hello, this is the US Department of Decease Control, we have a visit scheduled with you tomorrow morning and would like to confirm your address."

They claim we'll have about 200 Houston cases of the flu in 4 weeks. That sounds low to me, if this is as contagious as they claim.:dunno: I think with most flus the death rate is about 1-2% from the lung infections they can cause.

Sometimes I think most government IS decease control now.... they often don't care to prevent anything, just sweep up the mess later!:yes:

It's scary to me, but it all seems kinda 'iffy'.

Apparently, travel is to blame, though you'd think if everyone who's contracting this came from Mexico recently, they would ALL be sick down there. I know many are, but it seems as though all travelers from down there are bringing it in, at least, that's what we've heard, so you'd think the whole country would be crazy ill at this point.

I'm sure many have 'it', and don't know it. Many cases seem to be mild, and as princess said earlier, most don't go to the doc for something that seems like a crappy cold.

I think the Government is involved in some way we don't know about - and I'm not saying they're doing this as testing, but as far as the treatment and knowledge, etc...

Only ONE US death has been confirmed. The 4 y.o. in Texas.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

No one here so far with a 'laboratory confirmed case'. My neighbor thinks she has a cold... :-p

Princess

I was living in socal in the late 70's when a flu hit. I could have sworn it was the russian flu. Spred by a bunch of russian sailors in port at sanpedro. It shut my hs down. Everybody was sick. I was down for 3 weeks.

Just seems to me since obama every thing is doom and gloom and way over hype'd. Maybe it's just me.

Maybe the Russian flu was a different season!:D The other round of the Swine Flu was in '76 during the regular flu season. It really was nasty!!

I don't think this is any form of government plot or experiment. I think it's just odd thing it started in the wrong spot. MX vs. Asia.

If we just make sure we wash our paws often we'll cut the chances down of getting it by a lot. If we do get it, we'll all have to make sure we take it easy long enough to heal up before getting on with life.

The hype is annoying. We have afternoon updates on the local news everyday. I'm interested, but it gets old. Today I decided to leave the TV off. Music only. :)

Today I decided to leave the TV off. Music only. :)

That's always a good alternative :yes: