So is the mortality rate associated with the young and elderly or can it strike down anyone?
I heard the mortality rate is higher in the 15 - 50 crowd rather than in young and the elderly. In this instance, your immune system acts aggresively and this is what causes the death...the immune system fills up the lungs fighting the glue. People with strong immune systems are the ones who are dying.
Also, the flu shot is of no help. It protects you from human strains....not bird or swine.
Per CDC they don't really know for sure that it is more lethal for healthy younger people, they are just the deaths that seemed unusual and attracted attention, leading to recognition of the new flu. CDC guy said it'll be a week or two before we know if that is the actual nature of the bug or an artifact of public health counting.
Likewise, the infection appears to be much milder outside Mexico -- they said that could be because some animal flu viruses seem to lose potency or reduced transmissability by the 'third' (animal-human1, human1-human2, human2-human3) generation -- or it could be that we're looking so hard as it first arrives here and it is no more severe or lethal in Mexico, just massively under-counted until the deaths got people looking. One place I read, the guy was in Mexico City almost a month ago and was surprised how many people were wearing paper surgical masks -- turned out they were experiencing a real sweep of 'late flu'.
And so on -- basically we know it does spread between people, can infect groups (like school kids) and has crossed several borders, and there is not a lot else we can say other than conjecture.
__________________ "The power of the State looks real different when you're on the other side of the bayonet." Chris Hayes
So far it seems mostly in America kids have gotten it, they do not yet have mature immune systems, if a healthy adult ties into this thing then the immune system itself can be the worst enemy, it's such a rapid overkill response it literally kills you and the healthier you are the faster you go.
No proof yet that's what's going on but there are reports this is killing doctors in Mexico, which is another problem in itself as the exageration factor is literally unknowable, it's not exactly a great solid source of information down there, from their government or from the doctors on site.
There was literally no buildup to this, nothing like Bird flu.
Just like when the weather guy says it's going to snow 2 feet you never worry, but when they say flurries, lookout, could be time for a bigger snow shovel.
I'm not fond of how this virus is acting, and I don't think we'll know for months exactly how bad this could get.
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Quote:
For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons.
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Last edited by conraddobler; April 27th, 2009 at 04:42 PM.
First swine flu case in Arizona. 8 year old boy who attends Moon Mountain Elementary School. The school will be closed for a week.
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The HR dept at work sent out this note early this morning........
The news media didn't see the relevance of the release. Not much of a story in this directive. In fact it just might be a buzz killer.
Quote:
From: *** ******
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 8:41 AM
To: Employees
Subject: Swine Flu
Importance: High
As you have all noticed, the ‘swine’ flu is all over the news right now. I am attaching a fact sheet issued by the CDC on swine flu and influenza. Please note that the swine flu is no more dangerous than any other strain of the flu. The usual, common sense precautions prevail in the prevention of all strains of flu.
Every year in the United States, on average:
5% to 20% of the population gets the flu;
more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications; and
about 36,000 people die from flu.
Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), are at high risk for serious flu complications.
As an additional note, you cannot contract swine flu from eating pork products.
*** *****
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"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." --Voltaire
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