Swine flu 2009

Re: Swine flu outbreak in Mexico

My wife sent me a text from a waiting room at the local health clinic and said it's full of people who think they have swine flu. And I'm in a state that hasn't had any reported cases, yet.

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in Mexico

Of course they are. Sweeps started on the 23rd.

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in Mexico

Two "probable" cases of swine flu in CT:

http://www.courant.com/news/health/hc-web-swine-flu-0428.artapr29,0,3574815.story

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

You know, I am so tempted to post a bogus link saying that four of the Queens student died suddenly this afternoon just to see the reaction.

I know this would be a bad joke, but one of the last things I want to see right now is Americans dieing because of this. That would mean, IMHO, that all bets are off and we are into the first 100 pages of The Stand. [/touchwood]

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

Let us not forget the immortal words of Mr. Homer J. Simpson: "Oh, right Lisa, there's some magical animal that produces ham, bacon, AND pork ... Likely story."

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

Just a couple of "facts" as I understand them:

The present swine flu strain can be passed from human to human.
The usual mechanism of transfer is droplet, that is by coughing or sneezing.
The virus can live on a variety of surfaces for up to 2 hours.
People may be infectious for 24 hours before they develop symptoms.
Those with swine flu are contagious for approximately 7 days.
Tamiflu and Relenza are effective against this strain of swine flu. It is resistant to amantadine.

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

Like I said Doc, when Americans or Canadians or Australians start dropping like flies because of this, I start trying to figure out where Trashcan Man is. [/starttoworry]

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

OK, question for DocTalk:

If we can make decent vaccines for this stuff -- I heard on NPR today they could have a vaccine for this bad boy by September -- why don't we have a vaccine for HIV yet?

Both viruses.

Both mutate.

Why do we do so well with influenza, but suck at figuring out HIV?

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

Because there's a lot more money to be made in not finding a cure for HIV?

Why is there not a cure for cancer? Because it'd put a whole lot of hospitals out of business.

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

And the fact that cancer is — in most cases — your own body turning against you in incredibly unpleasant ways. HPV (cervical cancer) and hepatitis B (connected to liver cancer) are the exceptions rather than the rule, I think.

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

Swine flu concerns have now cancelled school tomorrow in my town.

 

Re: Swine flu outbreak in North America

Decades and hundreds of millions of dollars of research for...what? they can come up with a way to make a 60-year-old man sport wood for four hours and solve various other issues we didn't know were issues until the pharmacuticals told us they were issues, but not solve an issue that affects every family in the land. Why is that? Because it's more profitable to keep people alive with a bunch of shit that might work, but probably won't.

Ka. Ching.