Swine Flu

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Swine Flu
Topic Started: Apr 26 2009, 08:48 AM (1,054 Views)
capricarius	Apr 29 2009, 01:19 PM Post #11
Posts: 1,891 Group: Members Member #583 Joined: Apr 4, 2009 Gender Female Religious Views Muslim	Q+A - How serious is swine flu? How bad could it get? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The world has moved closer to the threat of a pandemic of a new kind of flu, with 149 people suspected to have died from it in Mexico and new cases being detected around the globe. Just how bad is this new flu strain, how far will it go and how long will the outbreak last? Here are some questions and answers about the outbreak: HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED? HOW MANY ARE INFECTED? All deaths so far have been in Mexico, where 20 of the 149 reported fatalities have been confirmed to be from the H1N1 swine flu virus. There are 1,600 suspected cases in Mexico and 64 confirmed cases in the United States, and a few cases in Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Spain and Israel. WHY ARE THERE ONLY DEATHS IN MEXICO? No one is sure. It is important to remember that health officials are now taking a snapshot of the past -- they are not reporting on new infections at this point, just tracking down old infections and they are only finding them where they are looking. The Mexican authorities looked in hospitals, where serious cases will, of course, be found. U.S. health officials found their cases during routine screening of people with flu-like symptoms, most in walk-in clinics, so they have naturally found milder cases. Influenza experts say they fully expect to find deaths in other places, including the United States and elsewhere, as the search goes on. One problem is that people die of respiratory diseases regularly and the cause is often not determined. WHY WOULD IT KILL SOME AND NOT OTHERS? Seasonal influenza kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year in a normal year and all sorts of factors determine who dies. Elderly people often die but sometimes perfectly healthy adults and children die. Sometimes flu makes people susceptible to bacterial infections, called secondary infections, and if the virus and the bacteria are circulating at the same time in the same place there can be clusters of deaths. WHAT KIND OF FLU IS IT AND HOW IS IT SPREADING? The virus is an influenza A virus, carrying the designation H1N1, but it contains DNA from avian, swine and human H1N1 viruses. It appears to have evolved the ability to pass easily from one person to another, unlike most swine H1N1 viruses which only very occasionally infect people and usually only infect one person and then stop there. Flu viruses are all passed on by sneezing, coughing or when people pick up the virus on their hands. This one likely originated in pigs, but the Mexican government and the World Health Organisation have ruled out any risk of infection from eating pork. HOW SERIOUS IS IT? The Geneva-based WHO has declared the flu a "public health emergency of international concern" and raised the threat level for a pandemic, a global epidemic of new disease. H1N1 swine flu poses the biggest risk of a large-scale pandemic since avian flu re-emerged in 2003, killing 257 out of 421 infected in 15 countries. It is not clear yet whether this virus could actually become a pandemic. HOW IS THIS FLU DIFFERENT FROM ORDINARY FLU? The swine flu is characterized by common flu symptoms -- sudden fever, muscle aches, sore throat and dry cough -- but may cause more severe vomiting and diarrhoea. New flu strains can spread fast because no one has natural immunity and a vaccine can take months to develop. This strain is confusing because it is an H1N1 -- a type that has been around since the 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic that killed at least 40 million people globally. Usually if a new flu strain is related to one that has been around for years, people have some immunity and they no longer can cause pandemics. But this new strain has taken on genetic elements from animal viruses, and this may be genetically unique enough to pose a pandemic threat. HOW BAD COULD IT GET? A 1968 a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about one million people globally. The 1957-58 pandemic killed about 2 million. The 1918 pandemic killed between 40 million and 100 million, according to some estimates. However, the WHO says the world is now better prepared to withstand a flu pandemic. Vaccines and antiviral drugs are available that were not around during previous pandemics. In 1918, there was a first wave of mild flu in April. It then seemed to disappear during the Northern Hemisphere's summer but came back severely in August. WHO and CDC officials say it is possible this virus could behave in the same way, or completely differently. ARE THERE ENOUGH DRUGS AND VACCINES? Most countries have been stockpiling supplies of two antiviral drugs -- Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir and made by Roche AG and Gilead Sciences Inc; as well as Relenza, known generically as zanamivir and made by GlaxoSmithKline and Australia's Biota Inc.. A third company, BioCryst Inc. is working to licence its experimental flu drug peramivir. Older flu drugs called amantadine and rimantadine do not work very well any longer against any influenza strain except sometimes in combination with newer drugs. There is no vaccine yet against this new strain and health officials say the seasonal flu vaccine is unlikely to provide any protection against it. The CDC and WHO are working with companies to start making a new vaccine if it is needed, but the process takes months. WHAT CAN I DO? Wash your hands. It is proven to be the best way to protect against infection with a range of germs, including flu. Experts generally agree that face masks, especially the surgical masks now seen on the street of Mexico City, offer very little protection. Flu viruses can float on little particles of spit or mucus, in general no further than three to six feet (1 to 2 metres), but they then settle on surfaces and can be transferred to the mouth, eyes or nose. http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE53S0G220090429?pageNumber=4&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true Edited by capricarius, Apr 29 2009, 01:20 PM.



Sayf Udeen Ismaeel	Apr 29 2009, 02:02 PM Post #12
Icon by meagan_chelsea @ LJ Posts: 7,579 Group: Admins Member #1 Joined: May 2, 2008 Gender Male Religious Views Muslim Political View All over the shop.	Ohh! Thanks for sharing that, Capri.



Sayf Udeen Ismaeel	Apr 30 2009, 12:10 PM Post #13
Icon by meagan_chelsea @ LJ Posts: 7,579 Group: Admins Member #1 Joined: May 2, 2008 Gender Male Religious Views Muslim Political View All over the shop.	Singapore invokes SARS-level health orders SINGAPORE invoked public health orders not used since the 2003 SARS crisis, ordering that all people coming from Mexico will be quarantined for a week to fight the spread of swine flu. Singaporean nationals will be ordered to stay home for a week while tourists would be held in chalets and hotels, with violators subject to fines up to $S10,000 ($9279), the health ministry said. There have been no cases of swine flu in Singapore but the city-state nevertheless raised its warning threat level one degree. "There is a real possibility that such cases may surface in Singapore and we must be prepared at all fronts to delay its spread to Singapore for as long as possible," the ministry said. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25411566-23109,00.html



Sayf Udeen Ismaeel	Apr 30 2009, 12:13 PM Post #14
Icon by meagan_chelsea @ LJ Posts: 7,579 Group: Admins Member #1 Joined: May 2, 2008 Gender Male Religious Views Muslim Political View All over the shop.	We're at phase 5. Quote: [ In nature, influenza viruses circulate continuously among animals, especially birds. Even though such viruses might theoretically develop into pandemic viruses, in Phase 1 no viruses circulating among animals have been reported to cause infections in humans. In Phase 2 an animal influenza virus circulating among domesticated or wild animals is known to have caused infection in humans, and is therefore considered a potential pandemic threat. In Phase 3, an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus has caused sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks. Limited human-to-human transmission may occur under some circumstances, for example, when there is close contact between an infected person and an unprotected caregiver. However, limited transmission under such restricted circumstances does not indicate that the virus has gained the level of transmissibility among humans necessary to cause a pandemic. Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion. Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short. Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way. During the post-peak period, pandemic disease levels in most countries with adequate surveillance will have dropped below peak observed levels. The post-peak period signifies that pandemic activity appears to be decreasing; however, it is uncertain if additional waves will occur and countries will need to be prepared for a second wave. Previous pandemics have been characterized by waves of activity spread over months. Once the level of disease activity drops, a critical communications task will be to balance this information with the possibility of another wave. Pandemic waves can be separated by months and an immediate “at-ease” signal may be premature. In the post-pandemic period, influenza disease activity will have returned to levels normally seen for seasonal influenza. It is expected that the pandemic virus will behave as a seasonal influenza A virus. At this stage, it is important to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly. An intensive phase of recovery and evaluation may be required. I've been hearing phase 6 is a full quarantine of everybody. Can someone confirm/deny for me? Source: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html



Sayf Udeen Ismaeel	Apr 30 2009, 12:22 PM Post #15
Icon by meagan_chelsea @ LJ Posts: 7,579 Group: Admins Member #1 Joined: May 2, 2008 Gender Male Religious Views Muslim Political View All over the shop.	WHO fears pandemic is 'imminent' The UN's World Health Organization has raised the alert over swine flu to level five - indicating human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. It is a "strong signal that a pandemic is imminent", the WHO says. In Mexico, at the epicentre of the outbreak, people have been urged to stay at home over the next five days. There are numerous cases elsewhere - the highest number outside Mexico in the US - and Europeans have been told it is certain there will be deaths. Several countries have restricted travel to Mexico and many tour operators have cancelled holidays. Other countries are resisting calls to implement travel bans or close borders, on the grounds - backed by the WHO - that there is little evidence of their efficacy. In the latest developments: The Netherlands confirms its first case of swine flu, in a three-year-old boy recently returned from Mexico. Cases have also been confirmed in Switzerland, Costa Rica and Peru European health ministers were set to meet for emergency talks to co-ordinate national efforts to contain the spread of the virus Ghana has become the latest country to ban pork imports as a precaution against swine flu, though no cases have been found in the West African country China's health minister says that the country's scientists have developed a "sensitive and fast" test for spotting swine flu in conjunction with US scientists and the WHO. The country has recorded no incidence of the flu yet. 'Urgent action' Announcing the latest alert level after an emergency WHO meeting in Geneva, Director General Margaret Chan urged all countries to activate their pandemic plans, including heightened surveillance and infection-control measures. She said action should be undertaken with "increased urgency". She added: "It really is the whole of humanity that is under threat in a pandemic." But she also said the world was "better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history". Ms Chan stressed on Wednesday that there was no danger from eating properly cooked pork. She advised hygiene measures such as hand-washing to prevent infection and said it was important "to maintain a level of calm". Meanwhile in Mexico, President Felipe Calderon has announced the partial suspension of non-essential work and services from 1 to 5 May - a holiday period there. In a TV address, he urged people to stay in with their families - saying there was "no place as safe as your own home". He said he was "proud" of the response of Mexicans to the crisis, and assured people Mexico was well-stocked with anti-viral medicines. Already, schools across Mexico have closed, public gatherings are restricted and archaeological sites have been placed off-limits. Mexico is already being hit hard by the global economic slowdown, and the country's finance minister says swine flu could cut a further half-percent of GDP. The search for the source of the outbreak continues, with the focus on the vicinity of a pig farm in the eastern part of the country. The Mexican government is urging against jumping to conclusions and is suggesting the possibility remains that the virus originated outside the country. Officials have put the number of suspected deaths from swine flu in Mexico at 168, although just eight deaths have been confirmed, with 26 infections positively tested. In Europe, the director-general of health and consumer protection, Robert Madelin, said the continent was well prepared but nonetheless deaths from the disease were expected. "It is not a question of whether people will die, but more a question of how many. Will it be hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands?", he said, speaking to Reuters news agency. Movement bans? At the meeting of health ministers on Thursday, a French proposal of issuing a continent-wide travel advisory for Mexico will be discussed - though it is unclear whether it is in the power of the EU executive to impose such a ban. Spain has seen the first case of a person contracting swine flu without having travelled there. After Mexico, the US has recorded the next highest number of confirmed cases, with 91 - and the first death of swine flu outside Mexico, after a visiting Mexican child died in Texas. President Barack Obama has urged local public-health bodies to be vigilant and said schools with confirmed cases "should consider closing". About 100 have so far done so. There are no current plans to close the border with Mexico, Mr Obama said on Wednesday evening. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8025931.stm



stupidstuff	Apr 30 2009, 09:25 PM Post #16
Posts: 273 Group: Members Member #363 Joined: Nov 2, 2008 Gender Male Religious Views Agnostic Political View Leftist	Sayf Udeen Ismael Apr 26 2009, 08:50 AM Editor’s note: On Friday, NPR reported that the deadly swine flu “combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before,” thus leading us to suspect it was cooked up in a lab. My guess is that it is attributable to the filthy overcrowded conditions of factory farms. Have you heard any more about its origin?



Sayf Udeen Ismaeel	May 1 2009, 02:53 AM Post #17
Icon by meagan_chelsea @ LJ Posts: 7,579 Group: Admins Member #1 Joined: May 2, 2008 Gender Male Religious Views Muslim Political View All over the shop.	stupidstuff Apr 30 2009, 09:25 PM Sayf Udeen Ismael Apr 26 2009, 08:50 AM Editor’s note: On Friday, NPR reported that the deadly swine flu “combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before,” thus leading us to suspect it was cooked up in a lab. My guess is that it is attributable to the filthy overcrowded conditions of factory farms. Have you heard any more about its origin? Nope. But I'm inclined to agree with you.



Sayf Udeen Ismaeel	May 1 2009, 03:40 AM Post #18
Icon by meagan_chelsea @ LJ Posts: 7,579 Group: Admins Member #1 Joined: May 2, 2008 Gender Male Religious Views Muslim Political View All over the shop.	Mexico prepares for flu shutdown Mexico is preparing for a five-day shutdown of parts of its economy in a bid to slow the spread of swine flu. Non-essential government services will be suspended, while businesses such as cinemas and restaurants will be closed. Mexican officials say the spread of the virus - suspected in more than 160 deaths - is slowing, but international experts are more cautious. Globally, cases of swine flu have now been confirmed in 12 countries across three continents. In cases outside Mexico the virus does not appear to be severe, although one death has been confirmed in the US. The WHO has set its pandemic alert level at five - but says it has no immediate plans to move to the highest level of six. Economy fears The shut-down in Mexico covers two public holidays and a weekend. Some factories will stop production and schools are already closed. Residents have been urged to stay at home. But some people say they will ignore it because they cannot afford not to work. There is also growing concern at the effect the virus could have on Mexico's already-struggling economy. The number of confirmed cases of swine flu infection in Mexico now stands at 260. Twelve people are known to have died from the virus and it is suspected in more than 160 other deaths. Announcing the figures, Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said that new cases of the virus were levelling off. "The fact that we have a stabilisation in the daily numbers, even a drop, makes us optimistic," he said. But Dr Keiji Fukuda, acting assistant director general of the World Health Organisation, said fluctuations were to be expected. "If it didn't do that [it] would be very unusual," he said. In other developments: • The US has announced that it will buy 13 million new courses of antiviral treatment and send 400,000 of them to Mexico • Mexico says it will lodge a formal challenge at the World Trade Organisation demanding explanations from countries that have banned imports of Mexican pork products • The Inter-American Development Bank said it would approve $3bn in loans to help Mexico fight the virus 'No panic' On Thursday European health ministers held an emergency meeting on measures to tackle the virus, which has been confirmed in six European countries. EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said Europe was well prepared to handle swine flu and there was "no need to panic". The ministers agreed to work with pharmaceutical companies to develop a vaccine, but rejected a French plan to suspend flights to Mexico. Several countries have restricted travel to Mexico and many tour operators have cancelled holidays. The WHO, meanwhile, says it will now call the virus influenza A (H1N1) rather than swine flu - which it says is misleading as pork meat is safe and the virus is being transmitted from human to human. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8028169.stm



Bunny	May 1 2009, 06:38 AM Post #19
A Godless life seems sweeter Posts: 1,863 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: May 4, 2008 Religious Views Atheist Gender Undisclosed Political View Rt Wing. Less Govt is Better!	OMG WE HAVE 13 SUSPECTED CASES AND OUR HOSPITALS ARE STRETCHED TO THE LIIIMETS. Seriously, outside mexico this virus doesn't do sh!t. I mean, one of the guys here who was diagnosed with it thought he had a light winter cold, and hasn't even had to go to bed. This is just a big media blowover. I'm assuming we forgot about malaria, which kills upwards of 1 million per year. Edited by Bunny, May 1 2009, 06:39 AM.



Sayf Udeen Ismaeel	May 1 2009, 08:32 AM Post #20
Icon by meagan_chelsea @ LJ Posts: 7,579 Group: Admins Member #1 Joined: May 2, 2008 Gender Male Religious Views Muslim Political View All over the shop.	Bunny May 1 2009, 06:38 AM OMG WE HAVE 13 SUSPECTED CASES AND OUR HOSPITALS ARE STRETCHED TO THE LIIIMETS. Seriously, outside mexico this virus doesn't do sh!t. I mean, one of the guys here who was diagnosed with it thought he had a light winter cold, and hasn't even had to go to bed. This is just a big media blowover. I'm assuming we forgot about malaria, which kills upwards of 1 million per year. Actually, it's more what this could potientially become that's the issue. Not what it is now. Common flu kills 10,000 a year.



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