I'm sorry to hear that. I mean, cause it's one thing for it to happen in the USA cause we're right next to Mexico. What bad timing, huh?

As ethereal mentioned after you get the flu,(the regular flu) if you need to you can take like a tamiflu or something - but again, flue are rarely deadly -
even if one got the swine flu, that does not mean it is deadly.

Even the "regular" flu vaccine is just a guess of what strain (out of so many possibilities) of flu might show up AND the vaccnine may just give you a little immunity to a portion of the "regular" flu.  Or none at all.

No there is no vaccine for this.



About 30 years ago, in the US, 1978 there was a swine flu and they gave out vaccines.

"A Shot in the Dark: Swine Flu's Vaccine Lessons

By David Brown, Washington Post Staff Writer

(Old article) Twenty-six years ago, the United States government got word that a deadly virus nobody had seen for years -- and which experts thought was gone forever -- was possibly circulating again.

There wasn't any proof it was back, just a few worrisome hints. However, the microbe had killed millions of people earlier in the century, so even a small amount of evidence had to be taken seriously. So, at great effort and expense, the government launched a plan to vaccinate the American population against the virus.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. But it turned into one of the biggest public health debacles in memory.....

Portion of letter written by Sec of health (USA)

"In early February 1977, less than two weeks after taking office as
Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, I was faced with a difficult
health policy decision : Whether to release stocks of influenza vaccine
that had been withheld after use of the vaccine was linked with the
Guillain-Barre Syndrome-an often paralyzing and sometimes killing
side effect.
In the fall of 1976, HEW had begun vaccinating millions of citizens
in an unprecedented national influenza program-an attempt to vaccinate
virtually the entire American population against swine flu, and to
vaccinate high-risk persons against both swine flu and A/Victoria flu .
Two main formulations of vaccine had been produced for this nationwide
immunization drive : one, monovalentthe swine flu vaccine alone ;
the other, bivalent-the swine flu vaccine combined with A/Victoria
vaccine. But over a two-month period in the fall of 1976, use of these
vaccines on millions of people had turned up a hitherto unrecognized
association between flu vaccine and Guillain-Barre Syndrome . Was
Guillain-Barre the result of the swine flu vaccine, the A/Victoria vaccine,
or all flu vaccines? No one could be certain.
But we had to make a decision . On January 29, 1977, A/Victoria
flu had erupted in a nursing home in Miami . There was the possibility
that this flu could become widespread, endangering high risk groups
such as the elderly and those with chronic lung disease . If it did spread,
the risks of influenza would far outweigh the risk of Guillain-Barre . But
there was no way to gauge the extent of the danger ; and the A/Victoria
vaccine was available only in the bivalent formulation : in combination
with the swine-flu vaccine . Thus, a decision to release the A/Victoria
vaccine was necessarily a decision to release the swine flu vaccine .
In the end, after much debate and on the advice of the experts, I
decided to release the bivalent vaccine . But in the course of making this
decision, I was impressed by the enormous difficulty that a lay official
has in fulfilling his responsibility to make sound, balanced judgments
about complex scientifically-based public health issues . From briefing
papers I had read before becoming Secretary and discussions of other
iii

Not sure what you're getting at here - making a vaccine is a good thing, not something harmful.

You and I must disagree then.  In 1976, 1977 and 1978 there was a swine flu and the vaccine that was given caused a LOT of people to be harmed.  (Gillian Barr syndrome)

This is a fact and it was admitted by the secretary of health on the US back then.

My worry always is, that people will have no choice as to what we have to be shot up with, because when FEAR is involved, people rush and and we mix that with UNPROVEN science and people get harmed.



(ALSO, "they" are rushing to find a new way to make the flu vaccine - to be faster - instead of through chicken eggs, they are trying a cellular approach.  People should not be experimineted on for a flu that kill sno more than any other flu. )

I am against mandatory flu vaccines. I am into freedom to choose.

I don't know if I have the wrong take on this article......

When I read I just thought

"Oh boo freaking hoo!"
"People are dying and you're bitching about a wedding that got cancelled??!"

These two need the backhander of reality....... yeah they're wedding got cancelled and it's unfortunate but seriously??

On the same day this was reported some poor woman in the U.S and (probabally more in mexico) lost her son to this disease.

Grow the HELL up puh-leese.

Just my opinion but the whole article came acrosss as very shallow.

Has there been any statement about mandatory vaccines?

It is proven science that vaccines protect people.

effect, not affect!

The effect of the flu is to affect many. Two words that I confuse myself. Damn English language and its complexities.

Actually, the name "swine flu" is not because it follows a pig>human transmission path, but because it incorporates some genes from the virus found in pigs, hence the problem.

I'd just like to slap anyone who "doesn't believe" in evolution right now, or anyone who considers patents on lifesaving drugs to be a good idea.

A popular misconception. One gets the flu by aerosol particles entering the lungs primarily or by transferring live virus' from surface to an appropriate opening (eyes, nose, mouth). And these come from deposited aerosol particles anyway.

It is recognized some viruses will happily lay dormant on suitable surfaces for a few weeks. This is one means of transmission that is quite insidious, but still via aerosol.

Most Governments, if not all, have the power to require technology and sharing of a patent if required. But no patents, would mean nothing will ever get developed.

Good point about evolution. It is happening right now. Or did God make the H1N1 flu? I don't think so.

I found that out today!

It's a shame the Pork market could have suffered from this strain of Flu it just goes to show what little stressballs the human race is!

Apparently they re-named Swine-Flu as something else today??

Does anyone know what it's now called? or is it just Flu now??

Ohh thank you!

They may be right - if they're saying that people don't usually die from the flu itself, they die from secondary infections such as pneumonia.

I don't mean to sound Snobby

but Mexico does have a lot of poverty in itself leading to a higher rate of disease. They probabally suffer from a fair deal of Choldera and other diseases like it as well.

Honestly I feel so sorry for the poor Mexicans that are going through this

I hope everything goes okay for you........

Are you worried at all?

most likely not.

Oh right now when you put it like that it doesn't sound quite so worrying!

I think some of the problem is Hype from the media.
I mean every newspaper is acting like it's the freakin' apocolypse.

Don't get me wrong it is bad but I think the media need to calm it down a bit to avoid mass panic.

They always make such fuss, then by the time they are finished making with all of the hype, the virus is gone....I noticed that happens everytime.

What is selecting the less virulent strains?  Not our immune systems, they select for the more dangerous ones.  Viruses don't think and plan how they can spread their genetic information most effectively, they just do it, and if they can't overpower your immune system then no more virus.

One gets the flu by aerosol particles entering the lungs primarily or by transferring live virus' from surface to an appropriate opening (eyes, nose, mouth). And these come from deposited aerosol particles anyway.

It is recognized some viruses will happily lay dormant on suitable surfaces for a few weeks. This is one means of transmission that is quite insidious, but still via aerosol.
[/quote]

It is a fact that this H1N1 Virus does not stay alive on surfaces for more than a few minutes ( a lot less than other germs). Also, all flus are spread very effectively from person to person, that is the nature of them. Viral.  Washing hands is not helpful if you breathe in what someone else breathes out.  All flus bounce around the globe.

Also, it is quite possible that some of the deaths in Mexico were from other flus.  As I mentioned on another post.  In the US, now that people are actually going to the doctor for flu and having tests, a number of people who had a flu and assumed it was swine/H1N1 found out they had a garden variety of flu.

It is a real shame that the people in Mexico were/are less resistant to this H1N1.

I don't think whoever wrote the story you read was being factual - who knows...

However, the way that we humans end up getting (at least some) immunity to the next virus that is created is the fact that many of us are continually exposed to small doses of virusus - we may not be able to tell we were infected and may not be affected, but out immune systems can be effective by being exposed now anf then.

(perhaps those of us in cities actually fare better with this current strain (and others) because we are around so many germs every day, whereas those in more rural areas - like those in mexico who died, lived, worked and were exposed to far less outsiders....?)

Evolutionarily, less lethal strains of flu are selected for in the long term (resistance to a strain becomes sufficient to lower its lethality, the most rapidly lethal are self-limiting). In the short term (a couple of years or so) more lethal strains are selected for - the greater the severity of respiratory symptoms the greater the chance that the strain responsible will be continued in greater numbers of other hosts.

Also, in this case most casualties do not fall into the typical "at risk" groups. Most of the dead (and infected) have been otherwise healthy 25-45 year olds.

I apologise if my sources are out of date either as I post or as you read my post.

No apologies, I beleive that you are very correct.  The long term strains, the most lethal ARE the ones that affect those with "typically" strong immune systems.  Strong system strong adaptive reaction by the virus. If it were the 25-45 year olds (give or take a few years) that got sick and died - well, that is the worst case scenario - and I pray that won't happen.  (That is not the swine flu)

As of yesterday, 58% of the dead fit into the young and (otherwise) healthy category, with the remainder old, extremely young or otherwise immuno-compromised. However, the Mexican government believes that these deaths are largely due to victims delaying seeking help until they were critically ill. This explanation currently seems plausible, as do the "Spring Break" and "Old people have met H1N1 before" theories on the relative prevalence of cases in older children and adults less than 50 as compared to the usual at-risk groups.
I hope they either remain plausible or are proved.

That would make it mule flu

Big deal, if it can spread it can spread.  Think about it.  Smallpox evolved to become MORE deadly, not less, with variola minor evolving from a rat virus 10 to 68 thousand years ago, and variola minor evolving within the last 2,000 years.  It would be nice if deadly viruses always evolved to be less deadly before they reached our area and infected us, but if nobody died from them they would not be deadly viruses.  

I[/quote]t could happen to you.

Yes, obviously something like ebola river hemorrhagic fever will not spread very far, but that's endemic to a pretty remote area.  If something nasty like that crops up in new york, even if it kills 100% of victims within 48 hrs, it'll still spread across the globe, what with globalization.  From Atlanta to Senegal is eight hours or so.  Most diseases have a longer course than that.

A woman who lived less a mile from me died yesterday.  Very sad, especially as she has three children, one a baby who was born prematurely during her illness.

Like the people atypical mentions, this woman had other health problems in addition to the swine flu.  It seems that she is the first person to die from swine flu outwith the Americas.

Oh gosh, that is terrible.  (worst nightmare).  The first death in the US also had just given birth prematurely to a child (I think in Texas).

The WHO ((world health ORginization)) declared somtime last week that this is a pandemic (now).  I don't bother worrying, so says the old adage "Worry achieves nothing and wastes valuable time."

A woman who lived less a mile from me died yesterday.  Very sad, especially as she has three children, one a baby who was born prematurely during her illness.

Like the people atypical mentions, this woman had other health problems in addition to the swine flu.  It seems that she is the first person to die from swine flu outwith the Americas.

That's sad Marcia.

Swine flu numbers here a doubling by the day. I guess it will be just a matter of time before I get the virus.

Here schools are closing classes in an effort to try to contain the virus until a vaccine arrives.
I would not send my children to school if the virus was present within the school population.

Some schools here have sent classes home if a child in the class has swine flu.  The boys at my son's school who have it aren't in his class.  I've heard of children who do have it and they don't seem to be very seriously affected by it.

I was going to send my son to school.  Now I'm worrying about whether I should.

I was wondering whether those who get a seemingly mild case of swine flu now would have greater immunity for the second wave of it which is predicted for the autumn and winter here.

Seems that that might well be the case then.

I'll send him to school and just keep an eye on him.  Short of keeping him completely isolated there isn't any way of guaranteeing that he won't, or I won't, get it somewhere.

¬_¬......

I question their intelligence and general scientific qualifications.

Swine Flu = Virus
Not
Swine Flu= Obesity symptom.

Whilst I hope that your son is well, this reminded me of a letter that my sister received when SwineFlu or as it is correctly called: N1H1 virus circulated about.  Well, my sister attends an international school with children of all different nationalities.  The letter stated that if the child had flu like symptons or even a cough (yes, just a cough) then the child would not be allowed to attend school.  Further stated that if the family members of the child had a cold or flu like symptons then the child couldn't attend school or even additional further to this: If their is an outbreak of the N1H1 virus, the school will be closed till further notice....

I think people are being quite excessive over this.  Most of the ''casualties' from the virus are people who already had health problems thus the media creates and circulates the terror of a 'lethal' virus.  When really, it is much more common sense and sensible to follow the basic rules of hygenie and be a little more careful than people are.

Although I greatly anticipate the day when my sister receives another letter from the school stating that the school will close down till further notice due to a SWEIN Flu epidemic....

I agree with this, Saft.  The general public attitude here, despite the best efforts of the media to create a panic, is that this is just the flu, but with a specific name.

On the radio yesterday there was a phone in about it, and people were pointing out that many people here die of flu every year, but television reporters don't go and stand outside the hospitals every time it happens.  I also noticed when I came online yesterday, a photograph of the flats where the woman who died lived with her family.  There were two police officers standing at the close entrance, and they must have been there to prevent reporters going in.

Lol! I suspect that's why it's still being referred to as Swine Flu - it's easier.

Neither is that obese people are more prone to respiratory problems. Thin people can have respiratory problems, too.

The common sense of people will never csease to amaze me. And, whilst I'm not suggesting that the H1 N1 (got it right this time) person with the symptoms should be told to go back home, I do think that they should go on to a closed ward and have little to do with other sick admittees.

Right, and you don't think with the laundry list of other problems supposedly caused by obesity, that happens to just be another false claim?

From what I read in the link you gave there isn't anything to indicate a direct link, and I also expressed surprise that anyone would make such a link.

What I am saying is that anyone with respiratory problems is more likely to be more severely affected by swine flu, or any other similar ailment.

You claimed "extreme obesity" is a cause for respiratory problems.

I am just thankful that this government is not run by the BNP ......Then I would actually fear for this poor man.

But you are right this governemnt treats it's public like crap when it should care for them.

Politicians = Scum IMO

Too bad he didn't come to Canada first.

It's better in Canada then?  I only know how it works, or rather doesn't, in the UK.

A lot of these people don't know where they're going to end up when they flee their own countries.  A friend of mine was people smuggled out of Eritrea with her three children.  Her uncle paid for them to be able to leave, but she didn't know where she was going.  She ended up in England, and was then sent to Scotland, as the man, Ben, I met the other day was, under the dispersal programme.  

She was never granted asylum, despite the fact that people who leave Eritrea and are returned tend to "disappear".  She was fortunate in that because she had children with her she wasn't made destitute like Ben, but there was always the fear of a dawn raid.  I would panic if I sent her a text and she didn't reply within an hour.  I'd worry that they'd been taken from their beds and taken to a detention centre then deported.

After more than 5 years in the UK she finally got "indefinate leave to remain".  Others from the same country, who arrived after her, got their "papers" within a matter of weeks or months.  There is no logic in the system, far less compassion.

Yes, it does seem that the people who are dying are those with existing serious health problems.  People who would be vulnerable to any kind of infection, I suppose.

One of the Sunday papers in Scotland was trying to whip up some kind of panic and had interviewed a mother who was saying that parents were panicking because the schools weren't closing if they had pupils who were infected.

I haven't seen any signs of panic at my son's school, and the last letter home, which I only skim read, said that as swine flu was now prevalent within the general population there was nothing to be gained by closing schools.  The summer holidays start on Friday anyway.

Can't wait till the news starts in with "Obesity means a higher risk of contracting Swine Flu!" that's if they already haven't. Cause you know, being fat, means your just as vulnerable to disease as the boy in the bubble.

Not just fat, I believe, but morbid obesity, which is a known factor in increasing a person's chance of contracting a number of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, arthitic problems as joints wear out, etc.  Morbid obesity is a whole different kettle of fish to just carrying a little extra weight or being pleasingly plump.  
Alison

I think it's a false assumption that morbid obesity is a known factor in increasing a person's chance of contracting a number of diseases. I think it's more a combination of common circumstances. High animal fat & high carb diet, lot's of fried and grilled food, stress from the social anxiety brought on by being persecuted for being obese. Depression from constantly being told they're weak-willed and irresponsible losers. Resulting in sitting around at home a lot, putting on more weight.

Me - I qualify as morbidly obese. Yet my diet is primarily pescetarian. I bake and/or steam my food - eat it raw even. The fats I consume come from fish, olives, avocados, nuts & seeds. I get my carbs from fruits and vegetables. I don't drink alcohol, or consume anything with corn syrup of any kind in it. I don't allow myself to be persecuted and I don't hang with anyone who'd try to bring me down. I exercise, though not as much as I should.  

As a result nurses always have to take my blood pressure twice the first time because it's quite alright and that doesn't match up with the 'morbidly obese people are in horrible health' meme. My heart's in good shape. I don't have a cholesterol problem. I have arthritis in my right knee, but it's due in part to an old injury and the fact I'm not so young anymore at 42. Yeah, I have a touch of insulin resistance, but that's managed, my A1C always checks out, and my sugars have never been out of control. I rarely get sick.

So.

Very well said!

Wow, you're lucky.  I'm not obese, morbidly or otherwise, yet I'm in far worse shape, health-wise, due to a genetic autoimmune defect.    
Alison