![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 14 to 38 of 38. Go back in thread:
Posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 8:04:16
In reply to Re: Confused about What Swine Flu Is And Meds To Treat » Larry Hoover, posted by Phillipa on April 28, 2009, at 2:42:46
Our local medical expert, an infectious diseases doc, was on the news saying that the young seem to be harder hit.
He said it's similar to viruses that have been around since the thirties, and older people might have built up some amounts of immunity to it.
What I wonder is if it's been around that long, why won't the vaccine take care of it?
He said not to panic, to take regular precautions, and to make sure to contact your doctor if you come down with the flu.
He also showed a nasopharyngsomething or another swab, which perhaps worked against his urgings to contact your doctor.
Posted by Phil on April 28, 2009, at 9:54:11
In reply to Re: Confused about What Swine Flu Is And Meds To Treat » Phillipa, posted by Larry Hoover on April 28, 2009, at 4:55:47
There are no cases reported in Austin but I've already seen some people(a few) already wearing masks. They were in a bank and had shotguns.
Posted by 10derHeart on April 28, 2009, at 11:46:18
In reply to Re: Confused about What Swine Flu Is And Meds To Treat, posted by Phil on April 28, 2009, at 9:54:11
Posted by obsidian on April 28, 2009, at 18:59:48
In reply to Lol. Vintage Phil :-) (nm), posted by 10derHeart on April 28, 2009, at 11:46:18
I drove by the school the other day where hundreds of high school students have come down with it. I only noticed because of the TV cameras!
I'm not worried about it though, they said a lot of those kids were already feeling better when they went on TV with the announcements.
funny how everything adapts in order to survive.
Posted by Phillipa on April 28, 2009, at 20:30:44
In reply to it's in my neighborhood...., posted by obsidian on April 28, 2009, at 18:59:48
Lar yes tamiflu is approved and the update I received today says if it gets bad that even unprofessionals volunteers can administer the IM injection I don't think that is tamiflu though. Posted on meds hope redireted to here more continuity. And today two here in Charlotte seriously. And some school in NY had quite a few come down with it. They were then testing those at a nearby public or was it private school? I didn't take it seriously until today. I think the injection is available for those over l year old. Seems to be targeting those above 7 why who knows and adults to age 40? Strange. Phillipa
Posted by obsidian on April 28, 2009, at 20:51:21
In reply to Re: Update Seriously, posted by Phillipa on April 28, 2009, at 20:30:44
there are about 300 people at a catholic high school near me (about 5 miles away) that came down with it (they only confirmed about 45?)- its seems that some had gone down to Mexico on spring break.
I think there are about 2700? total in the high school.then it went down the road to a public school for autistic children where about 80 have called in sick out of 380
I got a lot of this info from yahoo news, it also says they're checking another school in Manhattan.
Does the flu usually spread this fast??
Posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 21:00:46
In reply to Re: Update Seriously » Phillipa, posted by obsidian on April 28, 2009, at 20:51:21
They are saying that the cases in the US are recovering more quickly than they had expected, based on what happened elsewhere. Some have been hospitalized, but most released. Maybe the flu shot is at least working well enough to give the body a head start in producing antibodies?
Flu does spread pretty rapidly. It's astonishing really how it used to move around the world even in the days before jumbo jets and easy travel. But even so, almost everything runs quickly through a school. They're always sending notices home with my son. A few a year, at least. And my mother caught ever single virus that came near her school. Yet oddly, we didn't catch nearly as many as she did, even though we shared a house with her. Schools must be special breeding grounds for viruses. Lots of people spreading them, lots of sneezed on surfaces.
Does it ever occur to anyone but me that it is insane to have magazines in doctor's offices? I thought about it a few years ago, and have been bringing my own reading material since.
Posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 21:03:22
In reply to Re: Update Seriously » obsidian, posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 21:00:46
Oooh. And public buses. I used to ride public transit part of the year. I caught *everything*.
Of course, I have a habit of rubbing my eyes. That's a huge no-no in disease prevention.
Posted by obsidian on April 28, 2009, at 21:09:52
In reply to Re: Update Seriously, posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 21:03:22
and planes!! those flying petri dishes!
they say there is a 1-2 day day incubation period with the flu
the last time I took a plane (to New Orleans) a day or two later...bam! sick with the flu, it's bad enough being sick with the flu at home, in a hotel room it sucks even more
Posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 21:19:21
In reply to Re: Update Seriously » Dinah, posted by obsidian on April 28, 2009, at 21:09:52
I remember that! I think...
Weren't we talking about getting together while you were here?
You're right. When I'm sick, I'd much rather be at home to be miserable.
Stuff spreads like wildfire in cruise ships too. That's one of many reasons this emetophobe has refused to ever take one.
Posted by obsidian on April 28, 2009, at 21:25:50
In reply to Re: Update Seriously » obsidian, posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 21:19:21
yup, I was sick, sick, sick!!
one night I just sat on the cold floor in the bathroom just because it helped me feel better :-(
I remember heading toward the french quarter and thinking..."what is this sneezing about?"
Posted by Phillipa on April 28, 2009, at 21:58:33
In reply to Re: Update Seriously » Dinah, posted by obsidian on April 28, 2009, at 21:25:50
Well from what I've heard on the news today and newsletters the flu vaccine is useless as different strain. The CDC keeps changing things now they want to change the name as it has nothing to do with birds or pigs. There was a blog by nurses I read now some think it's manmade. Like chemical warfare. Others say that we the people and health care workers should be notified much sooner. Maybe we will all become addicted to the internet and be quaranteened at home. Sigi where are you. Humor please. Phillipa bearer of great news But wash your hands, stay out of crowds, a lot are cancelling travel plans. That's horrible about the schools and NY of all places.
Posted by TexasChic on April 28, 2009, at 22:21:55
In reply to Re: Update Seriously, posted by Phillipa on April 28, 2009, at 21:58:33
Has anybody in the US died from this? I've read that people in Mexico have, but isn't health care there sketchy?
-T
Posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 22:35:39
In reply to Re: Update Seriously, posted by Phillipa on April 28, 2009, at 21:58:33
Dr. Lutz said there was no reason to panic. One day there may be the pandemic of pandemics they always predict, but this doesn't look like it.
You have to remember that it's probably a good idea to notch back what you hear a few degrees. There's an area in our city that floods very very easily. Whenever it rains hard, the news cameras congregate on that corner. I saw it once, and it was hilarious to see them jockeying not to include each other in the shot, while still pointing the camera in such a way to show a vista of floodwater. They aren't lying precisely. There probably is flooding. But they chose to use camera shots from the most dramatic spots.
It's probably wise to avoid the hottest hotbeds of germs if you have no need to be there. And people with compromised immune systems or weakened health should probably be more careful than normal. But I don't think I'll panic until Dr. Lutz does. Being wise and taking precautions can't do any harm.
Posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2009, at 0:00:12
In reply to Re: Update Seriously » Phillipa, posted by Dinah on April 28, 2009, at 22:35:39
No panic here. I'm too old. I do wonder if they will close schools down early. Wash your hands. Hummm a bunch of new OCDer's could be created from this and remember the pics from years ago the handkerchiefs people wore over ther mouths. But I remember seriously the flu of 76 as my kids were young and figured someone had to not get sick to care for them so got the vaccine the guilliane barr scare one was fine and no one got sick. Phillipa
Posted by Tabitha on April 29, 2009, at 2:31:33
In reply to Re: Update Seriously » Dinah, posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2009, at 0:00:12
So what if you get the swine flu? It's not really much worse than a common cold, is it?
Posted by 10derHeart on April 29, 2009, at 4:12:19
In reply to Re: Why is swine flu so scary?, posted by Tabitha on April 29, 2009, at 2:31:33
I think influenza can be more aggressive than a cold, especially in people who are already ill, the very young and the very old. At least that's what I remember from the seasonal flu. I used to work in a hospital ICU and occasionally saw severe cases. It weakens you and then other conditons may compound things.... Many thousands die every year from the flu or flu-related causes. A virus is a powerful and tricky thing when it mutates.
I'm guessing the "cold" virus (or is it more than one, probably) we all encounter is "weaker" only because our bodies have built up many antibodies to combat it....? It is not "new."
Mostly, I'd say the fear comes from the word death. I don't know if anyone's ever died from a cold. But you're right as far as the U.S. cases go so far - only about five of maybe 68(? - changes often) confirmed cases have been hospitalized, according to some media reports.
But in Mexico, possibly 150 or more people have died :-( It can be a pretty serious illness, but it can also be treated successfully, and/or not make a person very ill at all.
Fear of the unknown, and the accompanying feelings of powerlessness, are scary, perhaps?
Posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2009, at 20:01:35
In reply to Re: Why is swine flu so scary? » Tabitha, posted by 10derHeart on April 29, 2009, at 4:12:19
Latest. Have Link to CDC also received with vitamineshoppe. This is Medscape. Phillipa
From Medscape Medical News
WHO: Swine Flu Not Slowing Down
Emma Hitt
April 29, 2009 The swine influenza outbreak shows no signs of slowing down, but, for now at least, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stopped short of increasing the pandemic alert level from phase 4 to phase 5.
"Phase 5 is a significant milestone, and we are trying to make absolutely sure that we are dealing with sustained transmission in 2 or more countries," Keiji Fukuda, MD, MPH, assistant director-general ad. interim for Health Security and Environment at the WHO, said during a press conference today.
"In New York City, we are seeing a person-to-person transmission occurring in a high school, but we are looking for transmission among people in neighborhoods and communities before we move to phase 5," he said.
The worldwide pandemic alert level was raised on Monday of this week to phase 4, which is defined as confirmed person-to-person spread of a new influenza virus able to cause "community-level" outbreaks.
According to Dr. Fukuda, as of 11:00 am EDT today, 114 cases have been officially reported to the WHO. In Mexico, 26 confirmed cases and 7 deaths have been reported, although Mexican authorities are reporting that swine flu is now suspected in more than 100 deaths and nearly 2500 illnesses. Earlier today, the first American fatality was reported a 23-month-old toddler in Texas.
Swine Flu Mostly Similar to Seasonal Flu
Dr. Fukuda pointed out that the current outbreak is characteristic of typical seasonal influenza, with the possible exception of more diarrhea cases with swine flu than with seasonal influenza.
A WHO-led conference call of several influenza specialists across the globe was ongoing at the time of the press briefing. According to Dr. Fukuda, the discussion by participants on the conference call was helping to confirm their initial impressions of the outbreak. "There is nothing to suggest that our preliminary assessments are incorrect," he said.
Dr. Fukuda noted that the epidemiologic evidence clearly suggests that the virus is being transmitted from person to person. "Studies are underway to look further at the transmissibility of this virus, and I expect this info to unfold over days and weeks," he said.
He emphasized that the swine virus had moved from swine to humans, but that consumption of pork and other meats do not pose a risk. In addition, no coinfections are thought to be occurring with the swine flu infections.
Unanswered Questions
An important question that remains to be answered is the potential severity of the illness. Currently, the spectrum ranges from very mild to fatal, which is in keeping with other influenza infections. "We do not know the likelihood of developing mild vs fatal illness or the risk factors among those people who develop fatal illness," he said. Also unknown is information about mutations that might have allowed the virus to jump from swine to human transmission.
For the most part, the virus is in keeping with normal seasonal influenza viruses, but Dr. Fukuda emphasized that it is premature to think of this as a mild or severe pandemic, since "we cannot predict what the course will be. It is possible that this epidemic could suddenly stop, but it is unlikely."
He added that the worst pandemic of the past century, in 1918, started out mild in the springtime, was fairly quiet during the summer, and then in the fall it "really exploded into a much more severe form so we just don't know what the future is going to hold. The most important point now is that countries really have a warning and have time to prepare."
Myron S. Cohen, MD, director of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and associate vice chancellor for global health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, noted that national guidelines will be developed shortly, but "in this transitional period, individual hospitals and physician clinics certainly need to evaluate their resources and manage their practices carefully."
"There are real decisions that need to be made on the ground," he told Medscape Infectious Diseases in a phone interview. "Who gets a mask and who doesn't get a mask? Who gets lab testing and who does not? Who gets [oseltamivir] or [zanamivir] and who does not?"
Dr. Cohen recommends that clinicians define potential case patients broadly, considering any patient with symptoms consistent with flu, not just those who have traveled to Mexico or who have been in contact with infected people.
According to Dr. Cohen, the outbreak could go away quickly or it could become a "sustained, pretty big problem."
"The good news is that there is no doubt we are going to be able to make a vaccine, and so the time frame in which we will have to deal with this is only a few months," he said. "There is a chance of resistance developing toward antiviral drugs, depending on how much the agent is used, but let's hope that does not happen."
Posted by Dinah on April 29, 2009, at 20:16:43
In reply to Re: Why is swine flu so scary?, posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2009, at 20:01:35
That sounds like a worst case scenario from people whose job it is to look at worst case scenario.
At present, even if it spreads widely, it is posing no greater risk than the average flu outbreak. Which is not to minimize flu.
Given the resources being devoted to it, there likely will be a vaccine relatively quickly - just as they said.
Posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2009, at 20:39:02
In reply to Re: Why is swine flu so scary? » Phillipa, posted by Dinah on April 29, 2009, at 20:16:43
Yup I agree as I think I said before during the last 76 outbreak I got a vaccine but no complications and none of my kids got sick. Phillipa
Posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2009, at 20:48:10
In reply to Re: Why is swine flu so scary? » Phillipa, posted by Dinah on April 29, 2009, at 20:16:43
Went back to inbox and new update. Phillipa
April 29, 2009 Swine flu has pushed the World Health Organization to raise its pandemic alert level to phase 5, which means that a pandemic is imminent.
It's the second time in a week that the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its pandemic alert level, which ranges from phase 1 (low risk of a pandemic) to phase 6 (a full-blown pandemic is under way).
"The biggest question is, how severe will the pandemic be?" WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said today in a news conference in Geneva. "We do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them."
Chan said the swine flu situation is changing rapidly and the swine flu virus is still "poorly understood."
Chan called on all governments around the world to "immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plan," noting that each country is free to make its own pandemic plans -- and that many countries have been working on pandemic preparedness for years, thanks to concerns about bird flu ( avian flu). "The world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history."
Earlier today, CDC Acting Director Richard Besser, MD, said that the U.S. is at a "pre-pandemic" level and that it matters less what the situation is called than what's being done about it, and that the U.S. is taking "aggressive" action to limit swine flu's impact on human health.
WHO Pandemic Levels
Here is a quick look at the WHO's pandemic alert phases:
Phase 1: A virus in animals has caused no known infections in humans.
Phase 2: An animal flu virus has caused infection in humans.
Phase 3: Sporadic cases or small clusters of disease occur in humans. Human-to-human transmission, if any, is insufficient to cause community-level outbreaks.
Phase 4: The risk for a pandemic is greatly increased but not certain. The disease-causing virus is able to cause community-level outbreaks.
Phase 5: Still not a pandemic, but spread of disease between humans is occurring in more than one country of one WHO region.
Phase 6: This is the pandemic level. Community-level outbreaks are in at least one additional country in a different WHO region from phase 5. A global pandemic is under way.
Note that all of those phases are about how the virus is (or isn't) spreading -- they're not about the severity of the disease.91 Cases in U.S.
At least 91 people in 10 U.S. states have swine flu, and there has been one death of a swine flu patient in the U.S., according to the CDC.
The patient who died was a 22-month-old boy from Mexico who died at a hospital in the Houston area. He had several underlying health problems, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Here is the CDC's latest tally of lab-confirmed swine flu cases:
New York: 51 cases
Texas: 16 cases
California: 14 cases
Kansas: 2 cases
Massachusetts: 2 cases
Michigan: 2 cases
Arizona: 1 case
Indiana: 1 case
Nevada: 1 case
Ohio: 1 case
But the situation is changing so quickly that "these numbers are almost out of date by the time I say them," Besser said today at a press conference.Besser noted that health officials expect to see a "spectrum" of disease severity in the U.S. "Unfortunately, I anticipate that we will see more deaths."
Swine Flu Numbers Changing Constantly
The CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) only report lab-confirmed cases -- not probable or suspected cases -- and they only do it once a day. So there may be a lag time before cases confirmed at the state or local level make it into the official tally.
The WHO today reported 114 lab-confirmed swine flu cases worldwide, but that figure is based on yesterday's CDC numbers and doesn't include three cases reported in Germany, one in Austria, and additional cases in New Zealand.
"It is clear that the virus is spreading; we don't see any evidence that it's slowing," Keiji Fukuda, MD, the WHO's assistant director-general for health security and environment, said at a news conference in Geneva earlier today.
Swine Flu Vaccine Work Under Way
Scientists are already working on creating a vaccine against the new swine flu virus.
"We're in full gear; the process is more speedy than [it's] ever been before, " Kathleen Sebelius, the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said today at a joint news conference with the HHS, CDC, FDA, and the National Institutes of Health.
A swine flu vaccine may be created by early fall, but that doesn't mean it will be ready for distribution by then, health officials noted at the news conference.
Developing a vaccine means conducting clinical trials to see if the vaccine is safe, if it works, and what dose is needed, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at the news conference.
Fauci predicted that clinical trials of a vaccine against the new flu virus -- which he calls the H1N1 virus -- will "probably begin within a couple of months" and take several months.
'Serious Virus'
During today's joint news conference, a reporter asked why officials are so concerned about the new flu virus, given the fact that normal seasonal flu kills an average of 36,000 people in the U.S. during a typical flu season.
The reason is that it's a new, unpredictable virus that "has pandemic potential," Fauci replied. "It really is something different."
"This is a serious virus, this is a serious outbreak," Besser agreed.
"You don't know if it's going to fizzle out in a couple weeks or become more or less virulent or severe in the diseases it causes," Besser said. "If we could see into the future, that would be wonderful. But that's not the case. That's why we're being aggressive."
SOURCES:
Margaret Chan, director-general, World Health Organization.
WebMD Health News: "CDC Confirms First U.S. Swine Flu Death."
Richard Besser, MD, acting director, CDC.
Keiji Fukuda, MD, assistant director-general, health security and environment, World Health Organization.
Kathleen Sebelius, secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
Anthony Fauci, MD, director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Posted by verne on April 30, 2009, at 14:23:36
In reply to Re:Just received via email level 6 declared., posted by Phillipa on April 29, 2009, at 20:48:10
Couple cases found in Iowa and more suspected. I live in almost complete isolation yet I'm still in a panic. I had a truck load of groceries and water delivered for fear there will be a run on the stores.
I need to add a few more rooms and tunnels to my burrow.
Feeling more dread than usual.
Verne
Posted by TexasChic on April 30, 2009, at 18:47:26
In reply to Isolated yet still in a Panic, posted by verne on April 30, 2009, at 14:23:36
Last night it was announced that the Fort Worth School District was closing all of their schools from today through May 8th because of the swine flu. I think they have one confirmed case and 3 or 4 possible cases. They said they're going to disinfect all the schools. Nearby districts have only closed individual schools, I wonder why Ft. Worth closed all of them?
-T
Posted by obsidian on April 30, 2009, at 21:28:12
In reply to School Closing - too close to home, posted by TexasChic on April 30, 2009, at 18:47:26
sooner rather than later, and can you imagine? my employer begging me NOT to come in lest I become some sort of typhoid mary. I've had the flu before, it sucks, but I got through it, and the overwhelming majority of people are getting over this one.
Posted by Phillipa on April 30, 2009, at 22:32:44
In reply to I'd like to get it now please...., posted by obsidian on April 30, 2009, at 21:28:12
In the 70's I was in my twenties with three young kids didn't even know that flu was called swine flu but got the vaccination and no side effects and the kids and husband didn't get the flu without a vaccination. I seriously have no fear of it at all. Calm down it will be okay. Love Phillipa.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Social | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.