The Swine Flu thing...

[DandyDon]

I had a monstrously nasty upper respiratory infection this past winter. My only regret is that I was an idiot and "fought through it" with OTC and no doctor visit. My wife was much more bright when she got sick and went to the doc and recovered WAY faster than I did.

I've done that. Something about the false security of battling things out at home, but if we consider possibilities in a faraway destination, then the mind can wander: "Oh no, Fox News said there are killings on the US border! There's a storm entering the Caribbean! I've heard there is malaria in southern Mexico! How will these factors try to kill me in Cozumel? Eh, I've fell for some of them.

Hehe, most people I know have probly never seen a passport.

 

[sddiver]

I wouldn't take this to lightly.

US 'very concerned' about swine flu outbreak

It's vectored to Texas and here to San Diego very quickly, Cozumel or anywhere else is only a plane ride away from Mexico City. No need to panic, but practice the usual precautions, wash your hands a lot ect. If you do come down with something flu like. Go see a Doctor sooner rather than later.

Rich

 

[MMM]

I work in health care administration and have been following this from a distance (recovering from surgery). This issue has morphed overnight. About one hour ago I was called to come into work because we are now on 24/7 alert. And with lots of work to do. Stay tuned. This has the potential to get very big internationally.

check this out: http//www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090424.wflumain0424/BNStory/International/home

 

[underachiever]

My apologies if I offended anyone. I stand corrected.

However, I was not referring to ALL respiratory illnesses and certainly wasn't making any diagnosis. I was making a general statement referring to your basic upper respiratory infection as I know them (as a head/chest cold) - which have been going around locally and there have been no reports of deaths from this that I'm aware of. I incorrectly assumed that this is what the poster was referring to.

No, I am not a doctor, never claimed to be and don't play one on TV...so saying that I am irresponsible is going a little far.

Thank you Don for "getting" the intent of my post - and apologies again to anyone that may have been offended by my general remarks on the topic.

BUT, have you stayed at a Holiday Inn recently??

 

[DandyDon]

I work in health care administration and have been following this from a distance (recovering from surgery). This issue has morphed overnight. About one hour ago I was called to come into work because we are now on 24/7 alert. And with lots of work to do. Stay tuned. This has the potential to get very big internationally.

check this out:
http//www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090424.wflumain0424/BNStory/International/home

Don't know why, but that link doesn't seem to work in Firefox or Chrome; looks like a colon got dropped? Here ya go...
globeandmail.com: WHO considers raising global pandemic alert level

There are plenty of other stories tho. Mexico City closed their schools today, but then with the horrible air quality there - I'm sure that any contagious respiratory infection can be a major threat in crowded schools. Also see that alerts are being put into action in various Texas and California cities to get early actions into play.

And sddiver is right; these things can spread amazingly fast if unchecked. History has certainly taught us to take these seriously. The 1918 epidemic erroneously called Spanish Flu took horrible tolls worldwide much because of limited medical possibilities. I remember the 1976 outbreak and accidental President Ford asking everyone in the US to get shot with the rushed vaccine they came up; from Wiki...

The vaccination program was plagued by delays and public relations problems, but about 24% of the population was vaccinated by the time the program was cancelled. [11]

There is "enough evidence to suggest that" about 500 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome resulting in death from severe pulmonary complications for 25 people was caused by an immunopathological reaction to the vaccine in some people.[11] Other influenza vaccines have not been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome.[12]

If I understand the descriptive names correctly, Swine flu is usually limited to pigs and Avian flu is generally found in birds, but pigs can harbor influenza viruses adapted to humans and others that are adapted to birds, allowing the viruses to exchange genes and create a pandemic strain. Seems like I read a report in Discover or another magazine around 1980 about new flu strains mutate easiest in Asia where pigs, fowl, and humans live so close together in some rural settings around a pond they all use, leading to faster development of new strains.

Today, Discover is warning also of the risks of hysteria: Bird Flu and Swine Flu Outbreaks: The Health Risks of Hysteria | 80beats | Discover Magazine

I am still in agreement with the first story linked: "There's no reason for Canadians to change their plans to travel to Mexico, Dr. McGeer said," or to California or Texas, but it's good that the medical pros are taking organized actions early. Remember the usual flu season warnings...

Avoid shaking hands;

Wash hands often;

Seek medical help early if indicated.​

 

[Teamcasa]

I work in health care administration and have been following this from a distance (recovering from surgery). This issue has morphed overnight. About one hour ago I was called to come into work because we are now on 24/7 alert. And with lots of work to do. Stay tuned. This has the potential to get very big internationally.

check this out: globeandmail.com: WHO considers raising global pandemic alert level

I pray this gets close attention before is gets out of hand.
Having just returned from Baja with another trip planed next month, I've see firsthand how the people react to illness. Most (of the poor I deal with) just try to tough it out as medical help requires a difficult trip and costs money they don't have.

 

[lamont]

The 1918 epidemic erroneously called Spanish Flu took horrible tolls worldwide much because of limited medical possibilities.

The 1918 epidemic was deadly due to the cytokine storms that it caused in adults with the healthiest immune systems, and there was no treatment options for that back in 1918 (and limited treatment options even today).

This outbreak of flu in mexico is a little disconcerting because its another H1N1 like the 1918 epidemic, it seems to be transmitted human-to-human, and it seems to be killing adults, rather than children or the elderly. If there was another bad 1918-like flu epidemic, it would start just like this. However, there's a lot that goes into creating a "perfect storm" 1918-epidemic and i expect in the next week or two the CDC comes up with some facts that distinguish this from 1918...

 

[MMM]

Very true. That is the CURRENT advice. There are huge considerations before health travel restrictions are recommended and we definitely not there yet. Expect to hear lots and lots about this. In a public health incident, no one was ever criticized for over-communicating but the converse is definitely true.

Don't know why, but that link doesn't seem to work in Firefox or Chrome; looks like a colon got dropped? Here ya go...
globeandmail.com: WHO considers raising global pandemic alert level
I am still in agreement with the first story linked: "There's no reason for Canadians to change their plans to travel to Mexico, Dr. McGeer said," or to California or Texas, but it's good that the medical pros are taking organized actions early. .[/INDENT]

 

[okiraku_diver]

I travel to COZ by way of California and Texas, but do NOT change my itinerary and schedule so far. This news is broadcasted in Japanese media, and Japanese governent issues travel information, but NOT advise to cancel or postpone to go.

I watch situation carefully but do NOT think this respiratory illness outbreak just like SARS(Severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) in 2003. I Thank for World wide health network, such as WHO, CDC, etc is collaborationg much earlier than 2003. WHO | Influenza-Like Illness in the United States and Mexico

I find this article:But there is no reason to avoid Mexico, CDC and the WHO said. "CDC is not recommending any additional recommendations for travelers to California, Texas and Mexico," Besser said.Reuters AlertNet - Deadly new flu strain erupts in Mexico, U.S.

 

[MMM]

Yes, SARS was a big wake-up call in terms of lessons learned. It caused lots of work on better practices on both planning and communication..in Canada, at least. Like I've said, stay tuned. This is morphing quickly and things could be just fine or turn on a dime.