Thread: Swine flu pandemic

Originally Posted by jnich67

Exactly, I'd like to see how much money this media driven hysteria is costing the health care system (meaning "us"). Meanwhile, CNN and Fox continue to collect their advertising dollars. I hope I don't need ER services in the near future.

Jordan

Don't forget about the money the new regime can claim also! 13,000 deaths thus far from influenza in the US and not a peep from Obama or the media. 1 death here in America from the Swine flu and the Obama administration, as stated directly from Obama, is already grabbing over a billion for "our protection".

Something smells rotten.

You know,　what I DON'T understand is why the WHO is taking this so seriously? As more info comes out, its clear that this flu isn't really so bad, so why does the WHO keep ratcheting up it's pandemic watch?

Originally Posted by JimR

You know,　what I DON'T understand is why the WHO is taking this so seriously? As more info comes out, it's clear that this flu isn't really so bad, so why does the WHO keep ratcheting up it's pandemic watch?

I have noticed that also Jim.

Originally Posted by JimR

You know,　what I DON'T understand is why the WHO is taking this so seriously? As more info comes out, it's clear that this flu isn't really so bad, so why does the WHO keep ratcheting up it's pandemic watch?

Things are a bit quiet on the pandemic front Jim. In this global financial crisis, even WHO needs to justify its existence....

(that's a joke, ... a joke.... )

James.

Originally Posted by jnich67

Exactly, I'd like to see how much money this media driven hysteria is costing the health care system (meaning "us"). Meanwhile, CNN and Fox continue to collect their advertising dollars. I hope I don't need ER services in the near future.

Jordan

I am not exactly worried about the money but there are places where people have died in the waiting room because idiots are clogging the system. For God's sake use some common sense! A lot of these people are the same bunch who will not get their kids vaccinated but worry about the flu, never mind polio or whooping cough! Sh--t for brains.


R

The cytokine storm actually has little to do with the bug itself. The "storm" is generated by our own bodies reaction to the capsular antigens on the bug (basically the surface particles). This is to say you reaction to the virus kills you, not the virus itself. Another interesting fact to is that in 1918 there were a lot of co-infected people due to the fact antibiotics were not discovered until about 1922, and not readily available everywhere until the late 1940's. Besides in 1918 the most brilliant medical scientists in world didn't know what truly what a cytokine was. Another interesting fact to illustrate this point is that in 1900, nearly 80% of NYC males had gonorrhea. Boy the "good ol days". The flu in 1918 is not clearly documented on what kind of genetic mutation occurred to create the pandemic because technology was not advanced enough to fully describe it to my satisfaction (not that it matters).I think then it was a shift mutation and hence the strong response. As for the cytokine storm and younger people dying, this is possible, but not proven. Plus if you read wikipedia (a questionable source at times) you will note most of the deaths resulted from secondary infection and bacterial pneumonia so the bug itself was not the killer even then. Hence if this had occurred by say 1950 when penicillin was readily available and resistance was low, you might have seen substantially fewer deaths.
In Mexico the bottom line was a person got the bug, didn't feel any effects (subclinical infection) but was spreading it the whole time and then, BOOM! it spreads and causes symptoms and problems for people with weaker immune systems and people with poor nutrition. THis like many epidemics will pass and soon there will be a vaccine we can all go get. I can't wait because I get one every year and each time, I have a nice fever to go with it. Lots of sweat, but nothing much else. For what its worth, if you really want a good opinion, ask a good "older" family practice or Internal Medicine Doc because the older they are the more they know and the younger generations of doctors either don't study because they are natural test takers (which is meaningless in practice) , or they don't have the character to tell you true facts because they would rather lie to you than look up the truth.
Keep the Faith! The US government is on top of it. Then if that fails the intelligent scientists around the world can step in and help us out.