MetaChat - Is the SwineFlu as dangerous in the States,

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02 May 2009

Is the SwineFlu as dangerous in the States, →[More:]or Britain, or anywhere else that you are living?

They've got it as 162 confirmed cases so far, as opposed to 464 suspected ones in America right now, compared to 397 confirmed cases in New Mexico, and 2,500 suspected ones there, with 16 Deaths so far, compared to the One Death in the States.

So, how dangerous is this thing, and what types of precautions are you guys taking, if any?

Should the rest of us be worried?

Link.

post by: hadjiboy at: 07:01 | 19 comments

New Mexico is a state in America.

posted by Specklet 02 May | 07:24

I'm not worried at all. And apparently there's no cause for panic.

Statistics show that in the USA every year 100,000 people are hospitalised with flu, and 20,000 die from flu or related complications. I'm talking about normal (not swine) flu. So I think we need to keep this swine flu thing in perspective.

posted by essexjan 02 May | 07:53

Yeah, you mean Mexico, not New Mexico.

And I don't trust that Wikipedia link. This one to the Centers for Disease Control is better.

posted by amro 02 May | 07:55

And if you want accurate international stats, go to the World Health Organization website.

posted by amro 02 May | 07:57

Oh, sorry--yeah, I meant--Mexico, but the New sort of got in there, since Mexico seems more Newer to me, a hick from abroad, who doesn't know the Geography too well.

posted by hadjiboy 02 May | 08:07

I agree with essexjan. This is nothing to get wound up about. We all need to wash our hands more often.

posted by Miko 02 May | 08:16

I am not worried at all about it. Medical staffs are taking such hyper-vigilant measures in the US with anyone displaying any symptoms, that the likelihood of it getting out of control in this country are very slim.

I am, however, quite worried about catching a cold right now because that would really set me back with my physical rehab and I want to get out of South Carolina as soon as possible.

posted by Ardiril 02 May | 08:28

"Should the rest of us be worried?"

That depends on how good the healthcare is in your country. I would not use North America as a barometer for risk on other continents.

posted by Ardiril 02 May | 08:31

It's a blessing when bad influenzas strike during the off-season.

Well, at least in the Northern Hemisphere.

posted by Hugh Janus 02 May | 09:46

I liked the Grey Bloke's view. It's the Susan Boyle of the disease world: it hasn't done very much at this stage, but everyone with an Internet connection knows about it.

posted by TheophileEscargot 02 May | 10:03

I got an email from the Canadian Embassy (I'm on their email list, and they send out emails tailored to Canadians in the U.S.) that says this:

The PHAC recommends that travellers follow the same precautionary measures as with seasonal influenza. These include receiving a seasonal flu vaccine, washing your hands often, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when ill. Canadians travellers who develop symptoms of influenza or severe respiratory illness, especially high fever, are advised to seek medical attention immediately.

(PHAC is the Public Health Agency of Canada.)

I'm not worried.

posted by joannemerriam 02 May | 11:27

I was sick yesterday, so I had a little twinge of "what if." I called my doctor's office and they asked me 3 questions:

1. Do you have a fever? (no)
2. Do you have nausea or diarrhea? (no)
3. Have you been to Mexico recently or been around people who have traveled to Mexico recently? (no)

"Okay, drink some tea and go back to bed. You're fine."

posted by desjardins 02 May | 12:14

I should add that I stayed home from work yesterday as a precaution.

posted by desjardins 02 May | 12:15

I'm so unconcerned about this that I have stopped bathing or washing my hands, as a protest until this hysteria is over with. It is also an experiment to see if one can become so stinky that mosquitoes will stop biting.

posted by weretable and the undead chairs 02 May | 12:46

If your blood pressure can handle it, ingesting more salt and less oil discourages mosquitos.

posted by Hugh Janus 02 May | 13:11

Well, fear and worry are probably in the overreaction zone. Try "concern", especially if you have a relative or friend in a vulnerable population. And since most cases are turning out to be mild-to-average flu, counting cases is probably not the real measure.

It was quite notable that Mexico was seeing deaths in healthy adults. But that isn't happening elsewhere and the reason isn't clear.

On the whole it isn't so much that it's a more dangerous virus than usual, it's that there is no immunity in most of the world and it has already spread very widely. By stepping up public health efforts we may be able to make this much less of an epidemic than it may have been otherwise.

posted by dhartung 02 May | 15:01

Megadoses of garlic and/or cayenne, like enough that you can smell it coming out of your pores, can also discourage mosquitoes. And, hey, megadoses of garlic and cayenne.

posted by box 02 May | 15:31

I'm hoping that it will only kill children and old people, leaving the rest of us free to cavort naked in the streets.

I suspect that the risk of death or serious impairment is greater while driving to the doctor for a swine flu shot than it would be were one to actually contract swine flu.

The good news: people (well, Americans, at least) are so stupid and ill-informed that pork prices are way down. It's a great time to buy sausage.

posted by BitterOldPunk 02 May | 16:17

A few of us have a pool going as to when the first confirmed case will show up in Alaska, considering there is now one case in Washington state. At work we now have signs posted in all the bathrooms with instructions on how to properly wash our hands, and new antibacterial dispensers by the doors.

posted by rhapsodie 02 May | 19:57

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