Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico

[cmsahe]

I thought these things only happened in Asia, but today we all woke up to the news that all the education system was closed, the general public was recommended to wear face masks, I'm wearing one, my Taekwondo lessons are suspended indefinitely; the inept government officials only yesterday were saying that this was not an epidemic but today they had to admit it after reports from health officials from Canada and the CDC in the USA alerted the world to this new virus that it is being described as a cocktail of human, porcine and avian flu viruses (being an avid reader of conspiracy theories I bet it was artificially created). It's a pandemic now, 68 persons have died and there are 1004 identified patients in all the mexican republic from the states of Baja California and neighboring Sonora, next to California, to Oaxaca, very close to Central America. With the majority of cases located in Mexico City. A dead was reported in the neighboring municipality to mine

Public events like soccer matches, concerts, plays have been cancelled. Public buildings and museums are closed too. This virus is airborne and transmitted from person to person and none of the victims had contact with swine. I read that the World Health Organization is following closely the development of this pandemic and I read too that 8 persons in the USA have been reported infected with the same virus.

After being in contact with friends and family I got the impression that there isn't panic, just and interest on the development of this event that has disrupted the daily routine. We hadn't experienced something similar since the Earthquake of 1985.

[Eyes High]

Be careful and take care.

[cmsahe]

Thank you I'll try to take care (I can't verify that the food we must buy was not processed/handled by an infected person...) You too take care the pandemic it's now present in the USA, FOX News reports that 75 students of a High School in NY are reported ill and in the radio news broadcast (Radio Red Mexico City) they reported that a crew member of a British Airways airliner, returning to London from Mexico City was infected. A WHO official has declared that it may be too late to contain a global pandemic; so maybe this is the feared global pandemic they had been alerting during the past years (the docudramas are regularly broadcast on the Discovery Channel en Español)

[cmsahe]

I knew it! It comes from a laboratory:

The virus responsible for this new Swine Flu is the same responsible for the Spanish Flu of 1918, the A H1N1:
quoting a mexican newspaper:

"El virus en cuestión, clasificado como A-H1N1, en las últimas semanas infectó a siete estadunidenses, de los cuales todos ya se curaron"
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2009/04/25/i ... e=004o1pol

Wikipedia:

The 1918 flu pandemic (commonly referred to as the Spanish flu) was an influenza pandemic that spread to nearly every part of the world. It was caused by an unusually severe and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. Historical and epidemiologic data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin of the virus.[1] Most of its victims were healthy young adults, in contrast to most influenza outbreaks which predominantly affect juvenile, elderly, or otherwise weakened patients. The pandemic lasted from March 1918 to June 1920,[2] spreading even to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. It is estimated that anywhere from 20 to 100 million people were killed worldwide,[3] or the approximate equivalent of one third of the population of Europe,[4][5][6] more than double the number killed in World War I.[7] This extraordinary toll resulted from the extremely high illness rate of up to 50% and the extreme severity of the symptoms, suspected to be caused by cytokine storms. The pandemic is estimated to have infected up to one billion people: half the world's population at the time.[8]

The flu probably originated in the Far East.[9] The disease was first observed at Fort Riley, Kansas, United States, on March 4, 1918,[10] and Queens, New York, on March 11, 1918. In August 1918, a more virulent strain appeared simultaneously in Brest, France, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and in the U.S. at Boston, Massachusetts. The Allies of World War I came to call it the Spanish flu, primarily because the pandemic received greater press attention after it moved from France to Spain in November 1918. Spain was not involved in the war and had not imposed wartime censorship.[11]

Scientists have used tissue samples from frozen victims to reproduce the virus for study. Given the strain's extreme virulence there has been controversy regarding the wisdom of such research. Among the conclusions of this research is that the virus kills via a cytokine storm, which explains its unusually severe nature and the unusual age profile of its victims (the virus caused an overreaction of the body's immune system—the strong immune systems of young adults ravaged the body, while the weaker immune systems of children and middle-aged adults caused fewer deaths).

[SandChigger]

There was something in the paper this morning about how they're distributing face masks at Narita airport to passengers on planes arriving from Mexico.

So ... how much of the population has to die to bring down our current civilization? (What percentage died in Europe during the plagues of the past?)

Is it finally time that we're going to be sorry we don't have people living in orbit/on the moon/on Mars?

Interesting times.

[cmsahe]

It is spreading worldwide, there is a report from NZ and another fro Israel:
Last update - 22:48 26/04/2009
Swine flu scare in Israel: Netanya man feared ill
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: Israel News, Swine Flu

Authorities fear a case of swine flu may have made it to Israel after a 26-year-old Israeli who just returned from a trip to Mexico on Sunday checked himself into the hospital reporting flu-like symptoms.

Also Sunday, the Foreign Ministry urged Israeli nationals in Mexico and certain parts of the United States to exercise caution after the deadly swine flu strain killed up to 81 people in Mexico.

[SadisticCynic]

Also been found in Scotland it would seem.

[GamePlayer]

Apparently 4 cases have been found in Canada.

[chanilover]

We're DOOMED! Or maybe not, so far no one outside Mexico has died. People have said it's spreading incredibly fast. Yeah, as fast as an aeroplane can carry an infected person.

[DuneFishUK]

There was a bloke in town today with a sign that read:

JESUS IS COMING, THE END IS NIGH



Maybe I should have paid him more attention....

[Eyes High]

It does seem to be spreading extremely fast, but like CL mentioned. With air travel now-a-days, it doesn't take that long anymore to spread an infection.

Not only are infections getting worse in modren times but they are spreading further and quicker.

Lord help us all.

[SandChigger]

JESUS IS COMING...

I wondered where all that moaning was coming from...

[SandChigger]

I suppose it's too much to hope Kevin got exposed in LA, huh?

[cmsahe]

This swine virus is the A H1N1:
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
& From the WHO website
Influenza-like illness in the United States, Mexico
26 April 2009 -- WHO is coordinating the global response to human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) and monitoring the corresponding threat of an influenza pandemic.

It's the same one that caused the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, a virus brought back in a laboratory:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H1N1

Watch this PBS video of 2006, it explains how it was brought back!:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow ... 2-220.html

[trang]

I live in Kansas City MO, two cases were reported in Kansas, west of here. Not worried two much, but I do live in the urban core, and my neighborhood is a cultural bonanza, with a very high concentration of Hispanic folks.

If there were any chance of getting it, despite airports, the mix of legal hispanic families with visiting Illegal hispanic folks, could be a potential source.

I hope not, got enough going on in my life right now, I have brain overload without haveing to worry about some Lab bug running loose.

Hope you stay safe down there in Mexico, throw ya some prayers for sure.

Little early though to call out the end is near stuff.

Millions have been dying from AIDS, and other nasty viruses for years, and we're still here. Not to mention the bugs over the centuries that have hit the population.

I think we will overcome, let the CDC and WHO do their jobs and should come out the otherside. Hopefully and God Willing, not to many more have to succumb to this.

GOOD LUCK ALL!
Trang

[cmsahe]

Thank you Trang for the prayers, i appreciate this kind gesture. No I don't think that it reaches the same levels of mortality than the 1918 pandemic, following the press notes, there is a difference, all people reported sick, in the First World, gets proper medical attention and they survive, in Mexico, a third world nation well, I heard emails and phone calls that people made to a radio station here in Mexico City, the people is being returned to their homes without treatment, I guess that we must ask for the help of Obama, Save us Obama! (the last update for Mexico 103 people dead, First World nations: 0)

Also, the 1918 virus killed millions but do not those that had natural immunity, we all are the descendants of those survivors, of course virus mutate, but I've read that with the correct medicines, Tamilflu and another drug, this virus is defeated.

I live in Kansas City MO, two cases were reported in Kansas, west of here. Not worried two much, but I do live in the urban core, and my neighborhood is a cultural bonanza, with a very high concentration of Hispanic folks.

If there were any chance of getting it, despite airports, the mix of legal hispanic families with visiting Illegal hispanic folks, could be a potential source.

I hope not, got enough going on in my life right now, I have brain overload without haveing to worry about some Lab bug running loose.

Hope you stay safe down there in Mexico, throw ya some prayers for sure.

Little early though to call out the end is near stuff.

Millions have been dying from AIDS, and other nasty viruses for years, and we're still here. Not to mention the bugs over the centuries that have hit the population.

I think we will overcome, let the CDC and WHO do their jobs and should come out the otherside. Hopefully and God Willing, not to many more have to succumb to this.

GOOD LUCK ALL!
Trang

[trang]

didnt mean it to sound like a first/third world thing, it can affect us all if right circumstances are in place. I feel bad that EVERYONE cant get the care they need in this or any situation. The CDC link stated two anti-viruals were affecting it, so it can be treated, so hope is there, just have to let them and WHO catch up to to it and hopefully will be under control.

Again stay masked and stay safe!!

Trang

[cmsahe]

An apology Trang, it was my fault, I was the one who introduced the mention of the differences between 1sr & 3rd world nations, I did it because, I have lived here my whole life and I can see how inept the politicians and officials, here, are.

I have been indoors since friday but tomorrow i need to go out, I'll take care and I'll be masked (I should have bought a Darth Vader helmet!).

This Q&A by the BBC is useful:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8017585.stm

Best regards,
Carlos

didnt mean it to sound like a first/third world thing, it can affect us all if right circumstances are in place. I feel bad that EVERYONE cant get the care they need in this or any situation. The CDC link stated two anti-viruals were affecting it, so it can be treated, so hope is there, just have to let them and WHO catch up to to it and hopefully will be under control.

Again stay masked and stay safe!!

Trang

[Eyes High]

either way, it's going to be bad for those who are unable to recieve the proper medical treatment.

Just take care everyone.

[SadisticCynic]

Wouldn't it be ironic if Brian got infected while on a plane?

[Omphalos]

Wouldn't it be ironic if Brian got infected while on a plane?

Like a fly in your chardonnay.

Yea! I really do think!

[SandChigger]

The courage to get BACK on one, you mean. (Remember, he was taking flying lessons at one time. )

[Omphalos]

I thought he stopped flying because he heard you can catch swine flu on airplanes.

[SandChigger]

DAMNED good ears if he heard that 40 years ago.

[Schu]

Sorry to hear about Mexico's troubles, cmsahe. Keep safe, good luck.

I like that Israel is calling it "Mexican Flu", because swine is apparently offensive to people.