Swine flu- Question for Raul?

[Micro]

Don't forget your vitamin C.

[fish-fighting-illini]

Silly question but I've got to ask it

Aside from how it is transmitted is this flue anymore dangerous than any other flu or is it just a regular old flu?

[Fishing Rhino]

If at all possible, stay out of hospitals, clinics, and doctors' offices.  They are full of sick people.

I remember the first go round with the swine flu, back in the late 70s or early 80s.

On the lighter side, there was a joke going around back then that the swine flu was treated with oinkment.

[roadwarrior]

The greatest impact is for those already at risk. The sanitary

conditions in Third World countries is appalling. Widespread, fast moving diseases are impossible to address by those who have

nothing to begin with.

8-)

[tyrius.]

Silly question but I've got to ask it

Aside from how it is transmitted is this flue anymore dangerous than any other flu or is it just a regular old flu?

A big difference is that the fatalities in Mexico have NOT been limited to the elderly or very young.  Normal healthy people are succumbing to it.  I'm not 100% sure on the reasons why but I've heard that it has to do with an overreaction of one's immune system to this flu virus.  It's actually this over reaction that proves fatal.

So in essence, it is different as the fatalities are not the "normal flu" fatalities.

[fish-fighting-illini]

tyrius

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Unfortunately the virus is now in Illinois in the Chicago area with one confrimed death a 6 or 8 yr old? ( I think don't quote me on that ).

I knew it  would get here but I didn't think it would get here so soon.

My wife and I started talking about what our reaction(s) is going to be.

When an dif she will leave her job.

Our 2 9yr olds have a school concert coming up. We are contemplating whether to avoid it. Ironicly due to school growth they haven't had one for about 3 years. We are deciding as to whether to avoid it or not.

One of our other daughters is going to be graduating college in 2 weeks. We have invited out of town guests including some from Chicago.

open questions to all - at the risk of sounding paranoid how would you react to these situations?

will you be doing anything precautionary?

FFI - AKA Matt Crum

[Fisher of Men]

We live about 40 miles northwest of Ft. Worth and our school district has not closed, but it looks as if our elementary school kids' field trips (to the metroplex) have been cancelled (at least next week's are;my 10 year old daughter's is on the chopping block, too). We have kids in the regional track meet and a girls softball team in the play-offs awaiting May 11 to see when they will be re-scheduled. The HS students are really bummed about it. Rumor has it that "pee wee" baseball has been cancelled for awhile (my daughter plays "under 12" softball. . . TBD).

We still had our normal kids worship program last night (completely indoors as it rained last night) and have no intention of keeping our daughter out of school or activities. It looks like the community is going to do that for us. If they cancel school here, we have talked about going to stay with family for a few days. At least if we have to stay cooped up in the house, we might as well have a chance to visit.

I guess the numbers of cases in TX will influence what our state does within the next few days. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if they called school statewide next week. As long as we don't have to make it up, I'm OK with that, but lots of parents will be in a bind finding places for their kids.

[Raul]

Silly question but I've got to ask it

Aside from how it is transmitted is this flue anymore dangerous than any other flu or is it just a regular old flu?

Transmission:

Direct: contact with the infected person

Indirect: contact with the bodily fluids through an object

Example of direct contact.- there you are minding your own business, and sombody with the disease coughs or sneezes, when you cough or sneeze the saliva and the secretions of the respiratory system pulverize and are expelled from the body at high speed creating a mist ( aerosol ) in which the virus is, you inhale ( well you gotta breathe ya know ) air, the air contains particles of the bodily fluids expelled by the infected person and you inhale them, result ---> you receive a dosis of the disease.

Example of indirect contact.- the infected person touches his mouth or nose to wipe the secretions, then touches let 's say a door knob, you come and touch the door knob and sooner or later you touch your mouth or nose, result ---> you receive a dose of the disease.

Now why is this disease more dangerous:

Crash course on virology.-

There are two types of viruses: DNA viruses and RNA viruses

DNA viruses are stable, they make identical copies of themselves and in practical terms they are always the same, example of DNA virus: Small Pox.

RNA viruses are unstable ( they only got half of the material ) in order to make copies of themselves they have to complement what they are lacking of so they grab DNA material from their host cell, the result of this way of replication is that the new generation of virus contains alien genetic material so the next generation is not an identical copy, it 's a variation from the original virus. The resuling mutant has different infectious properties than the original, properties that may allow the new generation to act different; example of a RNA virus: Influenza.

The problem with the influenza virus is that it can jump from humans to birds or to swine and viceversa, the "alien" genetic material in the virus is not human but avian or swine, that 's what makes it dangerous and you instead of getting the common old flu you get a flu that 's capable of causing a rampant life threatening pneumonia.

The people who died during the 1918 influenza outbreak literally drowned themselves with their respiratory secretions.

[Fisher of Men]

Silly question but I've got to ask it

Aside from how it is transmitted is this flue anymore dangerous than any other flu or is it just a regular old flu?

The people who died during the 1918 influenza outbreak literally drowned themselves with their respiratory secretions.

That certainly doesn't sound like a fun way to die. :'(

[Palomar]

When you actually have tragedy happen in your life you end up changing your mind set that "it can never happen to me" as this did for me, so simple common horse sense says to be concerned but don't overwhelm yourself with worry.

I have no problem with keeping up with the news on this and appreciate Rauls impute, those that laugh it off are either too nervous to talk about it or they simply think "it can never happen"

The Y2 thing and bird flu I watched and prepared as far as I felt secured and I will do the same with this issue, to me it is no different in preparing for a hurricane coming than trying to keep you and your family safe from a very bad flu.

Just had to finally get that off my chest