[cipi604]

A lot of people had the swine flu but never reported, even worked those days.

[yeahbut]

What I don't get is why there is such alarm over this particular flu when it doesn't seem to kill many people at all. I have the idea that it is more contagious than most flu's, but is this correct? And even if it is, why does this matter if it isn't particularly dangerous? Are they concerned that it could mutate into something more lethal? Currently I can't see why I should be anymore concerned about H1N1 than any other flu. Awaiting anxiety-raising posts with keen interest

[wisconsin_cur]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('yeahbut', ' ')Are they concerned that it could mutate into something more lethal? Currently I can't see why I should be anymore concerned about H1N1 than any other flu. Awaiting anxiety-raising posts with keen interest

[Micki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bluekachina', 'Y')ou must not live in Victoria.

I've never understood your position on many of your posts.

Most times you seem pro-corporate, but this time you seem to be against big pharma.

You seem to support issues from the right. But I don't understand this one.

Are you saying you are a flu denialist. I guess there always has to be a first.

[wisconsin_cur]

M,

You are correct, today it is no more dangerous except in its ability to become dangerous.

Today I can fill up my car without a problem, that does not mean that there is no threat to that in the future or that I can carry on my life without considering the possiblity that oil will become scarce.

Today the Koreas are at peace (well they are not shooting at one another any way) that does not mean that I can ignore the developments in East Asia.

My car is running fine but I still need to have the timing belt replaced because if I do not then when the belt does break I will need an engine rebuild.

Swine flu is not a problem today... we did not know that when it first hit the headlines. Swine flu is not a problem today, but there are some things about it that make it worrisome for the future. Swine flu may never be a problem but that does not mean that it does not warrent our attention.

[alokin]

You are right it is not a problem today, but it might be one tomorrow. But what Micky said is equally possible that this is all a story made up by big pharmaceutical companies to boost sales. Or both of them. At the moment there is quite a bit of over reaction, I even saw an elderly couple with masks.

[wisconsin_cur]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('alokin', 'Y')But what Micky said is equally possible that this is all a story made up by big pharmaceutical companies to boost sales.

[kjmclark]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('yeahbut', 'W')hat I don't get is why there is such alarm over this particular flu when it doesn't seem to kill many people at all. I have the idea that it is more contagious than most flu's, but is this correct? And even if it is, why does this matter if it isn't particularly dangerous? Are they concerned that it could mutate into something more lethal? Currently I can't see why I should be anymore concerned about H1N1 than any other flu. Awaiting anxiety-raising posts with keen interest

[yeahbut]

Great, thanks cur and kjm, I am now much more concerned

It's fun facts like the 70% reduction in the zooplankton population since 1950, and giggle-fests like mattduke's video of the utterly clueless Inspector General of the Federal Reserve, together with a good chuckle about how similar this flu is to the 1918 one that keep me awake and staring at the ceiling at 3 am...thanks PO

The ski season is starting really early this year in NZ, and guess who come pouring across the ditch in large numbers every winter...yep our old mates the Aussies.

Maybe I'm gonna join the herd and start putting a bit less of my attention on this stuff, and a bit more on America's Got Talent. I need some sleep...

[WildRose]

I work for Alberta Health. As you can imagine, over the past several months we (all staff) have received updates on the progression of swine flu. Our latest update has indicated that the chief concern is what the virus will be like when it returns in the fall, the fact that its virulence could change. Alberta Health is watching how the situation unfolds in the southern hemisphere for clues as to what we may be facing in the fall/winter.

There is also the danger (not mentioned in our updates) that this flu and the newly resurfacing H5N1 virus could combine.

[Cid_Yama]

Latest from WHO

Influenza A(H1N1) - update 46

[Cid_Yama]

Swine flu similarities to 1918 bug has scientists worried

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')hilling parallels between the spread of H1N1 swine flu and the 1918 Spanish flu that killed millions have disease experts bracing for an onslaught of new infections and a possible second wave of illness.

Dr. Ethan Rubinstein, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba, said experts believe the H1N1 influenza will follow the same pattern as the 1918 pandemic, as the virus continues to spread in more countries and causes a disproportionate amount of severe illness in First Nation communities.

The 1918 pandemic started with a mild wave of flu in spring that fizzled out, resurfaced in the fall and hit hard in November, 1918, The flu circled the globe and killed anywhere from 20 to 50 million people -- more lives than the First World War claimed.

"The working hypothesis now is that this pandemic will follow the 1918 [pattern]," Dr. Rubinstein said after a lecture at the University of Winnipeg on Wednesday.

[kiwichick]

wc;your quote from Guan Yi , microbiologist ,Uni, Hong Kong

"HINI isvery unstable"

unstable sounds ugly

[eXpat]

The first but not the last.
WHO declares first 21st century flu pandemic
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')ENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization declared the first flu pandemic of the 21st century on Thursday, urging countries to shore up defenses against the virus which is "not stoppable" but has proved mainly mild so far.

The United Nations agency raised its pandemic flu alert to phase 6 on a six-point scale, indicating the first influenza pandemic since 1968 is under way.

"This is a very important and challenging day for all of us. It is important because we will be raising our pandemic alert level to level 6," WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan told reporters on a teleconference.

"At this time, the global assessment is that we are seeing a moderate pandemic."

Acting on the recommendation of flu experts, the WHO reiterated its advice to its 193 member countries not to close borders or impose travel restrictions to halt the movement of people, goods and services.

The move to phase 6 reflects the fact that the disease, widely known as swine flu, was spreading geographically, but does not indicate how virulent it is.

A unanimous experts' decision was based on an overall assessment in the eight most heavily hit countries -- Australia, Britain, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, Spain and the United States -- that the virus is spreading in a sustained way in communities, according to Chan.

"Collectively, looking at that, we are satisfied that this virus is spreading to a number of a countries and it is not stoppable," she said.

"Moving to pandemic phase six level does not imply we will see an increase in the number of deaths or very severe cases.

[IMSancho]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')wiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis says it has successfully produced a first batch of swine flu vaccine weeks ahead of expectations.
---------
Novartis said more than 30 governments have requested vaccine supplies, including the US Department of Health and Human Service, which placed a $US289 million ($A352.96 million) order in May.

[Cid_Yama]

WHO: Swine flu pandemic has begun, 1st in 41 years

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')wine flu is now formally a pandemic, a declaration by U.N. health officials that will speed vaccine production and spur government spending to combat the first global flu epidemic in 41 years. Thursday's announcement by the World Health Organization doesn't mean the virus is any more lethal — only that its spread is considered unstoppable.

[wisconsin_cur]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kiwichick', 'w')c;your quote from Guan Yi , microbiologist ,Uni, Hong Kong

"HINI isvery unstable"

unstable sounds ugly

[vaseline2008]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cid_Yama', '[')b]WHO: Swine flu pandemic has begun, 1st in 41 years

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')wine flu is now formally a pandemic, a declaration by U.N. health officials that will speed vaccine production and spur government spending to combat the first global flu epidemic in 41 years. Thursday's announcement by the World Health Organization doesn't mean the virus is any more lethal — only that its spread is considered unstoppable.

[Cid_Yama]

We are starting to see our first swine flu deaths. A 30 yr old woman in Boston, A 5 yr old in Minnesota, a 49 yr old in New Jersey.

This is a time of year when there should be no flu here.

The fact that it is persisting in warm weather is not a good sign.

[yeahbut]

I'm intrigued by the way swine flu is being reported on here in NZ. There is no mention of the virus' potential to alter into something more lethal- it simply isn't discussed at all in any of the MSM stories I've seen or heard. I'm starting to think there must be an agreement in place to not panic people.

On the 6 oclock news tonight, the announcer read out a story about the swine flu 'parties' thing, and said that people were doing it so they could "get it over and done with". Which is an unfinished sentence- they want to catch swine flu and 'get it over and done with' while it has mild symptoms, because they are afraid it may turn lethal later on. That's quite an omission, leaving out the main point of the story.

Any discussion of the potential threats of swine flu centre on disruption of essential services, and financial implications, nothing about lethal mutations, the 1918 pandemic etc.

Is this the same elsewhere, or is it just a weird little New Zealand thing?