Swine flu

[lynda66]

yup i knoow thats why i had it in october .... but if you didn't when you get the people flu and the pig flu together you are gonna be in biiiiig trubblle :-D

[lynda66]

loves winning soooooo much

[Samwise]

lol don't worry it'll probably hit my age group first! Had the most amazing sausages from the farmers market for dinner tonight so maybe i'm now immune?

[Polly Fouracre]

I'm going into town in a little while and will ask the butcher how or if this has affected sales of pork. Poor old pig farmers!

[jacob marley]

Was going to Mexico this weekend but now the Swine's will not let me fly....jacob

[Capsid]

I understand that 'pandemic' means to cover 'over a wide geographical area' not 'it affects the 'healthy ones' and that 'seasonal' means 'something appropriate to the season' not 'the young and elderly' Out of interest, wasn't Tamiflu (one of the anti virals) used for bird flu? If Tamiflu can be used to treat Swine Flu, but eh, hold on.... it's not the same as Bird Flu is it?

Anti-virals mean that they work against the virus, they are not specific as to the strain, so they will work against all influenza viruses. Swine flu is still an influenza virus like avian flu.

How mild are the symptoms if it leads to death - well according to the media anyway Isn't that why the WHO have raised it to Level 5 because we're under major threat????? Of what exactly... mmmm I wonder? What death from swine flu, showing pictures on TV of people with face masks etc etc, sorry but it's a joke on behalf of the powers that be!

It seems to be mild outside of Mexico, no one knows why but if it did start killing people then it's right to be prepared for that potential don't you think? The level 5 means that a pandemic is imminent and countries should be prepared for that (as the UK is); a pandemic means that the disease is global and spreading on more than one country it has nothing to do with how many people die. It's the potential of what a pandemic virus can do from past experience and I think we should be prepared for that.

Have you found out where that rumour about the virus being made in a lab is from?

[StephenH]

Sorry I can't explain why it will affect the age range, my role is logistical not medical.

I only know that in the last 3 pandemics it was this range that had the most victims. Also Pandemics come round in 40 year cycles and we are over due one.

Only by one year: the last was in 1968 (when I was 16 and 17, but I don't remember it), so it's pretty well on schedule.
I phoned the NHS swine flu helpline yesterday, but all I got was crackling at first. When I did get through, they told me that if I got it, I'd come out in a rasher, and should use oinkment on it. They are taking precautions against a major snoutbreak.

[Capsid]

Hi NOG, you only quoted half of my post, it doesn't answer the rest of my post though does it? Can I ask a question why only those age ranges will be affected in your opinion? AIDS is a virus it is not age specific, neither is the common cold or any virus.

The virus does infect all ranges but only kills the healthy due to reasons I explained earlier.

[StephenH]

Hayley B: regarding your signature - surely you mean "An Egg is for breakfast, a chook is for lunch"?

[Geo]

Swine flu... farmers fear "Aporkalypse"

I'm going into town in a little while and will ask the butcher how or if this has affected sales of pork. Poor old pig farmers!

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Geo..

[bluemoon]

Hi Fiona, with respect, can you explain why the 18-40 age group with strong immune systems will be affected? If you can I am all ears (no disrespect Likewise, why does the winter flu virus only affect those with weak immune systems?

MrsC. All age ranges and every person can be and will be infected BUT those in the age range of 18 - 40 have strong immune systems and the immune system, in this instance, over-reacts and therefore causes damage to the body. This is not to say that the young and the elderly will all survive, or that those in the 18 - 40 age range will all die, just that those in this age band will statistically be more likely to sucumb to the worst effects. This is what happened in previous pandemics in 1918 and, I believe, in the late 50s which badly affected the British army on the Rhine, soldiers living in close proximity and usually being in the 'right' age range.
When you catch any cold or flu virus you feel rough, but the symptoms you have, the sore throat, the aches and pains etc are not caused by the virus itself, but by your own body's reaction to it, producing interferon etc. So, try to think of it like these 'normal' virus-associated chemicals being produced in excess, causing more extreme symptoms which can lead to death. And this is more likely to happen if your immune system was functioning well in the first place.

[Capsid]

bluemoon, great summary!

[Hilary B]

Hi Fiona, with respect, can you explain why the 18-40 age group with strong immune systems will be affected? If you can I am all ears (no disrespect Likewise, why does the winter flu virus only affect those with weak immune systems?

This particular flu is unusual in that the immune system can go haywire in reaction to it. The stronger the immune system the more likely this haywire reaction. That reaction (when it occurs) causes fluid to build up in the lungs, which tends to be fatal. Most strains of flu do not do this, but the current one does. In 1918-1919 a similar (but not identical) strain caused a very large number of deaths among those who would normally be least vulnerable to flu.

[Polly Fouracre]

Please read earlier posts in this thread that I posted, pandemic flu affects the healthy ones, seasonal flu affects the young and elderly. The good thing about this virus is that it seems to be producing mild symptoms and can be treated with anti-virals.

Sorry, Capsid, I read things wrongly. Now I am worrying.

[Polly Fouracre]

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Geo..

The butcher reports little change in the demand for pork and pork products.