Swine flu!

[chrispy]

ok, its not called swine flu anymore but i dont really care. I live in Maine (ME on the map for those of you who dont know where it is)
and theyve already closed the local elementary school and are considering closing the high school for a week. last i checked its killed almost 150 people in Mexico and the first casualty within the US happened today, although it was an infant from mexico visiting relatives... whats everyone think about this, and are you being affected by this?

http://www.ce4fed.com/images/us_map7.gif

[cunexttuesday]

ok, its not called swine flu anymore but i dont really care. I live in Maine (ME on the map for those of you who dont know where it is)
and theyve already closed the local elementary school and are considering closing the high school for a week. last i checked its killed almost 150 people in Mexico and the first casualty within the US happened today, although it was an infant from mexico visiting relatives... whats everyone think about this, and are you being affected by this?

http://www.ce4fed.com/images/us_map7.gif

What are they calling it?
It's pretty scary.

[chrispy]

H1N1 of sumthing like that

[pinzNneedlz]

i think people are ridiculous personally. the flu virus kills something like 30k people in the states every year. (i heard that one on the news on TV :haha:)
i believe that people are going to contract this flu, and get sick. i don't think most will die. it seems to me that the media was running out of shit to talk about, so they have to blow this out of proportion. i just love the words being thrown around too..."pandemic" i can't be all serious when i post, maybe TCA can create a thread called "epic thread of pandemicness" and we'll post pictures of different viruses in precarious positions. hell maybe even find a couple underage viruses while we're at it...

[Cracker4Life]

I want some bacon...

[T.c.a.]

i think people are ridiculous personally. the flu virus kills something like 30k people in the states every year. (i heard that one on the news on TV :haha:)
i believe that people are going to contract this flu, and get sick. i don't think most will die. it seems to me that the media was running out of shit to talk about, so they have to blow this out of proportion. i just love the words being thrown around too..."pandemic" i can't be all serious when i post, maybe TCA can create a thread called "epic thread of pandemicness" and we'll post pictures of different viruses in precarious positions. hell maybe even find a couple underage viruses while we're at it...

:haha: funny fucker!! :P

yeah, i cant believe the hype around the bullshit right now to be honest, normal influenza kills hundreds of people a year, when this one starts knocking off thousands of people, then i might be concerned

[newportbadboy]

wouldnt knock a pig like urself down for sure :hidey:

[Infidel]

Not a big deal. We're blowing this out of proportion. God damn media.

[Little Mama]

Well to be honest, I am not affected by this but it is always kind of scary when it comes to viruses that roam so freely and quickly. I am in Canada, so I have a bit to go before it makes its way up here, or maybe it is already here?? I am still going about my daily life as if nothing is wrong. But, if it comes to teh point to where many people in my city are infected your damn right I will be affected and worried about it. When SARS was around it didn't affect me at all, but I also didn't have any children yet either...

Just my 2 cents :P

[Chiizu]

watch the movie "Ultraviolet" to get a glimpse of what if can be like

it's being called H5N1

and the real worry is that we dont know how it will mutate, the regular influenza virus which drifts each year (why we always have to make a new strain of flu vaccine) is limited by it's components to have a stable mortality rate, the real problem is no one has any natural antibodies to this and if it becomes more virulent the mortality rate could jump to 60 even 70% or more (worst case scenario)

thanks to global warming the tropical diseases are moving north, just practice safe hygiene behavior, and dont ride the city bus if you can avoid it! (nasty breeding ground for infection)

[6m$SexGod]

I cant wait till i get my free mask this weekend! Woohoo

[Sir Brian]

oink oink oink

:jacxy:

[T.c.a.]

what do you get when you cross swine flu with avian flu?

pigs that fly :haha:

[deadcert]

Junkfood Science: Flu Fears (http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/04/flu-fears.html)

Not to make light of the subject for the people who are scared and worried about it. I'm aware that precautions being taken near to your homes can make things alarming, but someone linked me to this which brings things into perspective slightly.

[BIGRICK]

It's Kermit the frog i feel sorry for. He didn't use a condom on miss Piggy last night.......... Muppet!!!!! :P

[HellRaiser]

Gives a whole new meaning to pig fucker.

[public_enemy]

if any one lives in england they will now a case of swine flu has been found in paignton at the community college. i live in paignton and its well bad i just hope i dnt get it lol

[theaft3rglow]

OKay.......whos been getting wayyyy to into Pandemic????

[Uganja]

At least we know madagascar will be safe.

[Asshole]

there was a previous outbreak of a similar strain in 68, and apparently it killed around 1 million people, not taking it seriousley is how its spreads, taking it seriousley is how you can stop it, its funny that people on here joking are all from countries currently infected..

being aware and trying to diagnose and prevent cases is why none have died outside mexico..

as i said, in 68 1million people, its funny how fast these things can spread

[T.c.a.]

Its mexico, whos gonna miss the rats? :P

[HellRaiser]

"WHO" is just like the Government terrorist alerts, causing panic and raising alarms for nothing.
Once you cut off travel to and from Mexico it is mostly contained there which is being done.

People who die of the flu in general are either very young or very old with weaker immune systems.
Hence the numbers of people dying every year from general flu etc...
The avergae person just gets a bad cold, tragedy oh my. ;)

But hey, if mother nature virus going to start bumping people off, Mexico good start for the USA benefit lol.
It cuts down all those illegals crossing over into California hehe. ;)

[hoos]

Anyone heard from Carlos?

[Sir Brian]

Anyone heard from Carlos?

:haha: :haha: :haha:

[T.c.a.]

Anyone heard from Carlos?

he posted a couple of days ago, he didn't report any flu like symptons

omgz, OT might have teh pandemic :O

[HellRaiser]

He got it, or running for the border lol.

[T.c.a.]

we better be quarantined

dont want this swine flu all over the nets

[Jacx]

Ahh the drama.

Ok so lets actually look at it from another view point.

Every year many people take a flu jab and then go on their merry way thinking weee im gonna be flu free. Some of these people get a nasty shock becuase they get the flu!

Why?? because the jab protects against 1-3 types of flu that the scientists think will be most prelevant that year. Of course however there is many many strains so if you get a different strain you are not protected!

Now the drama of this. Its a historical fact that the earth runs in cycles. These cycles affect the weather, the land, the sea in a number of ways.

The same thing happens with viruses, they have cycles of mutations. These mutations sometimes have the ability to kill millions of people before a natural immunity builds up! Feel free to check the history books for relevant info! wiki provides a small sample however its far better to look into relevant country/viruses due to wiki being "abuse able" List of epidemics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics)

So why the fear now....Basically if you do look at the history books we are due one of these mutations. The bird flu a few years ago gave the scientists a case of the shits (excuse my terminology) becuase of this reason.

Thus this year we have this new one. The BBC gives quite a good break down and i will quote it here:



from the BBC

Flu viruses mutate over time causing small changes to proteins on their surface called antigens. If the immune system has met a particular strain of the virus before, it is likely to have some immunity; but if the antigens are new to the immune system, it will be weakened.

The influenza A virus can mutate in two different ways; antigenic drift, in which existing antigens are subtly altered, and antigenic shift, in which two or more strains combine. Antigenic drift causes slight flu mutations year on year, from which humans have partial, but not complete, immunity. By contrast, the new strain of H1N1 appears to have originated via antigenic shift in Mexican pigs http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/dhtml_slides/09/swine_flu/img/slide03.gif The name "swine flu" is a slight misnomer as it is believed pigs acted as a mixing pot for several flu strains, containing genetic material from pigs, birds and humans. Most humans have never been exposed to some of the antigens involved in the new strain of flu, giving it the potential to cause a pandemic. http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/dhtml_slides/09/swine_flu/img/slide04.gif The new virus has made the jump from pigs to humans and has demonstrated it can also pass from human to human. This is why it is demanding so much attention from health authorities. The virus passes from human to human like other types of flu, either through coughing, sneezing, or by touching infected surfaces, although little is known about how the virus acts on humans.

The name "swine flu" is a slight misnomer as it is believed pigs acted as a mixing pot for several flu strains, containing genetic material from pigs, birds and humans. Most humans have never been exposed to some of the antigens involved in the new strain of flu, giving it the potential to cause a pandemic.

The new virus has made the jump from pigs to humans and has demonstrated it can also pass from human to human. This is why it is demanding so much attention from health authorities. The virus passes from human to human like other types of flu, either through coughing, sneezing, or by touching infected surfaces, although little is known about how the virus acts on humans.


Cases of swine flu, which has killed people in Mexico, have been confirmed around the world. With experts scrambling to develop a vaccine, there is concern at the potential for a pandemic affecting millions of people.
What is swine flu?


Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by influenza type A which infects pigs.
There are many types, and the infection is constantly changing.
Until now it has not normally infected humans, but the latest form clearly does, and can be spread from person to person - probably through coughing and sneezing.

What is new about this type of swine flu?


The World Health Organization has confirmed that at least some of the human cases are a never-before-seen version of the H1N1 strain of influenza type A.
H1N1 is the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis.
But this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.
Flu viruses have the ability to swap genetic components with each other, and it seems likely that the new version of H1N1 resulted from a mixing of different versions of the virus, which may usually affect different species, in the same animal host.
Pigs provide an excellent 'melting pot' for these viruses to mix and match with each other.

How dangerous is it?


Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu.
These include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue.
It is worth remembering that seasonal flu often poses a serious threat to public health: each year it kills 250,000 - 500,000 around the world.
So far, most cases of swine flu around the world appear to be mild, albeit with diarrhoea more common than it is with seasonal flu.
But lives have been lost in Mexico, and a single death - of a Mexican child - has been confirmed in the US.

How worried should people be?


When any new strain of flu emerges that acquires the ability to pass from person to person, it is monitored very closely in case it has the potential to spark a global epidemic, or pandemic.
The World Health Organization has warned that swine flu could potentially trigger a global pandemic, and stress that the situation is serious.
However, experts say it is still too early to accurately assess the situation fully. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8022102.stm)
Currently, they say the world is closer to a flu pandemic than at any point since 1968 - upgrading the threat from four to five on a six-point scale following a meeting on Wednesday.
This means all governments have to mobilise their pandemic flu plans.
Nobody knows the full potential impact of a pandemic, but experts have warned that it could cost millions of lives worldwide. The Spanish flu pandemic, which began in 1918, and was also caused by an H1N1 strain, killed millions of people.
There is hope that, as humans are often exposed to forms of H1N1 through seasonal flu, our immune systems may have something of a head start in fighting infection.
However, the fact that many of the victims are young does point to something unusual. Normal, seasonal flu tends to affect the elderly disproportionately






\Now see the red bit...thats the bit that gets them all worried. H1N1 is a common flu, but when mutated it can cause trouble!


We live in a world now thats different from the past in 2 major ways...First we are MUCH cleaner than when some of these pandemics happens, thus are able to protect ourselves much much better. However cleaner is not always better in the sence that it is also proven that kids who are provented from being kids (you know, eating mud and worms and generally having fun without worring about dirt) are often more sickly as adults and they have less immunity!


The second point is travel...we can go anywhere very quickly so a virus starting 100/200/300 years ago was easy to contain compared to the current times.


Anyway all this might be irrelevent...
Can it be treated?
The US authorities say that two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, seem to be effective at treating cases that have occurred there so far. However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.
Use of these drugs may also make it less likely that infected people will pass the virus on to others.



Basically even thought its mutataed and they have no actual direct vacine (it is genetically distinct from other flu strains) it seems quite containable... any reason to panic? No. Is it wise to be aware, Yes!

[Infidel]

Ahh the drama.

Ok so lets actually look at it from another view point.

Every year many people take a flu jab and then go on their merry way thinking weee im gonna be flu free. Some of these people get a nasty shock becuase they get the flu!

Why?? because the jab protects against 1-3 types of flu that the scientists think will be most prelevant that year. Of course however there is many many strains so if you get a different strain you are not protected!

Now the drama of this. Its a historical fact that the earth runs in cycles. These cycles affect the weather, the land, the sea in a number of ways.

The same thing happens with viruses, they have cycles of mutations. These mutations sometimes have the ability to kill millions of people before a natural immunity builds up! Feel free to check the history books for relevant info! wiki provides a small sample however its far better to look into relevant country/viruses due to wiki being "abuse able" List of epidemics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics)

So why the fear now....Basically if you do look at the history books we are due one of these mutations. The bird flu a few years ago gave the scientists a case of the shits (excuse my terminology) becuase of this reason.

Thus this year we have this new one. The BBC gives quite a good break down and i will quote it here:




\Now see the red bit...thats the bit that gets them all worried. H1N1 is a common flu, but when mutated it can cause trouble!


We live in a world now thats different from the past in 2 major ways...First we are MUCH cleaner than when some of these pandemics happens, thus are able to protect ourselves much much better. However cleaner is not always better in the sence that it is also proven that kids who are provented from being kids (you know, eating mud and worms and generally having fun without worring about dirt) are often more sickly as adults and they have less immunity!


The second point is travel...we can go anywhere very quickly so a virus starting 100/200/300 years ago was easy to contain compared to the current times.


Anyway all this might be irrelevent...
Can it be treated?
The US authorities say that two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, seem to be effective at treating cases that have occurred there so far. However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.
Use of these drugs may also make it less likely that infected people will pass the virus on to others.



Basically even thought its mutataed and they have no actual direct vacine (it is genetically distinct from other flu strains) it seems quite containable... any reason to panic? No. Is it wise to be aware, Yes!

we like this site because of the other people here, not you :P

[BIGRICK]

Im not reading all that Jacx :glare:


:haha:

[herojuana]

i was informed that swine flu is a mild-weak form of man flu...

[BIGRICK]

i was informed that swine flu is a mild-weak form of man flu...


Well obviously it's not as bad as man flu!!!!

Thats shit kills!!! :bubbles:

[6m$SexGod]

I dont know where the fuck i am going to get my petrol now..


Oh shit Mexico, thought you said TEXACO.......My Bad

[T.c.a.]

tl:dr new flu is a worry

[Jibult]

Swine flu isn't the end of the world, just the end of Mexicans.

it's like a microscopic Hitler.



...or, even better, a viral Rwanda circa 1994.

[public_enemy]

Swine flu isn't the end of the world, just the end of Mexicans.

it's like a microscopic Hitler.



...or, even better, a viral Rwanda circa 1994.


lmao

[swiss miss]

Well obviously it's not as bad as man flu!!!!

Thats shit kills!!! :bubbles:

BBC NEWS | Health | Women 'fight off disease better' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8047321.stm)

haha, men allegedly have a weaker immune system than women - good luck surviving the swine flu pandemic boys :rolleyes:

[DnD]

on the upside....BACON HAS NEVER BEEN CHEAPER!! MMM BACON!

[Pirate Hooker with Monkey]

The United States Center for Disease Control has identified it's first swine flu celebrity victim:

http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/3466/deadkermit.png (http://img56.imageshack.us/my.php?image=deadkermit.png)

I think we all know who gave it to him......

[Santo]

Ficking pigs :glare:

[Sir Mankalot]

No don't fuck that pig!!!!!

[Santo]

No don't fuck that pig!!!!!

:eh: I wasn't about to... the effing thing killed my family :glare:

[swiss miss]

i was at a conference yesterday, one of the leading british scientist researching swine flu (peter openshaw) presented some worrying data..... i think ive been too flippant about this issue.

[Uganja]

I've had it!/still have it (medal please)



Worrying info? Please elaborate....

[Az]

1918: influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. (half of the worlds entire population dies)

2009: new strain of swine-origin A/H1N1 pandemic virus

meh, you guys do the math and whatnot, I will just not eat bacon and continue about my routine until a reasonable vaccine is available

[T.c.a.]

i will continue to fuck pigs and eat fat chicks :D

[hood nation]

i will continue to fuck pigs and eat fat chicks :D

nuthing wrn with tht sentance tht i an see

[cunexttuesday]

i was at a conference yesterday, one of the leading british scientist researching swine flu (peter openshaw) presented some worrying data..... i think ive been too flippant about this issue.

I've been pretty flippant on the issue too.
I'm curious now, what did he say?

[shadow]

Not really, alot of people have caught it around these parts but not many have died. When you compare the death ratio to that of normal flu there isn't much difference. We'll (England) be getting the vacine in around a months time....I have no idea when you fuckers are getting it but we're first in line :D

What you do need to worry about, however, is if it gets passed back on to pigs and adapts and is then passed back on to us.....then we're fucked.

[HellRaiser]

World needs a culling anyway. :jaijai:


:bye:

[T.c.a.]

Lets start with the chinese, arent half of them just peasents anyways? :P

[HellRaiser]

Well China is responible for a lot of viruses like Africa so why not.
Let's add the Middle East and we got a good clean sweep. ;)

[T.c.a.]

And all the starving countries, its a quicker death then starving to death :P

[HellRaiser]

True, nothing like a famine, see's four horsemen riding up lol.

[T.c.a.]

*kicks back on his cloud and throws some wild storms and flash floods around*

:D

[HellRaiser]

Actually we can improve the social taxes and medical system by this.
All those fat lazy people will starve and lose weight.

Flas flood mud baths, wicked I'll bring the naked Ethopian women lol.

[Sir Brian]

World needs a culling anyway. :jaijai:


:bye:

Quoted For Emphasis.

[HellRaiser]

At least we agree on something lol.