[cite]Posted By: Alex Wright[/cite]I'm between B and C
Went to Mexico in January, Wife and I felt ill when we got back but put it down to jetlag. Now we're wondering if we may have had a version of this 'flu. Does anyone know if they can check to see if, A) we've had it and if we're now immune?
Go and see a doctor and don't come near me on Sunday ; - )
[cite]Posted By: Alex Wright[/cite]I'm between B and C
Went to Mexico in January, Wife and I felt ill when we got back but put it down to jetlag. Now we're wondering if we may have had a version of this 'flu. Does anyone know if they can check to see if, A) we've had it and if we're now immune?
Your blood will contain measurable antibodies if you had caught it. Highly unlikely that you did have it, you'd have been flattened, genuine flu is vicious. But past infection will not guarantee any immunity as the viruses mutate with time. I'll wait and see how things develop. Having had Asian flu when I was 20 and being off work for five weeks, it's not something that I take lightly.
You will see that somewhere between 20 and 100 million people died globally from the flu. Check specifically the bit about cytokine storm, which is to do with an overreaction of the body's immune system. If it becomes clear that a high proportion of healthy adults in the 20 - 40 age range are dying, that is the time to worry. Remember also that the virus mutates all the time so the strain may become more virulent.
The truth is that at this point in proceedings nobody knows whats going to happen. What is clear is that the virus is capable of human to human spread and the pattern of spread indicates a pandemic will happen. The key will be how virulent the virus turns out to be. Cause for real concern certainly. The fact that a British government is willing to spend money to buy enough Tamiflu to treat 55 million people should be proof enough of the seriousness.
[cite]Posted By: razil[/cite]so has global transport and population density, also use of drugs (and resistance of diseases to them)
Global transport actually makes epidemics less likely as people in the UK will already have been exposed to a virus whilst on holiday etc.
in 1918 there were huge movements of people around the world for the first time with little understanding of infection control, no immunity built up and often people living on poor diets in some cases due to blockades etc.
There is also an argument that the "spanish flu" wasn't flu at all but the Black Death returned. Not sure that is true but it is a stance some science historians take.
Drugs don't cause mutations. Drugs kill viruses but, as Charlie D said, those with the ability to resist the drug will survive and breed. So a new drug is developed and so on and on.
Drugs are our friends they just won't always work in every situation on every virus.
Medders, that is absolutely right but listening to epidemiologists on the radio yesterday lead me to believe that they are taking nothing for granted. The biggest problem is whether the virus creates cytokine storm reactions. If modern treatment using retro-viral medicines (Tamiflu) is successful provided it's given early enough, that may be great. The worry from the reports coming out of Mexico is thatmainly healthy adults are dying. This maybe false, maybe thousands have been infected in a mild way and just a few have gone on to develop life threatening symptoms.
There are still facets of the 1918 epidemic that are unclear. What is clear is that the flu was most devastating to healthy adults. Having seen and read quite a bit about this, it is clear that this kind of potential mutated virus profile is one the authorities have been fearing. What is not clear is how severe the strain is, how good the retro viral drugs are to suppress it and how quickly it will spread before a vaccine can be manufactured. Worried, I am not at this stage, concerned I certainly am.
[cite]Posted By: ShootersHillGuru[/cite]The truth is that at this point in proceedings nobody knows whats going to happen. What is clear is that the virus is capable of human to human spread and the pattern of spread indicates a pandemic will happen. The key will be how virulent the virus turns out to be. Cause for real concern certainly. The fact that a British government is willing to spend money to buy enough Tamiflu to treat 55 million people should be proof enough of the seriousness.
[quote]Global transport actually makes epidemics less likely as people in the UK will already have been exposed to a virus whilst on holiday etc.
(I know what you're saying here but I'm not sure that is necessarily true in every case, look at AIDS for example).
Drugs don't cause mutations. Drugs kill viruses but, as Charlie D said, those with the ability to resist the drug will survive and breed. So a new drug is developed and so on and on.
Drugs are our friends they just won't always work in every situation on every virus.[/quote]
I think the last statement is a bit naieve, drugs are made by huge corporations/multinationals who overriding interest is profit.
[cite]Posted By: ShootersHillGuru[/cite]The truth is that at this point in proceedings nobody knows whats going to happen. What is clear is that the virus is capable of human to human spread and the pattern of spread indicates a pandemic will happen. The key will be how virulent the virus turns out to be. Cause for real concern certainly. The fact that a British government is willing to spend money to buy enough Tamiflu to treat 55 million people should be proof enough of the seriousness.
Spot on.
Didnt the government do the same for bird flu? And look what happened there?!
[cite]Posted By: razil[/cite]Global transport actually makes epidemics less likely as people in the UK will already have been exposed to a virus whilst on holiday etc.
(I know what you're saying here but I'm not sure that is necessarily true in every case).
Drugs don't cause mutations. Drugs kill viruses but, as Charlie D said, those with the ability to resist the drug will survive and breed. So a new drug is developed and so on and on.
Drugs are our friends they just won't always work in every situation on every virus.
I think the last statement is a bit naieve, drugs are made by huge corporations/multinationals who overriding interest is profit.[/quote]
Why naive? Drugs do work. Anti-biotics save lives every day. Every operation, every infection that we have we take drugs.
Many of us would have died in our childhoods or when ill 100 or even 50 years ago as the drugs weren't available. now we don't get the diseases of childhood that we saw when I was young (not that long ago). Measles, mumps, rubella. All can kill. Polio, smallpox now almost non-existant. Would my son have survived pneumonia at Xmas without drugs? Maybe, maybe not. With them he is now fine.
Yes, the drug companies are in it for money and they don't sell to the third world at fair or affordable prices to control HIV for example. Some drugs are over prescribed or not available but overall the world is a lot better place healthwise for the drugs we have now than it was in 1918.
I would probably say B. Although currently I would say worried is the wrong word. I would describe myself as interested. Just keeping aware of what is going on which is probably the most sensible precaution.
oh yes I am also stocking up on canned goods, bottled water, generator fuel and ammunition. I am also installing a new lock on the bunker and have stolen the neighbours devil dog and am training it to attack anyone when I utter the phrase 'millwall'
Vaccine will take at least 6 months to produce. The virus at present is sensitive to the drug oseltamivir but because the equivalent human seasonal H1N1 has recently and suddenly developed resistance, this virus may also develop resistance. The drug will be very hard to acquire.
Thats a bit of a email I recieved at work.
On the Henry scale I'm a B but know becoming a C is pointless
[cite]Posted By: ShootersHillGuru[/cite]The truth is that at this point in proceedings nobody knows whats going to happen. What is clear is that the virus is capable of human to human spread and the pattern of spread indicates a pandemic will happen. The key will be how virulent the virus turns out to be. Cause for real concern certainly. The fact that a British government is willing to spend money to buy enough Tamiflu to treat 55 million people should be proof enough of the seriousness.
Spot on.
Didnt the government do the same for bird flu? And look what happened there?!
Oh, and Tamiflu is the same drug that is used to treat bird flu... so are the government actually buying a new load of Tamiflu or simply using stocks it purchased for the bird flu scare? Anyone for a bit of spin?
[cite]Posted By: Medders[/cite]Didnt the government do the same for bird flu? And look what happened there?!
Oh, and Tamiflu is the same drug that is used to treat bird flu... so are the government actually buying a new load of Tamiflu or simply using stocks it purchased for the bird flu scare? Anyone for a bit of spin?[/quote]
Tamiflu is a retro viral drug so would of course be the drug of choice for any strain of flu in the absence of a vaccine. The evidence proves that we are long overdue a pandemic and I think it very prudent and pro-active of our government to be so well prepared. Prepared is the key word here.
Comments
Go and see a doctor and don't come near me on Sunday ; - )
Cracking idea, we can all dress up as F-troop
The 60's American Comedy TV series or the other lot : - )
Your blood will contain measurable antibodies if you had caught it. Highly unlikely that you did have it, you'd have been flattened, genuine flu is vicious. But past infection will not guarantee any immunity as the viruses mutate with time. I'll wait and see how things develop. Having had Asian flu when I was 20 and being off work for five weeks, it's not something that I take lightly.
Never worried about these sort of things in this country, but off to Spain soon and always feel more vulnerable being ill when abroad.
1918 Flu Pandemic
You will see that somewhere between 20 and 100 million people died globally from the flu. Check specifically the bit about cytokine storm, which is to do with an overreaction of the body's immune system. If it becomes clear that a high proportion of healthy adults in the 20 - 40 age range are dying, that is the time to worry. Remember also that the virus mutates all the time so the strain may become more virulent.
Have you been to the Medway hospital recently.
Global transport actually makes epidemics less likely as people in the UK will already have been exposed to a virus whilst on holiday etc.
in 1918 there were huge movements of people around the world for the first time with little understanding of infection control, no immunity built up and often people living on poor diets in some cases due to blockades etc.
There is also an argument that the "spanish flu" wasn't flu at all but the Black Death returned. Not sure that is true but it is a stance some science historians take.
Drugs don't cause mutations. Drugs kill viruses but, as Charlie D said, those with the ability to resist the drug will survive and breed. So a new drug is developed and so on and on.
Drugs are our friends they just won't always work in every situation on every virus.
There are still facets of the 1918 epidemic that are unclear. What is clear is that the flu was most devastating to healthy adults. Having seen and read quite a bit about this, it is clear that this kind of potential mutated virus profile is one the authorities have been fearing. What is not clear is how severe the strain is, how good the retro viral drugs are to suppress it and how quickly it will spread before a vaccine can be manufactured. Worried, I am not at this stage, concerned I certainly am.
It's a lovely place...
Spot on.
(I know what you're saying here but I'm not sure that is necessarily true in every case, look at AIDS for example).
Drugs don't cause mutations. Drugs kill viruses but, as Charlie D said, those with the ability to resist the drug will survive and breed. So a new drug is developed and so on and on.
Drugs are our friends they just won't always work in every situation on every virus.[/quote]
I think the last statement is a bit naieve, drugs are made by huge corporations/multinationals who overriding interest is profit.
Didnt the government do the same for bird flu? And look what happened there?!
I think the last statement is a bit naieve, drugs are made by huge corporations/multinationals who overriding interest is profit.[/quote]
Why naive? Drugs do work. Anti-biotics save lives every day. Every operation, every infection that we have we take drugs.
Many of us would have died in our childhoods or when ill 100 or even 50 years ago as the drugs weren't available. now we don't get the diseases of childhood that we saw when I was young (not that long ago). Measles, mumps, rubella. All can kill. Polio, smallpox now almost non-existant. Would my son have survived pneumonia at Xmas without drugs? Maybe, maybe not. With them he is now fine.
Yes, the drug companies are in it for money and they don't sell to the third world at fair or affordable prices to control HIV for example. Some drugs are over prescribed or not available but overall the world is a lot better place healthwise for the drugs we have now than it was in 1918.
oh yes I am also stocking up on canned goods, bottled water, generator fuel and ammunition. I am also installing a new lock on the bunker and have stolen the neighbours devil dog and am training it to attack anyone when I utter the phrase 'millwall'
Thats a bit of a email I recieved at work.
On the Henry scale I'm a B but know becoming a C is pointless
LOL, Kigelia. Might have to keep our 6 chooks, 2 goats, 5 sheep & 2 cows in the house too.
OK - I lied about the goats, sheep, & cows !
Oh, and Tamiflu is the same drug that is used to treat bird flu... so are the government actually buying a new load of Tamiflu or simply using stocks it purchased for the bird flu scare? Anyone for a bit of spin?
Oh, and Tamiflu is the same drug that is used to treat bird flu... so are the government actually buying a new load of Tamiflu or simply using stocks it purchased for the bird flu scare? Anyone for a bit of spin?[/quote]
Tamiflu is a retro viral drug so would of course be the drug of choice for any strain of flu in the absence of a vaccine. The evidence proves that we are long overdue a pandemic and I think it very prudent and pro-active of our government to be so well prepared. Prepared is the key word here.