Swine Flu

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

419Eater is my life Joined: 25 Feb 2009 Posts: 299

Wow, death toll is predicted to be up to 149 in Mexico, and they just got hit by a 6.0 earthquake. They're really having it bad over there...

Also, there have now been 2 confirmed cases in Scotland. Good luck, Craig!

Does anybody have any family out in Mexico?

Do you reckon any lads will harness this and claim to have a drug that makes you immune? Rolling Eyes

Master Baiter Joined: 07 Oct 2008 Posts: 200 Location: UK

I think if it reaches big proportions, they will start using it. They normally use just about every other disaster. Not to mention the ubiquitous car accident for the poor dead parents/children/spouse/goat.

Thankfully, I have no family there or in Scotland - but I can't help feeling sorry for those involved.

Elite Baiter Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 1702

Got it solved

clicky

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:56 am

We have a "security" person in our IT dept at work that is generally clueless about scams. Today he sent out a warning about potential scams regarding swine flu. Hmmmmmmmmm........... wonder how long the lads will take to write a new script? This disease may come a complete surprise to you........

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

My youngest was trying to convince me he should stay off school as a precaution Rolling Eyes

I pointed out we are miles away from Falkirk let alone Mexico .

His cough , cough, oink didn't convince me either.

It seems to be people outside mexico are recovering well which poses a few questions. The virus could have mutated to milder form already, the colder weather may have an effect, there may be another factor in the Mexican deaths.

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:03 am

it would'nt surprise me if we saw an rise in the amount of charity scams .
also form what i can read the people who were unfortuneate to catch it in scotland were'nt long back from mexico . some of the people around them have flu like systoms too . it must be a scary time for them .

another thing i also wonder is what is the level of healthcare like in mexico. ( i hope i haven't insulted any mexicans posting here ) this may be a factor in people surviving in europe and the usa better then they did in mexico .

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:13 am

^^^^ My one personal experience of healthcare in Mexico was that it was first-rate, easily up to standards you would expect in Europe.

But I did have money, so not sure what's available if you're poor.

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:18 am

thats what i mean . anyone can buy good healthcare . i am from europe and it is the same here . if you don't have the ability to buy it what are you left with .

train boi Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 697

Its been confirmed in Manchester aswell, The hospital Mrs Leno works in is on high alert

@OP There is already a cure/course of treatment, According to Mrs Leno its called "Tamiflu"

Or, take a beechams and have an early night

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

My hubby thinks malt whisky may be a cure.
He's keen to find funding for a clinical trial. I doubt there will be a shortage of volunteers for it.

From what I hearthe friends and family of the honeymoon couple are only displaying mild symptoms, still bad enough I'd imagine along with the stress.
But it does argue the case that the virus has evolved into a less deadly form already.

I hate viruses ( or is it viri? )

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:25 am

I thought we were all going to catch bird flu from a migrating duck and die, now it's migrating pigs?

Good news for the makers of Tamiflu, I hope all these scares don't start in their PR department.

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:40 am

I'm screwed.

I have a Mexican gardener
If he catches it, I'll have to mow the damn lawn myself.

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:57 am

actually according to a professor of medicine here , who was interviewed on state radio this morning , swine flu should not be called swine flu at all . it should be called mexican variant flu . he cliams no one that caught it was handling pigs . the reson it is called swine flu is that years ago a pig farmer got it but he did'nt get it fomr his pigs . as he said and i quote " there are no sick pigs in mexico " he means the animals before anyone tries to slag me off !

he also said ordinary flu has killed a lot more people then this mexican variant flu ever has .

train boi Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 697

Slightlyoutofit wrote:

I'm screwed.

I have a Mexican gardener
If he catches it, I'll have to mow the damn lawn myself.

Want me to send Eddie the Gardener (My gardener) round, he charges £20 but he does everything in the garden for you, He is as english as they come

Fish and chips!

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:28 pm

Jay leno wrote:

Its been confirmed in Manchester aswell, The hospital Mrs Leno works in is on high alert

Really? Not seen that on the beeb yet.

train boi Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 697

It was on NWT

NMGH where Mrs Leno works is on high alert, I don't want her going in due to her being pregnant but she wants her independance :rolleyes:

Is it true 100 kids in NYC are suspected to have it?

Edit: Sadly yes Linky

MOD Edit to avoid forum blowout - crashhoot

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:28 pm

just make sure you apply a liberal dose of HP sauce to any bacon butties prior to consumption.. Laughing

The hospital I work at , the big one on Oxford Road has the Clinical Sciences department for the whole of the North West, (they research Ebola and other nasties) and they have not yet gone on alert, although that may change as this develops.

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Bummer
I hear they're testing someone from Edinburgh
My heart goes out to those poor , few Virologists we have
Hope they don't have any plans for days off in the next few weeks

Elite Baiter Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 1702

The really strange thing is its only been fatal in mexico.
Thats of scientific interest, could it be the weather, diet, combination, water, insect etc.
Im no scientist but my guess is the flu didnt originate in mexico, I think it was imported by some unknown means at this stage.
I base my evidence on everywhere else its been "mild flu" which means either the people outside mexico had come into a strain similar to it before, and thus had defences.
This would fit then when the flu reached mexico where they had not encountered it before it was fatal.
Which leads me to believe however it got to mexico is not where it began, and therefore out there somewhere is a really dangerous flu.

Also another strange point, there was an earthquake soon afterwards, that would be one very strange link, but how long can flu remain dormant? is it even feasibly possible earlier tremors released a few spores?

419Eater is my life Joined: 25 Feb 2009 Posts: 299

There have only been deaths in Mexico, but there haven't been that many reported cases outside of Mexico (compared to the number of peopel who have caught it within Mexico) as far as I know.

Maybe I'm being a tad cynical here but maybe there have been deaths outside Mexico which have been covered up to prevent widespread panic? I can imagine the reaction if anybody in the UK dies from it. Though, I guess it would be difficult, nigh impossible to cover this sort of thing up...

I do voluntary work in my local hospital on radio, hopefully it won't come here. Wink

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Well it IS in the UK and we just had an earthquake ( Lake District )

therefore on that evidence this flu virus causes earthquakes.

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 10:54 pm

Jay leno wrote:

It was on NWT

Even more interesting that it hasn't been allowed on the national news yet!

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 10:59 pm

Probably a conspiracy to cull the pigs and artificially increase the price of Irish Pork.

Does anyone remember if they ever culled yuppies back in the 80's when they had their own flu Rolling Eyes

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:05 pm

I just sent "Chris" to California on business. I sure hope he doesn't wander down to Mexico for a romp with a tijuana princess...

Actually I already know he will. This will cause much delay at this end with all the doctor's appointments and whatnot. Of course he will be cured and then will torment my Lad for sometime. Or maybe he will feel the hand of God in saving him. I haven't gotten that far yet.

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:53 am

This is very interesting historically. There was a swine flu problem in 1918 and in 1976. I lived through one of them.

Even though there are dire predictions about the death toll of this pandemic (which the W.H.O. had declared a stage four alert out of six), thousands if not tens of thousands die every year of complications related to the flu. It is the complications that get you, not the flu BTW.

Quote:

Using new and improved statistical models, CDC scientists estimate that an average of 36,000 people (up from 20,000 in previous estimates) die from influenza-related complications each year in the United States.

Source

Of course the number is an estimate as evidenced here.

I do feel for Slightly, though. Confused

Since the flu is airborne, does this mean that pigs are actually flying? Wink