Swine Flu epidemic in Mexico (and possibly US)

[Anonymous]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30471035

Swine flu shuts 300 schools across the U.S.
About 172,000 students in 11 states are affected by closures, officials say

Also Thursday, a medical clinic in Everett, Wash., announced that a pediatrician who may have swine flu saw 22 patients — along with their parents or other adults — before she developed serious symptoms and went to the emergency room.

Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, medical director of The Everett Clinic, told a news conference that the pediatrician's husband and two children also became sick, but were doing well on antiviral treatment. Tu says the doctor, whose name hasn't been released, came to work Monday with what she thought were just seasonal allergy symptoms. She saw patients throughout the day but developed a fever that night and went to the emergency room, where she tested positive for what is assumed to be swine flu.

It's not clear where the pediatrician contracted the flu. She had not recently traveled out of the country.

[Anonymous]

This is an example of one of the more severe cases of swine flu -- the type of symptoms that have been observed in Mexican cases. This case is in GA, where they have I think 10 suspected cases.

THis is a 30 year old woman in GA who was ambulatory for 8 days after feeling ill before being put in intensive care, where she is considered seriously ill.


Swine Flu: Ill woman is in ICU in West GA hospital
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=10279275

Thursday, the head of Georgia's Division of Public Health says the CDC has confirmed the first case in the state, a 30-year-old woman from Kentucky who was hospitalized in the town of LaGrange while visiting west Georgia.

She'd been in Cancun, Mexico, earlier this month.

[snip]

The woman is in the ICU at West GA Medical in LaGrange, GA showing modest signs and considered seriously ill.

Timeline:

She traveled from Kentucky to Georgia with her 5-year-old daughter by way of car.

Prior to her trip to Georgia she took a leisure trip to Cancun, Mexico with a travel companion from April 17- April 21.

She began to fell ill on April 18th, but she thought it was due to the sun.

April 23: She arrived in Atlanta, GA by way of car.

April 24: She went shopping in Atlanta, GA.

April 25: She went to a wedding rehearsal dinner in LaGrange, GA.

April 26: She attended a wedding and later that day went to the ER voluntarily with family to West Georgia Medical in LaGrange, GA. She was immediately isolated. Officials performed a rapid specimen test , which the CDC received on April 28.

The family and those in her close circle were given anti-viral medications as a precaution.

The CDC and the Georgia Division of Public Health are working together to notify those that were in contact with her at the wedding.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone posted this yet?
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/swine-flu-report/2009/04/sources_va_governor_to_announc.html?hpid=topnews

[Anonymous]

All I can say about LaGrange is that it is the CAPITOL of carpet mills. There are several hundreds of people working in these factories. Can the flu then spread onto carpets that are shipped to job sites: hospitals, offices, hotels, etc. I know some of these carpets are 'antimicrobial' if they are designed that way, but still something to think about.

[Anonymous]

I hope these cases are just not people drinking bad water and eating lettuce and veggies on vacation in Mexico.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope these cases are just not people drinking bad water and eating lettuce and veggies on vacation in Mexico.

It sounds like they need to demonstrate respiratory symptoms, which would be different from the... er... abdominal distress they'd get from drinking the water.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like the flu is fizzling out. I feel duped.

[Anonymous]

I think this is outrageous panic. Yes a lot of people died in Mexico, where sanitation and access to health care is limited by extreme poverty. In poor countries, people die of diseases that are relatively mild elsewhere. The child who died in Texas had underlying medical conditions (not specified in the radio report I heard). This is the ordinary flu with a different name. I doubt very much it's going to be a pandemic. A PP noted that 36,000 people die of flu in America every year. Do we hear daily statistics about these deaths? No, we don't. Because they are the very young, the very ill, the very old, or a combination (young and sick, old and sick, just sick). The daily updates on swine flu are fed by the media, which is jumping on a good story.

If someone in your family gets sick, you may have to stay home, so be prepared for that. But it's unlikely anyone in your family will die or end up in the hospital unless they have underlying medical conditions, in which case they should be taking precautions anyway (hand sanitizer, staying out of enclosed spaces, staying away from anyone sick, lots of hand washing). If I had a newborn, I would be worried, and I would not allow my older kids to have playdates, keep relatives and friends out of the house, and stay home as much as possible. But those are normal precautions, not extraordinary in the case of a newborn, especially during flu season, which lasts through May.

To the PP worried about carpeting: Flu viruses do not live on carpeting for more than a few hours, if that. They will be long dead before they arrive at your office, home, wherever carpeting is installed.

Just be sensible. Wash your hands. Eat properly and don't get run down. If you get sick, you'll get better. Panic can only harm your immune system, making you more vulnerable to illness. Relax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:. If you get sick, you'll get better. Panic can only harm your immune system, making you more vulnerable to illness. Relax.

Are you a soothsayer?

[Anonymous]

No she just does not suffer from mental illness, like many other prople here.

[Anonymous]

My parents are supposed to come up here from Georgia next weekend, on a plane. The trip is just for fun -- to see our daughter in a play. Should I advise them not to come, following the VP's advice?

[Anonymous]

Are you serious? Please tell me you are making a funny. Do people with minds of their own actually listen to biden?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents are supposed to come up here from Georgia next weekend, on a plane. The trip is just for fun -- to see our daughter in a play. Should I advise them not to come, following the VP's advice?

I'd say wait and see -- the situation is evolving rapidly.

Personally, I'm not concerned about getting swine flu at the moment. I think as long as there is medication and prompt medical care for those who have problems, any risk is slight. It's MOSTLY like seasonal flu, and I feel there are risks in life, and this risk is a "normal" risk.

My concern is for those who do not have access to prompt or good medical care. Sadly, here in the US we cannot count on everyone being able to be treated promptly, especially those with no health insurance who rely on public clinics. Health Departments are supposed to be grearing up for this or any other possible pandemic, but how good they are at the job remains to be seen and will likely be different from one state, city or county to another.

[Anonymous]

Why so worried? Today the WHO reported as of 0600 GMT the number of officially confirmed cases of a new flu sweeping around the world was 331 in 11 countries, including 10 deaths.

You are going to freak out about a plane ride when 331 cases are world wide? I think you will have better luck getting struck by lightening.

I love the drama 331 cases sweeping the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids and I have all developed fevers, headaches, and achey bodies today. I don't think it's swine flu, but the thought has crossed my mind.

We went to the doctor, and it's not swine flu, or even regular flu. Just a nasty cold.