Recent Flu Outbreak

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Hopefully it won't spread. I think most of the worry is due to people just being people and freaking out... And the media doesn't help much on that.

We've had plenty of small outbreaks like this that never reach a pandemic level.. The ones I can think of are SARs and avian flu...
 
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ParthVader said:
Hopefully it won't spread. I think most of the worry is due to people just being people and freaking out... And the media doesn't help much on that.

We've had plenty of small outbreaks like this that never reach a pandemic level.. The ones I can think of are SARs and avian flu...
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It's what the media does, a few people get some illness and suddenly they are freaking out about it. I understand people in Mexico are dieing but I am still not worried about the swine flu.
 
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I really don't see the big deal. All forms are susceptible to viral medications, with the most recent infection, according to the CDC being immune to 2 of 4 medications. No need for worry yet.
 
Bacchus said:
I really don't see the big deal. All forms are susceptible to viral medications, with the most recent infection, according to the CDC being immune to 2 of 4 medications. No need for worry yet.
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But, Bacchus! If we, as a nation, don't panic and throw money at something that isn't a problem....WHO WILL?!?!
 
i live in baja california, mexico (aka very, very far from the center of the outbreak in mexico city). i keep getting frantic emails from people in the states asking if we've contracted swine flu. but, with the number of emails i get asking if i've been kidnapped by the cartel yet, i guess the reaction to this most recent scare shouldn't be a shock.

oh the effect news media has on society...
 
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But in all honesty, this is a significant event from a virology perspective. We dont usually see novel flu strains that arise out of nowhere that are successful at human-human spread. If this strain recombines with a more virulent avian strain, we could have a major problem. Plus if panic makes people more cautious and limits its spread, then that decreases the number of hosts/mutations=good. I dont think panic in the US is warranted however.
 
It's not just Mexico. There's at a high school in NYC and there have been several cases reported in California.
 
F@CK. I havent been feeling good and have all the symptoms.
 
tennisball80 said:
F@CK. I havent been feeling good and have all the symptoms.
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Hahaha, this is what happens whenever the CDC/news puts out some type of report. I guarantee over the next few days ever ER in the country will be packed with people convinced they have swine flu. I'm not mocking you or trying to downplay any of your symptoms, but I'd put down a grand that it's in your head/not swine flu.
 
so does swine cause constant feeling of dryness in throat.. i know im not thirsty or dehydrated cuz my urine is dilute.. but i have to wake up every hr even at night to drink... i even put a moisturizer in my room thinking its the dry weather..
 
vickpick said:
so does swine cause constant feeling of dryness in throat.. i know im not thirsty or dehydrated cuz my urine is dilute.. but i have to wake up every hr even at night to drink... i even put a moisturizer in my room thinking its the dry weather..
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Your primary care physician would know. Consult him or her.
 
vickpick said:
so does swine cause constant feeling of dryness in throat.. i know im not thirsty or dehydrated cuz my urine is dilute.. but i have to wake up every hr even at night to drink... i even put a moisturizer in my room thinking its the dry weather..
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Hrmm, sounds like feline leukemia or heartworms. You should probably make an appointment with the most expensive specialist in the city immediately.

Glad I could help, I accept Paypal.
 
even though i wanna be a doc.. i dont go to the doc all that often.. haha.. well I'll see a doc on monday if the condition persists.. my brother told me i have some kind of infection (he told me over the phone.. i forgot what he said..lol.. some medical terminology..)

well.. imma swallow some antibiotics I've got for that... as he said it was bacterial.. and if that dont help, I guess I will have to see a doc... god!!! not right before the finals...
 
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VneZonyDostupa said:
Hrmm, sounds like feline leukemia or heartworms. You should probably make an appointment with the most expensive specialist in the city immediately.

Glad I could help, I accept Paypal.
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gimme ur paypal username and password.. I'll enter my credit card info in ur accnt so tht u can buy anything u want.. jerk.. 😛
 
vickpick said:
even though i wanna be a doc.. i dont go to the doc all that often.. haha.. well I'll see a doc on monday if the condition persists.. my brother told me i have some kind of infection (he told me over the phone.. i forgot what he said..lol.. some medical terminology..)

well.. imma swallow some antibiotics I've got for that... as he said it was bacterial.. and if that dont help, I guess I will have to see a doc... god!!! not right before the finals...
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Antibiotic abuse in action! See your new HXR strain coming to hospitals near you!
 
chessknt87 said:
Antibiotic abuse in action! See your new HXR strain coming to hospitals near you!
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lol.. i love them AB's..

I can swear that my dad has almost no bacteria in his body.. he swallows a 500 mg everyday for a tooth ache... I think he bought them illegaly too - no sane doc would prescribe so many..

well.. i guess he could've just ordered them from india..
 
vickpick said:
lol.. i love them AB's..

I can swear that my dad has almost no bacteria in his body.. he swallows a 500 mg everyday for a tooth ache... I think he bought them illegaly too - no sane doc would prescribe so many..

well.. i guess he could've just ordered them from india..
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Tell your dad to stop taking antibiotics if he doesn't have a ****ing bacterial infection. Antibiotic resistance is something that we don't need to propagate.
 
^^^ i do so everyday... but he is freaking ol' school... gosh.. he would easily blend into a red neck party.. im tellin' u..

he won't even listen to my brother who is now a resident.. gosh!
 
Confirmed cases in Canada and New Zealand. Potential cases in Spain, France and Israel.

We're already wayyy past the point of containing it, soo...if we're f!cked, we're f!cked. 😀
 
EagerToBeMD said:
I love how pre-meds decide to bash the media because they don't quite understand what's going on while the med students have a completely different view.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=622511
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And I love how you somehow expect pre-medical students to have the same view of medical issues as people with a higher level of education.

Did you get your ego during the white coat ceremony, or did they give it to you right before your first exam?
 
VneZonyDostupa said:
And I love how you somehow expect pre-medical students to have the same view of medical issues as people with a higher level of education.

Did you get your ego during the white coat ceremony, or did they give it to you right before your first exam?
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Since you had a problem deciphering my point, I'll be more clear. The point was that pre-meds who don't know what's going on jump to conclusions and blame the media without having the facts. They make assumptions that turn out to be wrong, according to the med students, including myself, who have an entirely different view. In other words, maybe pre-meds shouldn't be so quick to assume the media is getting the story wrong when they (the pre-meds) don't even know what's going on.
 
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EagerToBeMD said:
Since you had a problem deciphering my point, I'll be more clear. The point was that pre-meds who don't know what's going on jump to conclusions and blame the media without having the facts. They make assumptions that turn out to be wrong, according to the med students, including myself, who have an entirely different view. In other words, maybe pre-meds shouldn't be so quick to assume the media is getting the story wrong when they (the pre-meds) don't even know what's going on.
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That's exactly the point I took from your post. I replied by asking how you honestly expect people with limited medical knowledge to come to the same conclusions as those who have at least some training in medicine. You act as if they should be punished for working with their current scope of education, which is silly.

What part of my post was unclear, out of curiosity?
 
VneZonyDostupa said:
That's exactly the point I took from your post. I replied by asking how you honestly expect people with limited medical knowledge to come to the same conclusions as those who have at least some training in medicine.
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You claim you got my point but then you distorted it. My point is that they shouldn't make assumptions and put blame on others for something they don't know about! You can come to incorrect conclusions without having all the facts, but don't expect no one to call you on it.

You act as if they should be punished for working with their current scope of education, which is silly.
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Who said they should be punished? I think it's fair game to call anyone on assumptions they make without having the facts. What exactly is your problem with that?
 
EagerToBeMD said:
Since you had a problem deciphering my point, I'll be more clear. The point was that pre-meds who don't know what's going on jump to conclusions and blame the media without having the facts. They make assumptions that turn out to be wrong, according to the med students, including myself, who have an entirely different view. In other words, maybe pre-meds shouldn't be so quick to assume the media is getting the story wrong when they (the pre-meds) don't even know what's going on.
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I regret being grouped into this group 😡
 
EagerToBeMD said:
You claim you got my point but then you distorted it. My point is that they shouldn't make assumptions and put blame on others for something they don't know about! You can come to incorrect conclusions without having all the facts, but don't expect no one to call you on it.
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I hate to be the one to break this to you, but medical STUDENTS don't have all the facts or answers, either. There has been plenty of discussion by people of all levels of education about the overemphasis the media has given this "pandemic".


Who said they should be punished? I think it's fair game to call anyone on assumptions they make without having the facts. What exactly is your problem with that?
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Why is it your job to "call out" someone for making what YOU feel is an incorrect assumption? Can you explain why it's wrong to think the media is giving undue attention to a disease that isn't a threat as of yet, attention which may cause undue stress on hospital ERs?
 
VneZonyDostupa said:
I hate to be the one to break this to you, but medical STUDENTS don't have all the facts or answers, either.
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No one said they had all the facts, but considering that they're the ones working alongside the doctors in the hospitals, seeing these patients, I think it's fair to say they're more knowledgeable than pre-meds.

There has been plenty of discussion by people of all levels of education about the overemphasis the media has given this "pandemic".
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Waiting for links.

Why is it your job to "call out" someone for making what YOU feel is an incorrect assumption?
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Who said anything about it being my "job"? I just felt like doing it. Who made you board monitor, telling people what they can and can't post?

Can you explain why it's wrong to think the media is giving undue attention to a disease that isn't a threat as of yet, attention which may cause undue stress on hospital ERs?
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Isn't a threat? Are you illiterate? Uh oh, did I overstep the bounds of my job?
 
As a former journalist, I have to step in. I think those of you blaming the media are wrong. When the CDC holds press conferences to announce this is a serious thing (as they did yesterday), it becomes a big news story. Why? Because journalists aren't doctors. They follow what the CDC says. If the CDC says it's serious, journalists treat it as a serious story. Add to that that state governors -- I'm thinking of Gov. Patterson and Gov. Jindal -- are coming out and giving press conferences now to say their states are on high alert and it compounds the story. The media isn't driving this story. They're simply reporting on what's going on. It's the officials, the people who are in the position to know what they're talking about, who are giving press conferences and getting the word out. I, for one, plan to defer to those officials as they certainly know much more about this than I do.
 
EagerToBeMD said:
No one said they had all the facts, but considering that they're the ones working alongside the doctors in the hospitals, seeing these patients, I think it's fair to say they're more knowledgeable than pre-meds.
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Yes, clearly the med students (most of whom I would bet are first and second year) posting in the allo forum are actively seeing the less than 100 swine flu patients in the US 😴

The fact of the matter is, NO ONE really knows much about this flu, other than the fact that it is easily treatable and a genetic cocktail of avian, swine, and human component genes.



Waiting for links.
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http://lmgtfy.com/?q=hype+swine+flu



Who said anything about it being my "job"? I just felt like doing it. Who made you board monitor, telling people what they can and can't post?
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Nope, I'm not a board monitor, and neither are you. You may want to go back and notice that it was you who swept in and "called out" this posts here. Until then, it was actually a good discussion. Troll much?




Isn't a threat? Are you illiterate? Uh oh, did I overstep the bounds of my job?
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Can you explain how this current swine flu IS a threat? The CDC has called for more monitoring...that's it. It's been shown to be treatable with Tamiflu, responsive to a major flu vaccine, and easily managed once diagnosed. Sounds like the regular old flu to me. The only risk is that it could pick up a more virulent gene, which is unlikely, as the avian flu hasn't done so noticeably in the last 5 years it's been monitored, despite infecting many, many people.
 
VneZonyDostupa said:
Yes, clearly the med students (most of whom I would bet are first and second year) posting in the allo forum are actively seeing the less than 100 swine flu patients in the US 😴
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You obviously didn't read the thread.

The fact of the matter is, NO ONE really knows much about this flu, other than the fact that it is easily treatable and a genetic cocktail of avian, swine, and human component genes.
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Someone missed some press conferences.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=hype+swine+flu
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Thanks. I was expecting medical experts. I couldn't care less that a pajama blogger in Houston thinks the media is exaggerating it. I'll wait until I see medical professionals say that and so far, they haven't. In fact, medical professionals have sought out the media.

Nope, I'm not a board monitor, and neither are you. You may want to go back and notice that it was you who swept in and "called out" this posts here. Until then, it was actually a good discussion. Troll much?
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Oh please. I laughed at the idiot pre-meds who make false assumptions. You're the one who turned it into something bigger than it was. No one died and made you emporor so hop off the table.

Can you explain how this current swine flu IS a threat? The CDC has called for more monitoring...that's it.
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Once again, someone's missed some press conferences.

This will be my last post to you as you're either incapable of grasping simple concepts or you're trolling for a fight.
 
Please, by all means, post links to anything quoting or showing these press conferences that discuss the impending doom we face from this easily treatable disease.
 
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VneZonyDostupa said:
Please, by all means, post links to anything quoting or showing these press conferences that discuss the impending doom we face from this easily treatable disease.
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Not to get in the middle of what you two have going, but there actually have been several press conferences this weekend, including from various governors, school superintendents, the CDC, and the White House, most notably Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano since we currently don't have a Health and Human Services Secretary. Health officials also declared a public health emergency in the U.S., though the stress is on preparedness.
 
Revilla said:
Not to get in the middle of what you two have going, but there actually have been several press conferences this weekend, including from various governors, school superintendents, the CDC, and the White House, most notably Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano since we currently don't have a Health and Human Services Secretary. Health officials also declared a public health emergency in the U.S., though the stress is on preparedness.
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""It frees up men and resources" to get ready for possible problems, she [Napolitano] said, comparing the declaration to an early hurricane watch. The government took similar action during the inauguration and for flooding in North Dakota recently."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-04-26-swine-us_N.htm
 
As a medical student about to graduate and go into Emergency medicine, do you know what the EM view is on this whole thing?

OMG, PLEASE SHUT UP AND STOP TELLING EVERYONE ALL ABOUT THE FLU BECAUSE PPL WHOSE HEAD HURTS THEM SLIGHTLY FOR 15 MINUTES ARE FLOCKING TO THE EMERGENCY ROOMS AND SWAMPING US WITH STUPIDITY! OUR BRAINS HURT!

...thank god i'm on a useless rotation and not in the ED just yet 🙂 I don't even wanna know the chaos that's gonna ensue over ppl panicking this week. All I can say is at least the CDC and other conferences are telling ppl to stay home unless they feel really sick...not that they listen to that part of it...

EDIT: *and if i were in the ED, I'd love it if ppl came in whose story actually was consistent with the flu and were actually sick. It's only the worried well that are annoyingly time-consuming*
 
EagerToBeMD said:
Oh please. I laughed at the idiot pre-meds who make false assumptions. You're the one who turned it into something bigger than it was. No one died and made you emporor so hop off the table.
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Right, I am the idiot for saying that we(the media) overreact/sensationalize everything. It is how we(the media) stay in business, people react to stories like this, it drives ratings. 7 years ago everyone was dieing of West Nile Virus, 5 years ago it was SARS, 3 years ago it was Avian Flu each time the the media created a panic and each time very few people end up with the disease. Perhaps this time is different, or maybe people in Mexico get the swine flu and die due to ****ty health care. Until thousands of Americans start to die from the swine flu or 5+ people at my job contract the swine flu I am not worried. Also how is a med student more qualified to speak on the inter workings of the media than a person who is actually a member to the media? I also forgot to include Mad Cow and the numerous outbreaks of salmonella that panic everyone.
 
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NotAndrew said:
Right, I am the idiot for saying that we(the media) overreact/sensationalize everything. It is how we(the media) stay in business, people react to stories like this, it drives ratings. 7 years ago everyone was dieing of West Nile Virus, 5 years ago it was SARS, 3 years ago it was Avian Flu each time the the media created a panic and each time very few people end up with the disease. Perhaps this time is different, or maybe people in Mexico get the swine flu and die due to ****ty health care. Until thousands of Americans start to die from the swine flu or 5+ people at my job contract the swine flu I am not worried. Also how is a med student more qualified to speak on the inter workings of the media than a person who is actually a member to the media? I also forgot to include Mad Cow and the numerous outbreaks of salmonella that panic everyone.
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That is a poor attitude to take because you are essentially saying you wont be concerned about it until it is deadly. Like I mentioned earlier, the more hosts it gets the higher the chance that we get a recombinant virus that WILL match your criteria. Getting people to be cautious and limiting the amount of antivirals deployed against it are the best things we could be doing right now. The worst would be to give everyone tamiflu and ignore public health precautions which involve making people care enough about it to avoid exposing themselves unnecessarily (eg wash their hands more, wary of crowded places, wear masks, etc).
 
VneZonyDostupa said:
Please, by all means, post links to anything quoting or showing these press conferences that discuss the impending doom we face from this easily treatable disease.
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It is not an impending doom but neither is pandemic influenza a joke. It is a serious health concern that should be prepared for aggressively.

"The most difficult challenge in mitigating the effects of a severe pandemic today would be to ensure access to medical care and resources, they note. Hospitals, medical personnel and drug suppliers could be overwhelmed with huge demands for services, medicines and vaccines, a situation that would be exacerbated in less developed countries and impoverished regions." - NIH
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2007/niaid-28.htm

Nonetheless, it seems like the main action taken so far has been to distribute Tamiflu out of the Strategic National Stockpile. We will probably not see many major actions taken until the CDC and WHO start to believe that this strain has 1918 potential. I know that at least as far back as the previous Bush administration there was an executive order sitting in the Oval Office that would make this last one seem like a Christmas card if it were to be enacted. It would essentially put the country on lockdown as schools would be closed, people would be advised to telecommute, and critical personnel would be required to work.

Such serious preparation isn't limited to the government and private industry has gotten involved. Commonwealth Edison (Power Supplier to Illinois) purchased regimens of the flu drug Relenza for every employee and every member of each employee's immediate family.
 
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