Swine Flu in Florida...
Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Ron |
Friday, August 2009 @ 15:23 |
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Since the 16 June, when the first death was reported, there are now 60 confirmed deaths from the swine flu (H1N1). Average death is one a day.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Jennifer |
Friday, August 2009 @ 21:28 |
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I just called our immunization this past week and they said the vaccination will not be available till November or December for dependents, I have started my kids on vitamins before school starts in a couple of weeks. I hope it helps them.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Friday, September 2009 @ 20:12 |
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Everyone needs to take this SERIOUS. If your kids are sick, especially with diarrhea, runny nose and so forth...DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL. I don't care if you have to work or whatever your excuse is. This is spreading and this is only the start. I am going to line mine up for the immunization and try not to be out around the masses of people of possible.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: MJ |
Thursday, September 2009 @ 12:10 |
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This flu is no worse than a regular cold. In fact when the first cases of Swine Flu were reported there was already 13,000 people in the year who had died from the regular cold. Yes it is a virus but it is just the same as a cold, the flu or anything else that is out there in the world.
You are suppose to keep the kids home anyway if they have a fever above 99F, a cough or any other major symptoms. Just because they have those doesn't mean that it isn't a regular cold.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Thursday, September 2009 @ 20:40 |
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Well I disagree based on everything I have watched or read or from talking with friends in the medical profession.
Overview
Swine influenza is flu virus usually found in pigs. The virus occasionally changes (mutates) and becomes infectious in humans. When this happens, the disease becomes a concern to humans, who have little or no immunity against it. This means the virus has the potential to spread quickly around the world. It also may be more difficult to treat than the usual, seasonal human flu viruses.
Symptoms
Symptoms of H1N1 flu infection in humans are similar to classic flu-like symptoms, which might include:
Fever above 100.4 °F
Cough
Sore throat
Headache
Chills
It is more than a cold, and NOT all parents will keep "sick kids" home from school. I have seen those parents who will "dose" them up with tylenol and send them to school or daycare KNOWING full well they are sick and contagious to others.
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H1N1 Flu Deaths in Florida...
Posted by: Ron |
Friday, September 2009 @ 12:38 |
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There are no dates on our postings, just the day of the week, so I'm posting the date from now on.
9/11/09 Now, since the the 16 June, the first death was reported here in Florida.
As of the 8 Sept 09 there are now 66 confirmed deaths from the H1N1 virtus.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Friday, September 2009 @ 19:43 |
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Is that in Florida?
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: MJ |
Saturday, September 2009 @ 14:21 |
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Then how did it break out in Australia when none of the kids at the schools had any contact with pigs or had traveled outside Australia at all?
It caused a mass panic in people who freaked out over it. yes people died, yes it was bad. But it wasn't as bad as they originally thought it would be. Those are SOME of the symptoms it doesn't mean that everyone gets them. I know other people including kids and myself who had a cold in which there was all those symptoms you describe and it was a cold.
I was overseas when it broke out and a friend who tested positive for it was quarantined for 5 days their house. They couldn't come in contact with anyway. Anyone she was in contact with got quarantined as well for 5 days and none of them had it. She didn't have the high fever, she didn't have any other symptoms except that she tested positive.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Saturday, September 2009 @ 16:04 |
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Well goody for you. Yes these symptoms (that I posted) can mean many things other than that. I just have made the responsible choice not to stick my head in the sand with this one and pay attention. You do what you want and thanks for your valuable input to the subject.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Saturday, September 2009 @ 16:07 |
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I say "pay attention" and be smart about it.
Swine flu death toll reach 3,205: WHO
(AFP) – 1 day ago
GENEVA — The World Health Organisation said Friday that at least 3,205 people have died from swine flu since the new A(H1N1) virus was uncovered in April.
Most of the deaths occured in the Americas region, where 2,467 fatalities have been reported to the UN health agency.
The Asia-Pacific region recorded 527 deaths, followed by Europe where at least 125 people have succumbed to the infection.
The death toll in the Middle East reached 51 while the number of deaths in Africa climbed to 35, said the WHO in an update posted on its website.
The figure represents a jump of more than a 1,000 on a fortnight ago when the WHO said the overall toll stood at 2,185.
The WHO reiterated that the new flu virus is now the most prevalent form of influenza, having swiftly overtaken other flu viruses.
According to the WHO's flu database, 76 percent of flu detections reported during August 23 to 29 have been found to be of the pandemic strain.
The UN health agency also noted that flu activity appeared to be increasing in some parts of the northern hemisphere, which is about to enter the flu-prone winter season.
Parts of eastern Europe and south-east United States are reporting increases in infections.
In tropical South America and Asia, the caseload is also increasing. Countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, India, Bangladesh and Cambodia are all reporting more flu cases, said the WHO.
Meanwhile, in Central America, the Caribbeans and the temperate regions of the southern hemisphere, the number of flu infections appear to be declining, it added.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: MJ |
Sunday, September 2009 @ 12:33 |
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Look I am not saying that it isn't out there, that it isn't dangerous and that it is possible to get it. Because it is, what I am saying is that people are going into a panic about it because of the publicity it got through the press last spring. People flipped out for no reason, countries flipped out because of it. All on the news, the internet and the newspapers. The swine flu isnt something new it was out before in the 50s. Have you noticed that it is people who are under the age of 45 getting it mainly. It is a virus that you can get, you can die, but you can also die from a regular cold which more people have gotten. Which more people have died from around the world.
Just because you get the shot doesn't mean you aren't going to get it. Normally flu shots are a live virus in which people actually do get sick worse than if they didn't get the shot. I had to go through that myself with my husband. He was required by his job and where we were to get the shot, he got it and was in bed for 4 days with a fever, stuffed nose, cough and everything else. I didn't get the shot and I didn't get a cold at all. Same thing happened next year as well.
You just have to take the right steps to make sure you don't get it. It doesnt mean freaking out, lining up for the shots or anything else. It is a cold, plain and simple. yes you can die from it but you can also die from walking down the street, going to a store, flying on a plane, and everything else. If you use your common sense then you are fine.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Sunday, September 2009 @ 13:09 |
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Yes people under the age of 45 are getting it and it is MOSTLY kids and they are dying from it. It needs to be taken seriously. If your kids have these symptoms-doctors want to be called so they can make decisions about checking them before it gets out of control. People need to read, watch and pay attention.
Too many people have the attitude "oh it is just a cold" and ignore what is going on and then it is too late and then by then they have exposed who knows how many people. That is exactly why sick people and yes people with cold s/s need to be cautious being around others or sending your kids to school even.
I watched an elderly man in a one of those motorized carts the other day in the commissary sneeze all over the aisle up and down hacking and carrying on without covering his mouth or nose......Disqusting and I told him so!
Yes we need to be made aware of it through all and any means, tv, newspaper, your physician, internet whatever.......everyone deserves to be educated and should educate themselves on this. How you view it and how you act are two different things. I say get the shot, but that is JMO.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Sunday, September 2009 @ 14:16 |
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Just important for all to be informed and not turn their head at this one and I agree we don't need to panic but don't be stupid either and just say "oh it is a cold"
Swine Flu: What Every American Should Know
Written by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. and Richard Weitz, Ph.D.
Sunday, 13 September 2009 11:24
Heritage.org
Backgrounder #2315
In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared swine flu--officially known as the H1N1 virus--the first influenza pandemic since 1968. The following month, the WHO told countries to stop reporting individual swine flu infections because the number of victims had rapidly exceeded 1 million people and the virus had spread to almost every nation in the world.[1] The flu continues to spread. A WHO scientist estimates that H1N1 could infect 2 billion people in two years. Since emerging in April, it has become one of the fastest spreading contagious diseases on record.
H1N1 will return to the U.S. this fall with the flu season. This year's flu season may be more severe than normal, but the U.S. has the capacity to respond to the extra strains. Federal, state, and local governments should continue to improve their pandemic response and risk communication programs. They still need to do much to improve cross-state planning, continuity of operations, situational awareness and information sharing, and community resiliency.
However, an effective public response will likely be the most important factor in mitigating the effects of the flu season. The public should follow the guidelines of a responsible national vaccination strategy and adopt behaviors, such as washing hands properly, to limit the spread of the disease and minimize its societal impacts.
What Is Swine Flu?
Swine flu, identified as the H1N1 strain, contains a unique genetic makeup that distinguishes it from other influenza viruses. H1N1 includes gene segments from North American swine, bird, and human flu strains and from Eurasian swine flu--a unique combination that had not been previously reported. New influenza viruses are often created through "molecular reassortment," in which two distinct virus strains invade the same cell and, in the process of using the cell to replicate themselves, mingle their genes creating a hybrid strain.[2]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has concluded that many H1N1 symptoms are similar to seasonal flu symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. The CDC anticipates complications similar to seasonal flu. Indeed, the majority of reported cases exhibited symptoms found in influenza-like illness, such as fever and cough. However, some patients reported vomiting and diarrhea, which are unusual for the seasonal flu.[3]
H1N1 transmission modes also match those for seasonal influenza. The CDC has concluded that H1N1 most likely spreads from person to person by "large particle respiratory droplet transmission" (for example, via coughs or sneezes in close range of an uninfected person). Additionally, transmission can occur through contact with a contaminated surface. The virus can live on surfaces and infect individuals for up to eight hours after being deposited.
Therefore, the CDC has warned that "all respiratory secretions and bodily fluids" should be considered potentially infectious. These materials can contain live viruses, which can infect the human body, usually entering through the nose or throat. As with other influenza viruses, infected individuals can begin infecting others before beginning to show symptoms and can still be infectious up to a week after onset of the illness.[4]
Like other forms of "common" influenza, H1N1 has proved resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, older antiviral drugs. Antiviral drugs stop flu from developing by inhibiting the virus from entering cells, thus preventing them from replicating. However, some flu viruses mutate and develop a resistance to antiviral drugs. In 2006, the CDC recommended against using amantadine and rimantadine for seasonal flu after a sample of cases in 26 states showed over a 92 percent resistance rate.[5] The current strain of H1N1 has not yet become resistant to newer antivirals, such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir).[6] Of course, this may change in the future because the virus continues to mutate. Indeed, a seasonal flu strain that appeared in the 2008-2009 flu season proved resistant to Tamiflu.[7]
During the initial H1N1 outbreak, no vaccine was available. Vaccines differ from antivirals in that they can be a prophylactic, preventing an individual from contracting a disease in the first place by stimulating the body's immune system to produce antibodies that will kill the virus. Vaccines are developed from dead or inactivated virus, but the virus must first be identified before a vaccine can be developed. Furthermore, because flu viruses constantly mutate, the formulation of flu vaccines must be changed almost yearly to remain effective against currently circulating strains. The H1N1 strain had not been identified before the outbreak in April 2009, thus no vaccine was available.
The medical response to H1N1 will probably appear nearly identical to the response to seasonal flu. Individuals will be treated with the same antivirals. Indeed, individuals with flu-like systems are unlikely to be tested for H1N1 because the medical protocols will be so similar. In addition, individuals will be encouraged to receive both seasonal flu and the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.
Why Worry?
The principal fear is that the current strain of H1N1 could mutate into a highly lethal strain that causes a pandemic. A pandemic is a disease outbreak that affects a wide geographical area and infects a high proportion of the human population. Dr. Peter Palese, the Chair of Microbiology at Mt. Sinai hospital in New York City and an international expert on infectious influenza, has noted that H1N1 belongs to the same virus group as the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed millions worldwide.
Moreover, the H1N1 strain is transmitted human to human, enabling it to spread easily. H1N1 has also displayed an "unusual robustness" by emerging outside the annual flu season, which occurs during the colder half of the year. Furthermore, the virus has become more virulent and/or deadly through "mutations and/or acquisition of gene derived from other human or influenza viruses."[8] These factors raise serious concerns about the prospects of another deadly global pandemic.
On the other hand, Dr. Palese notes that certain factors mitigate against the likelihood of plague on the scale of 1918. In "1976 there was an outbreak of an H1N1 swine virus in Fort Dix, N.J., which showed human-to-human transmission but did not go on to become a highly virulent strain." While the new strain of H1N1 is more complex, it still may not be more deadly than other seasonal influenzas. Furthermore, the virus lacks "an important molecular signature (the protein PB1-F2) which was present in the 1918 virus.... [H1N1] doesn't have what it takes to become a major killer." Research suggests that without the virulence marker the new strain will not be highly pathogenic.[9]
While H1N1 nightmare scenarios are not inevitable, the disease will certainly become more widespread. H1N1 is more contagious than seasonal influenza. Common influenza has a "secondary attack rate" (the rate of infection following close contact with an infected person) ranging from 5 percent to 15 percent. The WHO has estimated that the new H1N1 strain's secondary attack rate is 22 percent to 33 percent.[10] In fact, the disease has spread so widely and rapidly that the WHO has classified the current H1N1 strain as a global pandemic. In short, many more people could contract the flu during this flu season than normal. More people will miss more days of work and school.
In addition to potentially being more contagious than seasonal flu, H1N1 could cause severe complications. Seasonal flu kills an average of about 36,000 people in the United States each year. Another 200,000 are hospitalized. As of August 21, the CDC reported 522 deaths from H1N1-related illness in the United States and 7,983 hospitalizations. A White House advisory panel concluded that a second wave of H1N1 cases during the upcoming flu season could cause 90,000 deaths and hospitalize 300,000. Thus, the 2009-2010 flu season could be two or three times more severe than normal. On the other hand, the CDC has concluded that this advisory estimate may be excessive. Indeed, Dr. Peter Gross, chief medical officer at Hackensack University Medical Center, has concluded that "the mortality is no worse than the seasonal flu and, if anything, might be slightly less."[11] If there are more deaths this year than during a normal flu season, it could simply be the result of more people catching the flu rather than the flu being more deadly.
Furthermore, younger people are unusually susceptible to H1N1. For seasonal flu, people 65 and older are usually considered as part of the high-risk group and account for about 90 percent of flu-related deaths and 60 percent of flu-related hospitalizations. Yet H1N1 has affected younger populations at higher rates than is usual for seasonal flu. The CDC has concluded that more deaths have occurred among people under 25 years old. In contrast, an estimated one-third of older adults have some antibodies against H1N1.[12]
Beyond the older and younger groups, the groups most vulnerable to severe and life-threatening complications from influenza infections are the most vulnerable to other types of flu. These include pregnant women and people with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune systems, heart or kidney disease, and neurocognitive or neuromuscular disorders. For these reasons, when H1N1 flu vaccine becomes available, priority will probably be given to vaccinating younger individuals and others with particular medical conditions--the most vulnerable populations.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: kalie |
Wednesday, September 2009 @ 12:25 |
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im just saying... i wouldnt take the media so serious, they tend to make things seem more dramatic then they are. as military familys, i thought it was obvious.. maybe some just need to be reminded. with that said, wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, an everything else you were told as children.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Sunday, September 2009 @ 13:08 |
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with military families???? What does that mean? The media is not blowing this up. I just came from a state where this crap is everywhere and people are very very very sick and dying. Stay home if you are sick.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Tracey |
Thursday, October 2009 @ 05:14 |
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Look, it's only common decency to stay home or keep your kids at home if you're sick, period! I don't care if it's the swine flu, stomach flu or just a rotten cold. Whether or not the swine flu is as bad as the reports state, the unarguable truth is that it has killed and will continue to do so. For the most part, those of us who are healthy don't have much to worry about other than being miserable for a week or so but did you ever stop to think about those who are not healthy?? How about young children with compromised immune systems? How about babies? How about those with lung conditions? You can tell yourself it's no big deal to 'most people' but maybe you should stop and think about those who don't have the immune system to deal with this, those it may/will kill?
Either way you look at it, it's just plain selfish and ignorant to be sending your children to school if you think they are sick with something that's contagious. It's selfish to go to work if you're sick and it's selfish to be going out in public anywhere if you're sick and contagious.
My neighbors youngest has it and what did she do? She dosed her daughter up on Motrin to mask the symptoms and then sent her off to school so she could contaminate the rest of the class. Why? Because she didn't want to be inconvenienced by having to actually be responsible for her own child! Then she had the gall to ask me if I would watch her daughter in my house while she and her husband went out to eat!!! This is the mind set I'm talking about and it needs to change.
Don't any of you remember what our parents used to do when we were sick as children? It was pretty much standard procedure for a sick child to be quarantined in their bedroom with the mother checking on them and taking care of them, as a child I would never have ever expected to be sent to school sick, to be allowed outside sick or be around other people when I was sick. I know I can't stop others from going out and about when they're sick but I'll be damned if I'm going to contribute to the spread of this. If my kids get this they are going on instant quarantine, if I lose my job because I'm taking time off to care for my kids then I lose my job, as far as I'm concerned my kids are more important than any job and I'd rather be jobless than be responsible for getting someone else sick. This goes for all illnesses, not just the swine flu.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Thursday, October 2009 @ 05:37 |
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Thank you THANK YOU for saying what you did! Exactly what I have been saying only you put it much better than I could express.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...and Michigan
Posted by: Michelle |
Friday, October 2009 @ 10:36 |
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They just had a little girl (age 11) die from the h1n1 virus. She lived just 30 miles from us in Mishawaka Indiana. This was on the 5th of October.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Tracey |
Monday, October 2009 @ 18:04 |
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And for the record, both of my sons have now come down with the swine flu and I'm sure my daughter is soon to follow.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: PinkPussycat |
Tuesday, October 2009 @ 07:27 |
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Yikes! Tracey, I hope your sons are doing well and that your daughter does not catch it too. I will be praying for you.
Right now, my younger son is in the hospital for swallowing a rock that got lodged in his esophagus and I'm so afraid that he could catch it in here so we are wearing masks which he absolutely hates and keeps pulling off. I'm at my wits end with this whole virus thing. I will pray for you and your kids Tracey.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Tuesday, October 2009 @ 20:34 |
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Myth or Tracey.....I will say a prayer for your boys and hopefully your daughter does not get sick with this. Keep us informed of how you are.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Tracey |
Friday, October 2009 @ 06:03 |
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Just a quick update. The boys are still sick and now my husband has come down with it. For those who want the information, this is how it started in our house. Both the boys woke up complaining of a 'burning cough', very dry but burned in their chests when they coughed, nothing else seemed wrong with them. By the next morning they were running high fevers (average of 103 to 104), body aches, severe headache and lethargy, they stayed like that for a few days then the fever went away. Now they both have some congestion, a nagging cough and just don't seem to have much energy. They say they don't feel really bad but their eyes are glassy, they're still coughing and sneezing etc. Please keep in mind that people are still contagious FOR 7 DAYS AFTER THE FEVER IS GONE! Now my husband has it but his started out a little different, his began with a 3 day headache that just persisted despite medicine and ice-packs but no fever or body aches, now after 3 days he has a fever and body aches, no energy etc..
So, if you, or anyone in your family has these symptoms PLEASE keep them home and pay close attention to them. Even if they are past the fever stage don't assume they are ok, a big warning sign is if the fever returns..that's when you must get medical help immediately.
It sounds as if people are getting different 'strengths' of this flu, some are only down with it for a couple days and others are down with it for weeks. My sons NEVER get sick, they have amazing immune systems and now look at them. My daughter, on the other hand, gets every little thing that is out there but is the one person in our house who has not come down with this so don't assume anything when it comes to the H1N1.
It looks as if my boys are on the mend (knock on wood) but they are still staying indoors for the next week to rest up and also because I know they are still contagious.
This H1N1 is a nasty little booger so do what you can to keep you and your loved ones safe. Boost their immune systems as much as you can so if they do get it they will hopefully just get a light case.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Monday, October 2009 @ 19:21 |
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How are things going Myth?
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Michelle |
Tuesday, October 2009 @ 09:12 |
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My son has it here in Michigan.. There were 626 kids out yesterday in our district. There were 340 just at the MS. My son is home again today.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Tuesday, October 2009 @ 20:07 |
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and people don't think this is serious........I hope your son gets well soon Michelle. Thoughts and prayers for him.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Thursday, October 2009 @ 12:18 |
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how are things going Tracey or is it Myth??
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Michelle |
Friday, October 2009 @ 08:16 |
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My son is doing better, they have however closed his school (middle school) and one of our elementary schools. On tuesday we had a total of 750 kids out. Has not hit the Hs or the other 2 elmeentary schools. My daughter has not gotten it, thank god, one was enough.
On a side note said son decided that he needed some more excitement in his life, he broke his middle finger yesterday.
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RE: Swine Flu in Florida...
Posted by: Navy Wife |
Friday, October 2009 @ 19:32 |
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Glad your son is doing better Michelle. More and more schools are closing across the country. We have had some close also. This is especially hitting kids hard and is scary.
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