[noflylist]

Planning to travel to Mumbai Sunday, how serious is Swine Flu problem, news channels are going crazy!

[WonderWomanUSA]

I read recently that India has had 9 deaths from Swine Flu; fewer by many hundreds than, say, Brazil.

[sarasmile]

Strange. Where I am they are treating like any other seasonal influenza outbreak. The ones most at risk are the young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. In Canada last year over 4000 peoples died from the flu. They only reason this Swine Flu s being called a pandemic is because of the ease at witch it is spreading due to the interconnectivity of the global community as a whole.

[john.sw]

I reckon that swine 'flu is about as dangerous as:

The Millennium Bug (the world was going to end and aeroplanes were going to drop from the skies)
Salmonella (anyone eating an egg was likely to die)
Listeria (was going to kill millions of people who ate cheese)
Mad Cow Disease (predicted to kill millions worldwide)
SARS (the mother of all pandemics)
Bird 'flu (another pandemic, destined to wipe out whole populations)

These pandemics aren't all that they're cracked up to be.

[dzibead]

john.sw, on Aug 14 2009, 01:24 AM, said:

These pandemics aren't all that they're cracked up to be.

Except in years beginning with "1", ending with "8", with "91" in between.  (My 26-year-old grandfather died in that one when my father was only three.)

[Somerset]

I think with SARS and the current swine flu pandemic, epidimeologists would say they weren't as bad as feared because of the precautions taken. The potential for catastrophe was real, but the spread of the disease was contained to a large extent because of the scare. H1N1 might be global now, but the spread might not be as bad as it might have been.

[WonderWomanUSA]

Quote

H1N1 might be global now, but the spread might not be as bad as it might have been.

We won't know until next year. The "Spanish Flu" after WWI seemed like a mild flu, circled the globe and came back even stronger the next flu season, to kill millions in every country.

Those of us who are a bit older -- who experienced the nasty wave of Asian flu in the late 1950s -- may have some partial immunity to Swine flu. At this time, the people most in danger are young or have other medical problems.

[cyberhippie]

My sister´s daughter has Mexican Flu, advice from doctor go to bed with a aspirin.

On a lighter note.


I had a good drink last night, woke up coughing and spluttering-

I reckon I´ve got wine flu  

[Hyderabadi]

cyberhippie, on Aug 15 2009, 09:00 AM, said:

I reckon I´ve got wine flu  

Many people have been reporting this one.... Could be pandemic soon I'm thinking, I have the same symptoms this morning.  


Seriously, some years ago, I remember reading an article in India Today, I think, about the 'old' diseases making a comeback: Influenza, Tuberculosis, Plague,.... there was another one I can't remember...

[Somerset]

WonderWomanUSA, on Aug 15 2009, 12:33 AM, said:

We won't know until next year. The "Spanish Flu" after WWI seemed like a mild flu, circled the globe and came back even stronger the next flu season, to kill millions in every country.

Yes; we apparently have little to no aquired immunity to this one, similar to the great epidemic of the early 1900s. Given the ability of the virus to change rapidly, we might not know how bad it is for some time. Interesting that with SARS, it was initially thought to have around 6% mortality rate among diagnosed cases, but with improved followup on cases the rate rose to 20% mortality among diagnosed cases.

[john.sw]

When arriving in India, you now have to fill in a form about your health.

At immigration there are men in white coats pointing thermometers at your head.

Ah ahhh CHOO!