Neb on 1/5/2009 at 07:19
Quote Posted by Nicker
My understanding was that the high death rate in 1918 was from secondary (opportunistic) bacterial infections, rather than the flu itself.
The death rate was highest among people in their twenties and thirties. As far as I know that was mostly from the strong immune response, and then they drowned in their own lungs as cytokines gathered there to fight infection.
I finished an assignment about Tamiflu and flu pandemics just before the news about the whole Mexico thing started. It initially scared the crap out of me, but I don't care that much anymore. Could be terrible, could be ok. Early days.
Vasquez on 1/5/2009 at 08:54
Quote Posted by Nicker
Every day, thousands of people die from smoking, driving cars, eating too much or too little; a whole variety of known and proven killers. But along comes a flu bug and they start shutting down entire countries.
Well, human mind works in a peculiar way, at least in theory there seems to be a big difference between a death you choose and a death you don't. Also eating a hamburger and thinking "Gee, this might kill me someday in the distant future" is a bit harder to put in real perspective than "I might catch this thing as easy as the common cold, and die within days".
Of course, once you're dead the cause becomes irrelevant.
Martin Karne on 1/5/2009 at 19:07
Well the first time native Mexicans ever got the flu (thanks to those Conquistadors), 50% of them died, to this date many of them still are pure blood descending from those natives, it's probably getting a major effect on them (deaths) than on someone else who got more mixed up in more than 500 years since the first European flu import.
It sucks to have some sort of natural selection on them.
taffer19 on 1/5/2009 at 20:41
The Swine Flu is just as dangerous as an ordinary flu. It's not going to kill everybody. The symptoms are only deadly for people who are really young or old. Still, the deaths are really low. I don't think the Seine Flu is something to worry about.
Remember all the hype about Bird Flu? Now it's a pig! :erg:
Martin Karne on 1/5/2009 at 20:47
It's a pig and flies!
Sulphur on 1/5/2009 at 22:10
That's my morning bacon out the window, then.
jtr7 on 2/5/2009 at 00:10
Quote Posted by taffer19
The Swine Flu is just as dangerous as an ordinary flu. It's not going to kill everybody. The symptoms are only deadly for people who are really young or old. Still, the deaths are really low. I don't think the Seine Flu is something to worry about.
Actually what's surprised the officials is that healthy people from their twenties to forties are dying from this more than the usual very young or elderly.
EDIT: Crap. Got my first Swine-Flu Cure-All Snake-Oil SPAM.
Ulukai on 2/5/2009 at 11:50
Quote Posted by taffer19
Remember all the hype about Bird Flu? Now it's a pig! :erg:
Bird flu is an H5N1 strain, which is a lot nastier and heads straight for your lungs and lower respiratory system. We'd quite rightly be entitled to shit ourselves some more if this was Bird flu.
Swine flu is an H1N1 strain which tends to linger in your throat, and is hence less serious (although it has the potential to complicate with pneumonia also).
Apparently. I read this in a book.
thefonz on 4/5/2009 at 07:12
Notice there was barely any news on this over the weekend?
Seems even "killer-wipe-out-humanity-evil-pig-viruses" take the weekend off.
(or maybe the Media found something else to report on. oops)
D'Juhn Keep on 4/5/2009 at 08:49
I believe the media was quietly leant on so as to stop them PANICKING THE SHIT OUT OF PEOPLE POINTLESSLY
