Click to See Complete Forum and Search --> : FLU Scare (Anybody see "Outbreak"?)
reuber1
10-05-2005, 01:43 PM
You know, that movie with Morgan Freeman and Dustin Hoffman and Donald Sutherland? Well, maybe we'll get to experience that in real life!
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002540337_bushflu05.html
Reading that article doesn't make me feel much better.
PersonasBinar
10-05-2005, 01:57 PM
I was living in Toronto during the SARS outbreak. People decided to go visits friends or goto school while under quarantine risking the lives of possibly millions of people. As much as I am not fan of Bush when you have to think MILLIONS of your people the rights of a few under quarantine are a drop in the bucket. Had we shut the city down about for two weeks with no one coming in or out about three people would have gotten sick. In the case of an outbreak the rules all change.
PersonasBinar
10-06-2005, 01:17 PM
Now it would appear we have another respitory illness outbreak going on at an old folks home. 16 dead and 70 or so people sick. What the hell is going on?
PrintDriver
10-06-2005, 02:03 PM
You know all those home cleansers and sanitizers you all use?
The ones that kill 99% of all the germs.
Well, that 1% left over is a pretty damn strong little germ. And getting stronger.
You have to expect the cross-species jump of viruses sooner or later. Mutation, my friends, is a leveler as well as a builder.
Did you know there are people immune to bubonic plague. And it appears some of those people are also immune to AIDS? A few humans may survive to fight the cockroaches for world dominance.
There *IS* a treatment for this flu, it's called Tamiflu. And you guessed it, the United States doesn't have enough of it to survive an outbreak. Many other countries in Europe have stockpiled it and are prepared. But oh no not us.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=1174317&page=1
When asked if the country would be prepared if an avian flu epidemic hit today, Leavitt admitted, "Not as prepared as we need to be."
Officials tell ABC News that if the flu were to strike, parts of major cities would have to be quarantined, and stadiums would serve as makeshift hospitals. There would likely be a shortage of Tamiflu, the only medicine that so far seems effective in treating flu victims in Asia.
Tamiflu is made by Roche Pharmaceuticals in a plant in Switzerland, which has limited production capabilities. Officials say the United States was slow to stockpile the drug. Currently, the stockpile stands at 2 million doses, which is barely enough for emergency workers and the military.
"Do we wish we had ordered it sooner and more of it? I suspect one could say yes," said Leavitt.
As to why that was not the case, Leavitt replied, "I can't answer that. I don't know the answer."
The Roche company said this month's delivery of Tamiflu to U.S. pharmacies sold out in just a few days. A company spokesman told ABC News that so far the company has been able to meet demand for Tamiflu prescriptions at U.S. pharmacies.
PersonasBinar
10-06-2005, 02:28 PM
I'm wondering if it is because we've created such sterile environments for ourselves that we no longer have antibodies for some of this stuff. Did you hear they rebuilt the virus from 1918 that killed 50million people?
If it's a *new* virus, how can we have antibodies for it?
morea
10-06-2005, 02:33 PM
Did you hear they rebuilt the virus from 1918 that killed 50million people?
I've been following a little of it on NPR. Scary stuff.
Neballer
10-06-2005, 02:37 PM
There is a simple way to not get the flu - don't get the pancaking shot.
It's a scam I tell you, the last time I had the flu (5 or 6) is the last time I had a flu shot.
PersonasBinar
10-06-2005, 02:39 PM
TamiFlu didn't do a damned thing here in Toronto a couple years ago.
The Ministry of Health is telling everyone to go get a flu shot....just in case.
I've gotten the shot for the past 5 years and have never been sick *knocks on wood*
I'm sure glad I bike to work everyday, I can't stand being crammed onto transit anymore and hearing people coughing and sneezing.
Yeah so better not stockpile it. Even though it's been effective in treating this particular flu in Asia.
There is a simple way to not get the flu - don't get the pancaking shot.
It's a scam I tell you, the last time I had the flu (5 or 6) is the last time I had a flu shot.
There is no shot or vaccine for this one even if you wanted one. That's why everyone is scared.
Neballer
10-06-2005, 02:45 PM
There is no shot or vaccine for this one even if you wanted one. That's why everyone is scared.
Better stock up on Duct Tape then.
Seriously. I work from home, and if this stuff comes my way? I ain't going nowhere near other peoples. As long as I have an internet connection and enough canned goods to last me a few months -- where do I need to go? lol
**runs to costco for canned goods and duct tape**
PersonasBinar
10-06-2005, 02:53 PM
I'm not saying don't get Tamiflu....better that than nothing. Has it been successful in this avian crossover? I was unaware of that. It looks like it has made a jump without mutation, which is rare and highly virulent. Usually there is a mutation with a human virus. Do you get a nasty flu season in Alaska?
Nothing creepier than seeing people walking around with masks on.
Though we did make some with happy faces on them.... :)
I'm not saying don't get Tamiflu....better that than nothing. Has it been successful in this avian crossover? I was unaware of that. It looks like it has made a jump without mutation, which is rare and highly virulent. Usually there is a mutation with a human virus. Do you get a nasty flu season in Alaska?
Yup it has, they talked about that on Dateline or Primetime or one of those shows a week or so ago.
When you see the people in charge of such things say "Uh, uh, we have no answer for why we're not prepared" on television it's even more infuriating than reading it in print. Bunch of idiots running this circus down here.
Yeah, we do have a nasty flu season here.
My first thought though was, Anchorage is where a lot of planes are refueled on their way to and from Asia and all over the world really (cargo especially, granted). So even though we're removed in many ways - I don't think we're safe.
PersonasBinar
10-06-2005, 03:11 PM
WE spent gobs of money of scanners for the airport during SARS. Thermal imagers...pretty cool gear. I think anyone coming in with a fever gets dropped down a well for two weeks. I'd rather they not let someone with a fever get on a plane to begin with.
But it seems to be some human right to inavertantly infect a population as you go visit Aunt Tilly. What's a hemisphere to do?
It's all about the benjamins. You can't restrict travel, then the travel industry will go apeshit.
PersonasBinar
10-06-2005, 03:21 PM
Makes you wonder who'se running things.
It's no mystery to me! lol
LeftBrain Artist
10-06-2005, 03:25 PM
So we dont have enough Tamiflu to be prepared for an outbreak, eh? What a surprise. And the only people that make it are in Switzerland, and they're bogged down with requests for Ricola or whatever.
Here's a thought, um, why don't we make some HERE?! We've got what, a few hundred thousand people out of sorts from Katrina? Gosh, what could we do to help them out with jobs? Invest in some hairnets and rubber gloves and put 'em to work making medicine! Dont we have any drug companies that could do this in the U.S.?! Oh, yeah, forgot all about free trade. America isn't supposed to make anything except for movies and burgers.
I tell you what, if you really want to make sure we have enough medicine to be prepared, put something in the pills that will give us guys a boner. I guarantee there'll be plenty to go around then!
There you go making sense LeftBrain. We don't like your kind 'round these parts.
D Lucks
10-06-2005, 04:51 PM
Makes you wonder who'se running things.
Not as many people as you would think.:rolleyes:
PersonasBinar
10-06-2005, 05:35 PM
In my conspiracy laden mind,.... only a handfull.
Crimson
10-06-2005, 06:14 PM
We need George Carlin to pipe in on this. He's could think of something really funny to say about this. The media is overhyping again big surprise.
PersonasBinar
10-06-2005, 06:16 PM
No ... it's not being over hyped... just being exposed early. We've had over 70 people fall sick and 16 die in less than a week. And this isn't the BAD one they are talking about...this one old folks home. The sick include residents, staff, and seom vistors I think. I have trouble watching all as it gets pretty depressing being around the corner.