
OK, it’s a pandemic. Now what? - olegp
http://www.fluidinfo.com/terry/2009/04/30/ok-its-a-pandemic-now-what/
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bcl
I see no reason to be overly concerned. Its mortality rate is low (according
to WHO figures, not the crap the media is publishing) and the infection level
is still low.

All Pandemic means is that it is now present in multiple countries. Some of
these reporters are acting like its Captain Trips or something.

We have a flu pandemic every year, this one is just a little different so far.
I'm going to wait for some real evidence before I start duct-taping the doors
and windows closed.

~~~
Brushfire
I think this will be worse than normal flu season, mainly because this is a
newer strain that people arent inoculated against.

However, I don't think it will reach anywhere near disaster levels. Annoyance
levels? Yes. I'm already redirecting travel away from Mexico, and thousands of
other people are too.

I heard from someone who works for a large important hospital that they are
preparing for the worst, however, especially on Mexican border states like
Texas and Southern Cal. They think a lot more people are infected than being
reported becuase of widespread fear of quarantine / lack of money in the
poorer districts of Mexico.

~~~
rjurney
You think that. I hope that. But neither of us really know.

The point is that a new flu variant can mutate rapidly when it crosses
species. If swine flu chills out and remains as is, everything will indeed be
ok. If it mutates and gets worse, we are so screwed.

The danger is that there is a rapidly spreading flu strain that is much more
likely than normal to rapidly increase its mortality rate.

So... fingers crossed. We should be ok. If not, there's not much anyone can do
about it.

------
menloparkbum
How is it determined that someone has this new flu, vs. just a standard flu,
or something else? Whenever I've had flu like symptoms, it's always been a
clinical diagnosis.

~~~
inerte
I am saying to friends that the swine flu is like the normal one, you have
fever, headaches, sore throat, but one week later, you die.

And it's plausible description: <http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/parents.htm>

What I don't know is if the swine flu has stronger symptoms. For example, more
headache than you normally had with flu, or coughing more, etc... To me, so
far from what I've read, you have a flu, then you're dead. Wish I knew if
there was a couple things to look for, that would really raise the alarm.

But if the influenza really spreads, like dozens of people here in São Paulo
are diagnosed, one sneeze and off I go to the hospital.

~~~
thatericguy
The issue with the H1N1 virus is that it has been for the most part out of
action for the majority of the population and therefore have a generation of
people with no resistance to the virus at all. The typical versions of the
influenza that has been going around (usually the antigens are in the the flu
shots) have similar proteins that we have some level of defense to, but when
we encounter (in this case) a new virus that we have no defense, our bodies
just go way overboard on the defense response and if not properly treated -
basically die of asphyxiation.

~~~
ars
EVERY single person who gets the flu (any and every flu) at some point in his
life gets one they have no resistance/immunity to!

There is nothing magical about this one, it's not more infectious, it's
doesn't kill more people (at least in the US).

It's just a regular flu.

Except that normally only a small number of people get sick, and this time a
large number of people will get sick.

But the individual sicknesses are going to be regular flu.

It could mutate to a version that kills (your overboard on defense theory),
but right now it's not, and every flu can mutate to a version that kills.

The best case scenario is it goes global now, before it has a chance to
mutate. Or that it waits till an immunization is available.

And since in my opinion it's not going to mutate to a killer version before we
manage to make a vaccine (4-6 months) this is going to turn out to be a big
nothing!

~~~
flipbrad
"EVERY single person who gets the flu (any and every flu) at some point in his
life gets one they have no resistance/immunity to!"

But thatericguy's point still stands, if he was talking about there being no
herd immunity and the crucial difference that makes in the disease's potential
to spread

~~~
ars
It has potential to spread, yes - but once spread it is no different than any
other flu. Unlike the GP post of "you get it you are dead".

It doesn't matter that no one has been exposed to it before - people will get
sick, sure. But that happens all the time that someone gets sick from a flu
that for them is new.

It is only the _spreading_ potential that is a problem, as a disease it is the
same as regular flu once you get it.

