Andrew Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 So it looks like this is the newest "Bird flu" epidemic.Made it's appearance on news over the weekend in Mexico killing 60 and has spread to many tourists, who bring it back with them from Mexico.4 cases of swine flu confirmed in Nova Scotia, 2 in B.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon Knight Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 The BBC News website has quite a few stories relating to the situation (check this link to browse the news site, too many to link). What's most unsettling is the "Have Your Say" page, where some medical practitioners from Mexico are posting some pretty scary stuff.This is the link - now, I'm not going to say that everything said there should be taken as gospel, but it certainly gives a startling contrast to the "totally prepared" image that the governments of the world are exuding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 How can you be prepared for something that doesn't exist yet? Viruses mutate, they're phenominally good at it. Preparation depends entirely on ability to predict mutation paths, which is an inexact science at best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon Knight Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Yeah, that's what I thought.Still, right now it seems to be more or less contained to the Americas. Even if it does get over here, I live in an area where there isn't much hubbub or throughput of people. Plus, I have a pretty hardy immune system that has always served me well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Yeah, that's what I thought.Still, right now it seems to be more or less contained to the Americas. Even if it does get over here, I live in an area where there isn't much hubbub or throughput of people. Plus, I have a pretty hardy immune system that has always served me well. :)Too late I saw on news tonight that it is possibly in several European countries. Tourists who were in Mexico. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon Knight Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Too late I saw on news tonight that it is possibly in several European countries. Tourists who were in Mexico.Europe is a big place. :PI'll start to worry when it hits the UK, and only then when we get Scottish reports. Likelihood is that it won't go any further north than Glasgow / Edinburgh. At the worst, I'd expect it to hit population centers like Aberdeen and Inverness lightly, since they both have airports, but I'm nestled in between. And I'm a shut-in, too. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Oh just go live on the west coast, even diseases don't like to stay there. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon Knight Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I'm fine where I am, thankee. And I've got plenty of Lemsip to see me through the plague. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edric O Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Economic meltdown - checkPlague - checkDevastating climate change-fueled extreme weather thingy - pendingSo I guess the zombie apocalypse will have to wait until next year? Awww. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunner154 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Maybe Plague = Zombie Apocalypse. Ready those shotguns, folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunenewt Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 As if Bird Flu wasn't bad enough...these damn animals plotting biological warfare or something?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon Knight Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Haven't checked the news yet today, but at 4am this morning (just before I nodded off), BBC News said that a hospital in Scotland was checking out a possible case of Swine Flu. Me and my big mouth. :PEDIT: Two people! And a Canadian visiting Manchester. Why would anyone want to visit Manchester?Also, poor ferrets. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunenewt Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Could be a Man City fan...can't think of any other reason to visit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 When SARS was in Toronto I think WHO advised tourists to not visit there.Why hasn't the same been done for Mexico?As of last night Canada government had no travel advisories in place for Mexico...I say shut down tourism to Mexico for a week or two, and if ti goes away then allow it. Why let tourists go to Mexico, get sick, and bring it to places around the world? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edric O Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 You know, my throat hurts a bit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Woohoo! 8 people returning from Mexico to my area have been put in quarantine. None confirmed, but I think they are putting everyone returning from Mexico into quarantine. Good way to extend the vacation for another 5 days ;)EDIT:Suspected swine flu death toll in Mexico raised to 149.That image is based on Pandemic 2 online game. It is very difficult to infect Madagascar.SCUCISD Classes Canceled All WeekThe closure will be in effect for at least a week for 11,000 students and 1,400 district employees. All extracurricular activities also were cancelled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunenewt Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8021813.stmThose two cases in Scotland have been confirmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 World closer to swine flu pandemicA new virus has killed up to 149 people in Mexico and the World Health Organization moved closer on Monday to declaring it the first flu pandemic in 40 years as more people were infected in the United States and Europe.The WHO raised its pandemic alert level for the swine flu virus to phase 4, indicating a significantly increased risk of a pandemic, a global outbreak of a serious disease.funny image about obamaEDIT:Pictured: The four-year-old Mexican boy living near 'ground zero' pig farm who may hold the key to swine flu outbreakA staggering 60 per cent of the 3,000 residents of La Gloria - which lies in the shadow of a massive U.S-owned pig farm - reported getting sick, including three children aged under two, who later died.I knew it! USA involvement. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunenewt Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Ah its in my county nowhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8024690.stmLess than 50 miles away from me, and somewhere my girlfriend and best friend's girlfriend went the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 Last night it was confirmed in 2 more provinces of Canada.Government finally told people to avoid Mexico and some air carriers are not flying down there anymore.Someone died in the USA from swine flu. Expect media to go crazy.Around 150 died from swine flu. 13,000 in USA have died from regular flu since January... zomg don't eat pork!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahdi Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 You know, my throat hurts a bit...I actually took a sicky day today (first one ever, if you don't count my work from home 'cause I'm not feeling well day last winter). Woke up after about 45 minutes of sleep all sweaty, pounding heart, naseau, etc. Haven't been asleep again since. Of course, my job is paying people to kill their pigs, so after I sent notice to my office that I was taking the day off sick I've already had two people suggest that it might be swine flu....It'll fizzle out just like all of the other paranoid health scares of the last ten years (Bird Flu, West Nile, can't even remember the names of the other ones). Does no one else think it may not be a coincidence that the only people who have died from it are those who used Mexican Health Care, and every international case has been brushed off as mild or medium flu symptoms? Maybe the danger isn't so much the flu itself, but the Mexican Health Care System? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatar Khan Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Around 150 died from swine flu. 13,000 in USA have died from regular flu since January... zomg don't eat pork!!!The interesting thing is that the original flue viruses also originated from pigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chatfsh Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 It'll fizzle out just like all of the other paranoid health scares of the last ten years (Bird Flu, West Nile, can't even remember the names of the other ones). Does no one else think it may not be a coincidence that the only people who have died from it are those who used Mexican Health Care, and every international case has been brushed off as mild or medium flu symptoms? Maybe the danger isn't so much the flu itself, but the Mexican Health Care System?Quite true, this toddler who died in the U.S. was visiting from Mexico and apparently his illness had advanced beyond treatment by the time they thought to admit him to the hospital. And as Andrew mentioned, this year thousands of people have died from the regular flu but no one has panicked over that.When Americans, Canadians or Europeans start dying of swine flu, then I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edric O Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Don't be silly, we all know that swine flu is only the beginning of the devastating zombie plague that will fill the world with the shambling living dead! :O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exatreide Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Well Edric, I'm glad somebody else agrees with me. ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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