Swine Flu: Round Two

[eagleseven]

Don't be fooled: swine flu still poses a deadly threat - health - 08 September 2009 - New Scientist

Swine flu has still not grown more severe, as many feared it would but as the pandemic's second, autumn wave begins in the northern hemisphere, the virus is posing a different threat. While H1N1 mostly causes mild disease, some people – estimates suggest fewer than 1 per cent – become deathly ill, very fast.

At a meeting last week in Winnipeg, Canada, experts warned that these cases could overwhelm hospitals. "These were the sickest people I've ever seen," says Anand Kumar, an intensive care expert at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Kumar helped manage a wave of severe cases in the city in June, mostly in young Canadian aboriginals, who required the most advanced care. "This pandemic is like two diseases," he says. "Either you're off work a few days, or you go to hospital, often to the intensive care unit. There's no middle ground."

It seems that Swine Flu is back and ready for action, Phase 6. Fortunately, for a large majority of patients, it is just a bad flu.

For 1% of the patients, however, it causes acute respiratory distress syndrome. In other words, H1N1 eats their lungs. The below graph demonstrates why mitigation must be attempted. Current estimates make this a Category 3 or 4 pandemic, which is nothing to ignore.

 

[Diuretic]

The "eating lungs" reference sounds a bit like some of the effects of the Spanish Flu. I really do hope that people take this seriously and are careful to practise protective behaviours in the northern winter.

 

[eagleseven]

The "eating lungs" reference sounds a bit like some of the effects of the Spanish Flu. I really do hope that people take this seriously and are careful to practise protective behaviours in the northern winter.

For those 1% of cases, the H1N1 turns their aveoli to goo (non-technical term there), which prevents oxygen absorption. If the patient isn't put onto a ventilator and rapidly given antivirals, they die. You are right, this is what has the experts worried.

At my University we already have a quarantine policy, where the ill will get masks, disinfectant, and food delivered directly to their residences. I hope this silences all those who were previously in denial of the threat.

 

[Zander]

Let the bodies hit the floor......

 

[KittenKoder]

*yawn* A side effect of all the crap we've had around for so long. I expected nothing less.

 

[eagleseven]

*yawn* A side effect of all the crap we've had around for so long. I expected nothing less.

Unfortunately for us, this is a classic evolutionary battle. We're simply the prey for tiny microscopic hunters.

 

[KittenKoder]

*yawn* A side effect of all the crap we've had around for so long. I expected nothing less.

Unfortunately for us, this is a classic evolutionary battle. We're simply the prey for tiny microscopic hunters.

True, but you must admit, we'd be a lot tougher if we hadn't been using all those chemicals and vaccines as much as we have.

 

[eagleseven]

*yawn* A side effect of all the crap we've had around for so long. I expected nothing less.

Unfortunately for us, this is a classic evolutionary battle. We're simply the prey for tiny microscopic hunters.

True, but you must admit, we'd be a lot tougher if we hadn't been using all those chemicals and vaccines as much as we have.

Pharmaceuticals are the spears of microbiological combat

 

[KittenKoder]

Unfortunately for us, this is a classic evolutionary battle. We're simply the prey for tiny microscopic hunters.

True, but you must admit, we'd be a lot tougher if we hadn't been using all those chemicals and vaccines as much as we have.

Pharmaceuticals are the spears of microbiological combat

Depends on how it's used. A weapon can be your tool ... or your undoing.

 

[Diuretic]

At least we discovered germ theory. Heck before 1911 I think it was we thought flu was caused by miasma! Given that the first known clinical description of influenza was as early as Hippocrates we certainly took a while to work out what caused it.

Anyway, take care this (northern) winter.