Well, it's like 10 minutes from Dallas, I think. He installs paint booth systems in factories though. This job is for the government and it's a paint system for the helicopters, or something, that are coming back from Iraq.

Hope that makes sense.

That's how I feel about it too. The media has to have some big news story to hype up.

Also, I figure, if I'm going to get it, I'll get it. Not that I won't take precautions, but what good is worrying and panicking going to do?

its so scary! there are only are 6 poeple in nj who have it but still! it keeps spreading and spreading everyday!

I'm not worried. We take Grapefruit Seed Extract (also known as GSE) when something (illness) is going around and haven't had colds or flu in over two years. We get the tablets at the health food store. Just a good preventive.

I love Wisconsin. My parents have a little cabin way up there and I've always got that in the back of my mind when things like this happen! :D

Just to clarify, since I've been watching news conferences all day :)

Flu, as in INFLUENZA, is a respiratory virus, not a stomach virus. It amazes me how many people are misinformed about this. I've been watching the news today and I'm happy that they are trying their best to communicate that information. Influenza will hit you quickly, but it is a high fever, cough and/or sore throat, muscle/body aches, etc. It's like a VERY bad cold. It's also possible to have these symptoms and not have influenza. I went from perfectly fine to fever, dizzy, sore throat, trouble breathing, etc. within like 8 hours last winter and I went in for a flu swab test (they swab your nose) and it was clear, so it was just a really bad cold. So, if you think you have this STAY HOME and call your doctor and/or urgent care and they will instruct you where to go for a flu swab. If they confirm flu (any flu, not just H1N1 Swine Flu) they can give you Tamiflu or other anti-virals. But in my experience they will not just give you Tamiflu without a swab :) So, definitely call and ask what to do! (I hate being sick so I try to be very proactive :rolleyes:)

(That's not to say stomach viruses aren't horrible - they are - they just aren't "the flu" I wish we could get away from saying "stomach flu" because it's totally not...)

Also, people are apparently avoiding eating pork?? Again, it's a respiratory virus. Eating pork will not make anyone sick with H1N1.

There are couple reasons this might get pretty bad:

Pigs are very close to humans genetically. That is why they use pig organs for experimental transplants, etc. In the past with the "avian flu" people could pretty much only catch it FROM birds, not so much human to human. Because this strain was in pigs before it "jumped species" there is a better chance that it will easily transmit from human to human. It's more complicated than that, but I am always thankful for my having had an AP Bio class when trying to understand this sort of thing. :)

The other reason is that this is similar to the 1918 flu in the sense that it is attacking healthy people. Because this is a *new* flu, people with robust immune systems have a significant response to it. It's called a cytokine storm: Cytokine storm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Apparently, that is what happened in 1918 and they think it might be happening again. Typically the flu is most deadly to children and elderly, not healthy adults. So that is why they are watching this so closely.

There are also some reasons it might not get so bad:
Communication and quarantine - like previously said 1400 people isn't a high % of MC and the whole world is preparing for the spread.
Antibiotics to treat secondary pneumonia.
Antivirals like Tamiflu.
Diagnostic tests to identify the spread
We don't know how transmissible this is human to human yet. We know that it is transmissible, but there's a chance it will slowly weaken unless it mutates again. The bird flu fizzled out because it wasn't easily transmitted.

Also, they are saying that the symptoms are very similar to regular flu, not necessarily worse. I think it's odd that it happened in April at the more traditional end of flu season. I don't think anyone knows just what will happen...

Regardless, we need groceries so I'm going to really stock up just in case. They might be over-reacting by closing schools, etc. but why take the chance? I guess the officials got some flack last time for over-reacting to the bird flu but I'd rather be informed! We've only had 1 case in IL so now is a good time to still get out and stock up :D

They just said that the toddler who died in Texas had been sick since April 4th and his family is not sick, so that is a sad situation but it's actually a good sign that the family did not get sick even after 3 weeks...

Do they know how the teenagers in NY got sick??? They said they went to Mexico for spring break but no details.

Look at our weather how its changed, Huricanes are caused by the warming trend. Did you know our Planet is 3 degress warmer than it was 10 years ago....

Wasnt that 1 year old actually from Mexico City and they traveled up here to visit relatives?

The Texas Children's Hospital in Houston just said that the child did NOT acquire the virus here. Yes, he was from Mexico. They are also saying he had "underlying health issues"

You are exactly right. Whenever we get a big snowfall here people write into our local paper saying how Global Warming is BS - people don't understand. Regardless of the cause of Global Warming, it is happening, and it is causing gradual temperature change. Ocean currents are being disrupted and in turn, weather patterns are disrupted. Not sure what it has to do with swine flu, but again I find it very strange that it's happening in April, in Mexico no less!

I believe he is right! When they name a flu, the media always gets carried away.

Here is a quote about average flue deaths during just normal times: "The number of influenza-associated (i.e., flu-related) deaths varies from year to year because flu seasons often fluctuate in length and severity. CDC estimated that about 36,000 people died of flu-related causes each year, on average, during the 1990s in the United States." Now those are flu-related so even complications resulting from the flu or those ill and then contracting flu too. But there are always people dying of the flu. Reports saythis flu is following typical outbreak patterns.

The one death here in the US was a toddler from Mexico City. So, we have actually not had any deaths here in the US of people normally living here. But when flu seasons are over and done with statistics will probably show there were flu-related deaths -- from this swine flu. Interestingly, when I first joined the Navy back in the seventies (yes, I am old :)), the first time I ever heard of a flu shot, we got two shots, one in each arm, Swine Flu A & B. BTW I got sick as could be!

It has lots to do with this, unsanitary conditions, warm air and water, this is a recipe for an infestation of bacteria and diseases.

They are concerned because some of the people who died in Mexico were healthy adults. Typically when healthy adults catch the regular seasonal flu they get sick for 2 weeks and recover, without intervention. That MAY have been a fluke, but that is a big reason why they are concerned.

The W.H.O. just bumped the alert level to 5 out of 6.

Could this all be hype? Could these people just have a random virus? Could it be another "Close Encounter of the Third Kind"? Hmmmm? Is it to keep people from traveling ANYWHERE in order to keep our money in the good ol USA? What the heck is going on anymore?

Could it be people wanting to lower the prices of airfare to their favorite destinations? Or even cruises before the summer months arrive?
It's funny how I just heard something like that on my drive back from school.

Great info, the flu is a virus, not a bacterial infection, although complications can cause a bacterial infection, and regardless how safe you think you are, the National Health Institute has raised the warning to a phase 5 which is second from the highest level and says they think pandemic levels are immenant. I know at my job we are gearing up to house sick. Wash your hands, doorknobs, all high touch areas.

I live in central Texas, and I teach high school. I was not that concerned beyond making sure that I encourage my students to wash their hands and use Germex, and just follow regular precautions. I did start wiping down desks and door knobs and keyboards, but that was it.

Today, I heard that ALL high school sports have been postponed or cancelled until at least May 11th throughout Texas. WHAT??? :eek: Sports in Texas are a HUGE deal! Now I'm getting concerned. :eek:

Yes Judy, You are right, this is not a joke, our school sports have been cancelled until the 11 of may. We had a banquet on the 5th, been cancelled. Please be carefull everyone....Remember your worst enemy is your nose,eyes mouth and hands, Keep your hand clean more than ever....

Please don't get sick, Judy! Yes, it gets a little more worrisome every day. The little boy died at Texas Children's. I have to take my daughter to Texas Children's for an all day appointment on Friday. I am sure we will be fine, but that nagging little thought in the back of my mind worries just a little bit about coming in contact with someone who was exposed. We will be in a different building, though and I am sure they will be taking extra precautions since this is a cancer check up and there will be lots of little kids there who are still on chemo.

Yes, I think it's probably the whole state's UIL events that are cancelled. I didn't think about the banquets and stuff, I wil have to see about that here.

There are sure a lot of kids in our schools here who have family in Mexico and go there frequently.

Hubby just called on his way home from work and said they have shut down some school(s) in Ft. Worth. Anyone in the area know if there is any truth to that?

Nevermind, just read on wfaa.com. All FW schools closed until May 8. I am sure many other school districts will follow....

Dallas-Fort Worth News | WFAA.com

Cleburne ISD closes, FWISD closes 4 schools | Latest News | WFAA.com

I think that I'm unsure on what to think haha. I *definitely* think that the media has blown it completley out of proportion and has people spazzing out everytime someone sneezes. It is hard to get exact facts on this thing, cause everyone is so busy flipping out.
Every year there is a big epidemic. YES, it is a VERY unfortunate situation and my prayers are with *all* affected and I'm praying for the health of those who are exposed. However, I do not think it's *as* huge as the media has made it out to be.
The media's reaction to this flu has people TERRIFIED to leave their homes. While it is bad, it's not *that* bad in most areas.

Really?? I live in so cal...where have I been?:D
This is from msn:
Pork producers are trying to get people to stop calling the disease swine flu, and Obama notably referred to it Wednesday only by its scientific name, H1N1. U.N. animal health expert Juan Lubroth noted some scientists say “Mexican flu” would be more accurate, a suggestion already inflaming passions in Mexico.
http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/i/MSNBC/C...3_Symptoms.gif

Oh the ol scare tactic's...........works every time. ;)

It's a precaution, not a scare tactic. Limiting contact is the best way to prevent the spread.

I worked in a school for a while and when we would have winter bugs going around we would have low attendance anyway - or during freak-outs like when some kid got MRSA and half the parents kept their kids home. It makes more sense to just close and clean the school because otherwise you have 6 kids sitting in a classroom with a sub because the teacher is sick or the teacher's kids are sick. Schools are the worst for passing around this kind of stuff. Kids switch classes, share desks, locker rooms, etc. I would clean my desk every morning and throughout the day and I STILL got sick, I had a cold or strep or something about every 2 weeks. Since I have stopped working there (last summer) I have had nothing contagious! Amazing how that works. :D

I agree. Since Jan 13000 ppl died from the regular flu. This has killed less than that, so y r they making this such a big deal? Maybe there is more they're not telling us. Either way it's good they're talking about it because people will more likely get treated and not go in public to spread the germs. I normally have allergies and are not contagious, but if I'm sick now I'll more likely check with my doctor before going into work. I think everyone will be fine as long as we wash our hands and not eat/drink out of anyone else.

I tried to explain it. They are concerned because this is a new strain of flu to which no one has any immunity, and it is showing signs of being deadly to healthy, robust adults. They don't know how viciously it will spread but since it is a new strain they have to take stronger precautions than they would normally take with the seasonal flu. The seasonal flu stinks but typically a healthy individual would recover without treatment... They think this is different.

I tell my student teachers/ interns that teaching is really about germ-warfare. You have to build your immune system, get flu shots, etc...

By the way, thanks for the explanation about this flu earlier in this thread. It helped. :thumbup:

If I may ask, why are you avoiding fast food places? Is it because of pork in their products? This is a respiratory illness, not bacterial. Eating pork will not make you sick....

Anything animal related, mad cow disease and now this, makes me fear for the farmer. Overreactions of the media can have drastic negative consequences on the agricultural industry. :(

Thanks... I was a total geek in HS (still am) I think I read my AP bio book cover to cover so when they explain this stuff on TV I actually understand it... plus I'm a news junkie so I've been watching the press conferences all day long.

One more tip:
I buy those wet wipes and leave them in my purse, car - everywhere. Whenever I go into a store and get back in my car I wipe my hands. I've even got my husband trained to do the same. We sound like Monk, "Wipe...WIPE!" :D