Originally Posted by RowdysMom (Post 2600821)

Another aspect to know - yes, it is affecting healthy adults more IN MEXICO and this is due to the hyper immune system response which causes the lungs to fill with fluid = pneumonia, and more serious illness/death.

BUT, this flu has a type A component which apparently was in the flu shot we (U.S.) got last fall and that's why it is not as bad in the U.S. (deaths) as in Mexico.

I think everyone is being overly cautious - but again, this is s new type of flu and even if it turns out to be relatively mild in the U.S., it still could make lots of people sick.

Originally Posted by Erin (Post 2600797)

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.

Originally Posted by mimimomo (Post 2600951)

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985 (Post 2599298)

I don't know if I should be too worried. I use to work for a pediatrician, my roommate still does, and they have been having so many calls and people come in about this flu. The doctor assured her and all his patients that it is only a different strain of the flu, but it's still the flu. As long as you wash your hands and take care like any other flu outbreak then you should be fine.
As far as Mexico... The one place I think keeps getting mentioned on the news is Mexico City, and as I remember it, these are the odds...
1400 cases are known of people who got sick, in a city of 80000000 people. So, 0.00175% of the population in Mexico city have gotten sick by that strain. It sounds a lot more scary if the news just keeps saying "1400 documented cases." People have gotten sick, and even died by other strains of the flu, of which according to my bio classes are many!!! There are more strains of the flu than there are vaccines for them. I'm not saying people shouldn't be careful, I'm just questioning how much it's blown out of proportion by fear brought on by the news. It is smart to be cautious and to stay away from sick people, or if you're sick stay at home instead of bringing the illness to the office. Wash your hands and take any other precautions that you would take during any other flu season.

Originally Posted by juliaw04 (Post 2600813)

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. :(

Originally Posted by jeanm1963 (Post 2599910)

the news just said they have new cases in Massachusetts

Originally Posted by Erin (Post 2600789)

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