Oh, fuck. Here we go...
Posted on: April 28, 2009 - 6:12pm
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Oh, fuck. Here we go...
Looks like swine flu, as predicted, has managed to beat-out avian flu for starting an epidemic - and possibly a pandemic, depending on how rapidly/effectively we can lock that shit down (...on the slightly brighter side, at least it's swine flu; it'll be much easier (see: not totally impossible) to quarantine than avian flu).
129 people confirmed dead as a result of contracting the virus, including perfectly healthy adults with strong immune systems.
Fuck.
Quote:
"Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full."
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
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No, I am not.
Cytokines trigger T-Cell and Macrophage migration to the site of infection, as well as activate these cells and thereby trigger the release of yet more Cytokines. When this process gets out of control, severe tissue and organ damage result from the sudden build-up of the pathogen fighting cells (in the lungs, this can result in asphyxiation. Outside of the lungs, however, blood clots, cardiac arrest, aneurisms, etc are all possibilities depending on where the migration occurs. The mechanism is not 'chemical secretion'; it's an over inflation of Macrophages and T-Cells)
EDIT: I only hope that you're just blowing smoke out of your ass when you say, on the one hand, that, "Your entire family is in the medical field," and on the other, "There's no sense in being informed about the crisis in Mexico. Just sit back and smile,"
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
...So one person, Julio Frenk, agrees with you. The rest of the article's quoted experts essetially say, "We don't know. There are lots of possibilities. We're working on it."
I fail to see how this supports your assertion that the now 159 deaths in Mexico City are simply a result of the living conditions there (there are, as you know from reading the article, some 2,000 cases reported in Mexico City - versus 64 in the U.S. )
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
I didn't say anything was wrong with being informed.
What I am seeing though is not people being informed. I see the media practically inciting hysteria.
Yes, for people to wash their hands and practice normal hygiene. No, for "PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIEEE! THE OUTBREAK IS INCURABLE, UNSTOPPABLE like a HORRIBLE FORCE OF NATURE and it's COMING YOUR WAY SOON! Now for the next 45 minutes listen to one of our "experts" talk about the possible death toll and dangers to you and your family! TO YOUR CHILDREN!"
They act like the majority of people that have been infected didn't recover. I know they are there to sensationalize, but come on.
Being informed I have nothing against. I approve of it. Doomsaying though I don't see any point in. It's just the flu. If I got swine flu, I'd get over it and then be immune.
When a real threat comes around, let me know.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
Alright; cool.
So, to recap:
- There is a potentially dangerous outbreak of influenza in Mexico City right now
- The media has unrealistically overhyped the issue
- The WHO is responding to the problem, and people should be prepared & informed based on what the pros are saying about it right now
I think we all can agree on these points.
Also: in the event that the swine flu should mutate into zombie flu, I volunteer my basement as a base of operations for organizing against the undead. There's a shortage of samurai swords, but thankfully, a considerable surplus of cardboard tubes.
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
I don't mean to feed the storm or anything, as I am not especially worried about swine flu myself yet, but it looks like the first confirmed death in the US, a 23 month old child:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8024611.stm
Also I could have sworn I heard on the radio this morning as I was getting ready for work that the number of confirmed deaths as a result of swine flue had dropped down to 7, but I was busy getting ready, so I can't remember specifically. I can't spot this at a glance on the bbc website though.
This part of the above linked article seems to hint at an overestimation of what swine flu has done:
"In Mexico, there is some confusion over exactly how many people died from H1N1, the BBC's Stephen Gibbs reports.
This is largely because the government is now subjecting the samples it has from deceased patients to a more laborious verification process. "
There is so far one confirmed death in the United States.
Everyone who was ill in Canada is recovering and were only mildly ill. That's thirteen people, not counting the 20 suspected cases in the GTA.
Further, the virus started in March, so it has certainly not killed anyone in a matter of days.
Fuck, indeed. don't be alarmist. Oh:
*I'm updating this post instead of writing a new one. There's new stuff every bloody minute.
It's now a level 5, with sustained human-human spread in at least two countries.
BigUniverse wrote,
"Well the things that happen less often are more likely to be the result of the supper natural. A thing like loosing my keys in the morning is not likely supper natural, but finding a thousand dollars or meeting a celebrity might be."
Oopsie.
You're right; my mistake. I was reading the suspected deaths (now up to 150+) as confirmed. That was a pretty big blunder.
I also mistakenly thought it had started on the 24th of April; which was actually just the date that the WHO reported the outbreak. Double oopsie.
Here; you can keep track of the situation on the Wikipedia timeline page:
Influenza timeline. Of DOOM!!!
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940
'S'alright, Kevin.
Hey, now I can't edit that post! Double
While I agree that the media wants a story... the last H1N1 outbreak did kill 50-100 million people...
I think caution is in order.
After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him.
The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.
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What we know of this current strain is that there are 31 confirmed deaths and 1500-1800 confirmed ill. Yeah, there's reason for caution, but not because it happens to be be a strain of H1N1 and a strain of that caused the Spanish Flu. There is reason for caution because of the potential that any new strain may be potentially more virulent and more deadly and may cause a pandemic because of a lack of resistence to it.
BigUniverse wrote,
"Well the things that happen less often are more likely to be the result of the supper natural. A thing like loosing my keys in the morning is not likely supper natural, but finding a thousand dollars or meeting a celebrity might be."
Agree. My point is that we shouldn't take it lightly as it has shown potential for large death tolls in the past. Certain viruses have more potential than others. Rhinoviruses, for example do not kill as many people as influenza. That's all I'm saying.
After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him.
The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.
MySpace