Swine Flu

Hey! A safe one!

Timely 'toon, Clay.

But to retain my rep of bitterness, why are they touching? /pure rhetoric. Do not answer.

First, one child in the Chattanooga vicinity and now, just overnight, news of another Kindergarten-aged child succumbing to the H1N1 virus in the Nashville area. It all seems so surreal.

Where is all of this coming from?? Has it been even a year since we first heard of the initial outbreak?? Are we still blaming(?) Mexico? I doubt either of these two children were recently cavorting on the beaches of some Latin American country. And, how do pre-existing conditions play into all of this??

Just thought I'd raise a few questions for the sake of discussion. And to the affected families, my sincerest condolences.

Thank you for your time and attention, Woody

It has not been a year, but this is a powerful strain. Schools are back in session now... during the summer, if a child was sick, they were at home and less likely to spread it to others. Now, the children are all in close quarters again, so what was left of the swine flu (it never went away) is becoming widespread again. I, personally, am extremely nervous about this, and I am grappling with whether or not to give the H1N1 vaccine to my 2-year-old daughter when it becomes available in October. Swine flu scares me, but so does a vaccine that is new which we don't really know the side effects of yet. In the 1970s, the vaccine did more harm than good, with the government eventually paying out money to people who were sickened by the vaccine.

Woody,

Viruses can remain dormant until immune systems are overworked or overexposed. The CDC and WHO knew that H1N1 outbreaks would become more widespread as children went back to school because of the nature of cramming numbers of kids close together. Kids, by nature, do not have fully developed immune systems. These kids with confirmed cases were at one point exposed to someone else carrying the virus. It's unfortunate, but it's why the fall season is typically referred to as flu season.

The blame isn't on Mexico directly for these particular cases. Mexico is simply the place of origin for this mutated strain of the flu virus. It is believed to have been passed from pigs to humans (hence the name) because of farmers raising pigs in the region.

As far as your pre-existing conditions question, I'm unsure what you mean by it. I'll wait to see if you respond as I don't want to make any assumptions.

If he's wondering if pre-existing conditions can make someone more likely to get sick/die from the flu, then, yes, they can play into it. Some people's bodies, because of other underlying conditions, just can't fight off the flu as well as people who are generally healthy. Sad, but true.

Back in April, medical experts warned us that swine flu would come back with a vengeance during the normal flu season. What's a bit disturbing is that it's starting to show up earlier than expected.

Another point is that school officials do not report anything other than 'confirmed' cases of H1N1. Confirmation can only be done by the Centers for Disease Control. So, if doctors don't go to the trouble having specimens testing in Atlanta, we probably won't hear about it.

A quick Google news search of 'swine flu schools' will show you how the problem seems to be escalating in different parts of the country. Here's a link to the search:

http://tinyurl.com/m3sx6x

During the 70s, we were lined up and our Commander gave us a direct order to accept the shot or be court-martialed for disobeying a direct order. The JAG stood next to him. Nobody wanted the shot nor would they voluntarily take it -- as maj pointed out, it caused way too many problems and there was evidence [later proven true] that there was no "swine flu".

In any case, following our CC, who was first in line, we all got the shot [using the "gun"]. The med tech debriefing all of us told us to keep our shot record as proof of receiving the shot since further evidence pointed toward possible paralysis in later years -- something about attacking the nervous system as I recall. I can hardly wait...I am at that age...and I still have the record.

More food for thought, maj.

This is sure a big break for the pharma companies, what? Billions sold...to borrow a motto. How much of the action does WHO and the UN get, if any?

It doesn't matter where the flu originates...with today's essentially unrestricted air travel with no quarantine or even a med exam at our terminals, the question is moot. We stopped essentially all infections cold at Ellis Island at one time...but that was a different, less "diverse" age.

Thanks Maj. You hit the nail right on the head. Some of us are simply much more susceptible to 'airborne' diseases than others.

Actually, everyone posting thus far today has had some interesting thoughts on the subject. Even Rolando to a degree.

Thanks again for your time and attention, Woody

Reason number 4,692 for homeschooling.

Amen, dadof6.