Swine Flu Pandemic - Preparation

[Witchiepoo]

FWIW, I won't be getting vaccinated.

[John]

> I had an odd thought this morning. It's quite possible that this
> particular swine flu virus is not The Big One, but as it spreads
> throughout the world, mutates, and recombines with other swine and
> bird flu viruses, it could eventually become The Big One. In that
> case, people who have prior exposure to the current virus (and
> survive) might have a better natural immunity to whatever else
> comes along. Oddly enough, this scenario would mean that current
> isolation and quarantine procedures are actually
> counterproductive.

> With that in mind, I'm going to forget about masks, gloves, and
> stocking food, and just live my life.

I don't disagree with this philosophy -- I probably share it.

But when you just "live your life," you also keep a first aid kit in
the house, and you also buy fire insurance. "Living your life"
doesn't mean going nuts, but it does mean taking ordinary precautions
for unfortunate events that might occur.

So I don't think it's the least bit unreasonable to encourage people
stock up on a few days' worth of canned food, or take other
precautions to get you through the day, if it turns out that "living
your life" takes an unexpected, nasty turn.

Sincerely,

John

[ainsleyclare]

FWIW, I won't be getting vaccinated.

Let me guess...1976 still too fresh in your mind?
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/ ... 7115.story
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol12no01/05-1007.htm

[Witchiepoo]

I was only 9 years old in 1976, and I don't even remember that. Well, maybe I remember hearing something vague about "swine flu," but I probably had no idea what people were talking about.

John, if you want to stock up on food, by all means go ahead. But remember that this this virus will circulate through the population for a long long time, so the only way to be sure of avoiding it would be to lock yourself up in a fallout shelter for a while. And even then, it will still be around whenever you come out. Unless all the birds, pigs, and other humans are dead by then. In which case you might be ok.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's reality. Pretending otherwise is probably not helpful.

[protagonist]

Why are people getting so upset over this?

286 cases, 1 death in the U.S. Not a very high mortality rate, nor a high number of cases. More people die because of common flu than this thing. I don't see why people should get so worried over this, unless it's because people are giving up reason to their fears.

[jusme]

I love Bob Marley's song " Don't Worry Be Happy " !

I also heed the old addage "Survivist Of The Fitist"

In between these 2 lines is the balance !

Get your life in order and have order in your life!

Knowone will ever take better care of you than you!

You can't possibly know everything ,but you can be prepared to make whatever comes your way less tramatic and possibly more manageable .

Figure out your own personal needs and responcibilities ?

As the saying goes " Life comes at you fast ! "

If you've done all you can do just keep informed.

We all need To "Be Ready " every day. We are for the most part all over whelmed with responcibilities and there's always something to throw a wrench init. ! Our Great Grandparents would have loved to have had the tools ,talent and advantages we have today.

The more prepared you are the less you will be afraid

You can only control yourself.

The rest is a "crap shoot !
Nothing new !

Sincerely,Jus me

[StilesBC]

I don't believe in any of the hype around this swine flu. I think it is a power grab by government and a money grab by the drug companies. Together with a complicit media (as always) we are being fed mass propaganda to instill fear, panic and complicity.

Eat well, exercise, keep a stash of storable food in your home. Those are recommendations I would make to anyone at anytime. But to avoid public gatherings is way over the top. Especially for a disease that has killed far fewer people than the average flu does.

The real issue is not the news. It is the reaction to the news. We are in a period of declining social mood. People are more likely to believe the worst if they are already pessimistic. That is why this has received even more coverage as SARS with a fraction of the casualties.

[jusme]

I agree completely with you.I'm having surgery soon.I'm more concerned with MERSA ! Talk about a pandemic ! Yikes !

Juse me

[Witchiepoo]

I think there's a middle ground between hubris and total panic. For me, the current epidemic/pandemic is like a warning sign.

[Samir]

I hadn't even thought of a government-mandated vaccination program; just made the assumption that people are paranoid enough about this flu strain that they would choose to get vaccinated as soon as a vaccine was available.

I think paranoia goes both ways on this one. Paranoia will make some people want to get vaccinated, and others not want to get vaccinated. In my opinion both are a problem. We need to make rational choices, and not make choices because of irrational fears. I'll leave it up to everyone else to decide what that think is rational or not.

I think the government has actually been doing a pretty good job at trying to keep people calm. The CDC has given some common sense advice. As this wave winds down even the media is ready to say the worst is behind us. I still have many questions I haven't found the answer too. Will those who were infected with this wave, be immune to the next wave? If the virus causes a "cytokine storm" reaction, does vaccination even matter? Are there any reported cases of such a reaction with the current wave?