Mexican flu reminiscent of SARS

[AliEnvy]

As of this morning 57 adults aged 25-44 have died in Mexico. Very sad, and too familiar.

Mystery illness in tourists to Mexico- Politics - Canoe.ca

 

[the iron horse]

Really sad...

something to stay informed about.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Excellent source of info here:
Effect Measure

 

[bonoschild2009]

From CBSnews.com regarding the swine flu

With 24 new suspected cases of the swine flu reported Saturday, Mexico City said schools would remain closed and all public events suspended until further notice - including more than 500 concerts, sporting events and other gatherings including the popular weekly bicycle rides on streets closed to traffic.

A hotline set up the previous day fielded 2,366 calls from frightened city residents who suspected they might have the disease. City Health Secretary Armando Ahued said 10 new possible cases of infection have been discovered in the metropolis of 20 million people.

Officials say more than 1,000 people have been infected nationwide. Tests show 20 people have died of the swine flu, and 48 other deaths were probably due to the same strain.

The same virus also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, puzzling experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, because none of the patients had contact with pigs, the more normal form of transmission.

All of the American patients recovered, report CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes, but she notes that more than 600,000 people cross the U.S.-Mexico border every day, creating a potentially wider outbreak.

This virus is a mix of human, pig and bird strains that has epidemiologists around the world deeply concerned. The World Health Organization convened in Geneva Saturday to consider whether to declare an international public health emergency - a step that could lead to travel advisories, trade restrictions and border closures.
_____________________
This is scary shit! If it's to the point where they are suspending public gatherings, that is not good.....I happen to live about 60 miles from Mexico Hopefully this can be contained before it does too much more damage

 

[joyfulgirl]

Now they're testing 30 children in an unnamed NYC daycare center. The number of students sick at the NYC school was first reported to be 100, and just now they reported 200 so I'm not sure if that's a mistake or new information. Yikes.

And a new case in CA.

All mild in the US so far.

 

[Slipstream]

US cases


In the US, the authorities say about 200 children were absent from a school in the New York borough of Queens on Friday, presumed ill. Eight of the nine specimens taken from children were determined to be probable cases of swine fever, said city health commissioner Dr Thomas Frieden. Those samples are now being examined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

None of the 200 children had required hospital treatment and many had fully recovered, said Dr Frieden, but the school could remain closed out of "an abundance of caution". He urged people to maintain basic hygiene, such and covering their mouths when coughing and sneezing, washing hands regularly and keeping surfaces clean.

Six people fell have also fallen ill in California and two in Texas - only one was treated in hospital and all have since recovered.

Health officials in Kansas have also confirmed two cases of swine flu.

CDC officials have said that with cases arising in so many communities, containment is unlikely to be feasible.

"Now that we are looking more widely, I really expect us to find more," said Anne Schuchat of the CDC.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Mexico flu 'a potential pandemic'

 

[Slipstream]

Canadian situation so far

Montrealers in isolation after Mexico trip, CTV reports

MONTREAL — Hospital officials and Quebec's health ministry are refusing to comment on media reports that two Montrealers are under quarantine at a local hospital after vacationing in Mexico.

Lakeshore General Hospital spokesman Louis-Pascal Cyr told CTV News today that the two patients were in isolation for further investigation as a precaution after returning from Mexico two weeks ago.

But a spokeswoman for the ministry said there had been no confirmed or suspected cases of the swine flu in the province.

She says, however, that any travellers returning from Mexico showing flu-like symptoms will be flagged by health officials.

globeandmail.com: Montrealers in isolation after Mexico trip, CTV reports


In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office said he “was briefed this weekend on the flu outbreak and is aware of the situation.” There was no word Saturday from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Canadian authorities said Friday there have been no confirmed cases in the country to date, though public health officials across Canada were checking people returning from affected areas who were feeling unwell.

With the mounting evidence of efficient person-to-person spread, infectious disease experts in this country suggested Canada is likely to see its first cases soon.

globeandmail.com: Swine flu an 'emergency of international concern,' WHO says

 

[Harry Vest]

 

[joyfulgirl]

Sobering.
BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Mexico flu: Your experiences
There is a sense of chaos in the other hospitals and we do not know what to do. Staff are starting to leave and many are opting to retire or apply for holidays. The truth is that mortality is even higher than what is being reported by the authorities, at least in the hospital where I work it. It is killing three to four patients daily, and it has been going on for more than three weeks. It is a shame and there is great fear here. Increasingly younger patients aged 20 to 30 years are dying before our helpless eyes and there is great sadness among health professionals here.
Antonio Chavez, Mexico City

And:
U.S. President Barack Obama was in contact with a man who died April 23 from the swine flu, Reforma reported April 25. Felipe Solis, a museum director, met Obama on April 16 in Mexico City, and began to suffer from flu-like symptoms the following day. On April 18 he was admitted to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a case of pneumonia, which was aggravated by his diabetes. Solis’ glucose levels could not be stabilized, and he died on April 23 from cardiac arrest."
http://www.stratfor.com/sitrep20090425_mexico_u_s_man_swine_flu_met_obama

 

[coolian2]

it's likely to have made it to new zealand: Swine flu 'likely' in New Zealand teens | Stuff.co.nz

 

[joyfulgirl]

Another great source of info - this site gathers news reports from all over the world (the link shows up as 'bird flu' but it now has info on swine flu)
NewsNow: Bird Flu

 

[melon]

There's a good reason as to why a virus can kill a 20-54 demographic more vigorously than the usual "children and old people" demographic, and, as you might imagine, it's related to the immune system. While typical flu viruses kill based on weakened immune systems, which children and the elderly are more likely to have, these viruses kill, because it triggers the body's immune system to overreact, creating a fatal "cytokine storm." Thus, those with the most active immune systems--those aged 20-54 or so--are probably more likely to overreact to this flu virus and die from the cytokine storm, rather than the virus itself, which the younger and older people recover from.

 

[melon]

Something to keep in mind....

U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency in Wake of Swine Flu - First 100 Days of Presidency - Politics FOXNews.com

Swine flu is dangerous because it changes its form and takes on characteristics like bird flu, and there is no vaccination, said Dr. Isador Rosenfeld, a FOX News contributor.

"It's a melange of viruses packed into one," Rosenfeld said, adding that swine flu is usually a mild infection. He suggested staying away from crowded places where people are sneezing and coughing and washing hands.

He said he's a bit confounded about why so many people in Mexico have died because swine flu does respond to Tamiflu and other anti-viral medicines.

"This thing is treatable," he said.

 

[AliEnvy]

For Tamiflu to be effective, it has to be taken within the first 48 hours of symptoms. Most people don't seek medical attention that soon in normal circumstances and it's only now that emergency measures are being taken.

 

[joyfulgirl]

There's a good reason as to why a virus can kill a 20-54 demographic more vigorously than the usual "children and old people" demographic, and, as you might imagine, it's related to the immune system. While typical flu viruses kill based on weakened immune systems, which children and the elderly are more likely to have, these viruses kill, because it triggers the body's immune system to overreact, creating a fatal "cytokine storm." Thus, those with the most active immune systems--those aged 20-54 or so--are probably more likely to overreact to this flu virus and die from the cytokine storm, rather than the virus itself, which the younger and older people recover from.

Precisely. And for those who prefer alternative treatments, it's important to know what causes a cytokine storm and what doesn't. For example, Echinacea, which many people swear by, can cause a cytokine storm. Betaglucans, olive leaf extract, Vitamin C, and colloidal silver would be good things to have in your medicine cabinet.

Also, during the 1918 pandemic, many doctors kept journals and a huge percentage of people treated with aspirin (which was the big thing back then) died, and those treated with homeopathics consistently did not. However, those journals are considered to be anecdotal evidence.

 

[joyfulgirl]

For Tamiflu to be effective, it has to be taken within the first 48 hours of symptoms. Most people don't seek medical attention that soon in normal circumstances and it's only now that emergency measures are being taken.

Tamiflu is also meaningless with a new virus, or so I understood. I also thought the US cases recovered without any antivirals, so I'm confused by the report that swine flu is responding to Tamiflu. Perhaps because even though it's a swine flu, it's not one we've ever seen before.

 

[AliEnvy]

This may not be 100% technically accurate but Tamiflu attacks the neurotramsmitter that is common to all flu strains. That's the main reason it is stockpiled for a potential pandemic. If taken in time the probability of a cytokine storm becomes less and less.

What has me confused is that some reports say that the deadly strain is a human/bird/swine combination not seen before and that the Mexican and US strains have been found to be the same. How can that be if one is deadly and the other isn't...I guess much of the information is coming too fast to be accurate.

 

[Slipstream]

As thought yesterday it was only a matter of time that it hit Canada.

Swine flu confirmed in Canada

TORONTO — Health authorities in Nova Scotia say four students in the province who have had mild cases of swine flu do have a link with Mexico.

-- Sources say British Columbia has found a pair of cases but it is not yet clear if they have a link to Mexico.

-- Ontario health officials are monitoring eleven individuals who have recently travelled to Mexico and who are experiencing "mild" symptoms associated with the outbreak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health said on Sunday.

-- “The swine flu were are seeing outside of Mexico is very mild,” said Dr. Strang.

globeandmail.com: Swine flu confirmed in Canada

 

[Slipstream]

You can track where it's spreading now with Google Maps. So far confirmed cases are in Mexico, USA, and Canada.

H1N1 Swine Flu - Google Maps

 

[bonoschild2009]

Who knows how bad this may get?

You know, it may be way off-base to speculate about this, but I wonder if this swine flu could potentially affect U2's tour? Mexico City has canceled public events indefinitely...I know this flu thing has just taken off and we won't know its full scope for a while, but you've got to wonder how far-reaching it will become...

 

[U2ITNOL]

You know, it may be way off-base to speculate about this, but I wonder if this swine flu could potentially affect U2's tour? Mexico City has canceled public events indefinitely...I know this flu thing has just taken off and we won't know its full scope for a while, but you've got to wonder how far-reaching it will become...

If this swine flu becomes a full-fledged pandemic and follows a course similar to the 1918 pandemic, a 1st wave of mild flu with low fatalities in the spring followed by more fatal 2nd and 3rd waves in fall and winter, then yes, U2's tour this summer/fall could be in jeopardy. If you read the following article at the cdc.gov website regarding the 1918 pandemic, what we're seeing now with the swine flu seems eerily similar to the 1918 pandemic. There's also the possibility this fizzles out in the next few weeks and it's the end of it. Really hard to predict at this point what will happen.

1918 Influenza Pandemic | CDC EID

In the 1918–1919 pandemic, a first or spring wave began in March 1918 and spread unevenly through the United States, Europe, and possibly Asia over the next 6 months (Figure 1). Illness rates were high, but death rates in most locales were not appreciably above normal. A second or fall wave spread globally from September to November 1918 and was highly fatal. In many nations, a third wave occurred in early 1919 (21). Clinical similarities led contemporary observers to conclude initially that they were observing the same disease in the successive waves. The milder forms of illness in all 3 waves were identical and typical of influenza seen in the 1889 pandemic and in prior interpandemic years. In retrospect, even the rapid progressions from uncomplicated influenza infections to fatal pneumonia, a hallmark of the 1918–1919 fall and winter waves, had been noted in the relatively few severe spring wave cases. The differences between the waves thus seemed to be primarily in the much higher frequency of complicated, severe, and fatal cases in the last 2 waves.

Figure 1. Three pandemic waves: weekly combined influenza and pneumonia mortality, United Kingdom, 1918–1919

 

[VintagePunk]

I'm not sure if this new flu is as virulent as SARS was, but being relatively close to Toronto as I am, I was extremely impressed with the way that our public health officials dealt with that. We're very fortunate in Canada that our officials and medical personnel are experienced with this sort of outbreak, and that there is a tested protocol in place for dealing with it.

Has anyone heard anything about why there are a large number of fatalities in Mexico, but nowhere else in the world? If I had to guess, I'd say it's because of the crowdedness of Mexico City, and perhaps a lower level of health care or hygiene? That's only an uneducated guess, though. In these early stages where other North Americans are being affected through direct contact with Mexico, I'd say it's probably too early for the virus to have mutated, so it has to be something that's causing people outside of Mexico to have milder cases with a high survival rate.

 

[Irvine511]

ugh. i spend 2 hours a day on public transportation.

let's hope it's not in DC.

 

[financeguy]

Does alcohol kill these germs? I'm just curious.

 

[VintagePunk]

Does alcohol kill these germs? I'm just curious.

We can only hope. :heinekenbuzz:

I megadose on vitamin C to make up for my vices. I'm okay, right?

 

[jesseu2]

ugh. i spend 2 hours a day on public transportation.

let's hope it's not in DC.

yes, lets hope its not in DC

I'm moving there soon.

 

[HyperU2]

You know, it may be way off-base to speculate about this, but I wonder if this swine flu could potentially affect U2's tour? Mexico City has canceled public events indefinitely...I know this flu thing has just taken off and we won't know its full scope for a while, but you've got to wonder how far-reaching it will become...

 

[LJT]

Does alcohol kill these germs? I'm just curious.

Regular handwash will do the trick for getting rid of most things off your hands, including viruses.

 

[A stor]

Really sad...

something to stay informed about.

I agree.

 

[AliEnvy]

Does alcohol kill these germs? I'm just curious.

It surpresses your immune system which for young, healthy adults in such an outbreak, would give binge drinking legitimate medicinal status.

Cheers.