Pandemic on it's way.

[Grumpy old man]

Wonder amongst yourselves, for a minute......Was there a regulation about air quality with smokers on flights?. Was it relaxed with the smoking ban?. Were these changes responsible for passengers suffering from DVT?. Could that be relative to passengers being contaminated by a virus.

[Dizzy]

Just seen it on the news and they reported the complaints that it shouldn't be called 'Swine Flu' as it is resulting in countries blocking the import of pigs and of course their meat. Seems sensible to me until they are sure but apparently you can't catch it from eating it (or so they say )

 

Did wonder about the case of the 12 year old who has been confirmed as having it in Paignton Community College, Devon. She apparently returned from her hols in Mexico feeling well and went back to school as usual.

 

A few days later she became unwell and has now been confirmed as having Swine Flu. Out of the 2,000 pupils who attend her school only those in her actual year have been given the anti viral drugs to hopefully combat it spreading further

 

Surely kids + germs + cramped schools + lack of hand washing + them 'socilaising' a lot etc etc must = one of the highest threats for passing a contageous virus on

[observer]

The horse bolted out of the stable way before that Diz: this girl from Devon was on the same flight as the two folk reported from Falkirk; they (belatedly) tried to trace everyone who was on the flight, but discovered that the passenger lists are wiped off the computers after 24hrs of their arrival - as I said, this has got away from them, due to complacency and incompetance. What should have happened is: - every flight arriving from Mexico should have been quaranteened at a comandeered airport hotel, and monitored by trained teams of bio-protected medical personel; no visitors, just the phone; until they could be pronounced virus free. Instead, whilst the Japanese are screening passenger arrivals at their aiports; at Manchester Airport it was buisiness as usual, with relatives hugging and kissing arrivals from Mexico - if it wasn't so serious, you'd die laughing at the complete lack of common sense being employed by so-called experts.

[Egbert]

You are so right Observer!

Of course the whole problem arises because of our obsession with foreign travel. Add to that the fact that an aircraft is probably the most likely place to pick up bugs anyway and you have a recipe for disaster.

Apparently if things get really bad the government has plans for "social distancing" - in other words not getting too close to one another. No football matches, no theatre or cinema, no eating out in restaurants. Then we REALLY will be in a recession!

[observer]

The problem is Egg; the are chasing the problem rather than getting ahead of it: at the very beginning, in mid-Feb, when the alarm was first sounded; a "cordon sanitaire" should have been established around the affected area of Mexico, with no one (without bio-protection equipment) going in, and no one coming out - thus ensuring containment and isolation. Meanwhile, as a secondary precaution, similar restrictions should have been placed on travel to and from Mexico, with quarantine impositions on those traveling from Mexico to other Countries - inconvenient yes; economically damaging yes; but ultimately life saving. This is the worst form of attack threat we could face, whether from natural causes or from terrorism, potentially much worse than a nuclear or chemical attack; and folk from the WHO down need to start getting a grip.

[asperity]

Gordon has stated that we needn't panic as Britain is the best prepared country in the world to face a pandemic. Well that's all right then

[asperity]

Don't worry folks, help is here!

 

[JayC]

I dont think much of the Swine Flu helpline I phoned it this afternoon and all I got was crackling.

 

John

[Dizzy]

Gordon has stated that we needn't panic as Britain is the best prepared country in the world to face a pandemic. Well that's all right then

 

Phew thank goodness for that... At least he must have finally sorted out the recession problem as it's not been headline news for a few days now

 

Ps I like the lemsip ad

[Dizzy]

Obs... hurts me to say it but I find myself agreeing with everything you say (well on this topic anyway ).

 

You make some very valid observations

[Peter T]

That's where he gets his name from. LOL

[asperity]

I understand that the number of dead in Mexico has been revised down to 7. To put that in context 8 people are killed in road accidents in the UK EVERY DAY!! Don't panic Mr Mannering

[observer]

The difference is Asp; that you can't catch, then pass on a road accident to someone else. There two factors involved here: the nature of the virus in proving fatal or otherwise - we yet don't know the answer to that. The rate of spread/contagion, which we can see is taking off, as folk continue to travel round the world passing it around. If we're lucky, it will prove to be a mild form of flu, which 25% of the population will catch; BUT: if it isn't mild, that 25% will die.

[Bazj]

We're all doomed Mr Mannering.... DOOMED!!

[asperity]

Here are some facts that may allow you to sleep peacefully

 

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/04/flu-fears.html

[Evil Sid]

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

 

1? Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

 

2? Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

 

3? Sudden dizziness

 

4? Confusion

 

1.have this though probably caused by smoking too much.

 

2.get this as well, heart attack some years back. now caused by dog jumping on me when i am lying on floor looking lost bits that have gone ping whilst i am trying to fix something.

 

3.get this when i get up suddenly due to medication for heart problems and low blood pressure

 

4.i can honestly say there has not been a time in my life that i was not confused (more so as i get older)

[Horace]

Who is this Mr Mannering who keeps getting a mention? Is he a member of the forum?

Or is he Mr Mainwaring of Dad's Army fame?

[Eagle]

Sounds familiar, Sid.

 

Good try at humour Horace but must try harder.

[Eagle]

I have just rung the NHS help line, all I get is crackling.

[observer]

Whilst Asp struggles to inject an air of complacency into the topic; the fact remains, that we've gone from a localised outbreak in a village east of Mexico City to global spread, due to the inability of the Authories to prevent such spread outside the initially affected area - so that, in itself is cause for concern. The fact that (at the moment), this particular strain appears mild is purely a matter of luck, rather than judgement.

[Peter T]

What happened to your bird flu obs?

[observer]

Wasn't MY bird flu Pierre; but the threat at the time was one of transmission to humans, and consequent human to human spread; which fortunately didn't materialise. It could be argued, that in an over-populated world, this is natures way of culling the human population - which is fine, as long as your not one of those getting culled! My concern is that contagious disease is probably the biggest threat of mass death rates amongst humans, short of WW3, the erruption of the Yellowstone volcano or an asteroid impact; and the authorities are completly helpless in containing such outbreaks, especially when dealing with a cynical and ignorant population, that are unable to comprehend the serious nature of a potential killer that they can't see without a microscope.

[Eagle]

Being very cynical and possibly a touch ignorant I think there is more danger from the doom merchants/headline writers than the 'flu. Good news doesn't sell papers or keep experts in jobs.

 

The two original Scottish "victims" were released from hospital yesterday but you had to look carefully to find it the news.

 

How can somebody be proved to have an, until recently unknown, strain of flu? If we don't know what it is then how do we prove someone has got it?

 

Robert Madelin, director general for EU consumer health policy (WTF is that ) said, "the question now is not whether people will die, but whether it wiill be thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands." If he hasn't a clue why does he come out with such nonsense?

[asperity]

Obs, far from me struggling to inject an air of complacency into the topic, I think it's rather you who is struggling to inject any sense of panic. This is not a new strain of flu virus at all. It is H1N1 which has done the rounds before. All viruses mutate so that's why we keep catching them, but they don't tend to kill everyone. The people who die aren't killed by the flu itself but rather they die because the flu weakens their resistance to other infections such as pneumonia, and tend to be vulnerable anyway. Anyway if you want a job as a full time panic merchant, Al Gore is looking for salesmen!

[Egbert]

Whilst Asp struggles to inject an air of complacency into the topic

 

Observer: While on this occasion I find myself agreeing with Asperity I have to agree with you that he invariably injects an air of complacency into things. Sometimes he is so laid back that I wonder if his ship is called "Californian"