H1N1 (Swine Flu) spreads worldwide= Is declared a Pandemic

[wyq614]

Cuba is almost surrounded by affected countries now. I'm afraid that we cannot return to China on the scheduled date (May 31)

Plus, The Mexican that was confirmed as affected case in Hong Kong took two flights respectively Ciudad Mexico-Shanghai and Shanghai-Hong Kong, recent news showed that there has been 13 passengers that had also took one of the two flights (Shanghai-HK) got a fever. Moreover, 45 people who accomodated in the same hotel as the Mexican feel ill.

I imagine that Shanghai is tight now and I have seen a picture showing passengers have their mouths "sealed" at the Beijing Capital Intl. Airport.

http://news.163.com/09/0502/14/58ALCG04000120GR.html (Chinese)

[lurkey]

WHO official expects to raise flu alert to highest level

Someone please wake me up when this "pandemic" of fear is over. . .


http://www.swinefighter.com/

[RL3AO]

This is interesting.

(CNN) -- If there's a blessing in the current swine flu epidemic, it's how benign the illness seems to be outside the central disease cluster in Mexico. But history offers a dark warning to anyone ready to write off the 2009 H1N1 virus.

In each of the four major pandemics since 1889, a spring wave of relatively mild illness was followed by a second wave, a few months later, of a much more virulent disease. This was true in 1889, 1957, 1968 and in the catastrophic flu outbreak of 1918, which sickened an estimated third of the world's population and killed, conservatively, 50 million people.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/30/swine.flu.1918.lessons/index.html

[Cryomaniac]

This is interesting.

(CNN) -- If there's a blessing in the current swine flu epidemic, it's how benign the illness seems to be outside the central disease cluster in Mexico. But history offers a dark warning to anyone ready to write off the 2009 H1N1 virus.

In each of the four major pandemics since 1889, a spring wave of relatively mild illness was followed by a second wave, a few months later, of a much more virulent disease. This was true in 1889, 1957, 1968 and in the catastrophic flu outbreak of 1918, which sickened an estimated third of the world's population and killed, conservatively, 50 million people.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/30/swine.flu.1918.lessons/index.html

That's exactly why we can't write this off just yet. And it's scary.

[Rainband]

i hate the media hype next they will say it's terrorism

[somethingfunny]

i hate the media hype next they will say it's terrorism

The worst thing about this is that when 1918 does repeat (or worse), many more people will die because "the swine flu blew over" and they won't take it seriously.

[Dionne]

i hate the media hype next they will say it's terrorism

The worst thing about this is that when 1918 does repeat (or worse), many more people will die because "the swine flu blew over" and they won't take it seriously.

8 countries say they have one confirmed case each. 7 states also say they have one confirmed case each. I'm not talking about all of the countries and states with multiple confirmed infections, just the locations reporting one each. What do you suppose will happen in all the locations with one confirmed infection? The numbers are going to ramp up.

The media has absolutely no control over who gets infected. 700+ confirmed cases worldwide is nothing. It is the potential that is of concern.

Kind of reminds me of the nay-sayers with Katrina when the forecast dropped from a Cat 5 to a Cat 3. Early the next morning they were calling 911.

[Stephanie]

i hate the media hype next they will say it's terrorism

The worst thing about this is that when 1918 does repeat (or worse), many more people will die because "the swine flu blew over" and they won't take it seriously.

Yep. There is definately such a thing as over kill but imagine how many more people would've been infected if none of this was brought to light?

I'm right there with you Dionne with the Katrina analogy.

[CajunMama]

It's here....which means the school will be closed at least 2 weeks.

FLU UPDATE: H1N1 flu confirmed in Lafayette Parish
Five cases are Cathedral-Carmel students

May 3, 2009

The governor's Office of Homeland Office of Homeland Security said today there are seven confirmed cases of H1N1, or swine flu, in Louisiana.
Advertisement

Five of those cases are from Lafayette Parish. All five confirmed in Lafayette are Cathedral-Carmel students.

State officials received confirmation today that of the cases sent for confrimation to CDC, seven were positive for H1N1. Aside from the Lafayette cases, one from Orleans and one from Ascension are confirmed for swine flu.


Edit to add at 2:45pm. Listening to Gov. Jindal's press conference...St Thomas More high school has been closed because the parents of one of the infected kids at Cathedral Carmel let their other child continue going to school even with flu-like symptons. What in the world were these parents thinking????????????????

[cycloneye]

Swine Flu Wanes in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's health secretary said the swine flu epidemic in his country "is now in its declining phase," even as the U.S. and five other countries in Europe and Latin America reported new cases Sunday.

China quarantined more than 70 Mexican travelers and Hong Kong isolated 350 people in a hotel as a precaution even though no new swine flu infections appeared in Asia. In Egypt, authorities' attempt to kill all pigs as a precaution against the disease prompted pig owners to clash with police who were helping to seize their animals for slaughter.

The death toll in Mexico remains at 19, and the number of confirmed cases has increased slightly, from 473 to 506, including the dead, Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said. He said "evolution of the epidemic is now in its declining phase."

He said data suggest the epidemic peaked sometime between April 23 and April 28, and that drastic measures — closing the nation's schools, shuttering most of its businesses and banning mass public gatherings — apparently have helped curb the flu's spread.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/med_swine_flu

[Dionne]

Swine Flu Wanes in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's health secretary said the swine flu epidemic in his country "is now in its declining phase," even as the U.S. and five other countries in Europe and Latin America reported new cases Sunday.

China quarantined more than 70 Mexican travelers and Hong Kong isolated 350 people in a hotel as a precaution even though no new swine flu infections appeared in Asia. In Egypt, authorities' attempt to kill all pigs as a precaution against the disease prompted pig owners to clash with police who were helping to seize their animals for slaughter.

The death toll in Mexico remains at 19, and the number of confirmed cases has increased slightly, from 473 to 506, including the dead, Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said. He said "evolution of the epidemic is now in its declining phase."

He said data suggest the epidemic peaked sometime between April 23 and April 28, and that drastic measures — closing the nation's schools, shuttering most of its businesses and banning mass public gatherings — apparently have helped curb the flu's spread.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/med_swine_flu

But of course the flu is declining in Mexico. All the cruise ships split. But in all seriousness......I hope the report is correct. Although, I am suspicious.

[Derek Ortt]

OK, after listening to the reports... I have concluded, along with some others here, that this is the hype of the decade. This is this decade's Y2K scare

IT IS THE FLU! Lets get a grip. No need to start closing schools because someone is a little sick. If we did that all of the time, KIDS WOULD NEVER ATTEND SCHOOL

I wonder what next decades hype will be...

[RL3AO]

I understand the WHOs response to this. It was a new virus spreading person to person and was killing. They didn't (and still don't) know what its full potential is. The last thing they wanted was to underestimate it and not contain the next Spanish flu.

But the media response to this was ridiculous. There has been 24/7 coverage for the past week for a mild influenza virus.

[Dionne]

OK, after listening to the reports... I have concluded, along with some others here, that this is the hype of the decade. This is this decade's Y2K scare

IT IS THE FLU! Lets get a grip. No need to start closing schools because someone is a little sick. If we did that all of the time, KIDS WOULD NEVER ATTEND SCHOOL

I wonder what next decades hype will be...

I suspect it will be population density and disease with a lack of clean fresh water.

[wyq614]

China and Mexico has agreed to send airplanes pick up their citizens left in both countries. Earlier when Hong Kong decided to quarantine the Mexican tourists, Mexico FM Patricia Espinosa protested this measure and suggested that Mexicans not travel to China.

[JonathanBelles]

St. Petersburg College has been added to the list of changed graduations. No hand shakes at graduations on Saturday. I am working the graduation again this semester, so it might be interesting.

[Ed Mahmoud]

By order of Joseph Cardinal DiNardo, no hand-shaking during the 'Sign of Peace', no hand-holding during 'The Lord's Prayer' and no communal wine chalice.




I'm a little more nervous than some, they aren't allowed to inquire about immigration status, but my wife teaches Spanish speaking first graders (extra pay for that, which is nice), and who knows how many have family members recently in Mexico.

[vbhoutex]

Our church hosted an area wide worship service yesterday with about 40 people in attendance. Instead of people taking a piece of bread from the loaf and dipping it in the wine, we served it the usual way with our small wafers and individaul small cups. It is much more intimate and meaningful when we do it by "intinction", but due to the H1N1 concerns we did not do it that way as had been initially planned.

[JonathanBelles]

The case here in Pinellas county has now been confirmed. Another case in Lee has also been confirmed. 5 cases in Hillsborough have yet to be confirmed.

[Stephanie]

Our church hosted an area wide worship service yesterday with about 40 people in attendance. Instead of people taking a piece of bread from the loaf and dipping it in the wine, we served it the usual way with our small wafers and individaul small cups. It is much more intimate and meaningful when we do it by "intinction", but due to the H1N1 concerns we did not do it that way as had been initially planned.

It's better to be safe than sorry. I'm sure that the church will be able to go back to that next time around.