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New Flu Strain Appears In the US and Mexico
Combat Wombat writes with this excerpt from Reuters:
"A strain of flu never seen before has killed up to 60 people in Mexico and also appeared in the United States, where eight people were infected but recovered, health officials said on Friday. Mexico's government said at least 20 people have died of the flu and it may also be responsible for 40 other deaths. [The government] shut down schools and canceled major public events in Mexico City to try to prevent more deaths in the sprawling, overcrowded capital. ... Close analysis showed the disease is a mixture of swine, human and avian viruses, according to the CDC. Humans can occasionally catch swine flu from pigs but rarely have they been known to pass it on to other people. Mexico reported 1,004 suspected cases of the new virus, including four possible cases in Mexicali on the border with California.
Wow, with news at this pace, we would find out about the end of the world a week after!
But will a giant stupid hand appear at the end and totally fuck up what could have been a pretty good disaster/post-apocalypic plague movie despite the involvement of Stephen King, by suddenly and quite unnecessarily dragging in banal mysticism/religion?
I, for one, welcome our new microbial pigfluenza overlords!
Sigs are for Terrorists.
The flu has (very likely) already hit Queens, NY. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/nyregion/25sick.html?_r=1&hp
The reason why this strain is so bad is because it's transmissible from person to person with ease.
On the plus side, it's not resistant to Tamiflu... yet. Given that strains of Tamiflu-resistant human flu are turning up, I wouldn't be surprised to see this one learn to dodge bullets as well.
That's why this strain is seen as a potential pandemic.
Viable Slashdot alternatives: https://pipedot.org/ and http://soylentnews.org/
Influenza has killed more people than all fatalities combined from every war.
They want to kill you.
This shit had to start in a country where people regard barriers, walls and borers as funny suggestions.
Before this spreads unnecessarily, this would be an ideal time to limit air flight in and out of the Americas.
We as a species are putting everyone at risk by allowing unlimited, unrestricted, near-instantaneous travel from point to point on the globe.
Shipping cargo can continue of course; if the crew get sick en route, they can always be quarantined off the coast of wherever they arrive.
Chorizoflu?
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
We should have been worried about Man-bird-pig! Curse you Al Gore.
news that will make people crap their pants!
zosxavius photography
New Scientist Magazine also has a good introductory article about it:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17025-deadly-new-flu-virus-in-us-and-mexico-may-go-pandemic.html
From the article:
Flu viruses are named after the two main proteins on their surfaces, abbreviated H and N. They are also differentiated by what animal they usually infect. The H in the new virus comes from pigs, but some of its other genes come from bird and human flu viruses, a mixture that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "very unusual".
====
When people start making comments like this, I can't help wondering if this was someone's science project that got out into the open instead of a strain that occurred naturally.
I'm not worried though.. I have been dreaming of an old black woman so I should be ok...
Don't rush me, Sonny. You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.
EVERYTHING!
...as this article learns us.
Makes you indeed wonder !
Mental note: beware of Replikins bringing medicine to lethal flu.
And will people in Texas (*cough* Don McLeroy *cough*) believe it, or will they just come up with the usual "well its still a virus" meme.
Uh oh, spaghetti O's
I have a Macbook Pro. That means I'm immune, right?
WTF 'near-instantaneous'? You must have never flown on anything but private learjets.
They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
WTF 'near-instantaneous'? You must have never flown on anything but private learjets.
Horses,ships = months. Cars = days. Planes = hours.
Get it now?
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better." - Unknown
Interesting that this pops up shortly after the release of this book.
WTF 'near-instantaneous'? You must have never flown on anything but private learjets.
You must have never taken a boat anywhere.
What? This article isn't about a .1 release of your favorite open source software package?
Despite that fact, it really is Slashdot's purview. Biology, migration, politics, computer models, projections, population studies ...
... on a low. Perhaps a good buy, as Tamiflu is said to help.
Or should I say clever timing?
CC.
TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
No excuse me while I lie down, I'm feeling a bit warm. OINK!
That's true, we can't get sick if we never leave the basement.
The chances of these proteins from bird, avian flu combining with a swine retro virus that is easily transmittable is astronomical.
Unless of course, it really isn't about chance, and it was engineered that way. Taking the best from Avian flu, and Swine Flu and combining them into a easily transmittable vector for human consumption.
I would bet for example it already has spread world wide.
The higher its kill rate the more skeptical I will believe this is a natural borne virus which came about through natural events.
We will have to wait for the death toll statistics for the outbreak. But if it is over 30% death it has to be human engineered. Even the Black Death required highly specific environmental factors to come about. Since humans control our environment by a factor of a 1000 more than the dark ages, any virus would have to be thousands of times more virulent.
On top of that it is spread through casual contact?
Sure, its TOTALLY natural.
-Hack
Got Geometrodynamics? Awe, too hard to figure out? Too bad.
Please go visit Mexico City.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Jesus, you haven't been here that long, have you?
This site isn't a technology site.
I think it's time for that trip to Madagascar...
Fnord.
Swine, Humand and Avian??? Engineered by the U.S. Government, just like the traceable spread of Anthrax.
From a cursory look around the Internet today, there is a lot of advice on what kind of face mask to wear to help cut down on transmission. Apparently even simple surgical masks are good enough for the flu virus (although better version are also available).
This post is more about eye protection: Next to the nose and mouth, your eyes are the next best method for transmission. Are thick, wrap-around glasses or goggles a good idea? I know that people in Japan with allergies have such equipment. Can anyone provide links to them or their medical efficacy?
For a few year ago it was a huge ethical question about growing human organs in pig for transplantation in case of accidents.
The proponents focused upon the saving of lives in the moment
The opposition focused upon the threats this could cause for the entire human race as viruses suddenly could pass the gap and flood us with waves of new diseases we have never known before.
Not that I know if this is due to growing human organs inside porks, but expect many new deadly deceases such as this as animal grown parts turn up inside humans.
The news stories are saying there are suspected cases in California, Texas, New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County now.
Dude, where's my packet?
Can anyone provide links to their medical efficacy?
Sure! What the goggles do
...
Oh, come on! You were asking for it!
Nowadays some are spread by companies that make vaccines.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aTo3LbhcA75I
Rather strange that the avian flu could end up in a vaccine that's supposed to contain a very different sort of flu.
If they are that careless and sloppy maybe they should be shutdown for safety reasons. How about National Security reasons?
The level of incompetence required is hard to distinguish from evil.
This is not stuff like "Conficker".
What next? Whoops we accidentally sent you a weaponized flu we were working on for the Military. Sorry, we'll give you a discount on your next order OK?
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aTo3LbhcA75I
_old_news_
as we all know, 1 US citizen =60 mexicans. So the obvious solution, before the US citizen dies, is to kill all mexicans. The easy way to do this is stop giving them money, or leaving loose change around so that they starve to death.
change your dope dude. try something asian.
You know, it was calculated that the Black Death was able to spread throughout Europe with the speed of up to 10 km/day (about 700 furlongs per fortnight, in imperial units). This is pretty fast when you consider that it is still believed that Black Death was carried by mice and fleas. Now imagine a disease carrier boarding a Jumbo in Tokyo heading for New York...
Ezekiel 23:20
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLP31018720090425
The experts are saying that this is highly unusual and they have never seen anything like it. Yes, flu mutates, but it usually doesn't mutate simultaneously with so many differing vectors.
That's the odd and suspicious part that people are noting. I just listened to the WHO Q and A press conference and they are taking this pretty seriously, as in emergency mode, a step below full panic mode. You just might want to not be so instantly dismissive and blase about it. If you haven't noticed, the Mexican authorities have canceled all large public events, which they never do. Flu happens all the time, it is seasonal, they don't cancel big events over it, until now. They are on the scene and seem to be a little more alarmed over it than your dismissive "oh bother, happens all the time, p'shaw, plain old flu" internet armchair medical opinion. This is not a usual form of normal mutated flu.
I thought the reason it was so bad is because many of the dead are young adults. That's one of the milestones of a really dangerous pandemic, right?
The only way to be sure you are safe is a total body condom.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
Damnit, there goes my.... I mean my friends....vacation. Now what are we supposed to do?
Monstar L
... Viruses mix with other viruses now? When did that start happening?
For any epidemic with a new strain, there's ALWAYS something that's fairly unusual and something you have never seen before.
In fact, it's unusual NOT to see something unusual. I get suspicious when there's nothing strange with a straight textbook case. Someone's probably not investigating hard enough.
In case you haven't guessed yet, I am by profession an epidemiologist. There's NOT ENOUGH information available to the public to draw any conclusions. I'm sure the guys on this one are up to their eyeballs with conflicting information and are trying to sort it all out.
There's a potential, but until we know better, keep your fearmongering to yourself.
And you're using the word "vector" wrong. Depending on what you believe, your understanding might not even be wrong.
It's not pigfluenza, it's La gripe carnitas.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
You know, it was calculated that the Black Death was able to spread throughout Europe with the speed of up to 10 km/day (about 700 furlongs per fortnight, in imperial units). This is pretty fast when you consider that it is still believed that Black Death was carried by mice and fleas. Now imagine a disease carrier boarding a Jumbo in Tokyo heading for New York...
But, Brain...
How are we going to come up with the money for a flight from Tokyo to New York? Narf!
Deus Ex was not a documentary. NATO forces will arrive soon to control the situation, not UN forces.
--
Toro
I would guess that if a serious flu comes through, you will not be able to avoid it.
However, if I understand correctly, flu typically kills by filling the lungs up with mucus, and preventing breathing -- a fatal pneumonia, if you will. However, such a symptom is entirely (and easily) treatable. The treatment is called PP &D, and it takes about 20 minutes to drain the lungs. In other words, in the time it would take the ambulance to get you and get you to the hospital, you could be in good enough condition to walk out the door.
I've done this on my kid, and it does greatly improve breathing function.
Therefore, my advice would be to simply be prepared to do PP & D on others, the price being that they learn to do it, and do PP & D on still others in a 2:1 ratio until the need is gone. That way, if you do get sick, you will have someone to do it on you, and the flu wonâ(TM)t be fatal.
Here are two good sources on how to to PP&D.
http://www.phoenixchildrens.com/emily-center/child-health-topics/handouts/CPT-55b.pdf
http://www.questdiagnostics.com/kbase/as/ug1720/how.htm
Baxter in Austria unintentionally contaminated samples with the bird flu virus that were used in laboratories in three neighboring countries, raising concern about the potential spread of the deadly disease.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aTo3LbhcA75I
Baxter nearby when this took place, me wonders????
Citizen bhima, I believe they already may have. So there may actually be "competent" biotechnologists out there.....
The Prime Minister of Madacasgar, Monja Roindefo, has ordered the ports of this African island nation closed. Advisors to the Prime Minister informed him of some instances of disease in Mexico. "Someone was coughing," they said. Mr. Roindefo is reported to have responded with an order to "shut down everything."
Slashdot is a pretty cool guy eh posts dupes and doesn't afraid of anything.
Sounds like a job for Dr David SandstrÃm of NORBAC.
It's not me mastermind, it is the CDC and WHO that are saying these things. Get it? You need someone to hold your hand and find the links for you? They AREN'T saying this is a normal mutation like they see every season, they are saying it is quite unusual and bears much closer study. They DON'T say that with normal flu, and you know it. Go ahead, admit that. Why don't YOU go read some of what they are saying, and listen to the news conferences before you spout off. You should be ashamed of yourself spouting junk science here just to hear your own gums flap in the cyber breeze. If this was just a normal seasonal variation and mutation they would have said that, and they would have already run the odds, made their best possible guess, and had vaccines developed months ago, like normal, the routine for developing flu vaccines based on traditional transmission patterns, which are roughly Asia to the Americas and Europe. Because this is so new and so unusual in its makeup, they are saying just a little while ago now it might take until October to have vaccines for it. Notice how this case is now different from "normal" flu? Isn't that something you supposedly covered your first year?
This isn't fear mongering, its just summarizing what the experts who know are saying. These are "emergency meetings", planned schedules radically altered, Mexico canceling now over 500 public events and so on. I fail to see that reporting the facts is fear mongering, it is what it is, and this ISN'T a normal flu mutation. It wouldn't be headlines all over, big heads of departments and so on wouldn't be calling emergency meetings or issuing press releases about it. After that, it is just semantics, go argue with them if they are fear mongering or not.
But they are, aren't they? I am not fear mongering, but you are trying to minimize like this is somehow normal. No, it isn't a full official pandemic yet, but they are really close to that level and are waiting for a lot more tests to come in, but so far, every day, almost every hour now we are seeing it in more places. They just pulled the first airline passenger, part of the crew, right off a plane when it landed at Heathrow, just a short time ago. It came from Mexico. Are you starting to get it now? This is data, but pretending this data doesn't exist, along with the ramifications, is just foolish. It is easy enough to access.
Your false arrogance is astounding. I hope you work for a private concern that can go bankrupt and aren't being paid by the tax payer.
Good one, but probably over the heads of all those Nortenos out there.
This ain't rocket surgery.
Bird flu, pig flu, what's next?
- Dan
Sure. I just will continue, to never open the door of the basement, and irradiate all my food while it gets trough the lock.
I also guess, we on /. wouldn't even notice this, if it weren't for those moles from the outside, bringing in such news as this. ;)
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
What do you mean the Americas? Try North America.
Chile where I live has already implemented screening at the airports for all international flights and anyone with fever or symptoms is being taking to the hospital for evaluation before they allow entry in to the country.
Living in Chile
Is anyone trying to test this method of tracking flu outbreaks by watching search engine result trends to see if it really works in this case?
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v457/n7232/full/nature07634.html
Living in Chile
I've read that flus like this one kill people at a rate inversely proportionate to the strength of their immune system. Thus, could we limit the impact of the flu by having affected people take drugs that suppress the response of the immune system?
http://turnerradionetwork.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-flu-outbreak-traced-to-missing-us.html
I always wonder how close to the truth Steven King's The Stand would be with regards to this kind of thing happening (minus the supernatural element).
Minor correction P&PD
Xavier Rabourdin for president 2012
So your claim is hours is near-instantaneous? I refuse to "get" that.
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN25473389
An unusual new flu virus has spread widely and cannot be contained, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Saturday.
"It is clear that this is widespread. And that is why we have let you know that we cannot contain the spread of this virus," the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat told reporters on a conference call.
The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F
Unfortunately this isnt a typical flue, and if it's the same killing method as with the Asian bird flue (also a mix of human, bird and swine afaik), it causes sepsis.
The reason people with good immune systems died was because their immune response triggered a massive death of flue virus in the blood, causing blood poisoning. Not a whole lot of good PP&D will do you.
Added bonus: did someone use any of those antivirals lately to fight the common cold? You're in for a treat: good chance they wont work on you as well as they should when the flue gets here.
Unless someone at CDC or your state health laboratories have cultured your virus, there's no way to be sure what you had. Actually, I bet they'd like to hear from you...
Swine Flu? Why are they calling it that? This flu has genes in common with human flu, avian flu and swine flu. This flu is transmitted from person to person. This flu originated with people, not with pigs. This isn't swine flu, it is human flu. What political angle do they have behind calling it swine flu? What's the FUD?
"Dirty Sanchez" is an invention by disgusting whites (makers of the "Dutch Oven," "Hot Lunch," "Stick a Carrot Up Your Passed-Out Buddy's Ass," and many more.)
Swine, avian, and human transgenic flu? Hmm. Kinda like the flu epidemic of 1918 which killed millions, isn't it?
I wonder if this has anything to do with the same strain of flu which was recently (2003 IIRC) re-engineered, or recovered, by a scientist from a sample (or something like that) of the 1918 pandemic.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Interesting thought - it's quite possible, I suppose. I seem to recall hearing/reading about the impact of the 1918 flu in North Dakota on the family that lived in the house we were staying in (small town, so it was easy to find the records). The mid-20s couple died, but the grandmother and child survived. I seem to recall something about it being respiratory related: the lungs filled up with fluid resulting in the person drowning.
If that was the primary cause of death in 1918, it seems like it'd be pretty "easy" to deal with the flu symptoms today: just siphon fluid from people's lungs until they defeat the flu. On the other hand, if people live longer with the flu, and the flu runs its course, an additional, more virulent strain might develop.
Wouldn't it be supremely ironic if this were to become a pandemic, and the only people who survived in the 'healthy adult' age group (say, 16-40 or so), or those with a higher survival rate, were smokers? I wonder if any correlation could be drawn between the 1918 pandemic casualties and smoking - I doubt such information is available due to how drastically that flu impacted societal advancement.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Their numbers seem too low. A friend that works at a local hospital in Mexico city said that only at her hospital 40 people died already.
Ummm, no. As articles in Scientific American regularly state, any timely response to a pandemic is better than any late perfect response. Every simulation that's been done, has shown that what's MOST important is to act quickly, no matter how dumb the response is.
Thank god(s) it's not like the 1918 pandemic where healthy people were more likely to die due to their good immune system being able to tear up the body like no one's business.
It's not pigfluenza, it's La gripe carnitas.
Mmmm... Carnitas.
For those poor, uninitiated mortals, carnitas is the ultimate bacon porn, a taco in which you pick and choose your favorite pig components fried in a lard-filled vat, such as buche (stomach), cuero (rind), cachete (cheek), tripa (tripe), corazon (heart), costilla (rib), etcetera, the most hardcore item being zurrapa, all the bits and pieces that broke away and sedimented at the bottom. Add grain salt, chopped onion and cilantro, freshly squeezed lemon, salsa, and... well, pork away!
Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
PD&P may work for chronic CF. It will fail miserably against the inflammatory storm that these new influenza strains create in the lung. (New as in not evolved to the human host).
In severe influenza, this inflammatory response destroys lung tissue. It doesn't matter if you clear the mucus, there's no lung surface left to breathe through.
This strain is susceptible to relenza for now, but will take all of a few weeks to become resistant once relenza is widely used to treat it.
With confirmed presence in New York and the UK, this virus has probably already arrived in a mall near you.
ZOMGWAAGTD!!!
I've had a hard time sleeping well as I've been having recurring dreams about some old black lady telling me to come visit her in Hemmingford Home, Nebraska. And now comes news of a new flu. Screw this, I'm gonna go listen to some Larry Underwood and get drunk.
A group of young Kiwis just back from Mexico have come down with an influenza-like illness, striking fears a flu virus that may have killed 80 people has arrived in New Zealand.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/2364487/Kiwis-show-flu-like-symptoms
Pft who needs all that. If your lungs are filling with fluid, just get someone to turn you upside down and shake you while you cough.
Kids these days don't even know gravity when they see it. Get off my lawn!!!
Fort Detrick disease samples may be missing
Originally published April 22, 2009
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=89293
Army criminal investigators are looking into the possibility that disease samples are missing from biolabs at Fort Detrick.
As first reported in today's edition of The Frederick News-Post by columnist Katherine Heerbrandt, the investigators are from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division unit at Fort Meade.
Chad Jones, spokesman for Fort Meade, said CID is investigating the possibility of missing virus samples from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.
He said the only other detail he could provide is that the investigation is ongoing.
Fort Detrick does not have its own CID office, Jones said, which is why Fort Meade's CID was brought in.
Jones said he could not comment on when the investigation started.
CID is responsible for investigating crimes where the Army is, or may be, a party of interest, according to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command website.
USAMRIID is the Army's top biodefense lab, where researchers study pathogens including Ebola, anthrax and plague.
In February, USAMRIID halted all its research into these and other diseases, known as "select agents" following the discovery of virus samples that weren't listed in its inventory.
The institute's commander, Col. John Skvorak, ordered research halted while workers conducted a complete inventory of the institute's select agents.
That inventory is nearly completed, though the exact end date isn't known yet, said Caree Vander Linden, USAMRIID spokeswoman.
Vander Linden said she didn't know about the CID investigation and referred questions to the CID's head public affairs office.
There is no indication whether the CID investigation is connected to USAMRIID's re-inventorying of its select agent stocks.
As a Democrat I blame The Jew Puppet George "Chimpy" Bu$Hitler McHaliburtain
Jews, Jews, Jews,...ALWAYS with the Jews.
What ever happened to just blaming whitey in general?
"Don't be a martyr -- BE THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY!"
Added bonus: did someone use any of those antivirals lately to fight the common cold? You're in for a treat: good chance they wont work on you as well as they should when the flue gets here.
Antivirals don't work very well in any case. Tamiflu is considered effective because it was shown to reduce the symptoms by about a day. This means that instead of 10 days, you're only sick for 9.
People who take it for a common cold are seriously not thinking clearly, as it works by inhibiting the synthesis of a protein in the flu virus. This protein isn't present in other viruses, so you're only taking a placebo with real side effects.
Even more important: wash your goddamned hands. Scrub your hands properly numerous times a day, using a nailbrush, and you will significantly improve your chances of avoiding picking up anything. Don't touch your face if you can avoid it. Yes, this is an airborne strain we're talking about, but even airborne viruses are usually transmitted by touch.
[FUCK BETA]
No, they aren't. They make you look like an idiot and can't stop you from getting infected. If this turns into a pandemic, the very air will be saturated with viral particles; you cannot avoid breathing some, or eating some with your food or water.
Your best bet is to ensure that you get enough sleep (to keep your immune system up), aren't overly stressed, eat healthily and are in decent shape. Also wash your hands; it won't stop the flu, but it will lessen the chances of some other nastiness from distracting your immune system at the critical moment.
Beyond that, you either can resist this thing or you can't. If you can, fine; if you can't, you'll die. It's genetic, and there's nothing you can do about it. You either make your Fortitude save or you won't, so just chill and wait for the dice to fall. Besides, worrying about it will cause stress, which will weaken your immune system and give you a penalty, thus lessening your chances.
Seriously, people, this breathing mask and goggles nonsense is just the viral equivalent of airport security theatre, and just as effective. If you have to go, go without looking like idiots.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
a mixture of swine, human and avian viruses
Could be it's paranoia on my side, although mixing genetic engineering with swines and the gap is closer to such kinds of mixtures...
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
we take off, and nuke the site from orbit. It's the onyl way to be sure.
Oh, that immune system going nuts thing is called a Cytokine Storm.(Although it sounds more like a video game I would have played as a kid.) More on that for anybody who cares http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm
Did you know 80 to 90% of the moderators on slashdot wouldn't recognize a troll even if one dragged them under a bridge.
Your best bet is to ensure that you get enough sleep (to keep your immune system up)
Except that this appears to be one of the varieties, like the 1918 pandemic, where the flu is only moderately irritating and the deaths are caused by the immune response, so weakening your immune system slightly (maybe go and catch a bacterial infection too and give it two things to worry about...) will be more likely to increase your chances of survival.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
Alright, I'll admit this is bad. But why the "panic" over something that so far only has the "potential" to do massive harm? What about HIV and other STD's that are roaming free across the land infecting hundreds of thousands of people a year?
Speaking from my nursing background here (20+ years as Registered Nurse in Intensive Care, Emergency Room, and medical wards).
Postural drainage and percussion (PD&P) are appropriate when the "fluid in the lungs" is in the bronchial tree, as in cystic fibrosis and some kinds of bronchitis. It will do no good in pneumonia and may cause greater harm.
In pneumonia the dangerous fluid is not within the lumens of the bronchial tree where it could be coughed out; it is the walls of the tree that are swollen with excess interstitial fluid that is the danger. The swelling increases the distance between the air sacs and blood vessels, and as it progresses, it collapses the air sacs. So you don't have gobs of stuff blocking the lungs; you've got less working lung area.
If you start to come down with the flu a good plan would be to avoid exercise or any activity that would increase your O2 demand and your CO2 production. Spend your awake time mostly sitting, and rest in a semi-recumbent position rather than flat in bed. Do deep breathing exercises every half hour or so to help keep airways open. Go with sedentary activities like reading, watching tv, working on improving your slashdot karma, and so on. And remember that the hardware of your mind is now compromised by the illness, so you are not as sharp as usual, your judgment may be bad, and there are going to be more bugs in your code and logic.
Will
I've always wondered just how effective those paper masks are. They do not seem to seal well against the face. I would think at least 20% of the air you breath in bypasses the filter. Do these things actually do any good?
A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
This isn't genetically engineered, it's a side effect of bad farming practices.
In the same way we've managed to infect our pigs with MRSA http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/opinion/15kristof.html I think we've managed to kick up yet another variant..
Signs are pointing to a Smithfields Farms hog-farm in Veracruz where the outbreak originated. http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-25-swine-flu-smithfield/
I'm not arguing for us to go back to sticks and weeds for our food supply, but if you set up a farming environment where the only way to guarantee survival of your animals is continual, therapeutic antibiotics, you're doing it wrong.
Except that inflammation doesn't weaken your immune system, it causes it to switch to "war mode", which means that any pre-existing infection increases the chances that the total response is out of proportion and will kill you.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
Although I get your point the main difference between Aids/HIV is that your can't catch it just by being near one of 'the infected'. Also the speed of transmission will be much faster so will the speed of death. Just heard someone in Scotland is ill after getting back from Mexico - time to rebuild that wall........
I would guess that if a serious flu comes through, you will not be able to avoid it.
However, if I understand correctly, flu typically kills by filling the lungs up with mucus, and preventing breathing -- a fatal pneumonia, if you will. However, such a symptom is entirely (and easily) treatable. The treatment is called PP &D, and it takes about 20 minutes to drain the lungs. In other words, in the time it would take the ambulance to get you and get you to the hospital, you could be in good enough condition to walk out the door.
I've done this on my kid, and it does greatly improve breathing function.
Therefore, my advice would be to simply be prepared to do PP & D on others, the price being that they learn to do it, and do PP & D on still others in a 2:1 ratio until the need is gone. That way, if you do get sick, you will have someone to do it on you, and the flu wonâ(TM)t be fatal.
Here are two good sources on how to to PP&D.
http://www.phoenixchildrens.com/emily-center/child-health-topics/handouts/CPT-55b.pdf
http://www.questdiagnostics.com/kbase/as/ug1720/how.htm
ummm - correct me if I am wrong but Flu deaths usually follow from lung infections, pneumonia, blood poisoning, bleeeding in the lungs...
the body will anyway clear mucus naturally by coughing, this is not the problem.
If mucus was just the problem I think the world would not be all that worried.
As a pediatrician, I will vouch for this treatment. It's also called chest percussive therapy (CPT) or "pulmonary toilet."
Like most other things, it works a lot better if you don't wait for someone to be very sick and on death's door before you start it.
Reminds me of a joke from a prof. in virology back in the days:
An untreated flu makes you sick for a week. A treated one for 7 days.
Ni.
Fish flu would seem the next logical step.
Just wait until you catch a fatal flu next time you go swimming in the ocean!
Since these guys have the best Avian Flu test, they might be able to make a variant for this one too..
Amazing biotech on this test btw..
-- Robi
Mans living in close proximity with foul and swine - usually under conditions of extreme poverty and in China, is what cause flues to cross the species barrer and become zoodemic. Airplane travel causes them to go pandemic.
You don't need labs to create new and deadly flu viruses when the poor have been crowdsourcing this for eons.
Need Mercedes parts ?
I'm norteño you insensitive clod!!
I'm positive, don't belive me look at my karma
Yeah, me too. But I live in San Diego so I know what carnitas are.
This ain't rocket surgery.