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H1N1 Appears To Be Transmittable From Human To Pig
mpetch writes "In an interesting twist, it appears that H1N1 influenza can be transmitted from humans to swine. Apparently a Canadian pig farmer vacationed in Mexico, returned to Canada and infected about 10% of the swine on an Alberta farm. The swine subsequently developed flu symptoms."
On top of everything else, now we have to worry about our police being knocked out by influenza!
Great.
9 out of 10 pigs suggest calling it "Human Flu."
This ain't rocket surgery.
OMG this will threaten stability and availability of teh bacons!
They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
They always said there was no way that this could happen. They said that pigs would fly before this happened.
Well... Swine Flew
Thanks...I'll be here all week
Karma: Excellent. 15 moderator points expire sometime.
Influenza viruses go back and forth between humans, pigs, and birds, and they also mutate regularly. So, this didn't really "start" anywhere, it's a normal part of how the influenza virus lives.
I *still* think that Bacon Fever is a superior name. Just sayin'.
You oinky vermins! You oinky, wonderous animal, you, delicious... ZOMG, what have we done?!
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
i hope they don't cull us to save the pig population.
liqbase
It's news because it hasn't been seen in swine until now!
The best I've heard so far is Parmageddon. Aporkalypse isn't too bad either.
our politicians were immune.
My understanding was that there was some amount of genetic reassortment that allowed the swine flu to be infectious to humans, and to transmit human to human. This altered virus is then somewhat different than the swine flu that typically infects swine, so I think that (in addition to not previously being documented) it is seen as interesting that the virus would jump back to the swine population after mutation. Of course, I may be completely wrong about this, and I encourage anyone better versed in virology to correct me.
I'm always positive; it's my nature.
Apparently, it's news in the sense that we have now learned that Canadians kiss pigs.
(11)Avoid touching your genitals in an improper way. Conduct regular self-tests for vision loss.
How is any of this news?
The normal, unswinely Influenza killed 190,000 people this year, just as every year and nobody gives a shit.
The Swine one killed 1.
It appears to be different strains of flu virus crossing species and undergoing genetic reassortment. Where their is no direct infection route between species 'an intermediate host may be needed for genetic reassortment of human and avian viruses. Pigs are considered a logical candidate for this role because they can be infected by either avian or human viruses'.
As to how it jumps species in the first place, one way is to drink raw avian blood as in Tit Canh. Then infect some tourist who gets on a plane and who coughs infected droplets into air that is recycled for a number of hours.
why do i feel more sorry for the pigs who catch it than the people?
Current reports indicate that this strain of H1N1 influenza contains genetic material from swine, avian, and human forms of the disease. That's probably why it can spread easily from humans to pigs; normally, a virus does not cross species unless there is frequent or prolonged close contact between the two, because making the leap depends on genetic mutation. In this case, the virus is already adapted to both hosts.
To further clarify, the name "H1N1" refers only to a particular configuration of two proteins on the surface of the virus (H is hemagglutinin and N is neuraminidase). The configuration of these proteins determines how the immune system will react to a given strain of influenza (i.e. which antibodies will be able to recognize and attack it), which is the most useful information to have when it comes to treating the disease, but there are other factors that determine a given strain's properties.
So the news here is not that H1N1 flu can jump from humans to pigs -- it can't, not necessarily -- the news is that this variety appears to be able to. And it's not that we didn't know this could be possible -- we've seen this kind of thing countless times, and in fact it's believed that all forms of influenza ultimately come from birds -- it's just that calling it "H1N1 flu" doesn't give us enough information to make those kinds of predictions about its virulence.
Breakfast served all day!
The H1N1 strain of type A influenza is the strain associated with the global influenza pandemic of 1918. In that year, not 190,000 but tens of millions of people died.
Normally, the people who die from influenza are the very young or the very old. The shocking characteristic of the 1918 variety was that a great many of the people who succumbed to the disease were young and fit. They went from being healthy and happy to being dead in an alarmingly short period. Immunology had not advanced far enough at that time to for doctors to understand why this was happening, but today it is believed to have been the result of a phenomenon known as cytokine storm, which is a severe autoimmune reaction. In other words, the patients died because they were so fit and had healthy -- their immune systems, reacting to the sudden threat, went nuts and attacked their own bodies.
Modern medicine could reduce the body count of such a flu dramatically, but if such a strain appeared again it would still be catastrophic. Treating viruses is still very difficult. There is still no cure for the common cold -- and, under normal circumstances, most people who get the flu just sit it out. Providing medicine for every patient in a true pandemic would be very costly and it's likely that there simply wouldn't be enough for everybody. It is also difficult to treat an autoimmune reaction in a patient that is already known to be suffering from a serious infection -- suppress the immune system and the virus wins. So don't assume that it would be easy to keep a new pandemic under control just because it's almost a century later.
So the reason for all the hubbub is clear. Scientists want to be the Paul Reveres of a future pandemic: The British are coming, they're not already here. So to arms now -- not when they're in our homes. Governments can be very slow-moving when confronted with unforeseen things and they often need this kind of uproar from the medical community before prevention protocols can kick in.
Breakfast served all day!
The pigs are fully covered under Canada's national health care, and are receiving medical attention at a Calgary hospital. Attorneys for the patients would not comment on their plans for a possible lawsuit against the farmer. Provincial authorities also remained tight-lipped over reports of bringing possible charges of bio-terrorism. "When you have an attack that leaves over 200 victims in it's wake, most of them unable to speak for themselves, then we've got a responsibility to act", said one official who wished to remain anonymous.
Stay tuned to CBC News for further updates on this developing situation.
And that reaction is why it should not be called swine flu.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
"Nah i think your thinking of swine syphilis, again!"
I think "your" thinking of "you're", again.
-b
myselfmusic
As to how it jumps species in the first place, one way is to drink raw avian blood as in Tit Canh [ehow.com]. Then infect some tourist who gets on a plane and who coughs infected droplets into air that is recycled for a number of hours.
Ok, we need to put a stop to this myth like thirty years ago.
THE AIR ON PLANES ISN'T RECYCLED.
Bottled oxygen and CO2 scrubbers are heavy and expensive, and completely unnecessary.* The plane is surrounded by a breathing medium that is perfectly adequate in every way except temperature and density. A problem which is solved by the same step: Compressed air is diverted from the engines before the fuel is mixed in. The compression is mostly adiabatic, so that raises the temperature, too.
*A small amount of bottled oxygen is carried. But nowhere near enough for a whole trip. Just enough to descend to a breathable altitude and maybe land.
The air cycles out pretty quickly, too. Since there are a lot of fat people on board, you need to handle more than one cubic foot per person per minute.
And it leaks out through all the seams, not just the control valves. There's a good chance most of the air you exhale exits the plane mere inches from your face.
And the air from the overhead blower is directly off the engine tap. It's 100% fresh outside air. If you're worried about mixing, just turn that sucker on and point it at your nose. (but wear a wet rag over your nose so you don't dry out.)
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Complete and utter crap. The AC posted the same garbage in another thread. I'll repost my comments on the subject.
Most of what you are saying is flat out wrong.... In the same (very bizarre) order as the parent:
0. The presence of mercury in vaccines is a red herring. We're talking about 62.5 micrograms per dose. You get that much mercury from eating a typical portion of tuna. An average adult gets nearly that much every week from dental fillings alone. This theory for the cause of autism seems pretty implausible. Further, these days, vaccines intended for children are available in a thimerosal-free variant specifically for this purpose, making this argument against vaccines utterly moot.
7. This is a clear case of correlation being confused with causation.... A pH level of 7.4 is considered normal in humans. So basically you are saying that most humans cannot get viruses or cancer. This is clearly not correct.... The normal range is 7.35 to 7.45. If you are outside that range, it is likely indicative of illness. Bringing your pH into that range doesn't kill viruses. Killing viruses brings it into that range.
1. That is just freaking disgusting.
2. Avoiding dairy is unnecessary unless you are lactose intolerant. I can certainly understand trying to avoid BGH, but there are BGH-free dairies that you can get your milk from. And in the grand scheme of things, it's really not that big a risk.
3. No thoughts about the safety of drinking carbonated beverages (at least as far as the CO2 is concerned). I would note that fibromyalgia, as far as I can tell, is similar to dementia in that it is basically a catch-all diagnosis that means "We don't know what's wrong." Thus attributing it to any single cause seems dubious to me, but....
4. Bleaching flour does reduce the health benefits, but not all white flour is bleached. Ultragrain(R), for example, is a white flour that is not bleached.
Salt (at least salt that is safe for human consumption) is naturally clearish-white, including the sea salt you promote. Be afraid of any salt that is not white. As far as health goes, you should to be really careful using sea salt to ensure that you get enough iodine. It is not recommended as a substitute for table salt unless you either consume lots of citrus fruit or just enjoy goiter. :-)
White sugar is just brown sugar with the molasses separated out. I'm not convinced that avoiding white sugar is a very good idea. AFAICT, the alternatives are all much worse for you. The things you need to avoid are high fructose corn syrup and any sugar substitutes (not just aspartane). Artificial sweeteners cause the human body to crave the calories that it is expecting, and when those calories don't follow, this causes you to consume more food than you otherwise would. This is why studies have shown diet drinks tend to cause weight gain in the long term, not weight loss. HFCS does the same thing, just to a lesser degree. You're much better off with cane sugar.
5. I think my comments on #4 mostly covered this. Avoiding citric acid probably isn't necessary. It is relatively harmless. Avoiding other preservatives, though, yes. In particular, avoid sodium benzoate. When combined with citric acid, it releases benzene, which is really nasty stuff.
6. I assume you mean oxalic acid. If so, you should not increase your consumption of those foods---at least not without cooking them to destroy the oxalic acid. In the long term, excessive consumption of oxalic acid can cause a number of nutritional deficiencies including osteoporosis.
I also assume you mean nitrilosides, e.g. amygdalin. I would caution again that excessive consumption of these substances (particularly in the form of oral supplements) is toxic. Specifically, it releases cyanide when ingested....
Also, the whole locavore thing has some advantages in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but it really isn't doing your body any favors health-wise. There are lots of
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
He's still right. What you're saying is basically akin to saying that the air in a car is "recycled" because it's not moving 100% of the air mass at all times. For a good duration of the time you spend in a car with closed windows, you're breathing in the same air you breathed out a moment ago. But it isn't airtight, and there are vents, so 100% of it gets cycled out eventually.
When people speak of "recycled air" on an airplane they seem to think that aircraft are like submarines, completely airtight, and the only air is that which you had when you took off from the runway. This simply isn't the case -- it's all going to get cycled out and continuously refreshed. Of course a certain amount is getting recirculated, just as in a closed car, but sooner or later it's all fresh air. You're not landing with the same air molecules you had when you took off.
In commercial aircraft (I don't know about small craft like Cessnas), there are one or more apertures, usually near the rear of the plane, which can open and close to variable diameters, and that's part of how cabin pressure is regulated. You pump more air into the cabin than you let out through the aperture, and the result is a higher air pressure than what's outside -- and that air is indeed being pumped in from the outside, through the engines (which are basically doing nothing but forcing air around at high velocity anyway).
Incidentally this is also why shooting a gun in an aircraft and blowing a hole through the hull isn't the huge deal everyone thinks it is, resulting in decompression and a big crisis. If such a thing occured, the apertures would simply close a bit more to compensate for the drop in pressure, and all would be well -- at least as far as cabin pressure is concerned.
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