People need to get a grip. No one has died in the US or in any other country other than Mexico.
Tamiflu is effective against this flu.
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUSLQ58864920090426
Several people in NY and California have already recovered from this flu and it has been described as mild.
Why is the WH hosting a Press Conference? I continue to believe this is pure distraction by the media/and or WH...I’m trying to figure out what’s happening that they’re trying to distract from.
The problem is we can’t believe our own press. Better safe than sorry. And people in weak health will die.
I agree this is media distraction, perhaps because of the increasing violence in Iraq, or the Taliban advancing within grasp of Pakistan nukes. Neither of these are newsworthy items. ahem.
Tamiflu resistance to H1N1 started in earnest during the 2007-2008 flu season, long before the current hysteria.
"During the 2007–2008 influenza season, oseltamivir [Tamiflu]
resistance among influenza A(H1N1) viruses increased significantly
for the first time worldwide," write Nila J. Dharan, MD, from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta,
Georgia, and colleagues. "Early surveillance data suggest that the
prevalence of oseltamivir resistance among A(H1N1) viruses will
most likely be higher during the 2008–2009 season.During the 2008 to 2009 influenza season, preliminary data showed
resistance to oseltamivir among 264 of 268 influenza A(H1N1)
viruses (98.5%) tested. "--3/2/2009 Medscape Medical News
I agree we shouldn’t be in a panic at this stage. The details are still emerging and evolving. But we should be informed so that we can make appropriate decisions for ourselves and our families.
Facts are: We don’t yet know whether it is “weaker” or “stronger” outside of Mexico because there haven’t been enough cases outside of Mexico to make that assessment.
With a Mexican mortality rate ranging from 2% to 7% (depending on what numbers you use/believe), we would need at least 14 confirmed cases in the US and 1 death to demonstrate a 7% death rate here, and up to 50 confirmed cases with 1 death to demonstrate a 2% death rate here. So given the info we have at this moment, it is not a valid statement to say whether or not this Flu is weaker outside of Mexico.
Also, because we theoretically have better health care, our mortality rate should be lower. But that doesn’t mean the virus is any stronger or weaker, it just means we can combat the complications more effectively.
Give it time to infect several few hundred people in the US and then we will know more about the US mortality rate. And meanwhile, we all need to take standard flu-season precautions so we don’t become part of the data set.