Swine flu hits hard, early — claims 11 more kids (More detailed than most articles)

Associated Press ^ | Oct 16, 2009 | LAURAN NEERGAARD

[decimon]

Swine flu is causing unprecedented illness for so early in the fall — including a worrisome count of child deaths — and the government warned Friday that vaccine supplies will be even more scarce than expected through this month.

[Dianna]

That is, how many normal Flu deaths have occurred during the same period?

The regular flu isn't near as prevalent yet, so we can't really compare.

Average flu deaths are about 36,000. According to my local paper, 90% of those deaths are the elderly.

The article states that "some winters" doctors see child deaths of 40-50. That doesn't sound like an average. Is 40-50 the high range or the low? They don't tell us.

About half of this year's child deaths are teenagers.

[goodwithagun]

You might be interested in this site. I like it because it is backed by info from CDC, AMA, New England Journal of Medicine, etc.

http://www.arizonaadvancedmedicine.com/articles/flu_season.html

[goodwithagun]

BTW, we can really learn something from men like your father. God bless him for what he did for our country.

[shiva]

Obama’s(not Bush’s) fault!

[MsLady]

Take vitamin D. Just about everyone needs it and a low vitamin D level is linked to many illnesses, including several cancers. If you get the flu try taking elderberry syrup right away, or drink elderberry tea. Elderberries work better than Tamiflu. Tamiflu shortens the flu to about 5 days, elderberry 3 days.

[MsLady]

Also try elderberry syrup and or tea. It shortens the flu quicker then Tamiflu.

[goodwithagun]

Thanks. Since I started using homeopathy for my systemic fungal infection I feel great. I really think that there are other options instead of just drugs. Don’t get me wrong, meds have their place. For many ailments however, there are natural and safe alternatives.

[MsLady]

That’s what I was wondering. When they say 43 kids dead that sounds like a lot. It is a lot, but, how many have gotten it and gotten over it with no problems?

[MsLady]

Also try using a Nettie pot. You can flush a lot of the virues out by using one.

[MsLady]

I completely agree. I use natural over drugs anytime I can. I have a great doc who also believes that.

[bw17]

My family and I have been using them for over a year.

[MsLady]

I actually use one of those electric water floss machines...lol You can buy an attachment for them. I ordered the attachment from a sinus, or allergy website.

[calex59]

Just another swine flu scare article from AP, communist controlling by terror.

[LiberaMa]

It may sound silly, but every time we feel like we’re getting sick (cold, flu, sore throat, sniffles), we eat a bunch of salty RUFFLES and that seems to help. We also suck on those ZINC Gluconate Glycine Lozenges (available at Target) or Cold-Eez (available at most drug stores) and it’s like MAGIC! Symptoms disappear very quickly!

Don’t know if these home-remedies would work for the swine flu, but might be worth a try... But you have to take these things AS SOON AS YOU FIRST FEEL ANY SYMPTOMS like scratchy throat or sniffles. Good luck.

[Brugmansian]

I took my dad to the VA hospital today for some tests and they were pushing every Vet to get the shot. Every one emphatically stated that they wanted nothing to with it.

If they were giving it now, it probably was the regular flu shot. Visiting nurse here in CT told me forget about an H1N1 shot for anyone over 50 for at least a month and probably longer.

[linn37]

I work in a hospital. Older people have a hard time recovering from the flu. If it were my dad I would have advised him to get the shot.

[Kakaze]

If I get the flu or sick, it is usually 12 hours of sleep break the fever and move on.

This kicked my butt for 3 days, my doc a man who has practiced 50 plus years told me..............this flu is hardest on those with good immune systems.

[AndyJackson]

Between the Huckabee lovers and the anti-public health nuts in the Republican party, conservatism as an intillectual movement is dead.

Since when do conservatives decry the advantages to the human condition derived from practice of medical sciences which includes public health. Since when do conservatives believe there is a constitutional right to the transmission of mortal or debilitating diseases. Since when did homeopathy leap from being another whacko hippy cult to being a whacko conservative belief.

This is nothing but the elevation of the ignorance of the denizens of Appalachia into a cult. It is really evil.

Do we really want a repeat of plague, polio, smallpox or the 1918 Spanish Influenza. I am appalled at the willful ignorance of this crowd.

[djf]

My first symptoms were Tuesday morning (a feeling like I had a fusion reactor somewhere near my tonsils)

My temp is still abt 2 degrees above normal, but the worst is over.

I keep hearing people saying “this affects people the worse who have strong immune systems...” while that may or may not be true, it does not really explain anything.

Most people who die from flu don’t.
They die from pneumocystis carinii, a bacterial infection/invasion of the lungs, we normally call it pneumonia.

It takes hold because the immune system is weakened from fighting the virus.

I do not know the actual stats. But I think this is a relatively rare event, perhaps 1-1000 or 1-10000 range. The bodies defenses are usually up to the tasks. We hear 35,000 or so deaths from flu a year and it sounds like a huge number but when the base is more than 350,000,000 people, all the sudden, it’s not that huge.

These flus (the H1N1) are a bit different. And if you were sadly perchance to die from it early on when symptoms first appear, it could rightly be said you actually died from the flu. Or rather a hyperreaction of your immune system to the virus. The infamous “cytokines” get dumped into your system on max overload. Cytokines are basically chemical messengers that a cell releases to tell the rest of the body “Help! I’m infected!!” They are normally controlled very well by feedback loops in the immune response system. It is LIKELY that this virus can/does manufacture an enzyme that somewhat accidentally disables the feedback systems.

So DO NOT think that if you get the flu, you are somehow better off if you don’t follow all the standard advice about colds/flu. If you make it through the first 18-24 hours, you’re probably not gonna kick the bucket. But you might still get pneumonia so STAY OUT OF CROWDS and HAVE A MD ON CALL BECAUSE ANTIBIOTICS WORK AGAINST BACTERIA!

extra credit for anybody who knows what the HN numbers mean without Googling...!

[djf]

Ditto on the Vit D. I took 10,000 units last night.

9PM pacific time, I’ve had 3 successive temp readings. All the same. All 97.3

I’M CURED!!!!

Either that, or I’m dead and just cooling off...

;-)

I do have a mild headache and am slightly dehydrated and would like to get some exercise in, but I am beat, really beat, just need some serious zzzzzzz’s...