Posted on 11/08/2009 2:47:09 AM PST by bruinbirdman
Are new cases now in decline?
"The boogeyman will get you!" parents sometimes tell misbehaving children. With about 40% of parents saying "no!" to vaccinating their kids for swine flu, apparently health officials think turnabout is fair play. And the media seem happy to help.
You see it in such headlines as "CDC Shocker: Swine Flu Killing Young People at Record Rate!" And in lines of panicked parents queued outside vaccine clinics like fans trying to score tickets to a Paul McCartney concert. And in schools closing willy-nilly, which could cost the nation tens of billions, according to a recent Brookings Institute study.
Which is so sad, because this boogeyman is not much more substantial than the legendary one. And adding the proverbial insult to injury, parents are told they must get their children vaccines that--because of the shortage and despite Obama administration promises--they can't get.
As told, the tale does sound scary. Almost a quarter of deaths from swine flu since Sept. 1 have occurred "in young people under the age of 25," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official Anne Schuchat declared at a press conference. Among cases of seasonal flu, those over 65 account for about 90% of deaths.
What Schuchat didn't say is that, as tragic as any child's death always is, in this case they merely represent a disproportionately larger slice of a very small pie. Very few people are dying of swine flu in any age category. Put another way, it's not that younger people are being slammed but that older ones are catching a break.
Hence among 65,000 college students afflicted with CDC-defined "flu-like illness" seriously enough to seek medical help, according to an American College Health Association running survey, there have been only 123 hospitalizations and zero deaths. That in turn
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
All the medical evidence I read says we’re all going to die . . . sometime.
It’s a failed attemp to cause hysteria in the population, a total hoax! They need a crisis and they have been fishing for one. Look out when they find one!!!
Y2K II
From the article: “That in turn reflects swine flu as a whole, which in the seven months since the outbreak began has apparently killed fewer Americans than normally die every two weeks from “ordinary” flu during the season.”
It's just the regular flu, except now it is the dreaded N1H1 from the dreaded swine.
Panic sells papers, panic allows politicians to grab power. Like GlowBull Warming this is just made up to scare the helpless little people.
Also, Keep up with other H1N1 update stories on this thread: H1N1 flu victim collapsed on way to hospital [Latest H1N1 updates downthread] thanks to DvdMom and others.
so numbers have been inflated....
this is hitting younger people....and pregnant women...I still believe that there are underlying reasons that we don't understand yet.....
its sort of like what they did to AIDS.......change the definition and expand it and there you go....an increase in the number of AIDS cases...
I’m trying to find out more information about Jane Burgermeister...I posted something about her here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2281436/posts?page=51#51
{my post, scroll to the top for the story)
Saving
Why? Wouldn't it ultimately save money?
No one has been more skeptical of this swine flu hysteria than I have been. I am a firefighter so I received both the regular flu vaccination and the swine flu spray in my nose about a week and a half ago. Unfortunately, I have now been really sick for the past couple of days and I have to say that in my 49 years this is about the most miserable I can remember being. My fever peaked at 101.9 yesterday.
I had been fighting a sore throat for a few days starting a day or two after the vaccinations. Then my little wiener dog puppy got away and I got a pretty bad chill as I searched for her until around midnight in rain storm. The next day I ended up with chills, a fever, nonstop cough, headache, and severe aches just about everywhere. Thank goodness for extra strength tylenol and cough drops.
I haven’t gone to the urgent care because I think it would be a waste of time. So I don’t know for sure what it is, but it is definately a giant PIA.
Ping
When healthy adults die of the swine flu, it is usually because it becomes pneumonia.
It may develop about4- 5 days after the flu symptoms of fever, cough, and muscle aches start.
There is swelling (inflammation) in the lungs, and the person has trouble breathing that gets worse and worse until they die.
Taking antiviral medications within 48 hours of the flu symptoms starting can help reduce the symptoms but may not prevent the person from developing pneumonia.
If you feel a tight pain in your chest , a deep cough that is getting worse , coughing up blood , yellow or green phelm or have trouble breathing you need to get a lung x-ray and an antibiotic and get medical help asap .
A Pedi nurse child got the swine flu from the flu-mist vaccine , and the nurse is still pro-vaccine ....
by pedinurse05
Nov 01, 2009 03:12 PM - Hello everyone,
I posted on this topic before but just want our experience to be shared. My 2 daughters were both vaccinated using the live flumist. The next day the youngest developed a high fever and sore throat. This continued over the next few days but she also became achy with a bad cough and wheezing in the lungs. I took her to the pediatrician 3 days after the vaccination where she took nasal samples to be checked for H1N1. Her examination was consistent with H1N1 and especially with the proximity of the vaccination. She and I both feel she got the the flu from the flumist. Even though the printed material says you can’t get it from the vaccination—my doctor confirmed you can and may pass it on to immunocompromised people. It is rare to have this happen though. Being a pediatric nurse myself, I am typically for an ounce of prevention HOWEVER I have definitely second guessed this H1N1 flumist! My daughter is currently on 2 antibiotics, tamiflu, and albuterol. With that said, I certainly would take this (even though it is terrible) over the full strength virus...but ultimately i think the killed virus injection is safest. This is mild in some but I can see where it is definitely a deadly virus to others—especially the children.
Just a side note—my kids are home schooled and we had been in no contact with anyone sick in the past month. I am on leave of absence and did not bring anything home from work. This is why we are so suspicious of the flumist—next day 24 hours later flu symptoms set into full swing. My oldest daughter had no problems. My post is just to raise awareness and inform others of our experience. Yes, I wish I had waited and used the injection—but I still would have vaccinated. This experience only has shown me how serious this is—and I’m still pro-vaccination just not pro flumist:)
Take care everyone and let’s hope this passes soon!
H1N1 flumist disaster! - http://allnurses.com/showthread.php?t=436060
This is a personal account of a nurse who had the H1N1 vaccine shot , and the seasonal flu shot who STILL got the swine flu a couple of weeks later .
I had H1N1 - http://allnurses.com/showthread.php?t=437021
I think swine flu cases and deaths are not being reported as they should .
In several cases, the families we spoke with said they did not know their relatives had died of swine flu until we told them.
L.A. County’s Swine Flu Victims: Death Certificates Tell the Stories Of A Ravaging Virus
Nov 2009 - by Callie Schweitzer - Neon Tommy...online publication of the Annenberg School of Journalism - excerpts
“Neon Tommy analyzed the death records and interviewed family members, public health officials and doctors to see what the dozens of deaths suggest about the patterns of the illness and who remains most at risk. In several cases, the families we spoke with said they did not know their relatives had died of swine flu until we told them. In these cases, county officials said the diagnoses had been made after doctors filled out the death certificates, and that it is not the county’s responsibility to notify family members. Nearly half of the death records do not list swine flu as a cause of death.
In a typical flu season, about 1,000 people usually die in Los Angeles County; 36,000, nationwide. But up to 70 percent of the victims usually suffer from preexisting conditions that put them at risk. Our study of the 44 swine flu victims showed this virus behaves differently — the number of people with such conditions was equal to those without such ailments; preexisting conditions included diabetes, renal failure, obesity, hypertension and lupus, among others.
... swine flu in L.A. County has not been predominantly killing people with troubled health histories. A closer look at the 44 certificates showed the contrary — the two categories were equal; 22 had preexisting conditions, and 22 had no preexisting conditions listed...Flu season normally begins in the cooler months of October and November, but swine flu has proved to be different — thriving in warmer temperatures, Lopez said.
“We have a virus that does very well in warmer months and is being transmitted pretty efficiently because of such low immunity,” he said. “It’s not very well understood that this virus has been able to sustain itself ever since it was introduced in April and May.
http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2009/11/Swine-flu-hits-la-county-victi.html
Yep. That happened two weeks ago to our SIL and little grandson (who turned 1yo last Tues). My wife had to drive them to the Dr and that's what he did exactly, just 'pronounced it' as Swine Flu. Told them to take Tylenol for the fever and drink fluids. No Rxs given.
Now my wife has the Flu.
Stared feeling sick a couple days ago. Now has the chills, fever (typical symptoms of the flu). If she went to the Dr I'm sure the same would happen, just 'pronounce it' as Swine Flu and that's that.
http://dailymail.com/News/200911041062
Thursday November 5, 2009
Area doctor says she tested positive for H1N1 twice
by Zack Harold
Daily Mail staff
CROSS LANES, W.Va.—A Cross Lanes pediatrician says she came down with swine flu twice in two months, and she’s among the medical professionals who are puzzled by the occurrence.
Dr. Debra Parsons, a pediatrician at Kid Care West in Cross Lanes, said both she and her son came down with identical flu-like symptoms in August.
Figuring they had the same disease, Parsons swabbed herself and sent the specimen off to a lab. She tested positive for Influenza A, which includes several strains of the flu.
Health officials say that in this region more than 99 percent of people who have been testing positive for Influenza A are later confirmed to have swine flu.
Parsons said that was the case with her family; a more specific follow-up “sub-typing” test at the state lab confirmed she had H1N1.
Parsons and her son recovered from the symptoms but in October they struck again and were much worse, she said. Both had body aches, fever, chills, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
This time Parsons swabbed both herself and her son, and both tests came back positive for Influenza A. She said she pushed for further testing to determine the strain, and the lab ran an immunofluorescence test on the specimens. They again tested positive for H1N1, she said.
Parsons’ second swab was sent to the state lab Wednesday for even further testing and results should be returned in a couple of days or sent to the Centers for Disease Control for follow-up tests, she said.
When the initial test came back positive again, Parsons said she also contacted the CDC to see if it’s possible for someone to contact the swine flu twice.
She said officials at the CDC told her Saturday that it is possible to get the swine flu twice
http://dailymail.com/News/200911041062
Thursday November 5, 2009
I have been in trouble for not taking problems seriously in the past. I ignored some pretty serious abdominal pain for almost a month a couple years ago. I didn't get it checked out until I developed a fever. I was told that my appendix had ruptured and that I had developed a serious infection. I asked if they couldn't just give me some antibiotics and send me home, but the doctor insisted that if I didn't have surgery that my life would be in jeopardy.
I too suspect that the live swine flu virus that they squirt up your nose might be causing some problems. First they don't recommend it for anyone over the age of fifty and second several of my coworkers also ended up with a sore throat within a couple days of having it administered.
Today my fever broke; I am still having some coughing and sneezing but it is not constant. I am still pretty exhausted but I am feeling much better. I will definitely be feeling more empathetic towards the people we see with flu symptoms when I get back to work. Whatever I seem to be getting over with... was pretty high on the misery index.
I hope you are feeling better today .
Here’s more info about Pneumonia according to a medical site ..
Pneumonia — Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, causes, treatment of this serious respiratory infection.
Definition
Most pneumonia occurs when a breakdown in your body’s natural defenses allows germs to invade and multiply within your lungs. To destroy the attacking organisms, white blood cells rapidly accumulate. Along with bacteria, they fill the air spaces within your lungs (alveoli). Breathing may be labored as air spaces become inflamed and filled with fluid. A classic symptom of pneumonia is a cough that produces thick, blood-tinged or yellowish-greenish sputum.
Pneumonia and your lungsPneumonia is an inflammation of your lungs, usually caused by infection. Bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites can cause pneumonia. Pneumonia is a particular concern if you’re older than 65 or have a chronic illness or impaired immune system. It can also occur in young, healthy people.
Pneumonia can range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening. Pneumonia often is a complication of another condition, such as the flu. Antibiotics can treat most common forms of bacterial pneumonias, but antibiotic-resistant strains are a growing problem. The best approach is to try to prevent infection.
Symptoms
Pneumonia symptoms can vary greatly, depending on any underlying conditions you may have and the type of organism causing the infection. Pneumonia often mimics the flu, beginning with a cough and a fever, so you may not realize you have a more serious condition.
Common signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include:
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Shaking chills
Chest pain that fluctuates with breathing (pleurisy)
Headache
Muscle pain
Fatigue
Ironically, people in high-risk groups such as older adults and people with chronic illnesses or weakened immune systems may have fewer or milder symptoms than less vulnerable people do. And instead of having the high fever that often characterizes pneumonia, older adults may even have a lower than normal temperature.
When to see a doctor
Because pneumonia can be life-threatening, see your doctor as soon as possible if you have a persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, unexplained fever — especially a lasting fever of 102 F (38.9 C) or higher with chills and sweating — or if you suddenly feel worse after a cold or the flu.
Be especially prompt about seeking medical care if you’re an older adult or you smoke, drink excessively, have an injury, are undergoing chemotherapy or take medication such as prednisone that suppresses your immune system. For some older adults and people with heart failure or lung ailments, pneumonia can quickly become a life-threatening condition.
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