Posted on 05/18/2009 2:01:48 PM PDT by traumer
Source: Reuters * Pattern different from seasonal flu
* U.S. flu season running unusually long
* Average flu victim is teenager
(Updates throughout with news conferences)
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The new influenza strain circulating around most of the United States is putting a worrying number of young adults and children into the hospital and hitting more schools than usual, U.S. health officials said on Monday.
The H1N1 swine flu virus killed a vice principal at a New York City school over the weekend and has spread to 48 states. While it appears to be mild, it is affecting a disproportionate number of children, teenagers and young adults.
This includes people needing hospitalization -- now up to 200, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"That's very unusual, to have so many people under 20 to require hospitalization, and some of them in (intensive care units)," Schuchat told reporters in a telephone briefing.
"We are now experiencing levels of influenza-like illness that are higher than usual for this time of year," Schuchat added. "We are also seeing outbreaks in schools, which is extremely unusual for this time of year."
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden agreed with Schuchat.
"We're seeing increasing numbers of people going to emergency departments saying they have fever and flu, particularly young people in the 5 to 17 age group, " Frieden, who has been named by U.S. President Barack Obama as the new CDC director, told a news conference.
About half of all cases of influenza are being diagnosed as the new H1N1 strain, while the rest are influenza B, or the seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 strains. Flu season in the United States is usually almost over by May.
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
just when I was about to exhale...
Ping
FYI
I’ve heard it said that older Americans probably have some resistance to H1N1 because it is simply an adaptation from previous strains. Maybe that’s correct, maybe it’s not. But it would make sense, as this strain seems to hit younger Americans more.
I think I have the flu. Seriously. I mean yesterday it was like I took a sleeping pill and was running a low grade fever. Now it’s up where I can move around, but I am exhausted.
I don’t think it’s swine flu though, I think it’s a cold with the sniffles and sneezes.
Just don't exhale on ME!
I wonder what they mean by “average victim’s age”...
because if you had 100 2 yr olds, and 20 80 yr olds, the average age would be 15...
but none of the victims would be 15...
I took our 9 month old for his 9 month check-up last week. Our pediatrician is ultra liberal, and she acted like this whole flu thing was/is overblown. The receptionist said the office had been “crazy” with people in panic over whether or not their child had swine flu. We hadn’t been there in 3 months, and we have 10 children. That’s not to say that none of them were ill in the last 3 months, but their illnesses were the normal colds/flus that come each year. I’m almost convinced that we had swine flu go through our household. It started with a baseball coach going to Mexico at the end of February/beginning of March. He was very ill for a healthy 35-year-old. Our son then got sick and was the sickest I’ve ever seen him. It went through all of us and affected some of us more than others.
Interestingly, this flu seems to have a low fever component.
Nah, couldn't be. The earth is warming, not cooling, 'cause the computer models say so.
About a week of not-quite misery, but general discomfort. The kids were hit worse than Mrs WBill and I. No fever component, either. We got hit with something similar about a month ago, as well. My bet is that one or the other (or both? maybe different variants?) was the dreaded swine flu.
I'm thinking that this swine flu is a whole lot more widespread than authorities are letting on (or know about, usually gov't is the last to know), also not nearly as life-threatening, either.
First of all, 10 children? Wow!
Secondly, if you don’t like or trust the ped, I’d find a new one. Only if she is a bad Dr. Not because she is a liberal.
Given that “new” strains of flu are typically much nastier on the second wave (where they combine with nastier strains of flu, but ones where humans have resistance), I would think it would be a good thing to catch the swine flu on this first wave, as you’d be protected from the second.
My thoughts EXACTLY, I’ve been shaking everybody hands and hanging out at my bar hoping to do exactly that. Much rather have the flu in nice warm dry weather then in the cold wet winter. Get your vaccination on the cheap, catch the swine flu now. Yea it will mutate but at least you will have some protection.
Well I'm certainly no ultra liberal, and I not only believe, but know for a fact that this whole flu thing is more than overblown - it's idiotically absurd. And I mean by actual statistics, as in compare this non-existent flu thing with actual seasonal flu numbers. Of course, some people also think Newsweek screaming FEAR THE FLU on its cover is perfectly rational, too. Nothing to see here, move along...
They are saying that will not make you immune because it is likely to change.
Oh we love her despite her political leanings. She’s a very good physician!
I respectfully disagree with “them.”
Yes, it won’t be perfect immunity, but having about 1/4 resitance would be enough to keep you alive.
"Usually, there is no fever with common cold symptoms. In fact, fever and more severe symptoms may indicate that you have the flu and not a cold."
Hope you get to feeling better and that it's not the atypical H1N1/Swine flu.
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