Guys! Stop me if you heard this ... Bang bang bang bang bang bang click click click click
Posted on 12/04/2012 6:10:52 PM PST by blam
All Signs Indicate That This Flu Season Is Going To Be Brutal
Jennifer Welsh
Dec. 4, 2012, 6:53 PM
The flu season could be especially bad this year, and is one of the earliest-starting flu seasons in a decade, said Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control.
"This is the earliest regular flu season we've had in nearly a decade, since the 2003-2004 flu season. That was an early and severe flu year," CDC director Thomas Frieden said in a teleconference yesterday Dec. 3.
That season was very severe, especially for children, they said.
This is much different than we saw last year's flu season, which — helped by a late start and a warm winter — was very mild.
Weather.com notes:
The CDC tracks flu cases across America and releases a new report each week which shows local, regional, and statewide flu cases. The most recent report shows half a dozen states reporting widespread outbreaks of the flu. Just one week earlier, no states were reporting widespread outbreaks.
See all the national flu data here.
"While flu is always unpredictable, the early nature of the cases as well as the specific strains we're seeing suggest that this could be a bad flu year," Frieden said. "In summary, flu activity is up, vaccine is the best tool to protect against flu."
The researchers at the CDC can't say why this year is off to such an early start, but it could be because of the strain that's circling. The H3N2 strain is typically associated with severe flu seasons, Frieden said:
"And what we've seen in past years is that H3 predominant years tend to be the worst years. And at least in 2003, also an earlier year."
Some good news though — this year's vaccine is well
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Exactly. My wife said, "I thought last year was the worst ever. What about Bird Flu, Swine Flu, etc."
I said, "Thank you, pass the green beans."
That’s what I’m thinking as well. Generally influenza symptoms are fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, respiratory congestion, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, but this is more common in children than adults.
If someone comes down with stomach and intestinal symptoms without the other symptoms of influenza, it’s most likely a Norovirus or Norwalk or food poisoning. But either way, that’s no picnic, I hope you are feeling better too.
Although I will say that the last time I go the flu in the late 1990’s it hit me like a ton of bricks and very suddenly when I was at work; starting with the very sudden onset of nausea and vomiting, then by the time I got home a splitting headache, diarrhea, more nausea and vomiting, followed by coughing, sneezing, fever, chills, some more nausea and vomiting that continued for the next 24 hours, then really bad coughing, constant sneezing, a very sore throat, chest congestion and body aches like someone had beaten me with a two by four. I spent the next three days on the sofa under heavy blankets, so sick and miserable that 1) I didn’t want to keep my husband up all night and couldn’t sleep anyway 2) was too weak to want to go up a flight of steps to our bedroom 3) wanted to be closer to a bathroom and 4) wanted to be close to the refrigerator to get ice chips. I missed 5 days of work and the first day I ventured out of the house it was to go to the grocery store with my husband. I thought I was OK and feeling better, but soon was leaning on the grocery cart for support as I felt so weak, that I wouldn’t have been able to stand otherwise. That was about as sick as I’ve ever been with influenza excepting in the late 70’s when I was in high school and contracted the Russian Flu.
It’s working.......................whispers in dark corridors of the World health organization
HHS, CDC, etc. trying to keep their budgets intact.
The annual advertising campaign for flu shot manufacturers.
Well, for the first time, I went to get a flu shot this year (I may have had one a few years back as part of treatment for something else), because I was just recovering from the worst bronchial infection of my life which had lasted for about 3 months and I believe wound up with some pneumonia, although I ultimately beat all this without seeing a doctor. At my age (57 1/2), I was concerned that I might wind up with COPD or somethimg similar because I grew up in a smoking (Lefty) family.
IAC, I’ll have to check out the D3, probiotics that are discussed in this thread in the future.
It’s possible that you had a mild reaction to the shot, it’s also possible that you caught a mild case of the flu before the shot gave you full immunity (it generally takes about two weeks after getting the shot to build full immunity) or that you coincidentally caught a common cold.
What are the risks from inactivated influenza vaccine?
A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Serious problems from inactivated influenza vaccine are very rare. The viruses in inactivated influenza vaccine have been killed, so you cannot get influenza from the vaccine.
Mild Problems
soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
hoarseness; sore, red or itchy eyes; cough
fever
Aches
Headache
Itching
Fatigue
If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and last 1-2 days.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
Did the green beans have bacon bits in it? Life is meant to be enjoyed.
Every night, Joe would go down to the liquor store, get a six pack, bring it home, and drink it while he watched TV. One night, as he finished his last beer, the doorbell rank. He stumbled to the door and found a six-foot cockroach standing there. The bug grabbed him by the collar and threw him across the room, then left.
The next night, after he finished his 4th beer, the doorbell rang. He walked slowly to the door and found the same six-foot cockroach standing there. The big bug punched him in the stomach, then left.
The next night, after he finished his 1st beer, the doorbell rang again. The same six-foot cockroach was standing there. This time, he was kneed in the groin and hit behind the ear as he doubled over in pain. Then the big bug left. The fourth night Joe didn’t drink at all.
The doorbell rang. The cockroach was standing there. The bug beat the snot out of Joe and left him in a heap on the living room floor. The following day, Joe went to see his doctor. He explained the events of the preceding four nights. “What can I do?” he pleaded. “Not much” the doctor replied. “There’s just a nasty bug going around.”
Yep, along with diced onions and smothered in butter. My son will eat the bacon bits and leave the beans.
"I don't think so, boy. You can push the spinach slathered in ranch dressing to the side, but those beans are healthy for ya. That plate ain't big enough to hide all that nutrition."
LOL
(Ahh. I'm kidding, we can't afford spinach.)
Shot? Never.
I like the way you got your green beans setup.
Funny quip about the spinach. =)
Guys! Stop me if you heard this ... Bang bang bang bang bang bang click click click click
Whatever it was, my youngest son got it a few days before I did, and my oldest got it a day after. It was intense, with fever and chills, but the worst of it was over in a day. I suppose it could have been something else, as I usually get severe muscle aches with the flu, and that didn’t happen.
Somebody on FR told me to load up on D3 a while back.
God bless ‘em.
Some of the best advice I ever had.
Colostrum jacks up your immune system, too.
Hubby got talked into a flu shot several years ago.
He got the flu for the first time in a *long* time.
In spite of refusing the shot and living with a flu vector, I had about 5 hours of an achy head...and that was it.
To answer your first question; just how does the CDC know all of that about the flu? each year, three strains are chosen for selection in that year's flu vaccination by the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network. The chosen strains are the H1N1, H3N2, and Type-B strains thought most likely to cause significant human suffering in the coming season. Due to the high mutation rate of the virus a particular vaccine formulation is effective for at most about a year. The World Health Organization coordinates the contents of the vaccine each year to contain the most likely strains of the virus to attack the next year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_vaccine#Annual_reformulation_of_flu_vaccine
Basically WHO monitors cases of influenza worldwide and by monitoring flu outbreaks in areas of the world where they are most likely to originate from (Asia most typically) they can identify the most prevalent strains from the previous year, monitors if and how they are mutating and looks for any immerging strains developing early in this year that are likely to spread later in the year worldwide and factor them into this year’s vaccine. This is coordinated with the CDC in the US.
The “forecast” of what strains of flu will be most prevalent and or most dangerous varies in accuracy from year to year (think of hurricane forecasts – much more accurate than ever before but still not 100% accurate) but the good news for anyone who got a flu shot this year is that this year’s flu shot covers the strains most prevalent – this year’s shot is a very good match for the most prevalent and most likely the most dangerous strains.
No way can CDC know what strain unless they are doing lab tests, which I highly doubt
Actually lab tests play a huge role in monitoring immerging flu strains and determining the three strains that go into every year’s flu vaccine.
We are forced to have the vaccine at work, but no one ever asks if anyone actually got the flu - they don’t care.
Without knowing in what sort of business you work for or in that “forces” you to get a flu shot, if however you are working in a healthcare field, I am pretty sure that the CDC monitors cases of influenza among healthcare workers as that can be a bell weather, a canary in the coal mine for a better term in detecting early signs of a pandemic. The company I work for, a manufacturing company provides free flu shots but it is not mandatory. If I decline to the get a flu shot and later am out sick with the flu I’m not sure what my company should “track” but if I got a flu shot and was diagnosed as having contracted the flu strain that I should have been vaccinated for when I got my flu shot, I was given the batch number and all sorts of information on the vaccine including a toll free number to call if I experienced any adverse effects or contracted the flu later and our insurance company who paid for the vaccine, and the pharma who produced the vaccine, would both be very interested in knowing about any potential problems or failings.
Some how I just don’t believe any of this garbage that comes out of the federal Govt.
I understand your cynicism however when it comes to communicable diseases, tracking them and monitoring vaccination programs, the CDC is one government agency that overall, does a pretty good job at what they do.
I dont trust the cdc or the flu shots.Too many times they have infected people with things on purpose just to test how quickly things can pass to other people etc.Before you say im paranoid/tinfoil hat,,,,Recall Tuskeegee Program,and the many intentional Flu infections through the years.I dont trust em,maybe youre next batch includes life cancer cells.
ping
I caught it almost 3 weeks ago and I’m still not 100%.
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