And there we have it, the pig flu.

[Syntax Error]

The last time i was sick was 3 years ago so i doubt swine flu (That name makes me giggle for some reason) is any threat to me.

Kinda sounds like "Swine Fu", won't you agree?

The government already put a stop to importing pigs and pork from the US and Mexico. It's really a bad time to be a pig farmer here right now, they were recovering from the recent Ebola Reston and now this hits. That said, I'll be skipping on pork in the mean time.

 

[SilentHunter7]

http://xkcd.com

 

[Doc Theta Sigma]

People are just scare mongering now. Yes, it's serious but there's no need to freak out because of a virus. Comparing it to the 1918 pandemic is kind of pointless because:

1) We've made a hell of a lot more medical advances
2) We haven't got a world war to spread it

I mean I'm in the UK and there's been a suspected case in Greater Manchester. Am I scared? No. Cause for one, the UK has a huge stockpile of anti-viral drugs and from what I've heard it only kills if you don't go to hospital early enough etc. I mean advice has been given to call your local hospital if you suspect you have swine flu instead of just turning up so you don't spread it. But stupid people are going to choose to disregard that. I was watching Sky News earlier and some bloke from Scotland was asking why face masks aren't being given out in the UK.

Sorry, what? There have been 6 suspected cases but none confirmed in this country. Christ it's a bit early to start panicking.

 

[Oopsie]

People are just scare mongering now. Yes, it's serious but there's no need to freak out because of a virus. Comparing it to the 1918 pandemic is kind of pointless because:

1) We've made a hell of a lot more medical advances
2) We haven't got a world war to spread it

As the op quite adequatly noted, virusses mutate both unpedictable and fast. Neither of your points make a lot of sense. A lot of our medical advances and advances in other fields actually lead to more resistent bacteria and virusses. Things like anti-bacterial handsoap might seem like a good idea, but in the long road it is not. Because the bacteria you don't kill with the soap will actually be stronger and will simply replace the bacteria you killed. But now they's more resistent. Which does happen.

Giving people antibiotics for a disease is another example. MDR-TBC is an excellent example of this. People not taking enough to kill every single one of the bacteria, leading it to become more resistant with every generation that might survive.

We also don't need a war to facilitate a virus these days. We have very frequent international movements for that.

The longer we fight something we can barely cure, the more we fight it in a lot of people, the worse it gets in the long run.

 

[Doc Theta Sigma]

People are just scare mongering now. Yes, it's serious but there's no need to freak out because of a virus. Comparing it to the 1918 pandemic is kind of pointless because:

1) We've made a hell of a lot more medical advances
2) We haven't got a world war to spread it

As the op quite adequatly noted, virusses mutate both unpedictable and fast. Neither of your points make a lot of sense. A lot of our medical advances and advances in other fields actually lead to more resistent bacteria and virusses. Things like anti-bacterial handsoap might seem like a good idea, but in the long road it is not. Because the bacteria you don't kill with the soap will actually be stronger and will simply replace the bacteria you killed. But now they's more resistent. Which does happen.

Giving people antibiotics for a disease is another example. MDR-TBC is an excellent example of this. People not taking enough to kill every single one of the bacteria, leading it to become more resistant with every generation that might survive.

We also don't need a war to facilitate a virus these days. We have very frequent international movements for that.

The longer we fight something we can barely cure, the more we fight it in a lot of people, the worse it gets in the long run.

So we either burn everything the virus has touched to the ground or just not fight it and let possibly thousands die... Both good choices.

 

[TwistedEllipses]

Anyone else thinking the Jews did this?

yes, because Mexico is almost entirely all Jewish...

 

[SyphonX]

Tamiflu is sitting on an attractive nest egg right now... Disease and money..Conflict of interest much?


I don't know whats worse, the notoriety caused by the media to get everyone in a panic state, because we need more panic... ; Or the fact that many people are going to rush to get a nice injection filled with mercury, aluminum and other precious chemicals that will have next to no effect on it's claimed purpose of stopping the Flu.

Instead, the injection will make the person sick and confused, which is what it does to every person that gets injected.(Unless you're Lucky) Hmm.. injection causing total immune system crash vs. using your perfectly capable immune system..


Considering all news is reporting that this strain is "Unlike anything scientists have seen before." I would have to conclude that using last year's pussy flu strain isn't going to help much.

 

[Biek]

Its all storm in a glass of water in my opinion, people die from flu every year and this one probably got the jump on us and claimed some victims. Meanwhile we have virologists hoping its going to be a pandemic just so they can say "I told you so, but you wouldnt listen".

 

[painfull2006]

Time for everyone to quickly get to Madagascar im guessing only people that have played pandemic 2 will get it

 

[Archaon6044]

we'll be okay. one thing you have to remember is that Mexico isn't exactly the most devolped country in the world, so they're bound to feel the effects worse than we do, and so far the only deaths that have occured from it are all IN Mexico. the reported cases of the flu outside of Mexico, are a) few and far between, and b) in places with better healthcare

 

[Simiou]

Wow another bullshit pandemic. Im sure it'll add to the millions of people killed by bird flu...developed countries never really get hit by this kind thing, in a perverse way Im kinda hoping all the papers making such a massive fuss are right, the general public panicing amuses me.

 

[cordeos]

I really think this is really being overblown by the media, remember SARS? Bird Flu?

 

[D_987]

There are around 100 fatal cases world-wide and people are terrified... what are the odds of you getting it?

 

[Cowabungaa]

The mondo human-destroying superbug of death is simply not going to happen. Ever. Sadly.

It already happened: Spanish flu in 1918. It killed twice as much people as the first World War, and it's estimated that it affected about a billion people, wich was half the world's population at the time. Fat chance that, with the current overpopulation, such a pandemic will happen again. Will swine flu be the new one? It's hard to tell, if not impossible to predict at this moment. Maybe, maybe not, hopefully not.