2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Outbreak

Started by Solana April 25th, 2009 8:45 AM
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Age 32
The Netherlands
Seen September 7th, 2010
Posted May 5th, 2009
9 posts
14.2 Years
WHO: Mexico outbreak has 'pandemic potential'

GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization says the hamthrax outbreak in Mexico and the United States could develop into a pandemic.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan says the outbreak involves "an animal strain of the H1N1 virus, and it has pandemic potential."
Chan says it is too early to say whether a pandemic will actually occur.
The global health body has advised countries around the world to look out for similar outbreaks following the discovery of related strains on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border.
At least 62 people in Mexico have died from pneumonia after contracting a flu-like virus. WHO says some tested positive for a strain that sickened at least seven in the southwestern U.S. No deaths have been reported in the U.S.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting of experts Saturday to consider declaring an international public health emergency over the hamthrax outbreak believed to have killed dozens of people in Mexico and sickened at least seven in the U.S.
It is the first time the WHO's Director-General Margaret Chan has convened such a crisis panel since the procedure was created almost two years ago, spokesman Gregory Hartl said.
The committee may decide Saturday that the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency, and if so, whether WHO should consider measures including travel advisories, trade restrictions and border closures.
The global body's flu pandemic alert level is now set to phase three — meaning there is no or very limited risk of a new virus spreading from human to human.
The committee "will be asked, 'should we raise the alert level to phase four or phase five,' depending on their appreciation of how far the virus has spread," Hartl said.
An increased alert level was considered likely, as initial evidence from the outbreak in Mexico indicates the virus has spread between people. Hartl said, however, that a decision would not be made Saturday.
At least 62 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a flu-like illness in Mexico, according to WHO. Some of those who died are confirmed to have contracted a type of hamthrax known as A/H1N1. That particular flu variant has not previously been seen in pigs or humans, though other types of H1N1 have.
"This is a very high concern for us as the world's global health organization," Hartl said.
The current seasonal flu vaccine is not believed to offer any protection against this new hamthrax. But anti-viral drug Tamiflu appears to be fully effective against the H1N1 virus, and "Mexico and the United States already have large stocks of Tamiflu," Hartl said.
The virus has caused alarm in Mexico, where more than 1,000 people have been sickened. Authorities there have closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in a bid to contain the outbreak.
WHO, which has been monitoring the situation since Thursday, said 12 of the Mexican cases have been confirmed as genetically identical to a hamthrax virus detected in California.
U.S. authorities said seven people were infected with hamthrax in California and Texas, and all recovered.
"We do seem to have found incidents of the same illness, which is swine influenza A/H1N1, on both sides of the border in various locations," Hartl said.
WHO has sent experts to Mexico to monitor the situation there, and asked countries to report any unusual flu outbreaks.
"We are at the beginning of the outbreak here, and there are a lot of things that we still don't know," Hartl said.
"We're not sure exactly of the transmission routes, where the initial infection came from, how efficient it is in transmitting," he said. WHO is also questioning "why no one has died in the United States so far whereas there have been confirmed deaths in Mexico."
WHO chief Chan broke off a visit to Washington, where she was to meet with U.S. officials, to oversee WHO's response to the crisis from its Strategic Health Operation Center in Switzerland.
The virus appears to cause flu-like symptoms that can develop into severe pneumonia, Hartl said, urging anyone to visit a doctor if they had been to affected areas and were feeling symptoms.
"You would want to take the same kind of precautions that you would do with pneumonia and an influenza-like illness," he said.
Sounds pretty serious. Everyone, especially people in and around the infected area's, keep your eyes open and avoid close contact with other people. Stay safe. People from Mexico, California and Texas; What are you noticing about the outbreak on the streets?


Solana
Age 30
Male
Southern Europe
Seen January 25th, 2013
Posted October 21st, 2009
7,482 posts
15.4 Years
So wait let me get this straight. America has it's water supply contaminated to a small amount Mexico has a major mass flu floating around and North Korea is now acknowledged as a nuclear weapon carrier? Well this week has been interesting on top off the fact that the economy is so bad(well not bad just the media scared everyone) that even cops are starting to rob banks here.
Anyway wow that sounds serious. Phase 4 or 5 is like really bad as shown on this chart right?
http://www.pandemictoolkit.com/images/severity-chart.gif
Hopefully they can quarantine this.
Age 32
The Netherlands
Seen September 7th, 2010
Posted May 5th, 2009
9 posts
14.2 Years
Yeah this has been a hell of a week and I don't want to know what next week brings regarding the swine flu outbreak. It's still phase 3 at the moment but that's only because they don't really know what this virus is. When it's known to spread easily from human to human expect phase 4/5. There's speculation that it has also spread to New York. 75 students went home sick there after some of them came back from Mexico. If this is also swine flu we may look at a very difficult situation. CDC already told the media that it is 'too late to contain the virus' whatever that means. The fact that the WHO already use the word pandemic worries me the most.
Age 31
Male
Santa Isabel, Mexico
Seen July 7th, 2018
Posted February 2nd, 2016
4,000 posts
18.9 Years
People from Mexico, California and Texas; What are you noticing about the outbreak on the streets?
Um... Nothing. It's not like we'll see the flu walking down the street with a new pair of slippers.

Just for you to know, Mexico is... big. The outbreak's strong in Mexico City only, with a few more states presenting isolated cases... and that's south, nowhere near Texas or California. Here in the north very few cases (no more than 20) have been recorded as of now... So we can't really have a relevant say on that matter.

Of course, that's no reason not to take care of it.
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Haza

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Posted March 18th, 2021
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14.8 Years
Im sure it wont be too bad. I live in Kansas so Im pretty safe anyway but things like this are always sad.

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Spinor

<i><font color="b1373f">The Lonely Physicist</font></i>

Age 26
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Posted October 4th, 2015
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17.3 Years
AH CRAP I LIVE IN RIO GRANDE AREA I'M GONNA FREAKING DIE!!!

Ouch, that is very serious. I don't think I will do my monthly Mexishopping this month @[email protected]

I'm also gonna be very careful since I am very close to the border.
Age 31
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Ottawa, Canada
Seen March 7th, 2013
Posted September 22nd, 2010
491 posts
14.8 Years
"Pandemic", yet less than 1% of Mexico's population has it. Overblown media crap. Any of you remember bird flu and SARS? This will be no different.
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Corvus of the Black Night

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Age 30
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Seen January 9th, 2015
Posted January 9th, 2015
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14.3 Years
I am so damn glad I don't eat pig meat whatsoever.

Well, we can only hope that this just ends like the Bird Flu did back a few years ago - scaring the crap out of everyone but not actually mounting to anything beyond about 100 deaths (when it could easily be 10,000,000).
Seen May 24th, 2009
Posted May 23rd, 2009
129 posts
14.2 Years
"Pandemic", yet less than 1% of Mexico's population has it. Overblown media crap. Any of you remember bird flu and SARS? This will be no different.
Uuuhh...if anywhere near 1% of Mexico's population had it, I would be very scared, since that would be about 1.2 million people!!!!!!!!

I don't think it's overblown in the media. But as for people "Noticing the outbreak on the streets" in the infected area.....well, good luck spotting one of the 1,500 or so people who have it.

Trap-Eds

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Posted April 9th, 2011
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14.7 Years
Well, this could be bad. I live in Arizona. O.O
But, I'm not gonna worry unless this really becomes an outbreak in my commuinity.
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KurlyFries

Named his ShinyTar Angela

Male
Texas
Seen January 5th, 2019
Posted June 6th, 2010
225 posts
15.1 Years
Oh, joy.
I live in South-Central Texas.

Today is prom day for my high school and the district said that nobody could take guests from a certain other high school because one of their students got the swine flu.

I'm a little nervous, seeing as how that high school is 38 minutes away from my house...
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Age 27
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Posted February 5th, 2012
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14.2 Years
I hope this doesn't end up like that movie "Outbreak".

We get rid of it, it comes back in a few years and wipes out a chunk of the population, sends the country into an insane pandemic, and we all would perish. We would have survived if it was exactly like Outbreak, but since there's no host, there's not anitbodies for it, hence why we will all die. Sounds like fun, no? =)
If it looks like a pandemic is on the horizon this is what we do: The rich kids should buy out the grocery stores and barricade them. Connect the grocery store to the hospital and barricade that too, then everyone who's not infected go inside and we would all live happily ever after. But first you need to rob Gamestop, EB Games, Office Depot, Best Buy and Matress King so we don't die of boredom and have a place to sleep. Have your minions take over the electric company stations so we will have electricity and running water. Then we need to go to Home Depot and buy a crapload of exercising things so we stay in shape, yardsticks to discipline people, and silverware. And some bathroom/kitchen appliances. Then we would survive. Maybe. Kind of. Kthxbye.