Swine Flu

[Clayton]

Well, my 8th grader came home yesterday with a letter from the school district. They closed his middle school down until May 11th. One of the students has a confirmed case of the Swine Flu. They are not making up the days missed, so my son is happy. Strange thing is, this is the only school they are closing down in a city of 250,000. There has to be other cases out there. There is an elementary school 1/4 mile from my sons school which is where all of the siblings of my sons classmates go, and they haven't closed it either. Strange logic going on...at least in my mind.

 

[Clayton]

Well, my 8th grader came home yesterday with a letter from the school district. They closed his middle school down until May 11th. One of the students has a confirmed case of the Swine Flu. They are not making up the days missed, so my son is happy. Strange thing is, this is the only school they are closing down in a city of 250,000. There has to be other cases out there. There is an elementary school 1/4 mile from my sons school which is where all of the siblings of my sons classmates go, and they haven't closed it either. Strange logic going on...at least in my mind.

 

[GaryDean]

Tarrant County has gone nuts and cancelled almost every public event in the county. Wouldn't it be easier to tell the people that are sick to just stay home? With all the school closings around here, the malls and theaters will be full of the same kids that should have been in school and they will still be spreading whatever they possibly have.

 

[Clayton]

Hunter's letter specifically told them to stay home and not to go to the mall or the movies.

 

[bk43]

Perhaps a little over reaction in Fort Worth but you know cowboys, they always get excited real quick.

One thing the DFW area is doing that's really neat is that their Rapid Response Teams have set up stations(don't know how many) where people can be screened in their cars. You pull up, get BP and symptoms check by a nurse. Blood is drawn if deemed necessary. Info goes to a doctor at a nearby table who writes a script if indicated and you drive home. No walking around or waiting in a crowded waiting area exposing who knows how many to what ails you, conserves your strength, and you get whatever care is needed. Just an incredibly smart approach!

Sure would be neat to hear from any members who have gone through one of these stations.

Bob

 

[rburg]

Why do you call it the swine flu? Can anyone using that term point me to any reliable source that has found it in even one single swine (male chauvinest excepted.) Its the Mexican flu. They call other flu strains by where they were first identified, like the Hong Kong flu. Why pick on innocent pigs?

 

[truckemup97]

Originally posted by Clayton:
Strange logic going on...at least in my mind.

Logic? You were expecting logic?

Hunter's letter specifically told them to stay home and not to go to the mall or the movies.

Right. Like that's going to happen.

 

[mwtdvm]

Why do you call it the swine flu?

IIRC, the RNA sequencing is what they base the origin of the virus strain. Again, I am trusting memory but the swine flu was a mutation of the avian.
(paste: H1N1: A subtype of INFLUENZA A VIRUS comprised of the surface proteins hemagglutinin 1 and neuraminidase 1. The H1N1 subtype was responsible for the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and for swine flu.)

Everything clear now?

As far as the chaotic response... Well what do you expect? It's the Gov't in action and inaction. There is no vaccine, and there certainly aren't enough antiviral meds to go around. If this bug was really bad you would be seeing 100K+ dead in Mexico City, and it would be spreading like wildfire across the planet.
I don't know if as it passes through generations of victims it will kill a higher percentage but it could also go the other way. The fact that there are not dead littering the streets gives me hope.

Besides do you really think the quarantine measures are going to be effective? A person can be spreading the virus a day before they know they are sick.

I'm not worrying about something that I can't change or alter the outcome.

It's almost time for the weekend to start and a cold beer is waiting.
Beer can Chickens on Sunday, certified free of avian flu.

 

[Iggy]

I suspect this will blow over.. Obama and Rama used another crisis to get another one of their cabinet posts filled.

Now we need a gas pipeline or oil refinery explosion to further their green energy program.