flu

It's mid winter where I live (New Zealand) and I have had a bad dose of the flu for the past few days. Hopefully getting over it now. Just wondering why people get the flu in winter. Why doesn't the cold of winter kill off the flu bugs?

Most people seem to be doing everything they can to ward off the possibility of a Bird Flu Pandemic[TM]. But I disagree! In fact, I have learned to stop worrying and love the impending Bird Flu Pandemic[TM]! "SOCIOPATHIC MONSTER!" you cry? Well, hear out my reasoning, and perhaps you too will...

Aside from the question of whether the apostrophe in 'flu (and the one at the end has died already) can survive this epidemic, has anyone here looked into the epidemiology properly yet? I'm a vet and I should know, but I don't and I was wondering if anyone has any quick answers. I am confused...

John Saxton, President of the British Homeopathy Association, on the dangers of avian/pandemic influenza: "Proved" effective? Evidence please...?

I was watching Sky News earlier, and they were talking about how curry is a good cure for flu and cold-like illnesses. They reported from a restaurant, and explained how a large number of customers who had colds felt better a few days later after eating their curry. :rolleyes: The worst thing...

My mother is a bit prone to woo-woo now and then, but she's learning. At the moment she's terrified of bird flu and her friends have bonded together to write up an emergency plan of action including stocking up on rations and sealing their homes... I've been trying to inject some reason into...

NOt my idea. But I loved this letter to the newspaper in San Luis Obispo (CA)... A letter to the editor in the San Luis Obispo (CA) paper. "SOME DON'T NEED VACCINE" Recent news about the avian flu virus has raised concerns from main street to the White House. There is the possibility, even...

Someone please help! I just overheard someone at work say, “I don’t understand what the big deal is with the Bird Flu. If you eat right and exercise, you’re not going to get it. Children, the elderly, and people who are generally unhealthy are the ones that should worry.” ??? That’s gotta be...

We've all seen the news coverage of the avian flu. According to CNN, Fox News, and NPR we are all going to die sometime before lunch today. The press isn't really known for their constraint and they will inflate the dangers of any infectious agent. Remember SARS and mad cow disease? The TV...

Parrotcetamol.

I have just begun to go through the data surrounding H5N1. Does anyone know any more about the specific rates of cross-species transfer? The numbers from WHO do not seem to justify the great hype surrounding the "impending doom". Here are the WHO mortality numbers: 26.12.03-10.03.04: 35...

Still have my fingers crossed, but it looks like I may just make it through another year without getting the flu. I'm always a little paranoid about that, because I have a chronic lung condition that would make a dose of the flu a life-threatening proposition for me. So I tend to keep a close...

I am just recovering from the flu and I have a few questions about the symptoms. I am just curious which chemicals (or whatever) are responsible for the symptoms. 1) While you have the flu, you cannot think clearly. Is this do to the fever or is something else involved? Follow up: Why does a...

Has anyone done real research on this stuff? It looks to me like a simple megadose of vitamins with the usual herbal crap thrown in. Several co-workers swear by it, but I think that it's purely a placebo affect. Of course, it was invented by a school teacher, so it MUST be good...

Further to this thread in which the possible source of the flu pandemic virus of 1918 was vaccines, this article suggests that the close proximity of soldiers of the Great War to ducks, pigs, horses etc. is a possible and more likely explanation. The most virulent flu strains such as the...

why can't we get drugs? The hypocritical Bush admin is trying to get flu vaccine from Canada and Germany - all while making it illegal to get drugs from Canada because of "safety" issues. How is this justified? If drugs from Canada are unsafe, wouldn't flu vaccines be unsafe too? Ah, but...

San Francisco Chronicle, Sun 24 Oct 2004 [edited] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/10/24/FLU.TMP rest of account is at above URL.

I'm just looking for opinions here. Does anyone else feel this is an issue? Will anyone who gets the flu before Nov. 2nd think it is? I have to wonder if this administration is so ill equipped to protect its citizens from a regularly scheduled event like flu season, how could it respond to a...

Since flu shots consist of injections of dead flu viruses, and there's such a shortage this year, is there a way that you could get the same effect on your own? For instance, say you know someone with the flu. You shut them in a room for a few hours, allowing for millions of the little bugs...

Item: "A 79-year-old woman who stood in line outside a supermarket for more than five hours waiting for a flu shot collapsed and later died, the woman's daughter said. " http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041016/ap_on_re_us/flu_vaccine_death_3 The public is now in full panic over...

Yikes, this article from the BBC is freakin' scary: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3643643.stm Bird flu could develop into a threat big enough to overturn world order if it evolves to transfer directly from person to person, a UK scientist says. Dr John McCauley, of the Institute...

As the father of a 2-and-a-half year old little boy, this news story hit me hard: BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - A 7-year-old Bakersfield boy found near death under the family Christmas tree has become Kern County's first confirmed flu victim of the season, police said. Full Story Here :(This part...

Now that Flu season is here, many people are getting vaccinated. (I know I got my shot earlier this month.) But, I do have a couple of questions: I know the vaccine only protects against a couple of strains of the flu (ones that researchers think will be the most wide spread.) However, I've...

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20031204_809.html Influenza is raging through Colorado, USA. The usual height of the flu season is still ~ a month away, and it is reasonable to assume that the outbreak will spread to other Western states. If your employer or health provider offers flu...

I used to get colds and flus quite regularly. For over 20 years, I have not had the stomach flu. I have not thrown up from ANY cause (Except from pain reflex with a kidney stone) in over 20 years. But I have heard that as you get older, getting such things as an adult goes down...

Just got my flu shot today! Last year I forgot until it was too late. Spent all my time before TAM1 washing my hands, and turning doorknobs with my sleeve. It just takes a minute, and you'll be sorry if you don't!