Swine Flu outbreak

gumboot said:
Has anyone got links to any reliable data on the demographics of those who have died or suspected of having died from the virus?
Click to expand...
Not yet but I have some inquiries out that I expect to produce those answers when they are available.
 
We've received the first results from WHO tests... of the original ten-student group three have been confirmed as infected with the swine virus. However all but one of the students has already recovered, and they were contacted almost immediately upon reaching home so the likelihood of a spread from these ten is very low.
 
Oliver said:
Well, I blame mass production under "inhuman" circumstances for these types of threats. Meat should cost twice as much and in return, the Government should pass laws making sure that the animals grow up in a "happy&healthy environment" in return.
Click to expand...

I blame poor rural farmers living in close proximity to their animals; this is why most flues originate from Asia.
 
MattusMaximus said:
Blame the media for not educating people about the real meaning of "pandemic". Or, we could also blame people who are too lazy to actually go look it up for themselves.



:confused: Yeah, that makes sense. Because a panic would make things so much better.

The CT subforum is two doors down on the right :rolleyes:



I did educate you. If you don't like how I educated you, just ignore me.

In the meantime, how about learning how to google "pandemic" before you go spouting nonsense and alleging conspiracy mongering idiocy? Here, let me google that for you.
Click to expand...
My, my--how smug we are.
I gave you the google definintio, and even a ****ing link to it.
So look before you accuse people, ok? Don't be an ass.
oops-too late
 
CNN: Pandemic alert level raised

The World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert level today in response to the swine flu outbreak. Mexico officials suspect 152 people have died from the flu. Fifty cases -- none fatal -- have been confirmed in the United States. The higher alert level means WHO has determined the virus is capable of significant human-to-human transmission. full story
Click to expand...
Not good.
 
Oliver said:
Not good.
Click to expand...

There's nothing particularly concerning about a pandemic. Symptoms outside Mexico appear to have been very, very mild. This sucker ain't gonna kill half the world's population or anything.
 
Darth Rotor said:
The better thread on this topic is in the Science forum. This forum's players are not doing a good job. Thanks SG for your efforts in cross posting.

Now, how many of you very funny people live near Mexico, in Texas or CA, and are at a bit of risk in the near future due to a thing called probability?

How many?

I do. I am. But funny old thing, I am not in a panic.

I do, however, pay close attention to what CDC and WHO are saying ... since what is happening in Mexico is not something to laugh at. That the Catholic Church in Mexico City basically cancelled Mass this past Sunday ought to give one pause ...

DR
Click to expand...

As someone who lived in Mexico for a very long time, I can say that cancelling mass, school, issuing masks or any major and immediate action by the government is indeed a big deal.

Having to sleep in a stadium during Katrina is a laughable complaint in Mexico as you at least have a roof over your head. Thus, relatively speaking, this outbreak should cause at least that much concern.

FOX and CNN might be having a field day with the fear-mongering as they always do; but this time it might be slightly more justified.
 
Last edited:
gumboot said:
There's nothing particularly concerning about a pandemic. Symptoms outside Mexico appear to have been very, very mild. This sucker ain't gonna kill half the world's population or anything.
Click to expand...
I'll buy that. But when somebody, like myself, puts "Define: Pandemic" into google, it come back with frightening definitions.
epidemic over a wide geographical area; "a pandemic outbreak of malaria"
an epidemic that is geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region or even throughout the world
existing everywhere; "pandemic fear of nuclear war"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Click to expand...
and epidemic makes it worse:
a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time
(especially of medicine) of disease or anything resembling a disease; attacking or affecting many individuals in a community or a population ...
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Click to expand...
and Princeton.edu is definitely a bunch that should know...
and it pisses me off that certain individuals then bitch about
Wrong. As skeptigirl says, you really need to learn more about the terminology before you start spouting off nonsense. Here, let me make it easy for you...
Click to expand...
If you're going to change definitions from the popular and common usage, you shouldn't bitch about people asking questions and questioning the motive for the change.
And this accusation:
In the meantime, how about learning how to google "pandemic" before you go spouting nonsense and alleging conspiracy mongering idiocy? Here, let me google that for you.
Click to expand...
derives from a holier-than-thou, smug, conceit that has no basis in reality.
 
I think if there was less demand for pork this would not be happening. I think factory farming is what's responsible for all these outbreaks of animalborne diseases.

Cramming animals by the hundreds or thousands into gigantic, windowless sheds—in which the air is teeming with bacteria and the pigs' or chickens' throats are burned by the accumulated waste—is a recipe for spreading virulent diseases. Just last month, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote two articles about the spread of deadly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on pig farms. Kristof isn't psychic. He's just paying attention.

Western civilization and her culture is doing a lot of bad things. Our attitude of doing whatever we want without regard to consequences is hurting us and is going to continue to hurt us. We don't NEED to eat so much pork and other meats.
 
On a cynical note, given that Sweeps Month began April 23, it's no wonder why CNN et. al. have had nothing but this in the news since then.
 
gumboot said:
We've received the first results from WHO tests... of the original ten-student group three have been confirmed as infected with the swine virus. However all but one of the students has already recovered, and they were contacted almost immediately upon reaching home so the likelihood of a spread from these ten is very low.
Click to expand...
Until the next plane from Mexico arrives anyway. ;)
 
soylent said:
I blame poor rural farmers living in close proximity to their animals; this is why most flues originate from Asia.
Click to expand...
Funny, some people are blaming large corporate pig farms whose pollution contaminates those rural areas. And with bird flu, it appears illegal smuggling of live birds & fertilized eggs, along with the millions of chickens in close proximity to each other in commercial poultry operations contribute to a lot of disease.
 
Last edited:
gumboot said:
There's nothing particularly concerning about a pandemic. Symptoms outside Mexico appear to have been very, very mild. This sucker ain't gonna kill half the world's population or anything.
Click to expand...
So if it turns out to be correct as was reported in another thread that all of the dead so far have been between 20 and 50 years of age and that is unheard of with mild flu strains, you'll just ignore that evidence in favor of all the other evidence?

I plan to wait and see what that means before I draw any conclusions.
 
Bill Thompson said:
I think if there was less demand for pork this would not be happening. I think factory farming is what's responsible for all these outbreaks of animalborne diseases.

Cramming animals by the hundreds or thousands into gigantic, windowless sheds—in which the air is teeming with bacteria and the pigs' or chickens' throats are burned by the accumulated waste—is a recipe for spreading virulent diseases. Just last month, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote two articles about the spread of deadly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on pig farms. Kristof isn't psychic. He's just paying attention.

Western civilization and her culture is doing a lot of bad things. Our attitude of doing whatever we want without regard to consequences is hurting us and is going to continue to hurt us. We don't NEED to eat so much pork and other meats.
Click to expand...
So if this turns out to be not a swine flu source at all, but rather a virus that simply reassorted in a human host, who will you blame?
 
skeptigirl said:
So if it turns out to be correct as was reported in another thread that all of the dead so far have been between 20 and 50 years of age and that is unheard of with mild flu strains, you'll just ignore that evidence in favor of all the other evidence?
Click to expand...


The evidence is that everyone outside Mexico has had very mild symptoms and recovered in a matter of days.
 
rwguinn said:
I'll buy that. But when somebody, like myself, puts "Define: Pandemic" into google, it come back with frightening definitions.
Click to expand...

Rather than count on any number of non-experts on the Internet to provide supposedly authoritative definitions for important medical terms for you, why don't you just go straight to the actual medical & disease experts? That is precisely why I keep telling you to go to the CDC and other reputable sources for your information. Duh :rolleyes:

If you're going to change definitions from the popular and common usage, you shouldn't bitch about people asking questions and questioning the motive for the change.
Click to expand...

Right. Doctors and disease experts should change their definitions to fit the uninformed and stupid notions of "common usage" of pandemic. And what the hell does "questioning the motive for the change" mean? Are you implying more conspiracy nonsense? Good grief.

And this accusation:
derives from a holier-than-thou, smug, conceit that has no basis in reality.
Click to expand...

Whatever floats your boat, pal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom