Conflicting reports of Swine flu reported at DisneyWorld

[miprender]

I think the reason the CDC and everyone is concerned, is yes people die of the flu but not 150 in a couple of days. I also heard the reason they are sicker in Mexico than the US is the pollution. Not sure this is true.

But I think Disney should stop having you put your finger on the scan, when you walk into the parks. How contimanated is that thing?

We just got back a few weeks ago and though I was diligent about hand washing most of the time it is so hard when you have a 1 year old and 3 year old who must touch and pick up everything they see.

PS I have been swabbed for the flu before and it hurts like he##. I thought he was going to come out through my eye.

 

[MyPeanut&Bug]

Some of these reports are likely to turn out to be garden variety flu, and I think it is rather irresponsible of the media to be playing up every flu case with "may have confirmed" swine flu and other alarmist headlines.

Totally agree - and what really annoys me is that they certainly aren't as quick to lead a newscast with a "We were wrong, it wasn't swine flu" story as they are with these "possible swine flu" stories.

 

[klmorg]

I was watching the news this morning and they showed someone getting tested for Swine Flu and it was done with a nasal swab. The person being tested looked slightly uncomfortable since they went pretty far in to the sinus cavity with the swab.

My 4 year old had this test done recently when she was at the ER (on Easter Sunday)....it was VERY uncomfortable and they put the q-tip VERY far up into her nasal cavity.

 

[BrightScouter]

20,000 deaths per year from "normal" flu. We've had none from swine flu in the US as of now. Tamiflu and other anti virals ARE effective at treating the symptoms of this strain of the swine flu.

Like everyone including the one group (CDC) we SHOULD be listening to says,,,
Wash your hands, cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough. Take normal precautions and you should be fine. If you get flu like symptoms, go to your doctor and get tested and get a prescription for an anti viral.

Now, get the attendance down for June and I will be very happy.

 

[disneyfan55]

I think the reason the CDC and everyone is concerned, is yes people die of the flu but not 150 in a couple of days. I also heard the reason they are sicker in Mexico than the US is the pollution. Not sure this is true.

But I think Disney should stop having you put your finger on the scan, when you walk into the parks. How contimanated is that thing?

We just got back a few weeks ago and though I was diligent about hand washing most of the time it is so hard when you have a 1 year old and 3 year old who must touch and pick up everything they see.

Yes, the finger scan must be really pretty gross. That is a good idea. I wonder if WDW has issued any type of statement as of yet. I think I'll check their corporate website to see if there are any press releases. We leave NJ on Fri for WDW I am quite sure they will be more proactive on cleanliness than say NYC for instance.

 

[luvthemouse71]

As usual the media is sending people into panic mode. I'm really hoping it's just going to fade away as some of the other things (SARS, Bird Flu).

Both Sars and Bird Flu are still out there killing people..these things never go away, they just mutate. I believe there was a recent fatal case in Egypt.

OT, but they said one of the reasons it really took off in Mexico was because of the humidity...Florida is humid, as we all know. Just hope the virus doesn't decide it really likes it there!

 

[Pooh'sTwin]

So it seems the best path to take is for everyone going during the period of May 1st to May 9th to cancel their trips and stay home, right? anyone who wants to do this for them just let me know. At the very least it would seem reasonable for people to cancel their Le Cellier reservations for that time period as I have read this new flu spreads by contact with cheese soup and pretzel bread!!!





(Yes, my plan is working! The parks will be empty by the time we arrive!!! Mwahahahaha! )

 

[vcgirl925]

Why are Mexicans allowed to come into the states at all right now? There should be a ban until this swine flu thing calms down.

 

[Vivianne]

We're here right now...actually, we're staying offsite at a pool home for the next three days. Then, we're planning Epcot for Friday.

This is the first time, I've had to listen to in-depth news. Today, I heard of a possible case here in Orlando. Lovely...

We were at MK on Sunday and did EMH. However, we took a long break during the afternoon and went for early dinner at Kona and went back to POFQ room for a few hours before returning to MK. We saw the SpectroMagic parade and quickly darted into one of the buildings before emerging to do the rides we missed earlier. We left the park at 2 a.m. This was all without taking in this situation, which we are aware of now.

Yesterday, we took the boat trip to DTD and shopped & dined before leaving to the pool house. No crowds there.

Needless to say, we'll be watching the reports on t.v. My concern is really more about the plane ride back home.

 

[ktlm]

they say because it is from an animal we dont have the immune to fight it off so if can hit everybody, even the healthly, and there is no vaccine for it as of now. this is a quote from online:

This is a new virus so there's no natural immunity. It has the potential to spread very widely. That's what raises worries about a possible pandemic.

I'm not a scientist, but DH is, so here is how I understand it from him. In your lifetime, once you have caught a strain of the flu virus and recovered, you are immune to that exact strain and can not catch it again. The flu virus mutates, so when the strain you had changes, you can catch it again, but because you have some immunity to the prior strain, you may not get it as bad. If you are lucky enough not to catch it again through several mutations eventually it will have mutated so much that it won't be anywhere near the same as the virus you had, and you will no longer have any natural immunity to it. If a strain is completely new, no one has any "natural" immunity to it. This doesn't mean the new strain will necessarily will hit you worse as far as symptoms, just that it will spread faster because more people that get a significant exposure will catch it than they would a strain that has been around a while that some people may have more of a natural immunity too which can slow a spread. As for the vaccine, every year they predict what flu strains will go around and that is what they vaccinate for. The reason that people who get the vaccine still get the flu is because they can't possibly predict every strain that will go around, so the vaccine never immunizes you from they possibility of catching any strain. Some years the scientists guess right about the major strains so you see a mild flu season and others they guess wrong so there is very little flu protection anywhere even with the vaccine. With a new virus not known about when they created that year's vaccine, it obviously can't be one of the ones included in the vaccine, so there is no protection there. So between the fact that the vaccine does nothing (which there are strains out every year that this is the case) and that the spread won't be slowed by people who have a natural immunity, one of the biggest problems with a "new" virus is that it can spread very quicky to a large amount of people.

 

[mookie]

Yep, I totally agree. I already had a few little bottles of Purell, will pick up more before we leave on Sat. and will definitely be washing hands more than usual. But come Monday morning, we'll be hitting the Magic Kingdom and loving it - heck, I could cancel the trip, stay home and end up picking it up at the mall or the playground or 100 other places! (we're in NE Ohio, so there have been confirmed case(s?)

We will see you at MK on Monday too! The way I look at it, you are right...you could pick it up anywhere. What's not to say that my dd has a classmate that's been to WDW in the last few weeks or worse, to Mexico? We could get exposed in so many ways...including going to WDW. I will take extra precautions, but I will not let it overrun my trip!

 

[bearlyanne]

Maybe if everybody panics the crowds will be back down to 4 & 5's instead of 8 & 9's! I doubt UG considers swine flu in the crowd predictions, though.

teeheeheee! we can only hope

 

[NJBILL]

Report: Case of swine flu at Disney
By STACEY SINGER

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Florida Hospital in Orlando has suspected cases of swine flu that it has sent to the CDC for further testing, but those cases are not confirmed, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting.

Florida Hospital called a press conference for 12:15 to discuss the reports of a swine flu case there. The hospital is part of the Adventist Health System.


A spokeswoman said the hospital's news release would be posted after the press conference at floridahospitalmedicalnews.com/.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health said the agency would issue a news release shortly.

The Associated Press quoted the hosptial's CEO saying a swine flu case was in a traveler visiting the Disney resort near Orlando.

"A case was diagnosed here in Orlando today on a tourist from Mexico who came to Disney attractions two days ago to visit," chief medical officer for Adventist Health System, Loran Hauck told The Associated Press.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I'm glad to see they've retracted this until they get the CDC confirmation. I still feel the media is being somewhat irresponsible about this whole thing. At lunch I was watching Fox News and the guy said something to the effect of, "now we have a guy with swine flu roaming around Walt Disney World!" He made it sound like the guy was there on purpose trying to infect people.

I really think they need to stick to the facts of how to prevent and treat, and just report the CDC/WHO official numbers. Of course that wouldn't bring in the viewers now, would it?

 

[luvthemouse71]

20,000 deaths per year from "normal" flu. We've had none from swine flu in the US as of now. Tamiflu and other anti virals ARE effective at treating the symptoms of this strain of the swine flu.

Like everyone including the one group (CDC) we SHOULD be listening to says,,,
Wash your hands, cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough. Take normal precautions and you should be fine. If you get flu like symptoms, go to your doctor and get tested and get a prescription for an anti viral.

Now, get the attendance down for June and I will be very happy.

There are 2 anti-virals that are effective, Tamiflu and a lesser known one(can't remember the name). The older anti-virals will not work.

The good thing is as of now, there is plenty to go around. Just hope the drug companies don't start to price gouge on this stuff.

Also, they said to go to the doctor as soon as possible, if you suspect it is the swine flu..outcomes tend to be better. I read an article that said the CDC hopes it's not going to mutate into something as fast hitting as the 1918
flu. That one killed people in a matter of hours/overnight in some cases.

 

[tinksgilrs251520]

The swine flu is just another strain of flu that travels fast... as long as you're healthy, you'll be fine. There's no reason to panic!

According to my great-aunt who works with the CDC.

And hey, while in Disney I'd rather have swine flu than norovirus!!!

How true

Am I concerned "YES" but I amnot gona go around and belive that every sniffle and every cough that there is the swine flu lerking behind it Go to CDC website and educate yourself on how to avoid getting sick .. Maybe instead of shaking hands fist bump..lol SO here is what I think : wash your hands more often, use sanitizer for hands, and follow the CDC advice and what they say but use common judgment and lets not panic ... Everybody is taking every case and running with it before they actually know the facts and truth. I live in MI and the only case that is a probable case is just that until I hear that it is a confirmed case by the CDC I just use my common sense about the things I do...

 

[BrightScouter]

There are 2 anti-virals that are effective, Tamiflu and a lesser known one(can't remember the name). The older anti-virals will not work.

The good thing is as of now, there is plenty to go around. Just hope the drug companies don't start to price gouge on this stuff.

Also, they said to go to the doctor as soon as possible, if you suspect it is the swine flu..outcomes tend to be better. I read an article that said the CDC hopes it's not going to mutate into something as fast hitting as the 1918
flu. That one killed people in a matter of hours/overnight in some cases.

Relenza is the other one that is effective.

 

[corinascot]

I read an article that said the CDC hopes it's not going to mutate into something as fast hitting as the 1918
flu. That one killed people in a matter of hours/overnight in some cases.

This is what the WHO and CDC are worried about. Viruses are living things and they mutate and change. This swine flu virus is changing as it moves along.

Right now, I'm not too worried about the swine flu, but it could mutate and things could be really, really bad. The flu of 1918 was most deadly for healthy young people. I think part of the reason was that healthy young people have healthy immue systems and they think their immune systems overreacted to this virus. Victims would be in perfect health in the morning, and dead by nighfall..usually drown in lung fluid.

So, who knows? I'm glad the CDC and WHO are taking it seriously. I did buy masks and some extra food, just in case. But I'm not going to freak out about it. I think I'd go to WDW if I had a trip planned. And I'd hope things didn't get worse.

Wash your hands, people. I've been lucky enough never to have had the capital I Influenza - flu (and I'm over 50.) I work with the public and wash my hands all the time. I think that helps.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I just told someone at my office that someone claimed there was a case of Swine Flu at WDW, but then they had to retract the statement.

The guy asked if it was someone from Universal or SeaWorld who made the initial claim.

 

[TSMAMI]

IMO It seems to me that the local media is sitting, HOPING, waiting for a case in their area. It's sick. They broke in on my local news channel(radio) saying a possible confirmed case in the Capital Region(which is a lot of area to cover), and that no one could say where in the Capital Region this is. Its like, cause the panic before you know the truth. When I have kids in school I want to know where this case "suppose case" is!