Pandemic?

[D L and K's Mom]

I was chatting with her and she said the only thing she got just in case were some masks and gloves. She said even if it is just a bad flu that does spread having a mask and gloves in case family members get sick (to use to clean up with) is a good idea.....

 

[daisax]

I will be a little more concerned when at least 1000 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. - there are another 5000 cases "suspected" - and the CDC and WHO begin to quarantine large areas; stop all travel; and actually say, "We are in the middle of a pandemic and this is what you need to do.."

In no way do I support panic, but at the point you describe, there will be mass panic and the last place anybody will want to be is a grocery store. Have you seen them the day before Thanksgiving or a major snowstorm?

That's nothing compared to what will happen if large sections of the country are quarantined.

So don't panic, but as you shop, grab some extra stuff. It's just common sense, even in the absence of a potential serious problem like this, to be prepared to be self sufficient for at least a couple of weeks.

 

[praline3001]

:::wondering if the travel warnings extend to the Mexican Pavilion in W/S::::

 

[mommy*RN]

I was chatting with her and she said the only thing she got just in case were some masks and gloves. She said even if it is just a bad flu that does spread having a mask and gloves in case family members get sick (to use to clean up with) is a good idea.....

I agree. If we start having confirmed cases where I live this is exactly what DH and I will do. My DH is a paramedic full-time and works part-time as a nurse in an ER. I work in OB. Handwashing, handwashing and more handwashing coupled with covering your coughs and sneezes and keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth.

I will also stress again that if anyone is showing symptoms of influenza do not hesitate to call your family doctor and see if they want you to come in. The anitvirals that can be prescribed are only effective if taken within 24-48 hrs of symptom onset. I'm a big supporter of Tamiflu. In February 2008 on a Sunday and a week before my due date, my oldest came down with fever. One minute he was fine, next minute he had 103 temp. I took him to urgent care and he was diagnosed with influenza. They prescribed Tamiflu, but our insurance wouldn't cover it. So I paid out the nose for it and gave it to my DS. Monday he was soooooo mad at me because I wouldn't let him go to school. Tuesday he was even more mad at me because I kept him home. Wednesday I finally gave in as he wasn't even coughing anymore at that point. His fever went away in about 12hrs and he was great. I'd pay for that med anytime to help my kids.

 

[WDWBarb]

I will be a little more concerned when at least 1000 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. - there are another 5000 cases "suspected" - and the CDC and WHO begin to quarantine large areas; stop all travel; and actually say, "We are in the middle of a pandemic and this is what you need to do.."

In no way do I support panic, but at the point you describe, there will be mass panic and the last place anybody will want to be is a grocery store. Have you seen them the day before Thanksgiving or a major snowstorm?

That's nothing compared to what will happen if large sections of the country are quarantined.

So don't panic, but as you shop, grab some extra stuff. It's just common sense, even in the absence of a potential serious problem like this, to be prepared to be self sufficient for at least a couple of weeks.

Exactly.

 

[C.Ann]

The "perspective" is, this is unlikely to die out any time soon. There are areas of clusters in the US now. WHO was correct to go to the forth level of alert. My guess, is that in Mexico, it is grossly under reported. It could be under reported here as well. Reye's Syndrome was not an "outbreak". Its a consequence of taking aspirin with a viral illness or influenza, resulting in brain and liver damage. We now know that we never give aspirin to children with a viral illness or influenza. We use acetominophen.

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I didn't say - or even imply - that it would die out soon.. I simply stated that there are only 40 confirmed cases in the entire country at the moment.. That will likely rise - (especially with so many kids having spent spring break in Mexico) - but surely you aren't saying it's time to "panic" - are you? How many people in the U.S. have died from this so far? Was WHO lying when they said the cases were "mild"?

I'm fully aware of what caused Reye's Syndrome in the 70's - and prior to the medical community making the connection between the aspirin and viral illnesses - it "was" considered an "outbreak" - and parents were reacting pretty much like they are right now.. Going into "panic mode".. I'm very, very familiar with it as there were quite a few children in my DD's school who died from it - and others who ended up with brain damage or other life-long health problems..

I guess I have to come right out and ask.. As the wife of an ID doctor, are you encouraging panic? If you are, I would be very surprised - because that isn't even a step that the WHO or CDC have taken..

Again - the "perspective" at this point is 40 confirmed cases in the entire country - period.. As I stated previously, that will likely change - on that we can agree - but let's not encourage people to panic until there's something concrete to panic about..

 

[mommy*RN]

The "perspective" is, this is unlikely to die out any time soon. There are areas of clusters in the US now. WHO was correct to go to the forth level of alert. My guess, is that in Mexico, it is grossly under reported. It could be under reported here as well. Reye's Syndrome was not an "outbreak". Its a consequence of taking aspirin with a viral illness or influenza, resulting in brain and liver damage. We now know that we never give aspirin to children with a viral illness or influenza. We use acetominophen.

I'm guessing it will never "die out". It's been here all along, just mutated now. I think we'll just start seeing vaccines covering this form as well. I agree it is probably under reported as well, and I think that is actually good news. The percentage would go down if every case was reported because it is hard to not report a death. So if there are 1600 cases and 1000 unreported cases there are still "only" over 100 deaths...but now that is 100 out of 2600. You can argue that some other deaths may have been ruled pnuemonia or other respiratory issue, but my guess is those are being looked at more closely if they were within the time span and may be included or discluded from the mortality numbers based on information gathered. Of course I'd rather see no deaths, but with any type of influenza that will never be the case.

 

[Nancy]

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I didn't say - or even imply - that it would die out soon.. I simply stated that there are only 40 confirmed cases in the entire country at the moment.. That will likely rise - (especially with so many kids having spent spring break in Mexico) - but surely you aren't saying it's time to "panic" - are you? How many people in the U.S. have died from this so far? Was WHO lying when they said the cases were "mild"?

I'm fully aware of what caused Reye's Syndrome in the 70's - and prior to the medical community making the connection between the aspirin and viral illnesses - it "was" considered an "outbreak" - and parents were reacting pretty much like they are right now.. Going into "panic mode".. I'm very, very familiar with it as there were quite a few children in my DD's school who died from it - and others who ended up with brain damage or other life-long health problems..

I guess I have to come right out and ask.. As the wife of an ID doctor, are you encouraging panic? If you are, I would be very surprised - because that isn't even a step that the WHO or CDC have taken..

Again - the "perspective" at this point is 40 confirmed cases in the entire country - period.. As I stated previously, that will likely change - on that we can agree - but let's not encourage people to panic until there's something concrete to panic about..

 

[mommy*RN]

:::wondering if the travel warnings extend to the Mexican Pavilion in W/S::::

OMIGOSH -- I just got this. *slap to my forehead* I've never been to Mexico so at first I thought it was a destination there. LOL. Thanks for the bit of humor! I needed it!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

:::wondering if the travel warnings extend to the Mexican Pavilion in W/S::::

I was thinking the same thing!

 

[yeartolate]

I agree that we need to be on alert, but there is alot of panic out there that seems to be fueled by the news and internet.


The best take away is that you should

1)Keep an emergency supply of basic needs (including water)enough for a minimum of 3 days. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do. (swine flu or not, you need to be prepared for hurricaine, earthquake,etc)

2)If your children are sick, keep them home from school or daycare for at least 24 hours after fever or diarrhea and vomiting. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

3)If you are sick, stay home from work - see #3. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

4)Wash your hands. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

5)Wash your hands. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

6)Wash your hands. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

 

[mommy*RN]

I agree that we need to be on alert, but there is alot of panic out there that seems to be fueled by the news and internet.


The best take away is that you should

1)Keep an emergency supply of basic needs (including water)enough for a minimum of 3 days. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do. (swine flu or not, you need to be prepared for hurricaine, earthquake,etc)

2)If your children are sick, keep them home from school or daycare for at least 24 hours after fever or diarrhea and vomiting. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

3)If you are sick, stay home from work - see #3. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

4)Wash your hands. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

5)Wash your hands. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

6)Wash your hands. Not because of swine flu, but because it is the right thing to do.

I'm giving you an A+ for this post!

 

[DawnCt1]

I will be a little more concerned when at least 1000 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. - there are another 5000 cases "suspected" - and the CDC and WHO begin to quarantine large areas; stop all travel; and actually say, "We are in the middle of a pandemic and this is what you need to do.."

I

That would only happen in a disease like small pox where the mortality rate is exceedingly high. "Social distancing" would be the approach of the CDC. Schools may close, churches would be asked to suspend services, large arenas would cancel sporting events, much like Mexico City has done. Large areas would not be quarantined because it is very hard to enforce and once that a disease such as flu gets out into the wider community, (8 or 9) states, geographic isolation does not work. For every recognized case, there probably is a dozen unrecognized cases.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that one of the problems is that we just don't KNOW.

A school in a close by town (Richardson) confirmed that they have a definite case of swine flu and the school was closed. Schools don't normally close due to flu so why the reaction? I would have to assume that it's due to a lack of knowledge about this thing.

Anyway, I won't panic either (at least not yet!) I think that fear of the unknown leads to a lot of this though.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think that RIGHT NOW, the media reaction is a bit over the top based on the actual number of cases that have been confirmed and are suspected. God willing, we won't have a pandemic, but right now it is just too early to tell one way or another.

Now then, for those who are interested in what happened in 1918, the DHHS has a special website on it. http://1918.pandemicflu.gov/

It makes for interesting reading. Medicine has come a LONG way since 1918. The estimated death toll over the two years that that flu rampaged worldwide is between 30 and 50 million, including about 675,000 in the US. (Consider that the total US population in 1918 was about 103 million.)

What made that particular strain so deadly was the pneumonia that it caused, as it was the pneumonia that killed. Pneumonia can still kill very quickly if it is not caught right away. If this new swine flu strain is triggering pneumonia as that 1918 flu did, then THAT is what will make it different than the usual types of flu that go around every year.

 

[C.Ann]

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That is exactly the point I made previously.. I don't know of anyone who lets their pantry, fridge, and freezer reach the point where it's completely empty before they replenish it.. People should always be prepared for winter storms; floods; hurricanes; tornadoes; - or even something as simple as "Oops! I just lost my job and my employer won't give me my last pay check!!" Simple common sense - not something that has to be spurred on by panic..

If that is all that people are doing - stocking up on extras - that's great! But the undertone I'm detecting here is that there is a whole lot of hand-wringing going on - and as far as I can see, that serves no useful purpose whatsoever.. I know that many of you may think that sounds odd - coming from me of all people - because there was a time when I could out "hand-wring" anyone on these boards.. LOL Then I ended up in a crisis situation that forced me to look at my life in a different way.. Suddenly it was crystal clear how much of my life had been wasted on needless worry; trying to "read" the future; always focusing on the negative - rather than the positive; "bleeding before I was shot" (a popular phrase that one DISer uses here); and on and on.. I have been working very hard with a fantastic therapist to stop those NATs dead in their tracks - to retrain my brain to move away from "worst case scenarios" and stop "throwing the baby out with the bath water" (ignoring the positives in favor of the negatives).. It's been an amazing journey - one that I plan to be on for the rest of my life - and I'm puzzled as to why a "postive" attitude - while keeping an eye on this ever changing pandemic situation - could be construed as a "bad" thing..

I'm all for being prepared for "whatever" - food, water, etc. - I'm just not into the hand-wringing anymore.. If encouraging others to be a little less alarmed is a "bad" thing, then I'll stop.. (And then sit here and scratch my head and wonder why...LOL..)

Really not trying to stir things up - but rather trying to "calm them down"..

 

[LuvOrlando]

-

 

[DawnCt1]

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I didn't say - or even imply - that it would die out soon.. I simply stated that there are only 40 confirmed cases in the entire country at the moment.. That will likely rise - (especially with so many kids having spent spring break in Mexico) - but surely you aren't saying it's time to "panic" - are you? How many people in the U.S. have died from this so far? Was WHO lying when they said the cases were "mild"?

I'm fully aware of what caused Reye's Syndrome in the 70's - and prior to the medical community making the connection between the aspirin and viral illnesses - it "was" considered an "outbreak" - and parents were reacting pretty much like they are right now.. Going into "panic mode".. I'm very, very familiar with it as there were quite a few children in my DD's school who died from it - and others who ended up with brain damage or other life-long health problems..

I guess I have to come right out and ask.. As the wife of an ID doctor, are you encouraging panic? If you are, I would be very surprised - because that isn't even a step that the WHO or CDC have taken..

Again - the "perspective" at this point is 40 confirmed cases in the entire country - period.. As I stated previously, that will likely change - on that we can agree - but let's not encourage people to panic until there's something concrete to panic about..

There never is a point in "panicking", its counterproductive. Nor have I suggested that anyone panic. I doubt you will ever see the CDC or WHO panicking either. They will respond, as they laid out in the plan. I would suggest that you have a Mexican vacation planned, go somewhere else. The airlines will be happy to change your destination. The 40 cases, are now 45 and this is the course that I think we will see. It is important to be vigilant. The alumni of St Francis School in New York proceeded with their alumni party. They met several of the students, some of whom came in contact with the ill students. After the festivities, they went out and painted the town in Manhattan. Caution is always the better part of valor. The problem with Reye's is that no one knew what caused the syndrome. With children developing Reye's after recovering from influenza, chicken pox, etc. there were serious reasons for parents to be terrified.

 

[JimFitz]

This thing is going to spread like wildfire.....I have my supplies.

 

[praline3001]

This thing is going to spread like wildfire.....I have my supplies.

My DH just got home from work. He stopped by the store bought a can of lysol (I already had a few) a bottle of purell and 2 6 packs of beer... he said he wanted to make sure he got the important stuff