maroo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2008
- Messages
- 8,036
Yes. There is a mutation. They actually found this out about a week ago (or course, the CDC and WHO learned of it way before that). This mutation is on the same part of the virus as the mutation that was present in 1918.
But...they don't know the significance of the mutation yet. And the vaccine still works.
I, for one, am going to make sure - as soon as it is available - that I get it. I was sort of wavering...since I have access to Tamiflu readily and thought I had H1N1 earlier this year. We had several reports here of teenagers getting H1N1 symptoms and testing + for the flu - twice. Which is disconcerting.
So...if you are on the fence about getting the vaccine...I hope the mutation will convince a few that it is a good idea. You would avoid catching the mutated form.
From what I understand the mutation allows the flu to bind in cells in the lower part of the lungs (most flu attacks the upper respiratory system and does not go deep in the lungs). But a link has not been established to a higher fatality. The four cases in the Ukraine with the mutation, though, those people all died and many in the Ukraine had the type of flu where the lungs are destroyed.
It sounded a lot like what happened to Kyree earlier (the young child that died - we had a thread about this child and prayed for him for days)...There were "holes" in his lungs, which sounds a lot like what this virus is looking like with the mutation.
But...they don't know the significance of the mutation yet. And the vaccine still works.
I, for one, am going to make sure - as soon as it is available - that I get it. I was sort of wavering...since I have access to Tamiflu readily and thought I had H1N1 earlier this year. We had several reports here of teenagers getting H1N1 symptoms and testing + for the flu - twice. Which is disconcerting.
So...if you are on the fence about getting the vaccine...I hope the mutation will convince a few that it is a good idea. You would avoid catching the mutated form.
From what I understand the mutation allows the flu to bind in cells in the lower part of the lungs (most flu attacks the upper respiratory system and does not go deep in the lungs). But a link has not been established to a higher fatality. The four cases in the Ukraine with the mutation, though, those people all died and many in the Ukraine had the type of flu where the lungs are destroyed.
It sounded a lot like what happened to Kyree earlier (the young child that died - we had a thread about this child and prayed for him for days)...There were "holes" in his lungs, which sounds a lot like what this virus is looking like with the mutation.