Swine Influenza!

[NeuroTypical]

40 deaths [uSA] are reported this morning....

I'm gonna have to ask you for a link there, Hemi...

LM

[Guest missingsomething]

I'm gonna have to ask you for a link there, Hemi...

LM

CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News

There was a press conf. this afternoon with the homeland security and she stated that indeed it is up to 40 confirmed with additonal cases pending.

Infact, if you want to learn more - just tune in to cnn (tv/internet) it is LITERALLY the only thing they are talking about. I feel like an expert now... ugh.

Cast pearls before swine??? Hmmm.

EDIT: OH TOTALLY BLONDE MOMENT, I read this over and over... DUH.. deaths... thats wrong.... its cases... lol... AHHHH tooooo muchhhhh CNN...AHHHH

[NeuroTypical]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has blonde moments.

Once, when the power went out, I went to check on an elderly neighbor. I stood there ringing her doorbell for 15 minutes getting more and more worried. Eventually, it dawned on me that the doorbell doesn't work in a power outage, so I knocked. She opened the door and gave me chocolate. Life was good.

LM

[mightynancy]

.....Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

I work in an elementary school. That place is a petri dish. I do have a pocket-sized, lavender-scented bottle of sanitizer, though!

[Wingnut]

I work in an elementary school. That place is a petri dish. I do have a pocket-sized, lavender-scented bottle of sanitizer, though!

Is it just an antibacterial, or is it also antiviral? Influenza (including swine flu) is a virus, not a bacteria, which not everyone realizes when they use waterless sanitizer. Just lookin' out for you! :)

[Moksha]

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• Wear a surgical mask when in public.
• Stay out of mud baths.
• People with respiratory illnesses should be especially careful, avoiding unnecessary public exposure.
• Now is not the time to rotate your tires.

[justamere10]

Today Mexico ordered its citizens to stay in their homes, as I understand the order. So, if that is correct, Latter-day Saints in Mexico are now not going to church, to school, or to work.

I understand the need to not panic, but I also understand the need to prepare to live in our homes. If that doesn't occur in the USA this month, it may occur in the fall, or it may occur later in our lifetimes, but prophesies are that it will occur. (See the D&C quote at the bottom of this post.)

Below is an extract from an article about pandemics that was published in Meridian Magazine April 30, 2009.

Meridian Magazine :: Emergency Preparedness: Pandemic or Not, Are You Ready for the Swine Flu?

You can and should prepare now for the possibility of a pandemic. Our government and governments throughout the world, the World Health Organization, and relief agencies worldwide all believe a pandemic is coming, if not this year, then soon.

What we can expect when another Pandemic hits

To help prevent the spread of the flu, communities may be quarantined - meaning you will not be able to count on out-of-town family and friends to help. People who may have been exposed may be required to stay in their homes. Schools, public transportation systems, all public events, government and private sector offices, even churches will all closed down.

According to health officials, preparation means assuming that any or most of these conditions will apply in severely affected communities: Those who work in stores, who deliver to those stores, and who work at docks unloading supplies arriving from other countries, will also become ill or restricted to their homes. Many businesses will be forced to close because employees will stay home to protect themselves or to care for ill family members. This will mean the closure of businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations.

Relief agencies, police and fire departments and hospitals will be short-staffed as employees and volunteers will become ill or remain home to care for family members. You will be on your own for most flu related issues.

Outside of the quarantine area, businesses will close as supplies become limited. The stock market will close, bankruptcies will increase as people stop receiving government aid and pay checks.

Prepare for disruptions in utility services. Pandemics are most likely to occur during the cold weather months. Utilities; electric, gas and water, all require staff to keep them operating at full capacity. Workers will stay home and ordinary repairs will become major complications as the staff will be limited. Power outages may last longer than normal. This may mean no heat, refrigeration, lights, and for those served by wells – no water. Without power pipes may freeze and break. Water may become contaminated as staff will not be equipped to monitor and control all systems and repairs. If we should experience a winter storm, ice storm, firestorm or earthquake which damages or destroys lines during this time, the problems would be greatly compounded.

Communications during this time will become vital to your physical and emotional health.

Government and relief agencies all recommend we prepare to care for our own needs. If your community is not quarantined but the flu virus is in the area, you will want to impose a self quarantine and stay in your home. Only with exposure to flu germs can you catch the flu. For this to be possible you will need to prepare now.

"And plagues shall go forth, and they shall not be taken from the earth until I have completed my work, which shall be cut short in righteousness - Until all shall know me, who remain even from the least unto the greatest, and shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye... " - D&C 84:97-98

We need to prepare. Now is the time.

[Hemidakota]

Is it time to shutdown the borders? :)

[justamere10]

Is it time to shutdown the borders? :)

I think it is much too late for that even if it was possible. The flu is already within our own borders.

Fortunately it is still manifesting in our nation as a mild flu. Maybe those who get it in this stage will be immune from the more severe stuff that could strike in the fall and winter?? (mere conjecture)

[Hemidakota]

True...the worst aspect about any viral is the changing of the genetic coding when its transfer from person to person.

[Guest Alana]

I'm actually not too worried about this flu. I might be telling myself this because I'm planning on going to San Diego soon and I want it all to work out. Really though, this flu has shown it's self to be more deadly than what we usually see year to year, but it could be so much worse. This might mushroom and this might not, regardless in the future I think that there will be other outbreaks that will be much more deadly, spread faster and shock us all. If nothing else this is a great reminder to be prepared. Water and food for just two weeks does a lot to ease the mind. Just imagine the security you'd have knowing that while people in your community, maybe even your neighbors are getting sick, maybe even dieing, that you and your family have your rent/mortgage paid for months and have enough food to just hang out in you house for months with out exposing yourself to disease. Food supply can save your lives in situations like this.

[Wingnut]

Today Mexico ordered its citizens to stay in their homes, as I understand the order. So, if that is correct, Latter-day Saints in Mexico are now not going to church, to school, or to work.

I'm not sure why you're limiting this statement to Latter-day Saints.

[justamere10]

I'm not sure why you're limiting this statement to Latter-day Saints.

I'm participating in this thread and a similar one on the MADB board so I don't recall if I was responding to a post here or not. Of course the order is for everyone in Mexico and not just the Saints.

This is an LDS board so it brings it closer to home if we talk about impact on the Saints in general.

One person wrote I think on MAD this a.m. that someone in his/her ward is ill and he received an email suggesting that ward members wear masks. But it was already too late to buy masks in his/her community, they were not on the store shelves.

There are questions about the value of wearing a mask, but personally I've got my store in and will wear one if authorities say it should be done.

[pam]

They have actually closed an entire school district down in Park City, Utah effective today. Even prom for this weekend has to be rescheduled. 3 kids with symptoms. Lab work has been sent to the CDC for verification. One of the kids it appears traveled in Mexico during spring break.

[pam]

If nothing else this is a great reminder to be prepared. Water and food for just two weeks does a lot to ease the mind. Just imagine the security you'd have knowing that while people in your community, maybe even your neighbors are getting sick, maybe even dieing, that you and your family have your rent/mortgage paid for months and have enough food to just hang out in you house for months with out exposing yourself to disease. Food supply can save your lives in situations like this.

I was talking to my teenagers about this just yesterday. It shows how important having food storage, water, etc. Even having a few months financial security just in case. If unable to work, or if people are quarantined and businesses temporarily shut down...you still have bills to pay, still have to eat.

[Wingnut]

They have actually closed an entire school district down in Park City, Utah effective today. Even prom for this weekend has to be rescheduled. 3 kids with symptoms. Lab work has been sent to the CDC for verification. One of the kids it appears traveled in Mexico during spring break.

The school district bordering my brother's school (he's in high school still) was shut down three days ago because of a few kids that were symptomatic after a trip to Mexico.

[pam]

Here is an article that talks about Church services in Mexico being cancelled until further notice.

ksl.com - LDS Church cancels services in Mexico

[spiritseeker]

We had the first confirmed case in my county today. The unnamed woman is in the hospital in bad shape I guess. She returned two days ago from Mexico.... they are fearful that she may have the mexican strain of the flu which is deadlier than the one so far seen in the USA.....

[Mahone]

All I need to do now is find a friend who has recently been on a trip to Mexico, go out to lunch with him/her, go to work the next day and tell everyone about my lunch meeting with said friend and how lovely their Mexican holiday was. Then, woohoo a week off work!

Can you tell I'm fairly skepical about the whole thing?

Mobile phones were supposed to kill us all with brain tumours, then there is vCJD (mad cow disease), MMR vaccine causing autism, fish causing mercury poisoning and wireless networks causing radiation damage (some schools were actually forced to take down their wireless computer networks due to this). That's not to say I don't believe these issues exist, I just don't think they are anywhere near as bad as the media likes to make out.

Anyway, here is the root cause of the issue (edited to comply with forum rules):

[ADoyle90815]

I'm not that worried, since right now in the US, it's milder than the regular flu which kills people every year. Even then, those that die from the regular flu are the very young, those with weak immune systems, and the elderly. So far, the rumored swine flu cases in my county have turned out to be the regular flu. Unless the swine flu mutates into something like the 1918 pandemic virus and starts to kill healthy adults, I'm not going to worry. I think the media is blowing this out of proportion, and that fear is much worse than the actual virus.

In Mexico, all churches have canceled services until this epidemic is over.

[Carter]

Keep this in mind; swine flu as it is in America is not deadly. Most people here who get infected will be able to get food, and water any time, plus a lot of rest. What people really need to worry about (which the news is not saying) is that it is a flu that could become anti-biotic resistant. This would mean that as it mutates it becomes stronger, and essentially a different type of illness, that there may not be cures on hand for.

Other than that I currently live in Seattle, not the best time to live in a port city!!!! :eek:

[azaware]

This is just stuff I've heard. The Mexican Flu has nothing to do with pigs. They believe that about 200,000 may have the flu in Mexico, so the deaths aren't many and I haven't heard of any deaths here in the US. It's just a flu.

[Snow]

Keep this in mind; swine flu as it is in America is not deadly. Most people here who get infected will be able to get food, and water any time, plus a lot of rest. What people really need to worry about (which the news is not saying) is that it is a flu that could become anti-biotic resistant. This would mean that as it mutates it becomes stronger, and essentially a different type of illness, that there may not be cures on hand for.

Other than that I currently live in Seattle, not the best time to live in a port city!!!! :eek:

The flu, (all strains), IS antibiotic resistant. The 2009 H1N1 Flu is no different.

[mightynancy]

What people really need to worry about (which the news is not saying) is that it is a flu that could become anti-biotic resistant.

Influenza is a virus, not a bacterium, and as such, is unaffected by antibiotics.

[Wingnut]

More information that could be helpful: Do You Have Swine Flu?