Dougie

I knew this would happen, its not just like "normal flu" and NOT everyone can fight it off LIKE THIS PROVES

It really gets my P1ss boiling when I read about the latest case everyday

No I feel that if the government and other major organisations had not played this down at the start then we would not be in the situation that we are in now FACT

Now I know that not everyone can afford to take time of work (me included) but there should have been some more definitve answers from above regarding isolation periods of people that may / may not have contracted the above. aswell as enforcing the knowledge that this is VERY serious



What do you think ??


Dougie

ABCDiamond

From medical reports, on average, about 7 people in Australia die every day from the normal flu, that is about 2,500 to 3,000 per year die from the flu.

This swine flu is not yet as bad as the normal flu, in my opinion.

However, latest reports show So that would make it twice as bad as a normal flu, in a "worst case scenario"

So far though... is it still at 23 deaths from Swine flu ?

ABCDiamond

I see that the UK is saying deaths could be as high as 65,000 (presumably a worst case scenario) That is substantially higher than the normal UK Flu death rate

The_Wookie

I must admit that I was slightly bemused by the general lack of seriousness this was given. For the WHO to give it a 'pandemic' status it should have been taken more seriously, with greater information given out.

The whole 'joke' nature of it left a bit of a bad taste in my opinion, with one radio presenter here in Perth even complaining when she found out she only had a cold, and wishing it was the swine-flu.

bcworld

I wasn't aware of any governments (Aus or UK) or organisations e.g. the WHO playing it down. What I was aware of was armchair medical experts who think they know better criticising the WHO and governments for scaremongering about it.

Swine flu leaves victims flattened as they stay in intensive care for longer

Evidence about how many people have died so far vs other flu strains does not take into account at all what medical experts know about the potential evolution of such illnesses over time.

Pollyana

Working in a coordination centre dealing with daily reports on the virus, I don't really see how anyone can say it has been "played down". The virus has been high profile ever since it started in Mexico, Entry and exit checks at borders, quarantine procedures, pandemic palns activated for the first time, governmens have certainly not been playing it down.
When it was first mentioned weeks ago that this was a possible pandemic and could cause millions of deaths, governments and the WHO were accused of scaremongering and were told they were over-reacting. as the virus has continued to spread we have continued to move through phases of pandemic plans designed to control the spread as much as possible.

It is still a fact that the people at greatest risk are those with other underlying health conditions, obesity, existing breathing problems etc - much the same as those who are at risk in any flu epidemic.

NELBHOY

I thought I heard that this flu was different as it was not targetting the same groups, as 30 somethings were just as at risk as anybody else?
















Thank **** I'm 40

spottydog

Don't forget that many people (especially the vulnerable) get the flu jab each year which will help keep the normal flu deaths down so you can't even compare the deaths from normal flu to one where there is no vaccine yet.

Assuming the current death rate continues and the 6000 is based on the quoted 60% of the population get it (which corresponds with then current rate) then swine flu in its current format, whilst being more contagious than the normal flu, is actually less deadly.

Vash the Stampede

When swine flu first broke out, people were complaining that the threat was wildly over-hyped and greatly exaggerated.

Now that a handful of victims have died, people are complaining that the threat was "played down".

Funny old world, isn't it?

nixster

hi all im a nurse still in the uk at the moment and am on standby to deal with the swine flu cases. At the moment they are treating the swine flu here just like the winter flu that does kill quite a few of our elderly population.i dont have the exact figures but the worst case scenario that the uk are predicting is nearly the same number as the amount of people that die every year from seasonal flu. when the WHO stated the swine flu as a pandemic is doesnt mean that its going to kill everyone. when a diease has active cases in more than 4 or 5 countries it is then called a pandemic to state that it is a worldwide disease.
over here in the uk at the moment people are holding swine flu parties so they can catch it now. the thought is that when it comes back next jan it will be 5 to 6 times stronger.
im currently down to receive my vaccination for swine flu in september. hope it doesnt give me it lol.
anyway just wanted to assure people that yes it is being taken seriously, but not to the extent where people have to panic, and theres been no more number of deaths that normal.

the troubadour

That's accepting the governments version of the worst case scenario as being how things will pan out.
Up to date 29 deaths from Swine Flu (Oz)and in truth no one can say when it will end or what the final figures may look like, but naturally governments do not want to panic the public.
This has the potential to be a lot more far reaching than normal flu and victims from across the generational divide,where as seasonal flu impacts disproportionaly on seniors in the community.

kevin747

I think it's quite possible that it could wipe out 99.99% of the Uk population.I also think that Australian victims will suffer symtoms of extreme physical attractiveness and instant wealth.

nixster

Fleaflyfloflum

Here's a weird thing. My daughters GP think she has probably had it a couple of weeks ago. She had all the symptoms and was very very unwell for several days, so much so that i had to take the kids home with me.
Now, i am an insulin dependant diabetic, have had serious lung problems since getting pnuemonia last year, and was in close contact with my daugther for several days during this time as we didnt know she had it. Yet, i'm right as rain and not caught it! How lucky is that?!
She, on the otherhand is still trying to recover!

Sunshine7

But this article doesn't say that swine flu killed them, just that they had it when they died. They all had serious underlying health conditions. Often with a very serious health problem the common cold can be enough to kill somebody, or if they were very ill, caught the cold and then died we probably wouldn't be talking about the 'killer cold'.

At the moment it is a very mild illness, in fact most people who get it have no symptoms at all. Yes, it COULD come back as a more virulent strain, but that is just a guess, it's not a prediction.

I for one would be a lot more worried about the swine flu vaccine which will be injected into pregnant women, children and the most vulnerable people first - after hardly any testing. What are the long term effects on health from this vaccine, and the effects on the fetus? NOBODY knows because it won't have been tested. Effectively the people who have this vaccine are therefore taking part in a vaccine trial.

I know any vaccine is about weighing up the potential risks of the disease against the potential risks of the vaccine (which every doctor will tell you do exist) and at the moment the disease itself is so very mild for the majority of people.

For me personally, the time to even consider the vaccine would be when / if the disease mutates into something very serious.

I remember the headlines not so long ago screaming out

"avian flu will kill 65000"
"SARS will kill millions"

Hmmmm, maybe I'm alone in thinking that far from being UNDER-played, swine flu has been reported badly to strike fear into people when there is just no basis for such fear.

Of course, I really, really hope I don't have to eat my words, and I totally accept that I may be very wrong in my opinion on this. Time will tell I suppose.