Anonymous

    >>> The flu vaccine shortage in the US is that bad?
    >
    >
    >> Yup. Large companies that typically offer free shots to all
    >> employees aren't doing it this year.

Hi,

I work for a State Medical School and -we- aren't even getting shots
this year unless you have -direct- contact with patients (so while the
nurses MIGHT get them but the receptionist in the same clinic won't).

formerly everybody got free shots if they wanted them and flu-mist was
only 5$.

--


Lienad .45/.410 Single Shot Derringer Parts Kit
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7108657274

Earl Evleth

in article [email protected], Miguel Cruz at
[email protected] wrote on 20/10/04 18:28:

    > Jeremy Henderson <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) said:
    >>> This may seem like (or be) a stupid question, but what is the point of the
    >>> flu shot?
    >>
    >> Umm - it's to help you not get flu.
    >>
    >> I've had the shot for the last five years, and I haven't had flu during
    >> that time. Before that I used to get it every year or so, which I din't
    >> particularly enjoy.
    >
    > Ah, see, I don't think I've ever had it (had a cold a few years ago though
    > and that was unpleasant enough, so if this is worse, I can see why you
    > wouldn't want it).
    >
    > miguel

You aren`t everybody. People do get the flu, and some of them die.

Similiarly with flu shots I have had a minimum encounter with the flu.
Bronchitis is another problem, however.

Earl

The Reids

Following up to Ken Wheatley

    >True. However, although I've never had it, flu is supposed to be very
    >unpleasant indeed.

It is, its really irritating those people who say they have flu
when they have a cold.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

nitram

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 11:17:26 -0500, [email protected] (Miguel Cruz)
wrote:

    >me <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote:
    >>> Frank F. Matthews <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>>> Bill Moore wrote:
    >>>>> Yup. Large companies that typically offer free shots to all employees
    >>>>> aren't doing it this year. And there are long lines at clinics, people
    >>>>> are being asked not to get one if you aren't high risk... I guess it's
    >>>>> the 21st century version of the gas shortage...
    >>>> I waited in line for 3 hours to get a shot.
    >>>
    >>> This may seem like (or be) a stupid question, but what is the point of the
    >>> flu shot?
    >> You seemed to have tried to find the stupidest way to ask this question
    >It's a special skill I have.

You learnt it from Mixi.

    >> which makes me think I don't understand what you are really asking. The
    >> obvious answer is "prevention".
    >What it turns out I was really asking (though I didn't know it at the time)
    >was "What is the flu?"

and not why or who is Flu?

    >It wasn't clear to me before reading some of the other posts that it was
    >such a serious issue for so many people - I'd just sort of assumed that it
    >was only a concern for the elderly and infirm.

only to those who catch it.

The Reids

Following up to Miguel Cruz

    >What it turns out I was really asking (though I didn't know it at the time)
    >was "What is the flu?"

Influenza
A highly contagious viral infection affecting the respiratory
system, which is transmitted by coughs and sneezes. Symptoms
include headache, fever, aching joints, weakness, etc. Bed rest,
with aspirin or paracetamol, enable most cases to recover within
several days but a few may develop pneumonia or secondary
bacterial infections requiring antibiotics. `Flu' epidemics can
occur when new strains of the virus appear, to which the body's
immune system and existing vaccines are ineffective. However,
elderly people and vulnerable groups (e.g. those with heart
disease) are recommended to have injections of influenza vaccines
in the autumn.The worst epidemic of infuenza in the 20th century
occurred in the aftermath of World War I (in 1918–19), when some
20 million lives were lost worldwide.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Miguel Cruz

Earl Evleth <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Miguel Cruz at [email protected] wrote on 20/10/04 18:28:
    >> Jeremy Henderson <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>> [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) said:
    >>>> This may seem like (or be) a stupid question, but what is the point of the
    >>>> flu shot?
    >>>
    >>> Umm - it's to help you not get flu.
    >>>
    >>> I've had the shot for the last five years, and I haven't had flu during
    >>> that time. Before that I used to get it every year or so, which I din't
    >>> particularly enjoy.
    >>
    >> Ah, see, I don't think I've ever had it (had a cold a few years ago though
    >> and that was unpleasant enough, so if this is worse, I can see why you
    >> wouldn't want it).
    > You aren`t everybody. People do get the flu, and some of them die.

Yes, that's why I posed it as a question and pre-acknowledged my potential
stupidity.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Miguel Cruz

<[email protected]> wrote:
    > [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote:
    >> me <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>> You seemed to have tried to find the stupidest way to ask this question
    >> It's a special skill I have.
    > You learnt it from Mixi.
    >> It wasn't clear to me before reading some of the other posts that it was
    >> such a serious issue for so many people - I'd just sort of assumed that it
    >> was only a concern for the elderly and infirm.
    > only to those who catch it.

I see I'm not the only one who's been taking lessons!

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

nitram

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 13:36:23 -0500, [email protected] (Miguel Cruz)
wrote:

    ><[email protected]> wrote:
    >> [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote:
    >>> me <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>>> You seemed to have tried to find the stupidest way to ask this question
    >>> It's a special skill I have.
    >> You learnt it from Mixi.
    >>> It wasn't clear to me before reading some of the other posts that it was
    >>> such a serious issue for so many people - I'd just sort of assumed that it
    >>> was only a concern for the elderly and infirm.
    >> only to those who catch it.
    >I see I'm not the only one who's been taking lessons!

It's infectious :-)

Go Fig

In article <[email protected]>, Miguel Cruz
<[email protected]> wrote:

    > Earl Evleth <[email protected]> wrote:
    > > Miguel Cruz at [email protected] wrote on 20/10/04 18:28:
    > >> Jeremy Henderson <[email protected]> wrote:
    > >>> [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) said:
    > >>>> This may seem like (or be) a stupid question, but what is the point of
    > >>>> the
    > >>>> flu shot?
    > >>>
    > >>> Umm - it's to help you not get flu.
    > >>>
    > >>> I've had the shot for the last five years, and I haven't had flu during
    > >>> that time. Before that I used to get it every year or so, which I din't
    > >>> particularly enjoy.
    > >>
    > >> Ah, see, I don't think I've ever had it (had a cold a few years ago though
    > >> and that was unpleasant enough, so if this is worse, I can see why you
    > >> wouldn't want it).
    > >
    > > You aren`t everybody. People do get the flu, and some of them die.
    >
    > Yes, that's why I posed it as a question and pre-acknowledged my potential
    > stupidity.

The 'common cold' and the flu are very close relatives (both viral),
the flu is generally marked by a sustained temperature over several
days in excess of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

jay
Wed Oct 20, 2004
mailto:[email protected]


    >
    > miguel

Nightjar

"Earl Evleth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:BD9C56EE.1F98D%[email protected]...
    > in article [email protected], nightjar
    > .uk.com>
    > at nightjar@<insert_my_surname_here wrote on 20/10/04 17:28:
    >> However, then we are probably looking at a pandemic, which nobody expects
    >> the vaccination programme to stop.
    > The vaccines have been developed, it is the delay in manufacturing them
    > which is the problem.

Small quantities are expected to reach the clinical trials stage by the end
of the year, which is not quite the same as being developed. Until the
trials have been completed, there is no guarantee that the vaccine will be
effective. Even if it is, the vaccine has been developed from a strain of
virus that is only generally transmissible to humans from birds*. For a
pandemic to occur, the virus will have to develop the ability to be
transmitted readily between humans, which probably means that it will be a
mutant strain and the vaccine may only be of limited effect against that.

* One probable case of human to human transmission is known, but it has yet
to be established whether that was due to a change in the genetic makeup of
the virus.

Colin Bignell

B Vaughan

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 16:12:05 +0200, Earl Evleth <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >Entering into isolation from others is a necessity. I just finished a
    >biography on Newton and he sheltered himself at home in the countryside
    >when the great plagues hit London in the 1660s. Nobody knew the cause
    >then but "taking off" was intuitive.

This wasn't particularly helpful during the bubonic plague. The major
vector was a flea whose normal host was the black rat. The plague
spread rapidly from rat to rat without any human intermediary.
Actually, this flea probably only bit humans when rats began to be
scarse due to their high death rate from the plague.

Newton would have been safe in his house only if it didn't also house
rats, which was a rare condition in the 17th century. The black rat
was gradually replaced in Europe by the brown rat, and some people
speculate that this is the main reason the plague abated in Europe
after the 17th century, although no one really knows.

Pneumonic plague could spread from person to person, but it was not a
major source of the contagion.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

B Vaughan

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 11:17:26 -0500, [email protected] (Miguel Cruz)
wrote:

    >What it turns out I was really asking (though I didn't know it at the time)
    >was "What is the flu?"
    >It wasn't clear to me before reading some of the other posts that it was
    >such a serious issue for so many people - I'd just sort of assumed that it
    >was only a concern for the elderly and infirm.

Even if it only had a serious effect on the elderly and infirm, there
would be a good reason to vaccinate others who spread the disease
around, such as doctors and nurses. Or school children, if it's true
that they are a prime means of spreading the flu around.

-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Gg

"Miguel Cruz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > me <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> [email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote:
    >>> Frank F. Matthews <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>>> Bill Moore wrote:
    >>>>> Yup. Large companies that typically offer free shots to all employees
    >>>>> aren't doing it this year. And there are long lines at clinics, people
    >>>>> are being asked not to get one if you aren't high risk... I guess it's
    >>>>> the 21st century version of the gas shortage...
    >>>> I waited in line for 3 hours to get a shot.
    >>> This may seem like (or be) a stupid question, but what is the point of
    >>> the
    >>> flu shot?
    >> You seemed to have tried to find the stupidest way to ask this question
    > It's a special skill I have.
    >> which makes me think I don't understand what you are really asking. The
    >> obvious answer is "prevention".
    > What it turns out I was really asking (though I didn't know it at the
    > time)
    > was "What is the flu?"
    > It wasn't clear to me before reading some of the other posts that it was
    > such a serious issue for so many people - I'd just sort of assumed that it
    > was only a concern for the elderly and infirm.
    > miguel
    > --
    > Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

In addition to the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions, babies
and toddlers are at high risk. Last flu season in the U.S. there were many
deaths in this age group.

GG

Earl Evleth

in article 201020041138052149%[email protected], Go Fig at [email protected] wrote
on 20/10/04 20:38:

    > The 'common cold' and the flu are very close relatives (both viral),
    > the flu is generally marked by a sustained temperature over several
    > days in excess of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit.


I have had some flues which only lasted about a day. High fever but
chills, the incapacity to get warm, and then passage into a pleasant
warm state. 24 hours and it was over. I have not have a multi-day flu
in 10 years, not one of the one day ones recently.

My wife describes the Asian flu in 1960 and it was really severe.
It gave symptoms close to hepatitis, which I had here in France
once, it incapacitated me for over a month. In fact it has
flu like symptoms which fool you until one`s eyeballs turn yellow
followed by one`s urine going nearly black. That is due to the
decomposition of the liver, which fortunately stops before
it is complete, if one survives.

Earl

Luca Logi

Gregory Morrow <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Known as "Spanish Flu"
    > or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster...


My late grandfather remembered "La Spagnola" very well. He was a member
of the Misericordia confraternity in San Giminiano. The Misericordia is
a 15th century association whose members - wearing a black cap not to be
recognized - had the task of bringing sick people to hospitals (they
used a two-wheel cart: you can see a very similar scene in "Room with a
view") and doing funeral services. He said that funerals were a daily
matter in such a small community.

(The black cap tradition went on for a lot of time. The Florence
misericordia has decided last week that the black cap will be now used
only in official cerimonies as it is anti-hygienic to use it in
ambulance service).

--
Luca Logi - Firenze - Italy e-mail: [email protected]
Home page: http://www.angelfire.com/ar/archivarius
(musicologia pratica)