Swine Flu Health Emergency - Will it affect your behavior?

[dex]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/27flu.html?_r=1&hp
Will the Swine Flu Health Emergency affect your behavior?
How?
I chose Yes
I'm in Colorado now and the RV park isn't very crowded. I think it will affect my behavior - I might pay more attention to the physical condition of those around me. I might think twice about going to places where people congregate.

 

[dex]

Can some add the word Emergency to the Poll question - I don't know how to do it.

 

[REWahoo]

Done.

 

[aaronc879]

I voted no. I will not change anything at this time however I will follow the news for any heightened threat level.

 

[FinallyRetired]

Is this the same swine flu President Ford saved us from? Do we still have the massive doses of vaccine stocked that we never used?

 

[W2R]

I will take some precautions. It won't kill me to wash my hands more often. I might even disinfect my desktop and workspace at work (it needs cleaning anyway, so why not?). If I should feel flu-like symptoms, I will be more likely to stay home.

It doesn't sound like anything to worry about in the US, since nobody has died and it has been very mild. But it is a good exercise to take a few precautions. I am not yet inclined to go so far as to wear a mask or anything like that.

(The CDC does not believe it is the same swine flu that caused the panic in the 1970's, FinallyRetired.)

 

[dex]

FYI some good info here:
1918 flu pandemic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
International Programs

If we use the 100m and the world population at the time of the 1918 outbreak that is a 5.56% death rate.
In today's world that would be 378m

 

[REWahoo]

You may have seen on the news that there are a handful of confirmed cases in Texas. They were mild cases but all attended a suburban San Antonio high school. The district announced today it is closing all 14 school campuses for the next week: Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD

I don't recall seeing a school closure of this nature - a day or two yes, but not for an entire week.

 

[grumpy]

I voted #3. Not until I see if this will be like SARS, bird flu, etc. etc. There have been too many dire warnings of impending epidemics that never took place. If this virus is really as deadly as some of the commentators would have us believe, there is little chance that any preventive actions an individual could take would be effective. Just my cynical nature showing through.

 

[Khan]

You may have seen on the news that there are a handful of confirmed cases in Texas. They were mild cases but all attended a suburban San Antonio high school. The district announced today it is closing all 14 school campuses for the next week: Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD

I don't recall seeing a school closure of this nature - a day or two yes, but not for an entire week.

It was only a matter of time. Maybe being up to date on all shots will help.

 

[Moemg]

Since I am just getting over a flu with the same symptoms I voted no .Maybe I had the swine flu but no way to tell without cultures . I am concerned for my 93 year old Mother since we are flying to NYC on Friday and if I had plans to travel to Mexico I would cancel them .

 

[Nords]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/27flu.html?_r=1&hp
Will the Swine Flu Health Emergency affect your behavior?
How?

I already get a flu shot every year and avoid crowds. Not sure what's left.

Was last fall's flu vaccine effective against the swine variety, or would those of us immunized for swine flu during the Ford administration retain any immunity?

 

[REWahoo]

Was last fall's flu vaccine effective against the swine variety, or would those of us immunized for swine flu during the Ford administration retain any immunity?

From what I've seen and read, no one knows - this is apparently an entirely new mutation according to a couple of reports I read yesterday.

 

[Zathras]

I voted yes, although it is not, at this point, because of the swine flu outbreak per se.
I have been washing my hands more often and will keep a closer eye on the 'non financial' news.
I view this as a great reminder of how quickly these things can appear out of nowhere.

 

[REWahoo]

Was last fall's flu vaccine effective against the swine variety...?

Not according to the CDC:

Seasonal vaccine no help against swine flu

But frequent exposure to flu viruses may provide some immunity, CDC says

 

[steve88]

The health department or CDC like to sound the alarm. My sister works for them and she said hardly anything is going on that her job as an epi is so boring. They like to sound the alarm when they see an opportunity.

 

[REWahoo]

I heard one state medical official say he'd rather be chastised for being too aggressive in sounding the alarm than blamed for failure to act. I can sympathize.

 

[ziggy29]

There's no harm in caution, but most likely the numbers we're talking about are going to be very small. I may take a few extra precautions but I don't see myself going around wearing surgical masks or putting a few tissues between me and the shopping cart handle unless I see serious reason to think this will be a potential 1918-1919 situation. And even then I'd cocoon myself in our small town in the boonies and improve my odds.

 

[steve88]

sounding the alarm gets their dept a huge chunk of federal money + interview in front of TV.

 

[dex]

A good book on trying to hide.
The Last Town on Earth: A Novel


Amazon.com: The Last Town on Earth: A Novel: Thomas Mullen: Books
From Publishers Weekly
It is the autumn of 1918 and a world war and an influenza epidemic rage outside the isolated utopian logging community of Commonwealth, Wash. In an eerily familiar climate of fear, rumor and patriotic hysteria, the town enacts a strict quarantine, posting guards at the only road into town. A weary soldier approaches the gate on foot and refuses to stop. Shots ring out, setting into motion a sequence of events that will bring the town face-to-face with some of the 20th-century's worst horrors. Mullen's ambitious debut is set against a plausibly sketched background, including events such the Everett Massacre (between vigilantes and the IWW), the political repression that accompanied the U.S. entry into WWI and the rise of the Wobblies. But what Mullen supplies in terms of historical context, he lacks in storytelling; though the novel is set in 1918, it was written in a post 9/11 world where fear of bird flu regularly makes headlines, and the allegory is heavy-handed (the protagonist townie, after all, is named Philip Worthy). The grim fascination of the narrative, however, will keep readers turning the pages.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

The health department or CDC like to sound the alarm. My sister works for them and she said hardly anything is going on that her job as an epi is so boring. They like to sound the alarm when they see an opportunity.

It's also a great CYA move. Imagine not sounding the alarm on the big one. Not only will a lot of people lose their jobs, there may even be criminal prosecution.

 

[Nords]

There's no harm in caution, but most likely the numbers we're talking about are going to be very small. I may take a few extra precautions but I don't see myself going around wearing surgical masks or putting a few tissues between me and the shopping cart handle unless I see serious reason to think this will be a potential 1918-1919 situation. And even then I'd cocoon myself in our small town in the boonies and improve my odds.

It's also a great CYA move. Imagine not sounding the alarm on the big one. Not only will a lot of people lose their jobs, there may even be criminal prosecution.

One of the reasons that the Great Influenza became a pandemic is because civic leaders downplayed or downright ignored the warnings of the medical professionals. The book had one fascinating example after another of how to make a bad situation worse-- like shooting yourself in the foot with a double-barrelled shotgun.

Homeland Security and FEMA have been working on pandemic response plans ever since SARS and the threat of bird flu. They've been leaning forward for months, so this sounds like a great opportunity to throw everything into action and see how it all works out. I'm surprised Hawaii hasn't had a few "crossroads of the Pacific" cases already. The first planeload to approach Honolulu with a few sniffling passengers will find itself diverted to the abandoned Barbers Point airfield before they even start their descent. And I'm really glad spouse has retired from her emergency-planning disaster-recovery Reserve billet...

 

[clifp]

I had planned a trip to Mexico City this summer, when the weather is nicer and the air turns a delightful shade of brown. . I also had planned to spend a few days at chicken and pig farm outside of Mexico City (sort of dude ranch experience). My friend was ok with risking the kidnapping and being in the center of a drug wars, but the pig farm was a bit much.

 

[NW-Bound]

People in Mexico City are certainly taking this very seriously. Public places like restaurants and shops may be closed for 10 days, according to the CNBC Web site quoting the Mayor of the city. Millions have been staying home. There are talks of shutting down public transportation.

Other than going to work, I don't go out in public places much. Until there is a clear indication of a pandemic, I have no plan yet to go to my 2nd home in the high-country boonies.

 

[simple girl]

We are going on a cruise in 3 weeks that stops in 2 places in Mexico. Major bummer to have to be concerned about this. Will have to step up the handwashing even more. We won't be eating or drinking anything in Mexico, but that won't help us much if this gets passed onto cruise passengers...