Swine flu outbreak suspected in NZ school children

[canetoad]

Source: Times Online

From Times Online
April 26, 2009
Swine flu outbreak suspected in NZ school children
Anne Barrowclough in Sydney

New Zealand health officials are investigating a possible outbreak of swine flu amongst a school group which recently returned from a trip to Mexico.

A number of the group of 25 from Rangitoto College, in Auckland, are displaying flu-like symptoms and are being tested for swine influenza.

The 22 school pupils and three teachers returned to NZ from Mexico on Saturday, having spent three weeks in the country.

They have been placed in home isolation until preliminary tests results are known.

Auckland Regional Public Health clinical director Dr Julia Peters said: ``We are taking this very seriously and doing everything necessary to manage this situation in Auckland. The Ministry of Health is managing the response to this issue at a national level.''

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6171388.ece

[seemslikeadream]

1. NZ School Group Quarantined on Return from Mexico

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/04/26/2001s478863.htm

[JCMach1]

2. If this is truly pandemic in nature, the nature of travel since 1918 has changed dramatically

and it will spread like wildfire.

The good news is that the anti-flu meds. seem to be pretty effective.

[FVZA_Colonel]

4. The question then becomes: are there enough?

Would the government potentially have to... 'nationalize' the vaccine industry in order to ensure maximum production?

[David in Canada]

10. Word is..

Word is that this new flu is showing resistance to Tamiflu.

[mrs_p]

17. where did you hear that?

no reports so far have said it is resistant to oseltamivir (tamiflu) or zanamavir (relenza). it is absolutely essential to state facts. if you did read this, please provide link.

[David in Canada]

23. Ask and Ye Shall Recieve

Here is a paper published in Nature by a Dr. Henry Niman, one of the top in his field:

http://precedings.nature.com/documents/2832/version/1

He has a good website on these matters here: http://www.recombinomics.com/

[sufrommich]

20. Who's word? nt

[EFerrari]

6. I feel stupid because I don't understand why people in cities are dying

if there are meds.

[secondwind]

16. late post here..........it's because some folks ignore symptoms or think they have something else...

simple as that.

[EFerrari]

21. That makes sense. With all the bugs that people get over the course

of a flu season, that would be a lot of people, myself included.

[mrs_p]

18. must take pep

within 48 hours. the antivirals disturb part of the viral entry process. if one waits too long to seek medical help, there is no meds that will arrest the infection.

[FVZA_Colonel]

3. Well, it's suspected to have hit London, and with the cases in New York,

there's no way this isn't going global.

[targetpractice]

5. BREAKING: 10 Rangitoto College students test positive for Swine Flu...

A multi-focal outbreak within a week or so is scary.

Details to come at http://www.3news.co.nz/

[Tx4obama]

7. Our President...

http://www.politico.com/politico44/

Robert Gibbs said on Saturday that "the President's trip to Mexico has NOT put his health in any danger." According to reports, Obama was guided through a Mexico’s City museum by Felipe Solis, who passed away the next day and reportedly had flu-like symptoms.

White House Spokesman Reid Cherlin says that the administration has been keeping a close eye on the so-called "swine flu," which has already claimed 81 lives in Mexico. There are eight confirmed cases in the U.S. and several dozen more probable ones, including eight students at a New York City private school.

While initially transmitted by pigs, the virus can spread from human to human, raising fears of a flu pandemic.

While so far, all the U.S. cases have been mild, a Reuters dispatch on the potential economic costs cites two 2005 reports that estimate a pandemic could have an immediate cost in the U.S. of upwards of $500 billion dollars.

Anne Schuchat, the Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health Program at the Center for Disease Control, said on Saturday that the Obama administration has been briefed on the swine-flu outbreak, and that "leadership is highly engaged." CDC officials, she said are working closely with Mexico, Canada and WHO representatives and actively looking for new infections in the U.S..

The CDC presently has teams out in Mexico, California and Texas, where Governor Rick Perry has requested the group send 37,430 doses of Tamiflu, an anti-flu medicine that thus far has proven effective against the new strain.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. 
[link:www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules.html|Click
here] to review the message board rules.

[Dogmudgeon]

11. GET IT NOW! ONLY $95!!!

"How To Survive The Bird Flu"

Only $95! (plus tax, tarrifs, carrying charges, postage, handling, and Internet Spam fines)

by Nigel T. Bloodsucker

Author of

"How To Get Filthy Rich Exploiting Fear"

And

"How To Get Filthy Rich Exploiting Misery"

--d!

[canetoad]

13. Self delete

replied to wrong post.

[northernlights]

14. um, I think what the previous poster meant was

be prepared to be at home for a couple weeks, as with any pending storm. Yesterday a family in either Texas or California (forget which) was quarantined at home because their son tested positive.

As it hits schools, they will be closed down, which means your kids will be home. Fine if they're teens, but if they're youngs you'll need someone to stay home with them.

And if it hits your family, be prepared for the very sick to be caring for the very sick. A lot of young people today have never had the flu thanks to the annual vaccines. Without the antivirals, it feels like you've been hit with a mack truck. You start out fearing you're going to die. You end out wishing you'd die.

Be grateful for tamiflu and relenza. For all we know, that *may* be the difference between the mild cases here and the 6.8% mortality rate in Mexico.

[Dogmudgeon]

19. It was a very cynical troll peddling very expensive Spam

The troll was selling a book that was probably a reprint of the CDC public health contagious disease manual, and charging $95 for it.

I nearly hit the roof when I saw it.

There were also particle masks being sold at high price. Particle masks are about as effective for preventing airborne viral transmission as Magic Invisible Condoms are for preventing AIDS.

Such people are scum. IMHO, of course.

I'm VERY familiar with such issues. First, I worked in a hospital off and on for most of my adult life, and saw plenty of adults die of "a little case of the flu". Second, I myself actually DID contract a very severe form of Influenza A (in 1989) and indeed, I did feel like I was going to die. Not just figuratively -- I was actually afraid that I was going to die. My thermometer maxed out at 104.7F. I was delirious for nearly two days, and didn't have enough presence of mind to call my family. After it was over, I had lost more than 25 pounds, I had some subcutaneous bruising, and my bedsheets were stained a dull yellow-orange. My blood pressure was permanently about 10 points higher, and I have had a reduced ability to deal with heat since then. I probably also suffered some minor diffuse brain damage -- minor, but neurons don't re-grow very quickly when they decide to re-grow at all.

I was 31 at the time. I'm almost 51 now. I would probably NOT be able to survive such a case again. The fact that 6.8% of the Swine Flu patients in Mexico are dying is ample evidence of its severity. H5N1 Avian is still about 25-35% fatal.

Although I replied thinking you had mistaken the intent of my post, I am glad you did write what you did. Most Americans and Europeans, as you have said, do NOT understand just how bad "the flu" is. In a good year, it kills 20,000 people worldwide. A little well-informed "paranoia" and preparation would go a long way for anyone concerned with epi- and pandemic infectious illness.

--d!

[hedgehog]

22. I somehow suspect that if a family is quaratrined, arrangements will be made

to ensure that they won't starve to death!


People, this isn't the first epidemic to hit America.

[TheWatcher]

12. You've GOT to be FUCKING KIDDING Me.

You want to SELL us something?

You come here and.....

Oh DEAR GOD you aren't even worth wasting the rant.

Dog Shit on the bottom of a shoe is worth more.

GO FUCK YOURSELF, PARASITE.

[David in Canada]

9. Don't Forget...

Don't forget to get some 'Flu Buddy'!

[dipsydoodle]

15. Now confirmed as likely to be swine flu

Ten New Zealand students among a group which travelled to Mexico have tested positive for flu - "likely", though not definitely, swine flu, said Health Minister Tony Ryall

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8018991.stm