Insanity reigns...20 cases now equals an emergency...

[ProdigalJunkMail]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/26/swine.flu/index.html

I hope it doesn't come to much, but even if it doesn't...it has already reached amazing heights for an outbreak...

sP

[cwydro]

1. 20 mild cases

in the US.

[Ian David]

2. If you won't stand behind The CDC, then please feel free to stand in front of them.

I know, that makes no sense.

Oh, well.

This is me not panicking.

[babylonsister]

3. ...

:rofl: This is me, not panicking, too.

[Turbineguy]

4. Prescience

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6742061

[Oregone]

5. What number of initial diagnoses constitutes an emergency to you?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

7. more than 20 in a population of 300+ million...

I don't know what number should constitute an emergency...but 20 surely isn't it. Could they recommend precautions? Sure... Call an emergency? No...

sP

[Oregone]

16. 200 or 2000 enough?

And how do you calculate the undiagnosed? What about those infected by the 20 who are still in incubation?

The number 20 is arbitrary. It merely indicates it is in the United States in multiple places, not how many people actually are infected with the virus or the rate at which it spreading.

It isn't meant as a number to judge severity. It is a factual number that indicates the presence of the virus across the entire nation in different geographical locations. This is cause for alarm in itself.

If the virus proves to spread quickly and be lethal, then you have a real problem on your hands. Time will tell. Im not holding my breathe either way, but Im not about to scoff.

ON EDIT: Add another 6 if you want to count in Canada, north of you. 2 cases popped up on the mainland in BC (I live on Vancouver Island).

[NeedleCast]

15. A number higher than the number of reported cases of standard flu

Several hundred thousand people get the flu in the US each year.

Assuming a quarter million Americans get the flu each year, that translates to roughly 685 cases of standard strains of flu per year.

So 20 cases in a week means dick.

[Oregone]

18. Far less people can contract this virus, and yet, it could still be far more severe

Just based on fatality rates alone. Remember, we are only in the early, early stages here so who knows what it will climb to (if anything).

It just seems like a silly comparison though (because you are only considering 1 facet, which is number of cases). If you think the coverage is silly, negating it with your own trite comments may not be the best approach.

[PCIntern]

6. that's because

there's a big difference between 'confirmed cases' and observable phenomena and there are many more sick people who are unconfirmed...the reason I'm worried is that if you read about the 1918 Pandemic wherein they were towing barges of dead people out to sea for burial, the pattern of infection and genetic makeup MAY be similar.

Good post somewhere from the PhD Microbiologist here...worth reading.

And if we're wrong, we're wrong. Better safe than sorry, believe me. I went thru the AIDS epidemic when it unfolded as a clinician in Ground Zero - 1/3 of my patients were gay males, and listened to many folks wave off the import.

I always err on the side of 'careful'.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

8. try that with the 'terra terra terra' posts... n/t

[blaze]

10. Agreed

I'm far, far away from panic mode... but am keeping an open eye.

The post you referenced: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5537435

[targetpractice]

17. Well said... Thanks! n/t

[stray cat]

9. Did you hear the statement - it means the government can work with states

to monitor the situation. Napolitano called the emergency declaration standard operating procedure — one was declared recently for the inauguration and for flooding. She urged people to think of it as a "declaration of emergency preparedness."
"Really that's what we're doing right now. We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size of seriousness of this outbreak is going to be." Its not panic at all - it is active public health monitoring with the cooperation of individual states ie Federal or national response.

[whoneedstickets]

11. You can't win sometimes... wait for 100, or 1000 cases and the cry would be...

..Why didn't you warn us? Or do something? Where is the emergency systems? Who is in charge?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

13. i guess the next thing is when we hit 100

we will restrict travel...the next logical step...

sP

[stray cat]

12. The same declaration was used for the inauguration - its a standard response

don't let the term emergency freak you out. Haven't you ever heard of "snow emergency routes" - it means they will be actively cleared first after a snow storm so don't park there it does not mean people are having a panic attack induced by snow.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

14. the gov't issuing this sort of alert could easily start a panic

suggest precautions? sure... but this?

sP