[Archived] Pandemic

[broadsword]

We're all going to die !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Speak for yourself.

I'm too young to die. Not just now, but also in the future.

[Tris]

I have the feeling the WHO got this totally wrong. Clearly people dieing of any cause is terrible and I'm not attempting to push that away at all. However there have been 787 confirmed cases in 17 countries, now I'm no scientist and I've no doubt the disease type, transmission method and general spread means this qualifies as a pandemic. The problem though is it does not fit the public perception and it would worry me the next time there is a threat, of much graver proportions, anyone who experienced this outbreak will simply shrug their shoulders thinking "so what."

I think there's another angle to that Paul. It may appear as a conspiracy theory in reverse, but hear me out.

There are enough well qualified people in the world to judge what is a threat and what isn't. The overall threat here appears to be important - maybe not this particular strain and not this particular outbreak (and clearly not the previous H5N1 or whatever it was called) - but the danger is there.

Maybe we are being given dry runs here. This dry run only involves 787 cases in 17 countries, but at least we know what the medics are on about. We are being prepared for a nastier strain - perhaps.

In which case, the WHO are doing exactly the right thing by slowly making people aware of the risks - or would we rather only learn about a killer flu virus when 25% of the world has hit the deck???

Back to the real world - my employer has made Tamiflu available to all employees and their immediate families - and did so many months ago. I hope we never have to use those boxes of Tamiflu. They're at the back of the cabinet where they should be.

Until this year I'd never heard the word "pandemic" - and an "epidemic" was something in Africa.

WASH YOUR HANDS, SNEEZE TOWARDS BURNLEY ... ... ... TAKE THIS THING JUST A LITTLE BIT SERIOUSLY ... all joking apart, personal hygeine and common sense is so important.

catch it. bin it. kill it.

[SouthAussieRover]

mexico paid for............................bring it on

Have a good one.

Here's some info re the swine flu:

http://flu.sa.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileti...3d&tabid=59

[b12_simon]

I think there's another angle to that Paul. It may appear as a conspiracy theory in reverse, but hear me out.

There are enough well qualified people in the world to judge what is a threat and what isn't. The overall threat here appears to be important - maybe not this particular strain and not this particular outbreak (and clearly not the previous H5N1 or whatever it was called) - but the danger is there.

Maybe we are being given dry runs here. This dry run only involves 787 cases in 17 countries, but at least we know what the medics are on about. We are being prepared for a nastier strain - perhaps.

In which case, the WHO are doing exactly the right thing by slowly making people aware of the risks - or would we rather only learn about a killer flu virus when 25% of the world has hit the deck???

Back to the real world - my employer has made Tamiflu available to all employees and their immediate families - and did so many months ago. I hope we never have to use those boxes of Tamiflu. They're at the back of the cabinet where they should be.

Until this year I'd never heard the word "pandemic" - and an "epidemic" was something in Africa.

WASH YOUR HANDS, SNEEZE TOWARDS BURNLEY ... ... ... TAKE THIS THING JUST A LITTLE BIT SERIOUSLY ... all joking apart, personal hygeine and common sense is so important.

catch it. bin it. kill it.

It strikes me that continually predicting huge fatalities with each new strain is exactly the wrong way to prepare an increasingly sceptical public for a genuine pandemic.

[Tris]

It strikes me that continually predicting huge fatalities with each new strain is exactly the wrong way to prepare an increasingly sceptical public for a genuine pandemic.

Maybe - I guess I'm just too mainstream to buy in to all the conspiracy theories though. Too many people are too worried for this whole thing to be made up. And if the only end result is that people wash their hands more carefully - can't complain about that!

[broadsword]

What have the Who got to do with it?

[b12_simon]

Maybe - I guess I'm just too mainstream to buy in to all the conspiracy theories though. Too many people are too worried for this whole thing to be made up. And if the only end result is that people wash their hands more carefully - can't complain about that!

I'm not saying it's made up but both government and media are fond of report things in the scariest possible light.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

I've spoken to my dad about this and he has said that, although it obviously looks bad for the WHO right now, things need to be run like this. They set their pandemic levels based on very strict criteria as things can develop quickly. As soon as their was the strain moves between people they have to be follow it very carefully and make sure that governments being to prepare themselves for the worst. The fact is that public perception of all this doesn't really matter too much; what will determine how effectively pandemics are prevented and contained is how well equipped nations are to treat the problem. The WHO will not have been damaged in the eyes of governments and that is all that really matters. The threat of a pandemic is very real and it will happen at some point in the near(ish) future, so it must be treated seriously.

Bloody hell Eddie you move in some elite circles; players from PSG, top football agents and now world-leading genealogists.

You make James bond seem comparatively boring.

[LeChuck]

I'm not saying it's made up but both government and media are fond of report things in the scariest possible light.

Didn't the WHO put their alert level to the highest it has been since the Spanish Influenza in 1918 though? The media and government are very easy targets but I feel (this time at least) that they're not really to blame for the hype.

[tony gale's mic]

Bloody hell Eddie you move in some elite circles; players from PSG, top football agents and now world-leading genealogists.

You make James bond seem comparatively boring.

Isn't that someone who deals with family trees etc?

Think you're looking for the word "epidemiologists"

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Isn't that someone who deals with family trees etc?

Think you're looking for the word "epidemiologists"

"Geneticist" was the word I was after ; my point still stands though.

[Eddie]

Bloody hell Eddie you move in some elite circles; players from PSG, top football agents and now world-leading genealogists.

You make James bond seem comparatively boring.

Immunologists actually.

Didn't the WHO put their alert level to the highest it has been since the Spanish Influenza in 1918 though? The media and government are very easy targets but I feel (this time at least) that they're not really to blame for the hype.

They're partially to blame; I read a Telegraph article at one point that had a headline of "All of humanity at risk", or something similar.

"Geneticist" was the word I was after ; my point still stands though.

What would they have to do with this?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Immunologists actually.

They're partially to blame; I read a Telegraph article at one point that had a headline of "All of humanity at risk", or something similar.

What would they have to do with this?

Errr quite alot actually

A geneticist is a scientist who studies genetics, the science of heredity and variation of organisms

[tony gale's mic]

A geneticist would be much more concerned with inherited diseases, not infectious diseases.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

A geneticist would be much more concerned with inherited diseases, not infectious diseases.

I was under the illusion that Influenza was an organism? Therefore it has its own genetic code; hence the reason why a geneticist would want to study it.

What starts off with a “throw-away” remark on this board is somehow turned in to a full-blown, nit-picking session.

[Eddie]

The flu is a virus so working out its genetics is part of solving the problem and so geneticists are involved to help break down the virus, but that's a relatively simple part of the process.

[tony gale's mic]

I was under the illusion that Influenza was an organism? Therefore it has its own genetic code; hence the reason why a geneticist would want to study it.

What starts off with a “throw-away” remark on this board is somehow turned in to a full-blown, nit-picking session.

Pretty minor though...that'd be the virologists that would study the particular viruses in question. I'm sure a role for geneticists could be found but it'd be a minor one...all the stuff to do with the WHO would be more epidemiologists working with immunologists etc.

[yoda]

I was under the illusion that Influenza was an organism? Therefore it has its own genetic code; hence the reason why a geneticist would want to study it.

What starts off with a “throw-away” remark on this board is somehow turned in to a full-blown, nit-picking session.

Pretty minor though...that'd be the virologists that would study the particular viruses in question. I'm sure a role for geneticists could be found but it'd be a minor one...all the stuff to do with the WHO would be more epidemiologists working with immunologists etc.

maybe this thread should be renamed from pandemic to pedantic

[colin]

I found this quite educational.

new scientist in swine flu

Unfortunately it doesn't cover definitions of scientific avenues of research. Still, can't have everything.

[ABBEY]

just seen that the airports are checking people to see if they have the swine flu before allowing them to travel.If they stop you, are you covered by insurence or do you lose all the money youve spent?..

[SouthAussieRover]

just seen that the airports are checking people to see if they have the swine flu before allowing them to travel.If they stop you, are you covered by insurence or do you lose all the money youve spent?..

1:Check if your insurance is underwritten by an Australian company.

2:Should you be hospitalised as a result of swine flu be sure to check where your doctor or nurse originates from

[Paul]

If they stop you, are you covered by insurence or do you lose all the money youve spent?..

Depends entirely on the small print in your travel insurance, some companies will cover you, others won't. At the very least a GP's sick note / letter will be needed to prove you were unable to travel, if not available the insurance companies will probably say "prove it" especially if they face a lot of claims. If you only purchased the insurance recently I'd argue this should have been pointed out by the seller. If you're not covered then perhaps there is a cooling off period to cancel the cover and get something else?

I suspect the bigger problem is if the airline won't let a passenger board the plane. If the Check-In staff decide you are not "fit to travel" the airline doesn't have to compensate you as it's a travel insurance matter. Must be a lot of doctors staffing check-in desks?

[SouthAussieRover]

Who are you flying with Abbey?

[ABBEY]

that 2nd point is what i meant if the dr at the airport says you cant travel..got a sore throat and its wedding and honeymoon coming up.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

that 2nd point is what i meant if the dr at the airport says you cant travel..got a sore throat and its wedding and honeymoon coming up.

DOOOOOOOMED.

Sorry.