30 Swine Flu Cases. Still no problem?

Do you think swine flu is a problem in South Africa?

  • Yes

    Votes: 23 42.6%

  • No

    Votes: 31 57.4%
  • Total voters
    54
what a mine field this thread is.
a suggestion: read up on how normal flu mutates the whole time - ie. why do we get yearly flu immunizations.
swine flu/'normal' flu is still influenza. the same medication works - ie stuff like tamiflu/oseltamivir.
death certificates DO have 4 lines for cause of death, ie. "died of (1) because of (2) because of (3) because of (4)" AND then OTHER diseases attributing to cause of death on a separate line.
be calm. you wont die of the dreaded scourge called swine flu (...well, probably :D)
 
The number of people living with HIV has risen from around 8 million in 1990 to 33 million today, and is still growing. Around 67% of people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Regional statistics for HIV & AIDS, end of 2007
Region Adults & children
living with HIV/AIDS Adults & children
newly infected Adult prevalence* Deaths of
adults & children
Sub-Saharan Africa 22.0 million 1.9 million 5.0% 1.5 million
North Africa & Middle East 380,000 40,000 0.3% 27,000
Asia 5 million 380,000 0.3% 380,000
Oceania 74,000 13,000 0.4% 1,000
Latin America 1.7 million 140,000 0.5% 63,000
Caribbean 230,000 20,000 1.1% 14,000
Eastern Europe & Central Asia 1.5 million 110,000 0.8% 58,000
North America, Western & Central Europe 2.0 million 81,000 0.4% 31,000
Global Total 33.0 million 2.7 million 0.8% 2.0 million

* Proportion of adults aged 15-49 who were living with HIV/AIDS

During 2007 more than two and a half million adults and children became infected with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that causes AIDS. By the end of the year, an estimated 33 million people worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS. The year also saw two million deaths from AIDS, despite recent improvements in access to antiretroviral treatment.
Notes

Adults are defined as men and women aged 15 or above, unless specified otherwise.

Children orphaned by AIDS are defined as people aged under 18 who are alive and have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

All the statistics on this page should be interpreted with caution because they are estimates.
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http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm

bird flu, swine flu, kung fu, one flu over the cookoo nest, is no serious problem yet

How have people gotten infected with the H5N1 virus?

Infected birds shed large numbers of virus in their saliva, nasal secretions and feces. Human illness has resulted from direct contact with birds and their feces or with environments contaminated with infected bird feces. In areas that have had human illness with the H5N1 virus it is fairly common to have chickens roaming free and potentially contaminating the environment. Children who play in a contaminated environment have been at risk of infection. In addition, because families often depend upon these birds for income and sustenance, they often butcher sick birds and consume them. Hand butchering sick birds exposes people to high levels of the virus. Sustained human to human spread of the H5N1 virus has not occurred. All human cases of H5N1 infections have been restricted to Asia.
Does the virus travel easily from birds to humans?

No, the number of people that have become ill with bird flu is very small considering the size and duration of the outbreak among domestic birds and the large number of persons who have been exposed.
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http://www.caes.uga.edu/NEWS/kits/birdflu/faq.html

map to swine flu infections worldwide -http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30485593/

Swine Flu
Some 89,921 people in 125 countries and territories have caught swine flu, with 382 having died since the outbreak was uncovered in April, World Health Organisation data released Friday showed.

Some 12,720 new laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) cases have been reported, including 50 deaths, since the last bulletin on Wednesday.

Five more countries and territories -- Malta, Bosnia, Aruba, Palau and Uganda -- have reported cases.

The largest jump in caseloads was reported by the United States, with 6,185 new infections including 43 deaths, bringing its total to 33,902 including 170 deaths.

Mexico also reported an increase of 1,582 infections including three deaths, taking its total number infections to 10,262 including 119 deaths.

Some affected countries no longer keep track of all cases according to the UN health agency, while others do not report for each of the thrice-weekly bulletins.

The bulletin, however, reflects the spread of swine flu to new countries or territories.
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http://www.physorg.com/news165837982.html
 
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They have been monitoring the strains of swine flu going around and the researchers have said it's losing it's virulence as it's having problems binding to people's lungs. So i really don't think it's going to turn. Yes the flu can mutate and adapt very quickly but so far there have been no signs of this. We would have witnessed this elsewhere. It's not like the flu is waiting till it hits SA before it unleashes its might.

People aren't even being admitted to hospital. They are being allowed to go home and take medication.

Seriously if i'm going to die because of swine flu then so be it. As soon as you start stressing about these sorts of issues you panic the country and that is not good.
 
I'm don't panic. I just don't want to see this turn into another epidemic with thousands of deaths. I see Uganda has it's 1st case. Can they really handle an epidemic of this scale now?

PS. Thank you for adding a poll. My vote was 'no' because SA can at this stage deal with the virus.
 
My wife and I were exposed to a virus similar to H1N1 in December 2005. We had to go on a course of Tammiflu/Oseltamivir for a few weeks. We could feel some side effects from it, but never contracted anything else.

Then in late January 2006, my wife started getting paralyzed and was eventually diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome. It is a debilitating auto-immune disorder where the body's own immune starts attacking your nerves.

We didn't know it back when we took the Tammiflu... but the Guillain Barre Syndrome is a possible side effect (very remote) of the medication... it was a one in a thousand chance... but she got it. She has had it twice again since then.

Not telling you not to take it... but if you do take it... just be aware of what the side effects are. It is not your typical anti-biotic (in fact it is not even an anti-biotic).

The side-effects are much worse than typical anti-biotics.
 
Serqet said:
They have been monitoring the strains of swine flu going around and the researchers have said it's losing it's virulence as it's having problems binding to people's lungs. So i really don't think it's going to turn. Yes the flu can mutate and adapt very quickly but so far there have been no signs of this. We would have witnessed this elsewhere. It's not like the flu is waiting till it hits SA before it unleashes its might.

People aren't even being admitted to hospital. They are being allowed to go home and take medication.

Seriously if i'm going to die because of swine flu then so be it. As soon as you start stressing about these sorts of issues you panic the country and that is not good.
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There are early indications that the virus is in the process of mutating. Unfortunately, it is too early to be certain, and tests are being done to determine if this is indeed the case.

Brazil finds new strain of H1N1 virus
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.594b3919f568748326be82a3a65d7646.241&show_article=1

There is also the possibility that Swine flu (H1N1) can mutate with the aids virus. If this happens, Aids will become airborne.

Here is an extract from the following article.
http://www.upi.com/news/issueofthed...ould-devastate-human-race/UPI-43071241461493/

The four strands of the swine flu virus come from pigs, humans and birds. Experts believe that the virus mutated into its current form in the bodies of pigs. Health authorities are particularly worried that the capability to mutate already exhibited by the virus could eventually let it combine with the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.

That could cause a lethally dangerous global health problem on a comparable scale to the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic that eventually infected more than 500 million people -- more than one-quarter of the human race -- and killed 10 percent of them. That death toll of 50 million was more than five times the total fatalities of World War I. The epidemic killed more Americans than died in World War I and World II combined.


I agree that undue panic cannot lead to anything good.
 
There is also the possibility that if indeed a mutation did occur, the new virus would have resistance to Tamiflu.
http://www.physorg.com/news165764078.html


Moreover, the researchers discovered that the new strain might just need a single change or mutation that could lead to inefficient interaction with the influenza drug oseltamivir, commonly known as Tamiflu, raising the possibility that strains resistant to Tamiflu could emerge easily.
 
How to avoid Swine Flu ;)

Get plenty of exercise because exercise helps build your immune system. Walk for at least hour a day, go for a swim, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.

Wash your hands often. If you can’t wash them, keep a bottle of antibacterial stuff around. Wear a mask when out in public places and avoid going out in public as much as possible while the swine flu is spreading. Get lots of fresh air. Open windows whenever possible. Get plenty of rest. Try to eliminate as much stress from your life as you can.

OR …. You can take the doctor’s office approach. Think about it, when you go for a shot, what do they do first? Clean your arm with alcohol.. Why? Because alcohol kills germs. So…… I put on my mask, walk to the liquor store (exercise), I put lime in my Corona (fruit), celery in my Bloody Mary (veggies), drink on the bar patio (fresh air), get drunk, tell jokes, and laugh (eliminate stress) and then pass out (rest). The way I see it, if you keep your alcohol levels up flu germs can’t get you!!!!
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lol swine flu T-shirt - http://www.zazzle.com/swine_flu_tshirt-235993142723632671
 
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Master Cain said:
The four strands of the swine flu virus come from pigs, humans and birds.

I am more concerned about the possibility that this was a cultured virus that somehow found its way out of laboratory containment, as it seems that genetic manipulation of the DNA of various organisms was used in the creation of the virus.
Conspiracy theory anyone?:D
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killadoob said:
Ok so a whole 30 people have the flu, millions have aids.

Yea let's worry about 30 flu cases. I think since the time you posted this thread 30 people have died from aids, let us know when people are actually start dropping dead.
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Well i would worry about the flu more right now, considering its transmission is not just by fluid and sexual contact, also the fact that the virus will infect people with AIDS thus snuffing there life even shorter or even kill them. My gf is a microbiologist and she is rather perplexed that the government does not think there is a problem. Oh well the death toll will certainly rise in this country once it reaches general population.
 
BLIXEMPIE said:
AIDS become airborne? Ok, I'm panicing!
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I am also getting concerned now. I found this article this morning:

The fear is that once a vaccination against AH1N1 is started, the virus will re-assort itself into a hybrid H1N1/H5N1 strain or mutate into a new H5N1 strain. The current AH1N1 strain, as previously reported by WMR, contains synthetically gene-spliced strains of two forms of human flu viruses, two forms of swine flu viruses, and a single form of avian flu virus.

The nightmare scenario is that the new, mutated virus may take on the characteristics of H5N1 or the avian flu. The vaccines administered for AH1N1 will be ineffective against the new strain of H5N1 and the world may face a more deadly pandemic then the current AH1N1 outbreak. There are scientists at WHO who are aware of this scenario but their alarm has been suppressed by political and economic considerations.
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4730.shtml
 
I am not concerned anymore. I am scared.

Influenza A viruses like H5N1 and the new H1N1 virus mutate easily. If the new H1N1 virus begins to spread in countries where highly pathogenic H5N1 is already established, scientists fear that their genetic components could mix, creating a new virus that spreads easily from person to person, as does the new H1N1 virus, and that kills nearly 60 percent of the people it infects, as does the H5N1 virus.

http://www.america.gov/st/scitech-english/2009/May/20090515120103lcnirellep0.2770655.html
 
So the H1N1 virus did mutate.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP527393.htm

Japan finds first case of H1N1 resistant to Tamiflu
02 Jul 2009 18:09:02 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Yoko Kubota

TOKYO, July 2 (Reuters) - Japan has confirmed its first case of a genetic mutation of the new H1N1 flu virus that shows resistance to Tamiflu, the main antiviral flu drug, a health ministry official said on Thursday.
 
If it's our time to die it's our time. Not much we can do about it.
 
Mutated Swine Flu, will either kill us all, or turn us into zombies, lets just hope Will Smith and his dog are immune, so they can save the world
 
Master Cain said:
So the H1N1 virus did mutate.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP527393.htm

Japan finds first case of H1N1 resistant to Tamiflu
02 Jul 2009 18:09:02 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Yoko Kubota

TOKYO, July 2 (Reuters) - Japan has confirmed its first case of a genetic mutation of the new H1N1 flu virus that shows resistance to Tamiflu, the main antiviral flu drug, a health ministry official said on Thursday.
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If a treatment is found lets just hope African leaders do not see it like a western plot, again.
 
Its on the increase.. or is it?

47 swine flu cases in SA
Created: Thursday, July 09, 2009

The number of swine flu cases reported in South Africa has gone up to 47, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday.

The increase, from 30 on Monday, was not a cause for panic as all those identified and tested only showed mild symptoms of the influenza A H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, deputy director Dr Lucille Blumberg said.

"Most of the cases are travellers arriving in the country and those who attended the sporting event at the University of Johannesburg."

Some students who were members of a squash team that recently played at the University of Johannesburg and those who lived in the same residence and their contacts accounted for most of the new cases.

No ‘community transmissions’ yet
The first swine flu case was recorded in South Africa in mid-June when a 12-year-old boy arrived in the country from the USA.

Emphasising that the rise in the number of swine flu cases did not indicate any danger to the South African public, Blumberg said NICD would only look at the first 100 cases and concentrate on those with severe illnesses if there were any at that time.

"We do not yet have the community transmission as in other countries, but we can expect more mild cases, as it appears we will be having a second flu season."

Figures released by the World Health Organisation at the end of June indicated that swine flu had infected 59 814 people in 113 countries across the globe and killed 263 people.

But Blumberg said: "Some of the people who died in the other countries were those who had underlying illnesses."

The department of health was not immediately available to comment. – (Sapa, July 2009)
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Hopefully they can keep it contained without it spreading beyond current monitoring.
 
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