Just over 6%. The rate for Spanish Flu was 1%.
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SWINE FLU: DISCUSS IT HERE
- Thread starter antowan
- Start date
Just over 6%. The rate for Spanish Flu was 1%.
F
Fudzy
Guest
So what does that mean? It kills 6% of the people who contract it?
A slight addendum
The last paragraph says it all. they cant confirm ANYTHING about the 2 people except their Medical Aid numbers.
Stickfigure
Honorary Master
Eish... This is world wide now. Also been cases in Australia and New Zealand. All we can really do is hope and pray we don't contract it but the reported cases in SA is scary.
BBSA
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Lino
I am back
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WHO close to declaring pandemic
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/SwineFlu/0,,2-10-2501_2508860,00.html
Not until I get clarity regarding my question. It's an honest question on my part. If there is both a prevention and a treatment, then why the panic?
Yes.
TonyHawk
Expert Member
So let me get this straight - there is both a prevention and a cure for swine flu, as discussed on 702, yet there is global panic!?
Bloody irresponsible sensationalism if you ask me...
Better safe than sorry.. I'd say... you in the medical industry at all ?
'Me thinks' you looking for some quick bucks when/if the crap hits the fan
Don't throw caution to the wind... but on the other hand.. we can't trust the drug manufacturers either.. they will go far to promote their business interests.. by creating it
Would I be asking a genuine question like that if I was?
'Me thinks' you looking for some quick bucks when/if the crap hits the fan
Huh?
BBSA
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Swine flu Q&A: drugs and vaccines
Is H1N1 swine flu treatable?
Yes. It responds to two antiviral drugs, Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir). However, it does not respond to two older antivirals from a different class, called amantadine and rimantadine.
How are these drugs taken?
Tamiflu is an oral capsule. Relenza is inhaled, and thus more suitable to hospital use.
Tamiflu and Relenza both work by inhibiting a flu protein called neuraminidase — the “N” of H1N1. Flu uses this protein to escape the human cells in which it replicates, so that fresh virus particles can spread infection. While the drugs do not prevent infection, they contain it, reducing both the severity of symptoms and a patient’s chances of passing it on.
Will these drugs be available if I get ill?
Yes, if you are thought to have the swine flu virus. A stockpile of 33 million courses of antivirals has been bought under the Government’s pandemic plan - enough for half the population. Gordon Brown yesterday announced a fresh order, which will bring supplies up to 50m doses.
How will I get the drugs?
Patients who fall ill will be assessed by telephone, and those with symptoms consistent with pandemic flu should get antivirals within 12 to 24 hours of diagnosis. The drugs will be delivered, or picked up by a friend or family member.
Why have two drugs been stockpiled?
In case the pandemic virus acquires resistance to one or the other. Tamiflu, which accounts for two thirds of the stockpile, is the front line of defence, and Relenza provides a backup.
Is drug resistance likely to be a problem?
Probably, in the long run. The virus belongs to the H1N1 family, and other flu viruses with the N1 neuraminidase protein have developed significant resistance to Tamiflu.
Why can’t I buy Tamiflu for my family in advance?
Because excessive use of the drug before it is needed can promote resistance. It is essential that it is used correctly, and that supplies are reserved for people affected by pandemic flu.
Tamiflu is licensed for children over the age of 1, but children under 7 should get lower doses than adults, according to bodyweight. It is not licensed for babies under the age of 1, but may be given under expert clinical supervision in an emergency.
Relenza has not been assessed in children under 7. It may be given to younger children under clinical supervision, but is unlikely to be suitable for the very young as it must be inhaled.
Is there a vaccine?
No. Though seasonal flu vaccines protect against H1N1 flu, they are designed for a different strain, and scientists do not think they are likely to offer any immunity.
Will a vaccine be developed?
Yes. The virus has been isolated, and scientists are working to turn this into a “seed vaccine”. Key elements of the virus are being combined with a safe flu strain called RP8, to produce a vaccine that is not dangerous but that provokes a good immune response.
When will a vaccine be ready?
A seed vaccine should be ready by mid-May, but it will then take drug companies another four to six months to mass produce it, by growing the vaccine in hens’ eggs.
Production will start, however, only once the World Health Organisation (WHO) asks drug companies to do so. This is because there is not enough vaccine manufacturing capacity to make both a pandemic vaccine and vaccines against seasonal flu, which itself causes hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.
When will the WHO ask manufacturers to shift production to pandemic vaccine?
This is likely only if the pandemic threat level is raised from phase 4 to phase 5, which would indicate that a pandemic is imminent. This requires significant human-to-human transmission to be confirmed in at least two countries.
Even at phase 5, the WHO could hold back from ordering the production of pandemic vaccine if the virus appears to have mild effects, so as not to disrupt the production of seasonal flu vaccine.
Another possibility is that pandemic flu vaccine might be added to the seasonal flu vaccine, or it could replace the H1N1 component of the ordinary jab.
A decision is unlikely before the seed vaccine becomes available, as there is no point in ordering a production shift until manufacture is practical.
Link
Is H1N1 swine flu treatable?
Yes. It responds to two antiviral drugs, Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir). However, it does not respond to two older antivirals from a different class, called amantadine and rimantadine.
How are these drugs taken?
Tamiflu is an oral capsule. Relenza is inhaled, and thus more suitable to hospital use.
Tamiflu and Relenza both work by inhibiting a flu protein called neuraminidase — the “N” of H1N1. Flu uses this protein to escape the human cells in which it replicates, so that fresh virus particles can spread infection. While the drugs do not prevent infection, they contain it, reducing both the severity of symptoms and a patient’s chances of passing it on.
Will these drugs be available if I get ill?
Yes, if you are thought to have the swine flu virus. A stockpile of 33 million courses of antivirals has been bought under the Government’s pandemic plan - enough for half the population. Gordon Brown yesterday announced a fresh order, which will bring supplies up to 50m doses.
How will I get the drugs?
Patients who fall ill will be assessed by telephone, and those with symptoms consistent with pandemic flu should get antivirals within 12 to 24 hours of diagnosis. The drugs will be delivered, or picked up by a friend or family member.
Why have two drugs been stockpiled?
In case the pandemic virus acquires resistance to one or the other. Tamiflu, which accounts for two thirds of the stockpile, is the front line of defence, and Relenza provides a backup.
Is drug resistance likely to be a problem?
Probably, in the long run. The virus belongs to the H1N1 family, and other flu viruses with the N1 neuraminidase protein have developed significant resistance to Tamiflu.
Why can’t I buy Tamiflu for my family in advance?
Because excessive use of the drug before it is needed can promote resistance. It is essential that it is used correctly, and that supplies are reserved for people affected by pandemic flu.
Tamiflu is licensed for children over the age of 1, but children under 7 should get lower doses than adults, according to bodyweight. It is not licensed for babies under the age of 1, but may be given under expert clinical supervision in an emergency.
Relenza has not been assessed in children under 7. It may be given to younger children under clinical supervision, but is unlikely to be suitable for the very young as it must be inhaled.
Is there a vaccine?
No. Though seasonal flu vaccines protect against H1N1 flu, they are designed for a different strain, and scientists do not think they are likely to offer any immunity.
Will a vaccine be developed?
Yes. The virus has been isolated, and scientists are working to turn this into a “seed vaccine”. Key elements of the virus are being combined with a safe flu strain called RP8, to produce a vaccine that is not dangerous but that provokes a good immune response.
When will a vaccine be ready?
A seed vaccine should be ready by mid-May, but it will then take drug companies another four to six months to mass produce it, by growing the vaccine in hens’ eggs.
Production will start, however, only once the World Health Organisation (WHO) asks drug companies to do so. This is because there is not enough vaccine manufacturing capacity to make both a pandemic vaccine and vaccines against seasonal flu, which itself causes hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.
When will the WHO ask manufacturers to shift production to pandemic vaccine?
This is likely only if the pandemic threat level is raised from phase 4 to phase 5, which would indicate that a pandemic is imminent. This requires significant human-to-human transmission to be confirmed in at least two countries.
Even at phase 5, the WHO could hold back from ordering the production of pandemic vaccine if the virus appears to have mild effects, so as not to disrupt the production of seasonal flu vaccine.
Another possibility is that pandemic flu vaccine might be added to the seasonal flu vaccine, or it could replace the H1N1 component of the ordinary jab.
A decision is unlikely before the seed vaccine becomes available, as there is no point in ordering a production shift until manufacture is practical.
Link
BBSA
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Just on CNN - World Health Organization raises the swine flu alert to level five indicating it fears a pandemic is imminent.
Here is the different levels:
In Phase 1 no viruses among animals reported to have caused infections in humans.
In Phase 2 animal flu virus is known to have caused infection in humans and is potential pandemic threat.
In Phase 3, animal or human-animal flu virus has caused small number of cases in people, but not sufficient for community-level outbreaks.
Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of animal or human-animal flu virus, indicating greater but not inevitable risk of pandemic.
Phase 5 means human-to-human spread of virus is confirmed in two countries in one WHO region and pandemic is feared imminent.
Phase 6 characterized by community-level outbreaks in at least one other country in second WHO region. This phase indicates global pandemic is under way.
Here is the different levels:
In Phase 1 no viruses among animals reported to have caused infections in humans.
In Phase 2 animal flu virus is known to have caused infection in humans and is potential pandemic threat.
In Phase 3, animal or human-animal flu virus has caused small number of cases in people, but not sufficient for community-level outbreaks.
Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of animal or human-animal flu virus, indicating greater but not inevitable risk of pandemic.
Phase 5 means human-to-human spread of virus is confirmed in two countries in one WHO region and pandemic is feared imminent.
Phase 6 characterized by community-level outbreaks in at least one other country in second WHO region. This phase indicates global pandemic is under way.
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F
Fudzy
Guest
There are going to be quite a few rich drug company CEOs soon.
Chop a clove of garlic, boil it in beetroot juice, rub well into nether regions and then jump into the shower.
Follow that with a call to the doctor to make an appointment.
Failing that Med Lemon works a treat
a3dm86
Well-Known Member
Haha, Pray?