At work we're supposed to have patients who are suspected of having swine flu (as well as everyone accompanying them) immediately put on a mask, then bring them right away into a designated room so they don't sit in the waiting room while waiting for their appointment. When our office manager called Infectious Disease at the hospital per their protocol immediately after our patient arrived, the first question she was asked was "does she need to be admitted?" Yet at the same time, we're supposed to treat the patients suspected of having swine flu exactly the same as we treat other patients suspected of having the regular flu. In other words, no special precautions beyond the mask and not having them wait in the waiting room.
This doesn't make sense to me. Any flu is a droplet infection, which means that anyone and anything within 3 feet is considered contaminated. In other words, anything you touch within those three feet can give you the flu if you then touch your mouth, eyes or nose. Either there's something special about the swine flu or there isn't. Either we treat it as something special or we don't, not this halfway stuff. The thing that makes me nervous is that the people dying in Mexico are in their 20s and 30s, which is what flu did during the pandemic of 1918.
Q&A: Why is swine flu such a big deal?
NBC’s Robert Bazell sorts the facts from the fears
By Robert Bazell
Chief science and health correspondent
NBC News
updated 8:01 p.m. ET, Sun., April 26, 2009
As new cases of swine flu emerge around the globe, from Ohio to Nova Scotia to New Zealand, the declaration of a "public health emergency" in the United States has further stoked fears and confusion.
NBC Chief Science and Health Correspondent Robert Bazell answers questions on the outbreak.
If this disease is like a mild flu, why is this being called a public health emergency? And why are officials in the United States concerned?
It's about the potential. It's not about what's happening right now. None of the 40 cases so far in the United States have been very serious. But the virus here is genetically identical to the strain of the virus that is killing people in Mexico.
This is a new virus so there's no natural immunity. It has the potential to spread very widely. That's what raises worries about a possible pandemic.
Don't thousands of people die from the regular flu? What's special this time around?
Generally, people who die from influenza are older people or those who already have respiratory problems. They end up dying of pneumonia. But this time around, the people who died in Mexico are younger. They are apparently healthy people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. That's a big deal. When a virus seems to preferentially affect healthy people, it suggests its a new virus and is causing an overreaction of the immune response. That's what happened with bird flu as well.
Influenza is virus that is always circulating between birds and pigs and people. Some have different genes that make them more or less infectious.
I have symptoms of the flu but haven’t recently been to Mexico? Should I go to the doctor?
You should go to the doctor if you have a fever or are really sick, for instance if you have difficulty breathing, even if you haven't been to Mexico.
The cases in the U.S. are not just among people who have been to Mexico. And the cases in the U.S. are so geographically dispersed and with no obvious connection to each other, that it seems this virus has already spread widely in the United States.
We shouldn’t start overwhelming emergency rooms or doctors' offices with every little sniffle or cough. But fever is the main thing. If you had the flu bad enough to start endangering you, you would feel so awful you would want to go to the doctor anyway.
You should also follow flu etiquette. If you are sick, you should stay home from work or school and limit contact with others.
Why is the disease so much more serious in Mexico than here?
Probably because it started in Mexico. That's going to become a big issue over time. There's supposed to be a pandemic prevention plan to contain a new flu virus by giving people in surrounding area Tamiflu. But it has obviously been spreading in Mexico for up to a month. The new strain of swine flu was discovered in California before the U.S. even knew about cases in Mexico. The virus could also be mutating.
Why is there so much uncertainty about what happens next?
Every epidemic has its own behavior. There's really no way of predicting. This could really just fade out or it could become very serious. Right now we are in a period of great uncertainty. In public health, that's the hardest thing.
© 2009 msnbc.com Reprints
Showing posts with label swine flu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swine flu. Show all posts
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Does anybody else feel like we're living through the first chapter of The Stand?
Just Monday, for the first time ever, the World Health Organization raised the influenza pandemic alert to level 4. Today (well, technically yesterday since it's just after midnight) they raised it to level 5. Here's the level and link to the statement by the WHO's director-general, Dr. Margaret Chan:
Statement by WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan
29 April 2009
Swine influenza
Ladies and gentlemen,
Based on assessment of all available information, and following several expert consultations, I have decided to raise the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to phase 5.
Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world.
On the positive side, the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history.
Preparedness measures undertaken because of the threat from H5N1 avian influenza were an investment, and we are now benefitting from this investment.
For the first time in history, we can track the evolution of a pandemic in real-time.
I thank countries who are making the results of their investigations publicly available. This helps us understand the disease.
I am impressed by the work being done by affected countries as they deal with the current outbreaks.
I also want to thank the governments of the USA and Canada for their support to WHO, and to Mexico.
Let me remind you. New diseases are, by definition, poorly understood. Influenza viruses are notorious for their rapid mutation and unpredictable behaviour.
WHO and health authorities in affected countries will not have all the answers immediately, but we will get them.
WHO will be tracking the pandemic at the epidemiological, clinical, and virological levels.
The results of these ongoing assessments will be issued as public health advice, and made publicly available.
All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. Countries should remain on high alert for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia.
At this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities.
This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharmaceutical industry and the business community that certain actions should now be undertaken with increased urgency, and at an accelerated pace.
I have reached out to donor countries, to UNITAID, to the GAVI Alliance, the World Bank and others to mobilize resources.
I have reached out to companies manufacturing antiviral drugs to assess capacity and all options for ramping up production.
I have also reached out to influenza vaccine manufacturers that can contribute to the production of a pandemic vaccine.
The biggest question, right now, is this: how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start?
It is possible that the full clinical spectrum of this disease goes from mild illness to severe disease. We need to continue to monitor the evolution of the situation to get the specific information and data we need to answer this question.
From past experience, we also know that influenza may cause mild disease in affluent countries, but more severe disease, with higher mortality, in developing countries.
No matter what the situation is, the international community should treat this as a window of opportunity to ramp up preparedness and response.
Above all, this is an opportunity for global solidarity as we look for responses and solutions that benefit all countries, all of humanity. After all, it really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic.
As I have said, we do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them.
Thank you.
Corporate links
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© WHO 2009
Statement by WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan
29 April 2009
Swine influenza
Ladies and gentlemen,
Based on assessment of all available information, and following several expert consultations, I have decided to raise the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to phase 5.
Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world.
On the positive side, the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history.
Preparedness measures undertaken because of the threat from H5N1 avian influenza were an investment, and we are now benefitting from this investment.
For the first time in history, we can track the evolution of a pandemic in real-time.
I thank countries who are making the results of their investigations publicly available. This helps us understand the disease.
I am impressed by the work being done by affected countries as they deal with the current outbreaks.
I also want to thank the governments of the USA and Canada for their support to WHO, and to Mexico.
Let me remind you. New diseases are, by definition, poorly understood. Influenza viruses are notorious for their rapid mutation and unpredictable behaviour.
WHO and health authorities in affected countries will not have all the answers immediately, but we will get them.
WHO will be tracking the pandemic at the epidemiological, clinical, and virological levels.
The results of these ongoing assessments will be issued as public health advice, and made publicly available.
All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. Countries should remain on high alert for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia.
At this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities.
This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharmaceutical industry and the business community that certain actions should now be undertaken with increased urgency, and at an accelerated pace.
I have reached out to donor countries, to UNITAID, to the GAVI Alliance, the World Bank and others to mobilize resources.
I have reached out to companies manufacturing antiviral drugs to assess capacity and all options for ramping up production.
I have also reached out to influenza vaccine manufacturers that can contribute to the production of a pandemic vaccine.
The biggest question, right now, is this: how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start?
It is possible that the full clinical spectrum of this disease goes from mild illness to severe disease. We need to continue to monitor the evolution of the situation to get the specific information and data we need to answer this question.
From past experience, we also know that influenza may cause mild disease in affluent countries, but more severe disease, with higher mortality, in developing countries.
No matter what the situation is, the international community should treat this as a window of opportunity to ramp up preparedness and response.
Above all, this is an opportunity for global solidarity as we look for responses and solutions that benefit all countries, all of humanity. After all, it really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic.
As I have said, we do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them.
Thank you.
Corporate links
Contacts | E-mail scams | Employment | FAQs | Feedback | Privacy | RSS feeds
© WHO 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The single most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of swine flu (or other respiratory diseases)
other than frequently and vigorously washing your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds each time, that is:
WHEN YOU COUGH OR SNEEZE, DO IT INTO YOUR ARM INSTEAD OF YOUR HANDS OR A TISSUE!
Your arm rarely comes into contact with commonly touched items such as door handles or money. Coughing or sneezing into your arm is the most effective and easiest thing to do to help prevent the spread of the flu (or colds, etc). PLEASE spread the word! At least those of us who care about not infecting others will help slow the spread of disease. As for those selfish bastards who cough or sneeze without covering their mouths at all, I say we make them wear masks. By force if necessary. Hey, we're at war with the swine flu. Anything goes. ;)
On a more serious note, though, there has been one fatality in the US, a 23 month old child who had come to the US from Mexico for treatment. Also, the CDC has confirmed cases in the following states:
Arizona
California
Indiana
Kansas
Massachusetts (two children in Lowell)
Michigan
Nevada
New York City
Ohio
Texas.
In Massachusetts you can dial 211 for information about the swine flu.
As of yesterday, the World Health Organization has reported confirmed cases of swine flu in 7 countries:
United States
Mexico
Canada
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Israel
Spain
(on an interesting side note, Blogspot considers both "Zealand" and "Blogspot" as spelling errors)
WHEN YOU COUGH OR SNEEZE, DO IT INTO YOUR ARM INSTEAD OF YOUR HANDS OR A TISSUE!
Your arm rarely comes into contact with commonly touched items such as door handles or money. Coughing or sneezing into your arm is the most effective and easiest thing to do to help prevent the spread of the flu (or colds, etc). PLEASE spread the word! At least those of us who care about not infecting others will help slow the spread of disease. As for those selfish bastards who cough or sneeze without covering their mouths at all, I say we make them wear masks. By force if necessary. Hey, we're at war with the swine flu. Anything goes. ;)
On a more serious note, though, there has been one fatality in the US, a 23 month old child who had come to the US from Mexico for treatment. Also, the CDC has confirmed cases in the following states:
Arizona
California
Indiana
Kansas
Massachusetts (two children in Lowell)
Michigan
Nevada
New York City
Ohio
Texas.
In Massachusetts you can dial 211 for information about the swine flu.
As of yesterday, the World Health Organization has reported confirmed cases of swine flu in 7 countries:
United States
Mexico
Canada
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Israel
Spain
(on an interesting side note, Blogspot considers both "Zealand" and "Blogspot" as spelling errors)
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