H1N1 Flu Virus

Yeah, I mean it's normal- people get a bout of some flu or other, are laid up for a week (and the symptoms can last longer, often) and yet it is what it is: they get sick and then they get better. It's a normal fact of life and it's not normally a big deal. I just don't know when flu bugs became so scary to people.

Now, I understand the worry that a couple of decades of over-anti-bacterial soaping the hell out of stuff has lowered the average immune system and created some super resilient viruses, etc., but I think if people smarten up and realize that you don't have to be afraid of going outside because of what you might catch, we could turn the odds back to our favour again, at least slightly.

I don't know... maybe I'm just a little pessimistic about trusting the media anymore- seems like they just fear-monger more and more with every year. I may be shooting myself in the foot by believing too far in the opposite direction, but... I just can't walk around being afraid of a flu bug. :lol: If you get it, you get it. Chances are you'll be fine in the end, unless you are more susceptible due to other issues, like age, other illness, etc.
 
I think it's because of the fact that it's relatively new. Therefore the human body doesn't have the antibodies to fight the virus, so it hits people harder. That's why it's caused so many problems, and why people have died from it.

According to the CDC, just taking regular precautions, like washing your hands, getting a flu shot, not touching your nose, mouth and eyes excessively,and staying home if you're sick are the best things you can do.

Here's a Pamphlet from the CDC on the H1N1 flu.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/freeresources/2009-10/pdf/h1n1andyou.pdf
 
Duckenstein said:
I don't worry about it any more than any other seasonal influenza, because it is pretty much the same. We got our vaccines last week, they started shots with those in riskgroups (such as pregnant women, doctors, nurses etc.) My bro is in risk group, because he has Crohn's disease, but he said he won't get the shot (because vaccines may have their own problems and... well I don't understand why he doesn't takeit)

At Uni, already in August there was info to wash your hands, our (students) health care centre avoids shaking hands and there has been notes that students with swineflu should not come to uni.

Here we've reached to epidemic and for some strange reason it starts from north (Lapland). where I study, there has been 100 confirmed and they think there is over 1000 infected (population of that city is some 60,000) - thankfully I'll be here at home for almost 4 weeks.

I've always been washing my hands when I come from somewhere, just habit because I hate when those are sweaty and how those have that metal smell when you touch door handles etc. :lol: :lol

What comes to antibacterian gel :lol: :lol: Last week there was headlines how some 4yr old girl had been drinking it in kindergarden and his blood alcohol level was 1,4permills... erm.. how you americans mark it.. 0.14?
Because it is 70% ethanol. They had noticed it when kid wasn't able to sit anymore and was restless.
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I agree with you. It was indeed strange to have H1N1 started from Lapland but I've thought that probably there's been cases in South but they just won't make a big deal about it since it's quite expected. I live in Ester Finland near Joensuu. Well I heard that last Friday we had our first confirmed H1N1 patient in our little town. I'm studing in high school and we have about 200 student there. People have took it very calmly so far but let's see what happens in future weeks.

I personally think it as a same kind of flu as normal every year influenza. My mum works in a nurse so she will get a vaccination in next couple weeks. I've washed my hands more than normally and kept a disinfectant in my bag in school. But I think it will spead in some point no matter what you'll do. Some of my friends think that it would be better to have that damned flu now and stop thinking about it. It would be over then.

But what I don't like is the medias over doing this thing.:shifty: For example I read day before yesterday in the papers that in some country have died ten people to the H1N1 virus. TEN!?!? Ou come on! :vulcan: People will die every year to this normal influenza and media doens't tell about it! It's just now a big news cause it's a new thing plus media doesn't ever tell is there been some basic-ilness behind teh death's.

I personally would rather avoid getting it but it'll unlikely happen.:( The reason why is that I just recoverd from the nasty "normal flu" couple weeks back and I still feel a bit weak so I just don't wanna get sick again in such a short notice. I was really down for a week even though I didn't have a temperature so I just wonder how ill I'll be if I'll have a lot of fever...:shifty:
 
Sam222 said:
Duckenstein said:
I don't worry about it any more than any other seasonal influenza, because it is pretty much the same. We got our vaccines last week, they started shots with those in riskgroups (such as pregnant women, doctors, nurses etc.) My bro is in risk group, because he has Crohn's disease, but he said he won't get the shot (because vaccines may have their own problems and... well I don't understand why he doesn't takeit)

At Uni, already in August there was info to wash your hands, our (students) health care centre avoids shaking hands and there has been notes that students with swineflu should not come to uni.

Here we've reached to epidemic and for some strange reason it starts from north (Lapland). where I study, there has been 100 confirmed and they think there is over 1000 infected (population of that city is some 60,000) - thankfully I'll be here at home for almost 4 weeks.

I've always been washing my hands when I come from somewhere, just habit because I hate when those are sweaty and how those have that metal smell when you touch door handles etc. :lol: :lol

What comes to antibacterian gel :lol: :lol: Last week there was headlines how some 4yr old girl had been drinking it in kindergarden and his blood alcohol level was 1,4permills... erm.. how you americans mark it.. 0.14?
Because it is 70% ethanol. They had noticed it when kid wasn't able to sit anymore and was restless.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. It was indeed strange to have H1N1 started from Lapland but I've thought that probably there's been cases in South but they just won't make a big deal about it since it's quite expected. I live in Ester Finland near Joensuu. Well I heard that last Friday we had our first confirmed H1N1 patient in our little town. I'm studing in high school and we have about 200 student there. People have took it very calmly so far but let's see what happens in future weeks.
Click to expand...

I think it has something to do with tourists, but how come Helsinki isn't that bad? And of course army bases etc. are "perfect" from something like this

(and as a sidenote...now how I've missed another Finn here... hmm. Perhaps I've just forgot...and if you spend time at NYsection - then it explains.. I don't like it's hostile enviroment :lol: )

it was rather funny that the night I got home, I watched the news and it said about the Laplands situation :lol: Didn't hear about it when I was there...
 
Glad to hear I'm not the only Massachusite on this forum.

It's great you're being extremely cautious, blackflag, as you most definitely know it's getting to be pretty bad here. Have you heard one town closing their schools because half the facility and students were sick with the flu? That's pretty scary, I don't think it's gotten to be this bad.

I was sick last month with the flu and I'm extremely irritated as to how I got it! How long does it typically take for the flu to get into your system? A day? Four days? Six to eight days?

Those days specified are the time given before coming down with the flu that I've come in contact with people outside my home.

I went to visit my sister a bit out west two weeks ago and last weekend (Oct. 17th) I felt myself getting sick again but it only lasted for an hour or two. I just took a nap and woke up feeling better! :D Her area it's pretty bad, out towards one of the largest towns in this state.
 
In all honesty I don't get why people get all frantic because of this is flu which is more or less like the normal flue. The only problem I can find with it is that mostly young people get it because of their age, but this doesn't mean that we all should get frantic and scream because of it. Yes it is pandemic ( no way to deny it), but it is lethal exactly like any other kind of flu. Plus statistics in Italy have proven that people die more because of car crashes and normal flue rather than this flue. Not to mention that we have a rat ("topo Gigio" :guffaw:) from a popular Italian cartoon telling us on TV some rules to prevent the flu and telling us also that we shouldn't get worried as H1N1 Flu is a normal flu.
So I do consider it as a normal flu also because of the symptoms.....I swear I wouldn't be that surprised, if I discovered I got that flu 2 weeks ago :p because that's how my friends got it as well LOL.

As for the vaccine, I work on ambulances and in my country I'm not considered part of the risk group ( I can be considered it because of my age, but not because of my job :lol:) and, in all honestly, I don't care because 60% of the doctors who HAVE this opportunity won't get their shot because they consider it useless. So why should I take a shot when even M.Ds refuse to take their own? It is just stupid, IMHO ;)
 
i dont think h1n1 is in grenada yet, but i do know it is in trinidad and bahamas. i know lots of people have died from this particular strain, but still thousands die every year from the various strains of influenza so im not sure why this one gets more attention.

im sure it is only a matter of time before it gets here, and i know i will be hassled once again when i go through trinidad to get home for christmas. i havent done anything differently, i wash my hands all the time and carry hand sanitizer because i am always petting the animals on campus and we are currently working with the cows every week. i will get the flu shot when i go home, but i get that every year anyway.

honestly, im more worried about getting worms from the stray cats i am fostering right now :lol:
 
Well, the weird thing is everyone I know and people they know seemed to get it two weeks after I had it! :S So I was somewhat expecting to get it weekend before last seeing a couple friends, my sister's co-worker and some of the children at her work PLUS my old school which I visited were down with the flu. Sure, they weren't there but that doesn't mean their classmates/teachers didn't have it or weren't about to get it themselves.

But last month, I pretty much spent the last two weeks of August and first week and half of September at home watching DVDs and writing! :lol: I barely even went out and if I did, it was only for a minute to run down the street! :p That's why I am baffled :lol:
 
Originally posted by Duckenstein

I think it has something to do with tourists, but how come Helsinki isn't that bad? And of course army bases etc. are "perfect" from something like this

(and as a sidenote...now how I've missed another Finn here... hmm. Perhaps I've just forgot...and if you spend time at NYsection - then it explains.. I don't like it's hostile enviroment :lol: )

it was rather funny that the night I got home, I watched the news and it said about the Laplands situation :lol: Didn't hear about it when I was there...
Click to expand...

I agree with the tourists thing. I dunno about that Helsinki thing either...it's really strange I mean it's the capital and all.:shifty: One would think the thole thing would blow up in there and spread then to the other areas.:vulcan:

(to your sidenote: I just heard myself about couple months ago that in here is a another Finn in here. Cool! :cool: Yup I'm hard CSI:NY fan...*well my avatar might tell that too.* :lol: I don't visit in CSI or CSI:Miami sections "that often" So that indeed might explain. :lol:)

Yeah I heard about Laplands situation about the news when I was having my holiday week. Whoa it's really strange that you haven't heard about it in case you were there. I guess media has its hands on this thing again...Larger things as usual...:vulcan:
 
One of the problems with the H1N1 flu is that it can be transferred from animal to people as well as people to animal. The concern among the medical communities is the transfer from people to people. If the infected people don't take the precautions then they will spread it around.

Here in Ontario we've had a turkey farm infected with the H1N1 virus. The turkeys were infected by a worker who had the virus.
 
I have honestly not done anything about it and I doubt I will. I don't believe I have ever gotten a flu shot in my life and I know my son never has. Honestly I don't think I know anyone who has gotten the H1N1 flu.
 
I've had the flu thrice within the past seven years. The first time I ever got a flu, was seven years ago when I'd just turned 17. An idiot came to school, down with the flu. A whole bunch of us were out sick. :(

I know I might not get it for another several years (which I hope I don't ever get again, actually!) I took the flu shot today. And I'm going to get the H1N1 shot sometimes in November.

I've never been prone to getting anything but colds, and 85% the time my colds just last for a few hours until I go to sleep. When I wake up in the morning, I'm back to normal.
 
We aren't worrying about H1N1 shots for me and my mother but we are getting the shots for the kids. Their doctors office called Friday and we can make appointments for them to get the H1N1 shot. Unfortunately that's going to cost $15 per kid (co-pay because they're not doing it with a clinic this time) but what can be done. We've had schools in surrounding towns close down for a week because a third of the students and half the teachers are out with flu like symptoms. If we keep them from getting it then we shouldn't get it.

Susan
 
We went and got our vaccines today. Yup the arm hurts but it should be so worth it. The wait time wasn't bad. From arriving at the clinic we were in and out in 1 hour.

The clinics here are really clamping down and only letting in the high risk cases. It's all on a honour system and I hope people honestly won't lie jsut to get a shot.
 
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