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No documented cases of H1NI have been reported in Lauderdale County. I assure you it is being monitored and reported daily to EMA and other authorities.

Please do not panic however. Even if a case were to show up at ECM, Keller, Shoals or any of the other community hospitals, there are plans in place to take care of these people. People get the flu every day. Let's not get too excited yet, OK?
quote:
Originally posted by teyates:
No documented cases of H1NI have been reported in Lauderdale County. I assure you it is being monitored and reported daily to EMA and other authorities.

Please do not panic however. Even if a case were to show up at ECM, Keller, Shoals or any of the other community hospitals, there are plans in place to take care of these people. People get the flu every day. Let's not get too excited yet, OK?


I'm not in a panic. Cool I'm just trying to keep an eye on things. I figure they will be closing schools around here like they did in Madison and Huntsville if any cases are reported and I have two children in school.
BTW, are you affiliated with EMA or any other health related authority? Just wondering.
quote:
Originally posted by Booya Moon:
BTW, are you affiliated with EMA or any other health related authority?

Booya,
yes I am, and thus far I have not heard anything that has documented a case in our area. Do I expect it? Yes, but I think IMO it is coming. With cases suspected in Madison county it is only a matter of time, so I would hazard a guess that some time in the future you may see some school closings.

redbull,
If you think you have the flu, in all likelihood, you will have a sore throat, cough, fever, body aches, and possibly n/v or diarrhea.
If you don't want to go to the doctor, try to stay hydrated, rest, take something for the cough and sore throat, and stay inside. If you get really sick, go to the ER, don't worry whether you have insurance or not, worry about that later. If you get the flu, you can take the Tamiflu and it will hasten your recovery. It will not make you well overnight however.
Don't panic.

I'm not trying to be a know it all, but it is scary for multiple reasons. My biggest fear is that people will panic and create a bigger problem than we really have.
quote:
Originally posted by teyates:
quote:
Originally posted by Booya Moon:
BTW, are you affiliated with EMA or any other health related authority?

Booya,
yes I am, and thus far I have not heard anything that has documented a case in our area. Do I expect it? Yes, but I think IMO it is coming. With cases suspected in Madison county it is only a matter of time, so I would hazard a guess that some time in the future you may see some school closings.

redbull,
If you think you have the flu, in all likelihood, you will have a sore throat, cough, fever, body aches, and possibly n/v or diarrhea.
If you don't want to go to the doctor, try to stay hydrated, rest, take something for the cough and sore throat, and stay inside. If you get really sick, go to the ER, don't worry whether you have insurance or not, worry about that later. If you get the flu, you can take the Tamiflu and it will hasten your recovery. It will not make you well overnight however.
Don't panic.

I'm not trying to be a know it all, but it is scary for multiple reasons. My biggest fear is that people will panic and create a bigger problem than we really have.


Thanks for keeping us informed. Smiler
If they'd just wait until they had something new to report. They keep having official looking people on, and you think there's a big announcement but it's the same stuff.

I can't tell if this is being overblown or not. Some people say that the government is keeping the severity from us....there are thousands of people with it in Colorado and no one knows, etc. Others say the government is blowing it out of proportion, in the spirit of not letting a good crisis go to waste.

Our family had planned a birthday party at an elderly relative's assisted living. The owner called and asked us all not to come (family were coming from Madison County, Lauderdale County, Lawrence County, TN). This seemed like a good thing to me. I appreciate the way they are watching out for the residents there.

I think that the precautions taken in Madison County are fine...if there are two cases odds are there are more incubating.

I just can't tell if this is the 'big one' that they've been warning us about.
quote:
Originally posted by thomaswayne0907:
i wish the media would quit with this coverage of the swine flu...it is no more dangerous than the regular flu. the normal flu kills 36,000 americans a year. this is why i hate the media.


I should have read Thomaswayne's post before I posted. I read it and said, "oooooo...good point."

The regular old flu that we have a shot for kills that many people in a year? Why isn't that a pandemic? I guess I should look up the definition. I'm sure there are criteria that must be met before something is an epidemic or a pandemic or just an 'outbreak'.
The media is making a big deal of it, I agree, and here is the reason for most of the hoopla. The average flu season here in the US is the winter and early spring months. We are no longer in flu season. Second, this flu is a chimera, manifested as a hybrid of swine flu with human to human transmission. That is unusual but not unexpected. It is showing some severity in the Mexican population. 99% of all the cases here in the US have been less serious. The kicker in all of this is essentially there is no immunity , other than natural, to it. The previous flu shot is no good so the community as a whole is very susceptiable to it. Flu will kill people who have other complications (severe lung disease, immunocompromised, etc) so in a wide spread pandemic you can expect to see deaths. Tamiflu and antiviral meds can help with that issue.
The plans for this type of surveillance and response have been in place for many years. They started under the previous administration and an allotment of 50,000,000 doses minimum of anitvirals was sequestered for just such a problem. Thus far the response and monitoring has been going well.
I believe what the CDC is saying. I believe their numbers are correct, BUT you can look for them to skyrocket in the next few days as the oneswho have been exposed start to manifest and everyone who has any type of viral illness will likely get diagnosed as "swine flu". The real numbers will require confirmation.
The virus has spread around the world in a matter of days, imagine what would have happened if this had been a more serious illness? Wow. If nothing else this will prove many illustrations of how quickly a disease can manifest itself in a population who have such easy access to travel.

In essence, I don't believe it is the big one, but it could have easily been.
A pandemic is reserved for a disease that spreads easily from human to human, with a population (worldwide) who have little to no immunity, and usually in which there is no, or little, available treatment.
For instance the Black Death of the middle ages was a pandemic. Today we know what caused it, and we can treat it, but back then....
The Influenza outbreak of 1917 was a pandemic and killed millions, primarily those who were healthy, young productive people. It is thought to be a variant of the avian flu, the big one, we have worried about for so long.
just talked to my boss,there is NO swine flu at ECM,not even any suspected.
I agree with teyates,we will no doubt see it at some point.So a few simply measures by everyone could possible help to keep it at a minimal. Wash hands,wash hands,wash hands! Unless necessary, stay away from crowded public areas for a few weeks. We all play a part in this for our own community.
If we could stave it off for a few more weeks, at least the kids would be out of school and school has a huge potential for spreading everything.

Also, I am so sick of everything always getting blamed on ECM. Staph? Ooooh, must be at ECM. Swine Flu? Must be at ECM, natch. The only thing wrong with ECM is that Keller will do anything they can to close up the competition. Including starting rumors. How much ya wanna bet that if Keller bought Coffee, all these rumors would mysteriously go away???
Last edited by SaltyDog
F.Y.I. - I just received this breaking news from WAFF:

2 probable, 10 possible cases of swine flu in Madison County

MONTGOMERY, AL (WAFF) - Public health officials said Thursday that Madison County is in a "state of concern" after two probable cases of swine flu were found in a Madison school and 10 additional possible cases identified countywide.

All public schools in Madison County, including both Madison and Huntsville city schools, were closed until Monday after State Health Officer Don Williamson said Wednesday evening that two students at Heritage Elementary School were identified as having a non-seasonal strain of flu, which has a 95 percent correalation with swine influenza.

Dr. Larry Robey with the Madison County Health Department said the children are both six years old and were in the same Kindergarten class at Heritage Elementary. Neither student had traveled to Mexico or another country with swine flu cases recently.

Williamson said both students were treated as outpatients and are now recovering.

Robey told WAFF 48 News that 10 Kindergarteners at Heritage Elementary were absent from class on Wednesday. There are about 180 Kindergarteners at the school.

Also, emergency management officials confirmed that 10 additional possible cases have been identified and their samples have been sent along with those from the two probable cases to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. The ages of the people with the possible cases range from 10 to 30 years old, Robey said.

Williamson said Thursday morning that 75 samples statewide are being tested by the Alabama Department of Public Health to see if they match with the seasonal type of flu. If not, they will be sent to the CDC to see if they are a match with the H1N1 virus, which has commonly referred to as swine flu.

According to Williamson, the ADPH will obtain materials to test directly for swine flu within the next few days.

After the two cases were identified Wednesday evening, Williamson said state health officials closed the school for at least seven days to attempt to contain exposure. However, he said they expect more cases to be diagnosed in coming days.

State health officials are testing other children at the school who have experienced flu-like symptoms to see if there are other cases of infection. Williamson that future actions would be made on the basis of those further tests.

At a press conference Wednesday evening, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison Mayor Paul Finley urged residents to remain calm and to not call 911 unless they require emergency assistance. Both mayors said that swine flu cases had been anticipated and would be treated as the situation develops.

Robey described H1N1 influenza as a "novel flu" that no one has developed immunity to previously.

Williamson said that if children aren't displaying flu-like symptoms, they should not be taken to a physician. However, Dr. John Higginbotham with the Metropolitan Medical Response System said that people who are experiencing severe flu-like symptoms such as a high fever and body aches should seek medical attention and not go out in public.

Also, Williamson said that people should practice safe sanitary habits, such as hand-washing frequently and using hand sanitizer.

Higginbotham also said that children who are out of school should not congregate in locations such as malls and movie theaters until the swine flu outbreak is determined to be completely contained.

WAFF.com will stream live coverage of the 4 p.m. press conference with county and state officials. We also will have a live web chat with general practitioner Dr. Tim Howard from 4 to 7 p.m.
Just a guess.


Some firms already see a bump in share prices
ABCNews Russell Goldman, ABC News

UNDATED -- (04/29/09) -- Face masks and hand sanitizer are flying off the shelves and pharmaceutical stocks are skyrocketing on fears that a swine flu outbreak could go global.

Even as much of the economy took a blow from news of the potential epidemic, some companies with the tools to tackle a wide outbreak have already seen a bump in their share prices and could be poised to profit if the disease continues its deadly spread around the world.

Photos splashed across newspapers worldwide Monday showed Mexicans wearing surgical-style face masks and public health professionals urged Americans to wash their hands using alcohol-base sanitizers to stem the spread of the disease.

Mask sales already saw sharp increases. By Monday evening the top two best sellers on Amazon.com in the Health and Personal Care section were face masks.
There also seems to be a type B influenza which is going around in the community. I know of one office which tested a few patients yesterday with that virus.

One important thing to remember in a pandemic is not to let down your awareness nor become to complacent in the outbreak of 1917-1918, the initial phases of the flu were not that serious, however it apparently mutated and become a very serious public health emergency.

Suspected cases are just that suspicious. You treat them as if they have it until proven otherwise. Currently the only method to prove the specific type (H1N1) is thru specialized testing which is being done at the CDC, and it takes time.
I think their concern is the fact that they were seeing cases already outside the initial area (which is thought to be Mexico, but there is now some apparent debate). It was also showing definite signs of human-to-human transmission which was not readily apparent in the Chinese cases, though suspected.

Yesterday the news was that the Mexico City focus was starting to either burn itself out, or show signs of slowing, so it is possible that it is not as transmissible as initally thought. The Asian version of the flu I believe was an avian flu (typically starts in birds) and is the one that was feared to be the most similar to the 1917-1918 Pandemic.
Last edited by teyates
quote:
Originally posted by SaltyDog:
If we could stave it off for a few more weeks, at least the kids would be out of school and school has a huge potential for spreading everything.

Also, I am so sick of everything always getting blamed on ECM. Staph? Ooooh, must be at ECM. Swine Flu? Must be at ECM, natch. The only thing wrong with ECM is that Keller will do anything they can to close up the competition. Including starting rumors. How much ya wanna bet that if Keller bought Coffee, all these rumors would mysteriously go away???


Yeah, what Salty said!
Suspected cases are just that suspicious. You treat them as if they have it until proven otherwise. Currently the only method to prove the specific type (H1N1) is thru specialized testing which is being done at the CDC, and it takes time.

How long for the results? After the person has already gotten over the symptoms?
quote:
Originally posted by LMM:
How long for the results? After the person has already gotten over the symptoms?


ExACTly, LMM! The other thing that amazes me is that they have no plans to close the borders, rather they have BP agents checking everybody's temperatures. Someone could be exposed and carrying the virus and yet not be showing symptoms (such as a fever) for days yet. That is nothing short of absurd.
quote:
Originally posted by LMM:
Suspected cases are just that suspicious. You treat them as if they have it until proven otherwise. Currently the only method to prove the specific type (H1N1) is thru specialized testing which is being done at the CDC, and it takes time.

How long for the results? After the person has already gotten over the symptoms?


It really does not matter, you would treat it the same. The idea about proving whether or not it is the swine flu is for documentation of the spread. Also this is not the flu season. IF this managed to stay around, smoldering in the community, as it traveled around the world, you would expect it to bloom and be much more widespread WHEN the flu season finally arrives, typically fall and winter. By that time the vaccine should be available which hopefully would include this strain of flu in the polyvalent mixture.

What typically happens now, is if you come to the ER or your doctor's office with the symptoms of the flu, you will get a flu test. The rapid test is a test for Type A and Type B flu. If you test positive for Type B, you do not have swine flu. If you test positive for Type A, they will be suspicious for it. The nasal swab will be forwarded to the CDC (thru the State Health Dept) where they will test it and confirm if it is the swine flu. It may or may not be positive. In both cases you will likely be prescribed Tamiflu or an antiviral med and told to rest and avoid exposure to others.
If neither A nor B is positive, you in all likelihood just have a viral infection, which can be seen this time of year, and can be as dangerous as the flu (at least you will feel almost as bad as if you had it).

The media is fanning the flames here, and some may get mad at me for saying so, but I believe the current Presidental administration is behind this because they don't want to see another Katrina like fiasco. This on the other hand could be worse, since wide spread panic could deplete areas of essential medical treatment and supplies. It is a thin two edged sword that they need to tread.
quote:
Originally posted by thomaswayne0907:
i wish the media would quit with this coverage of the swine flu...it is no more dangerous than the regular flu. the normal flu kills 36,000 americans a year. this is why i hate the media.


Have you once stopped to think of where this needless crap came from??? Mexico, I believe wasn't it?? Maybe THAT'S why the media is all over it & for the simple fact that some of us like to keep on top of serious situations like this!!! Roll Eyes CLOSE THE BORDERS!!

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