WHO Declares 'Swine Flu' Officially a Pandemic
By Susie Madrak Thursday Jun 11, 2009 11:00am
Remember, "pandemic" only means "global." It doesn't mean deadly. However, please keep in mind that it's the second wave of this virus (expected this fall) that we're worried about. That's after the virus has had a chance to mutate into something stronger:
GENEVA - The long-awaited pandemic announcement is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly circling the globe. WHO will now ask drugmakers to speed up production of a swine flu vaccine. The declaration will also prompt governments to devote more money toward efforts to contain the virus.
WHO chief Dr. Margaret Chan made the announcement Thursday after the U.N. agency held an emergency meeting with flu experts. Chan said she was moving the world to phase 6 — the agency's highest alert level — which means a pandemic, or global epidemic, is under way.
"The world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century," Chan told reporters. "The (swine flu) virus is now unstoppable."
The long-awaited pandemic decision is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly circling the globe. It will trigger drugmakers to speed up production of a swine flu vaccine and prompt governments to devote more money toward efforts to contain the virus.
On Wednesday, WHO said 74 countries had reported nearly 27,737 cases of swine flu, including 141 deaths. The agency has stressed that most cases require no treatment in well-off countries, but the fear is that a rash of new infections could overwhelm hospitals and health authorities — especially in less developed nations.
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They've been doing it for WEEKS! It makes me nervous that they have the appearance of crying "wolf", when at some point, a truly virulent and dangerous strain of something will inevitably come along and people will shrug because of the way this flu has been blown all out of proportion. Look at the statistics they cite: 141 deaths in 27,737 cases? That's a mortality rate of about 0.005 percent. Yeah, they've got my quaking in my shoes...
this unscientific bullshit. You are going to kill people. Regrettably many of them will be young children.
"Tons" is a very poor quantifier of doctors. Were they fat ones or thin ones? I tend to evaluate my doctors by competence rather than aggregate weight.
Great, another anti-vaccer.
Go back to Jenny McCarthy.
Jenny McCarthy is not anti-vaccine. If you missed that point that you have fell into whatever you are being told and have never listened to what her viewpoint is.
I have to call bullshit on your rant. Though the relative efficacies of various strains of vaccine may be debated, the suggestion that vaccinations are dangerous is an irresponsible statement. What, exactly are your medical credentials?
simmah down now...
it's only a weeee spammer.
If vaccines are not dangerous then why are waivers signed?
Why are they not freely available OTC?
I wouldn't say that flu vaccines are dangerous, but for most people they are completely unnecessary. I have never gotten a flu shot in my life and I have not had the flu in about 9 or 10 years (or more, I really am not sure when the last time was).
I believe that keeping your immune system healthy is better then getting a vaccine.
Billy O'Reichly and his ilk start blaming this on liberals too?
Tonight on the O'LIElly Factor, why do libruls hate pigs?
He can never keep his two-legged pigs straight from the four-legged kind.
Which works better at protecting you from swine flu?
Falafel, or loofah?
Which works better at protecting you from swine flu?
Falafel, or loofah?
Hamburgers!
haaaaamburgers!
world (unelected) with a rod of iron. I gave up on him when killer bees became the fear du jour. I'll give it a couple more years before I worry about terrorism or the flu.
/snark
Andy!
In Miami, there are like a gazillion (I may be exaggerating SLIGHTLY) Jewish Beekeepers walkin around like it's no big deal.
But I tell ya...nuthin skeers me more'n seeing A Jewish feller fondlin honeybees!
they must be stopped!
};)>
Or something weaker.
Oh come on now. The fine scientists at Fort Dix or where ever it is they make their lovely new bugs wouldn't make it weaker. Sheeesh.
You are probably more likely to be shot and killed by a conservative domestic terrorist than die of Swine Flu.
Ding ding ding ding. Exactly.
WHO WHO WHO WHO
That's always what you get with a new strain of airborne contagious human influenza. Once it gets aboard a passenger airliner or six and hops a few oceans, there's absolutely no point in trying for geographic containment. Not going to happen.
But I'm not unduly worried by this one yet.
Read the WHO Influenza A(H1N1) - update 47, subtract off Mexico's numbers which are insanely high, and what you end up with is the following:
22503 cases.
36 deaths.
Do the division, and this gives you an estimate of 0.16% for the CFR (case fatality rate) after you've subtracted Mexico's numbers.
This is about half again what the CFR of seasonal influenza is estimated to be: about 0.1%.
BTW, ignore skarecro. He's an antivax nutbar.
Here's a free clue, skarecro. Andrew Wakefield made up his data.
but it is true that seasonal flu vaccines are always just a "best guess" at what strains you're likely to encounter. A vaccine could be helpful but is far from guaranteed prevention. I think it was last year's cocktail that was a good example of a clean miss.
antivax nutbar
Does it come in dark chocolate? Mocha? Caramel?
Every infected host presents literally billions of opportunities for a gene reassortment that could make this one a real killer. The larger the group of infected hosts the greater the probability that such a killer will evolve. The Spanish Flu, which probably originated in the US, was slightly more lethal than normal in its' first wave through the population. Subsequent waves were astoundingly lethal.
it just means this flu has gone global.
Your more likely to get struck by a meteor then die of this bug.
So far this week, I've been struck by a meteor and lightning too. I guess I'll be dying of the flu within the next few days now.
Whatever happened to the bird flu that was going to kill us all?
don't projectile sneeze into surrounding crowds, don't confuse hangovers with flu symptoms. Say NO, when the boss says, "I don't care if your dying of flesh eating bug get your damn ass into work!"
Maybe it's a coincidence.
Infecting the entire department with what ever virus is rampaging though your body is part of the fun of being sick.
You can't get better until you've given it away to at least 10 people.
I'm always amazed when conventional wisdom takes hold. In this instance it's the CW of "This is fear-mongering crap because more people die from the regular flu each year". The reason the WHO takes this so seriously is the people who have died haven't been the usual frail senior citizens and sick babies. It's killing, not yet in great numbers, relatively healthy people in their 30's, 40's 50's. That is the issue.
As a diabetic man in his 50's, I'm very concerned about what this autumn may bring.
The Spanish Flu, also an H1N1, did exactly the same thing killing those with the strongest immune systems when their bodies over-reacted and literally killed them in defense. Viruses that cross species do tend to do that.
No, the WHO bureaucrats are watching after their chairs in advance. The 1918 Spanish flu infected 1/3 of world population and killed at least 50 million in a few months. Give me a break.
Now, this menace may be or may be not so serious. The fact is: the media , the politicos and the scientific bureaucrats have been terrorizing you for years now and they will do again in the future. It's called "social control". From my own post (plus, my own illo):
"I grew up in a world worried by the impending nuclear war. Then came the AIDS, the Ebola, the islamofobia and one asteroid or comet every other year alternating with a new discovered disease. The more the terror is spread (with the authorized testimony of scientists delighted to be asked about) the more the entire population is kept in a childish dependence."
http://bobrow.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/swine-...
I have not had antibiotics or any immunizations in 21 years. I take vitamins when I feel under the weather and get over in a few days. Keep abusing antibiotics and keep not allowing your own immune system to do it's job, and we will keep having pandemics. Of course the fact that Aspirin kills twice as many people each day than have died of this so far means it is much less than a problem.
Turn off your computers and TV's, go get some excersize, eat well. And if you start feeling under the weather, drink some OJ and get some rest, but DON'T go to the doctor every time you have the sniffles.
I'll add that I haven't been very sick in those 21 years either, I'm 37. Sure I have had a few fevers and felt like crap, but no big deal. Stress less and take better care of yourself.
Take too much and you could end up with kidney stones.
If it gets me, it gets me. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Worries over.
I'm guessing you're not a father of young children. I've got 4 under 14 that I'd rather not leave.
Yes, but what should I do, lock myself in my house? I live and work in a huge city, and rely on public transportation. No way around it.
I have been following the counts on FluCount.org for over a month now and I was expecting the level to get raised any day. The counts are getting so high and more and more people are dying every day. Anyone who isnt scared really ought to be. I don't know.. maybe http://www.FluCount.org is for paranoid people.. i know i am :)
I can't argue with flucount.org's numbers. Since they seem to agree exactly with those from the most recent WHO update.
But 150 deaths around the entire planet in two months time is not a very large number.
56 deaths in the US in two months? Those are less than 1/100 the odds that I'll die in a car wreck during my daily commute over the same time period. 41,000 automobile fatalities/year in the US. Divide by 12. The math is easy.
And I get into my car every morning without a second thought.
When you're evaluating risk, and you have some numbers to work with, always do the math before you decide whether to get scared or not.
Dooooommmmmm andddd Glooooommmmmmmm! Give me a Break!
From what I understand, the end-Ordovician global extinction might have been something like a gamma-burst from a nearby star. Do you realize that a sufficiently strong beam from any star within about 6000 light years if it hit us just right could EXTINGUISH ALL LIFE ON EARTH!!
Now _that's_ something that "might" happen worth worrying about!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_extinction#...
FYI from north of 60.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2009/06/...
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