Swine Flu

[Mlle d. Sade]

There have been 3 confirmed deaths in the state, this may be the 4th. This one kinda hit close to home
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http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articl...

Tulsa teen victim of swine flu
The East Central High School sophomore died Thursday.

By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Published: 10/7/2009 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 10/7/2009 3:51 AM

State health officials confirmed Tuesday that Tulsa teenager LaTowyn Gaston died from the swine flu.

The East Central High School sophomore died Thursday, a day after he turned 16 years old.

It was determined early that he died from influenza A, but further tests had to be performed to see if it was the novel H1N1 virus, or swine flu, which is a form of influenza A, health officials said.

Gaston's aunt, Deneeco Young, told the Tulsa World last week that LaTowyn began to feel sick last Wednesday morning. He died at St. Francis Hospital on Thursday night.

"He just got so dehydrated the flu just overtook him," she said.

Young said the boy didn't have asthma or any other underlying medical condition. Most people who have died from the swine flu have had an underlying medical condition, such as asthma or diabetes.

Generally, the swine flu is a mild illness for the majority of people. But people with underlying conditions are more susceptible to complications or death.

Seasonal flu can also be deadly. It kills around 36,000 Americans each year.

"The first concern that we hear is, oh, flu is just a mild illness," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a teleconference
Tuesday.

"Actually, on average, flu is not a mild illness. It can make you pretty sick, knock you out for a day or two or three. Make you miss school and work. And for too many people, end up sending them to the hospital, to the intensive care unit and tragically, some people may die from it. In fact, this year already, we have seen quite a few children who have died from flu," he said.

Gaston's death is the fourth in Oklahoma from swine flu since it emerged in April, and the second of a person under 18 years old. A Cleveland County teenage girl was the first Oklahoman under age 18 to die from the new virus. She died last month.

Swine flu continues to be the dominant influenza strain circulating throughout the country, federal officials said.

"So, although it is not a disease that will send lots of people who get it to the hospital, it can be very serious. And even for those for whom it's an average case, it's no picnic," Frieden said.

Meanwhile, the Tulsa Health Department and Hillcrest Medical Center launched the sixth year of the popular "Don't Bug Me" flu prevention campaign.

With the emergence of H1N1, the campaign is more critical than ever, said Reggie Ivey, interim director of the Tulsa Health Department.

"The message remains the same. It works," he said.

The campaign simply urges people to wash their hands frequently with soap and water and to cough or sneeze into a tissue to keep the flu bug away.
H1N1 vaccine arrives in state
The first shipments of the swine flu vaccine arrived in oklahoma on monday, with the Tulsa Health Department getting 3,400 doses of Flumist, said spokeswoman melanie Christian.

Those are among 21,100 doses arriving for medical providers throughout the state.

All initial doses are in the form of Flumist or intranasal spray.

only healthy people ages 2 to 49 are recommended to receive this form of vaccine.

Tulsa’s Health Department has already sent most of its initial allotment to area hospitals to vaccinate doctors, nurses and other health workers who deal with vulnerable patients. The remainder will go to Limestone Elementary in Sand Springs, which has been plagued with a higher-thanusual absentee rate, Christian said.

Injectable doses of the vaccine will be shipped next week, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said.

“Influenza is a tough enemy.

It’s unpredictable,” he said.

“Vaccine is the best tool to protect the flu because not only does it prevent people from becoming severely ill, it also prevents the spread of flu.

He reiterated vaccine manufacturers “cut no corners” in producing the H1N1 vaccine.

“This flu vaccine is made as flu vaccine is made each year.

By the same companies. In the same production facilities.

With the same procedures.

With the same safeguards. We have had literally hundreds of millions of people vaccinated against flu with flu vaccine made in this way,” Frieden said.

“That enables us to have a high degree of confidence in the safety of the vaccine.

[MissE]

I'm actually really starting to get nervous about all of this. Here in Maryland I think 8 or 9 people have already died and a lot of them have been older kids and adults if I remember correctly. It seems like every other day a school is closing due to people being absent due to illness. We just got the vaccine I think yesterday, but I'm really nervous to get it (I need to stay off NationUndead. It's wrecking my little strings of remaining sanity). Then there's the fact that I'm a college student (nasty little breeding grounds, colleges are) and I work at Dollar Tree where people have no problem sneezing in their hand and then using that same hand to hand over the dollar for their box of one dollar hair color...

I don't know. Part of me is saying don't freak, but kind of like this whole 2012, I just don't know what's going to happen and that makes me antsy.

[Mlle d. Sade]

Ah yeah, cashier is the nastiest job for stuff like that. Snot dollars and spit pennies. I was always sick when I was a cashier.

I wrote all of this off as mass media fear mongering until people around me started going to this hospital. None of my mom's age, just people around my age. They said something about a previous strain that hit in the 70s and people alive during that period may have immunity but younger people don't. That's one theory I've heard.

I'm also on lock down right now because I threw up at work but I'm sure it's just a bad reaction to some new medicine.
I tend to stay away from vaccines. But not because I believe they make people sick.

[LesYpersound]

Austin, TX young ppl have been hit hard by the H1N1....so sez npr...and like you said it has something to do with the lack of previous generations' immunity. but yeah, this thing apparently isn't over. i'm not getting the vaccine because i don't have a damaged immune system and i'm not pregnant. /me shrugs. it'd suck, but i think i'd survive getting sick.

[jahluv]

Wash your hands as much as you can, keep a little bottle of hand sanitizer with you, and if you work with the public like MissE - get some latex/nitrile gloves to wear while handling money, etc. That's really your best protection against colds and flu.

The regular flu shot is being offered at work today (not free this year - $18.00), I'm undecided about getting it or shuffling off to the doctor - the copay for flu shots has been waived in Cali....

[Darkness Unlimited*]

Oh yeah, the whole "swine flu" WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE thing.
Alittle reality check, folks:

There are more than 400 different strains ov influenza [known].
They're ALL about the same.
"Swine" or H1N1 is just one ov them.
Less than 1000 people globally have died from [this particular] strain.
Compare that to 36,000 deaths from regular/common flu here in the U.S. only, every year.
This new swine flu vaccine has NOT been widely nor thuroughly tested. It's probably more dangerous to get this vaccine.
Media hysteria has blown this waaay the fuck out ov perportion.
Unless you're very old, very young, or have a fucked up immune system, you probably don't need any shots, anyways.

[Darkness Unlimited*]

MissE said:

I'm actually really starting to get nervous about all of this. Here in Maryland I think 8 or 9 people have already died and a lot of them have been older kids and adults if I remember correctly. It seems like every other day a school is closing due to people being absent due to illness. We just got the vaccine I think yesterday, but I'm really nervous to get it (I need to stay off NationUndead. It's wrecking my little strings of remaining sanity). Then there's the fact that I'm a college student (nasty little breeding grounds, colleges are) and I work at Dollar Tree where people have no problem sneezing in their hand and then using that same hand to hand over the dollar for their box of one dollar hair color...

I don't know. Part of me is saying don't freak, but kind of like this whole 2012, I just don't know what's going to happen and that makes me antsy.

8 or 9 people, WOW! You know, i'm willing to bet about 3 times as many people have died from dog bites in Maryland this year. Are you afraid ov dogs. But in your defense, yeah, DollarTree is awfully ghetto. It probably would be a good idea to wear latex gloves where you work. But as someone who handles money all day, you ought to be doing that anyways.

[kifaru]

Swine flu? I think I had it earlier this year. It didn't kill me. It was like cold with body aches and a pretty bad coughs. I'm alive but I can say this, nobody who has a kid die, or has a miscarriage, or dies during a pregnancy thhought it was going to be them. I can assure you they all wished they took the vaccine. I think there is no need to panic. Be prudent. Wash your hands frequently and relax.

[Darkness Unlimited*]

Yeah, remember those "Africanized" killer bees that were suppose to be invading the U.S. by 1995?

Then there was deermice disease in the SouthWestern U.S.
Then there was mad cow.
Then Y2K.
Terrorists.
Bird flu.
No, "Avian" flu.
Dirty bombs.
Now this Swine shit.


Every year they come up with some new bullshit, what next? May the Devil help anyone who actually loses sleep ov this...

[alan smith]

[LesYpersound]

or an overly reactive immune system...

LesYpersound said:

Austin, TX young ppl have been hit hard by the H1N1....so sez npr...and like you said it has something to do with the lack of previous generations' immunity. but yeah, this thing apparently isn't over. i'm not getting the vaccine because i don't have a damaged immune system and i'm not pregnant. /me shrugs. it'd suck, but i think i'd survive getting sick.

[Obsidian]

People are still carrying on about swine flu, eh? Gee ... It's like "okay we made this BIG hype that fell flat. We gotta keep this fan blowing else we'll look like fools." This is "Public Health Scare" Hysteria blown over hard by embarrassed scientists and news media. The original H1N1 - the Spanish Flu was one psycho killer of young people and adults, something that is strange when it comes to the flu. It was also effective during late summer and early November - a time when the flu is rare to rear its head. If said swine flu was so bad it would out do the regular yearly flu mutations. The fact it targhets youth like the original H1N1 is distressing, but the fact that whole populations of students in a school have not come down with this flu is testament to the fact that this flu is not much of a threat - maybe a tenacious new contender in the world of sickness, but nothing devastating generating.

[Mlle d. Sade]

From what I see where I'm sitting- it's only mentioned when someone DIES like in this article I started the thread with. It's not really being overblown, kids have died and if even 1 kid dies (which may have been a perfect storm of health), that's enough for distress, which is a double edged improvement because in the past people have shrugged off things when they shouldn't have.

Isn't ironic when people approach this with conspiracy theory stile weariness?