What ever happened to Swine Flu?

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Bedlam
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What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Bedlam »

Not a thread about the responce to the pandemic nor a question of what is it doing now.

I havn't heard anything of H1N1 influenza for about 6 months now whats is actually doing, has it dropped off the face of the earth or is it still circulating? If its still about is it running along side normal seasonal flu or has it replaced it and is the new seasonal flu and we'll get new versions each year from now on.

If its still circulating is there any sign of it changing to become more dangerous or less dangerous?

Has any one seen any good articles / paper etc about it recently?
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Sea Skimmer »

Its still around, slowly killing people. Lethality is largely unchanged, but in the summer months in the northern hemisphere flu cases go way down so the media has switched to other stories they can try to squish more excitement out of.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Isolder74 »

I ended up with it and let me tell you it was completely unpleasant and I'm still a bit under the weather from it as almost anything gets me sick now. I've never been sick as often as I get now.

The thing is still around but something to keep in mind is most people that have died from it usually died from catching something else just after or during it. I know of at least 2 to have died from Pneumonia while they were recovering from the thing.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by The Spartan »

Isolder74 wrote:The thing is still around but something to keep in mind is most people that have died from it usually died from catching something else just after or during it. I know of at least 2 to have died from Pneumonia while they were recovering from the thing.
That said, you still need to get to the doctor if you're sick since a particularly deadly strain can take you from symptomless to dead in just a couple days or so.

I actually got the vaccine last year. It was free for me and since there's no harm* in getting it I figured I might as well.



*Okay, so there's a small chance of harm, but that's true of all vaccines.
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Isolder74
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Isolder74 »

I did see a doctor and that was last November. I am flu free right now. Can I add that the darn medication is really expensive. My immune system is still recovering however. So far I am fine and thanks for the concern.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by The Spartan »

Well, I didn't actually mean you specifically, Isolder, I figured you were okay. I meant 'you' in the general sense.

Sorry bout that. :wink:
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by ArmorPierce »

I got the vaccine but went on to catch swine flu about a week and a half later. My mother and brother got it too (they didn't not get the vaccine though). I was feeling like shit for about 2-4 days (still went to work, got home and crashed for the rest of the day until I wake up for work the next day) but started feeling better by the 4th or 5th day. My mother and brother took a lot longer to recover my mother getting it before me and still being sick after I was better.

This year, we actually had a mild flu season and people are thinking that it has to do with swine flu hitting a lot of people before the normal start of flu season.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Temujin »

I was going to get the vaccine but didn't. I might next year, especially if we see a rise in cases. Everyone who I knew who got it said it was a real bitch, much worse than the regular flu. Lets just hope it doesn't mutate into something more lethal.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Broomstick »

ArmorPierce wrote:I got the vaccine but went on to catch swine flu about a week and a half later. My mother and brother got it too (they didn't not get the vaccine though). I was feeling like shit for about 2-4 days (still went to work, got home and crashed for the rest of the day until I wake up for work the next day) but started feeling better by the 4th or 5th day.
Why the FUCK did you go to work sick with that? Don't you realize that you were spreading the virus, infecting other people, and putting them at risk? That was a completely shitty thing to do.

Did you meet any pregnant women during that time? Perhaps had contact with someone immuno-compromised at a store or while commuting? If you did and they came down with it they could have died from that.

Seriously, dude, that was an incredibly stupid and selfish thing to do.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Norade »

Broomstick wrote:
ArmorPierce wrote:I got the vaccine but went on to catch swine flu about a week and a half later. My mother and brother got it too (they didn't not get the vaccine though). I was feeling like shit for about 2-4 days (still went to work, got home and crashed for the rest of the day until I wake up for work the next day) but started feeling better by the 4th or 5th day.
Why the FUCK did you go to work sick with that? Don't you realize that you were spreading the virus, infecting other people, and putting them at risk? That was a completely shitty thing to do.

Did you meet any pregnant women during that time? Perhaps had contact with someone immuno-compromised at a store or while commuting? If you did and they came down with it they could have died from that.

Seriously, dude, that was an incredibly stupid and selfish thing to do.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Prannon »

Broomstick wrote:Why the FUCK did you go to work sick with that? Don't you realize that you were spreading the virus, infecting other people, and putting them at risk? That was a completely shitty thing to do.

Did you meet any pregnant women during that time? Perhaps had contact with someone immuno-compromised at a store or while commuting? If you did and they came down with it they could have died from that.

Seriously, dude, that was an incredibly stupid and selfish thing to do.
I live in Korea, so the comparison isn't exact, but I got sick for a couple of days and had a fever and everything. My boss knew this and would not let me have a sick day. Even though I was teaching kids. That kind of thing does happen.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Ariphaos »

My doctor is still offering me the vaccine. I'm not at any particular risk (not much contact) so I've passed on it.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by PeZook »

Prannon wrote: I live in Korea, so the comparison isn't exact, but I got sick for a couple of days and had a fever and everything. My boss knew this and would not let me have a sick day. Even though I was teaching kids. That kind of thing does happen.
You couldn't get a doctor's note and told him to go fuck himself?

I could've done that here. I can't imagine a country where you can't get leave if you're sick with the fucking flu. It's not a cold. Even typical seasonal flu is quite dangerous.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Broomstick »

Ah, yes, I had forgotten about that moral abomination where you must come to work sick or lose your job. Obviously, I was exhausted last night.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by PainRack »

They removed the masking protocol for visitors to immunocompromised wards, and voila, a new wave of H1N1 cases just hit the general population........
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by ArmorPierce »

Broomstick wrote:
ArmorPierce wrote:I got the vaccine but went on to catch swine flu about a week and a half later. My mother and brother got it too (they didn't not get the vaccine though). I was feeling like shit for about 2-4 days (still went to work, got home and crashed for the rest of the day until I wake up for work the next day) but started feeling better by the 4th or 5th day.
Why the FUCK did you go to work sick with that? Don't you realize that you were spreading the virus, infecting other people, and putting them at risk? That was a completely shitty thing to do.

Did you meet any pregnant women during that time? Perhaps had contact with someone immuno-compromised at a store or while commuting? If you did and they came down with it they could have died from that.

Seriously, dude, that was an incredibly stupid and selfish thing to do.
I didn't know it was swine flu at the time. My mother told me she and my brother got tested and it wasn't swine flu. She later told me that the test didn't say whether or not it was swine flu nor had anything to do with that (my mother is an idiot like that and I was better already by then). No health insurance so I couldn't get it checked out for myself and even the at-work doctor was unavailable since I was a temp. I only got vaccinated because they didn't realize I was a temp before giving it to me. I also thought that the fact that I got the vaccine it couldn't be swine flu. Further, it was a temp job. Me not showing up can mean bye-bye without much further thought.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Prannon »

PeZook wrote:You couldn't get a doctor's note and told him to go fuck himself?

I could've done that here. I can't imagine a country where you can't get leave if you're sick with the fucking flu. It's not a cold. Even typical seasonal flu is quite dangerous.
Oh, I would've loved to if I had thought of it. I don't know if I had the flu or not, but it was very irritating that she wouldn't allow me to stay home and recuperate. As it was, everything turned out alright.

The main problem is that our principal is penny pinching right now. She needs to hire another teacher to replace one of the ones who left recently, but she hasn't. I'm working more than I did last year along with another new guy who was working much, much harder than he needed to be. I'm actually picking up some of his work because he was getting way too stressed out. Another teacher had already called in for something on that day, and since she was having to teach for her she couldn't pick up my classes. So, I had to work. :|
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by The Duchess of Zeon »

I had it with no complications and nothing different from a normal flu except for the bizarre fact that I was completely asymptomatic for a fever, but it turns out that is actually unusually common with the Swine Flu in comparison with normal strains of influenza. I'd had a shot for the regular flu but the shots were still being rationed in my area by the time I got it. Have not subsequently gotten a shot since I'm assuming it'll be in the general influenza shot for this coming september now that they've had time to respond to it, and that's normally a cocktail of different vaccines for different strains anyway.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Bedlam »

The Duchess of Zeon wrote:I had it with no complications and nothing different from a normal flu except for the bizarre fact that I was completely asymptomatic for a fever, but it turns out that is actually unusually common with the Swine Flu in comparison with normal strains of influenza. I'd had a shot for the regular flu but the shots were still being rationed in my area by the time I got it. Have not subsequently gotten a shot since I'm assuming it'll be in the general influenza shot for this coming september now that they've had time to respond to it, and that's normally a cocktail of different vaccines for different strains anyway.
That is an interesting point, will a H1N1 vaccine be included in the shots given to normal vulnerable individuals this year or will they just get a regular flu vaccine based on whatever version is currently doing the rounds. It might be included by the vaccine makers as a way to use up the large amount of H1N1 vaccine which has been returned to them, although I dont know the fesability if taking the returned vaccine and adding it to another vaccine mix.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Jalinth »

At my old firm, we tried convincing partners to stay home when they were sick. We started labelling one as Typhoid Mark (this was a guy) but still didn't get the message across. So generally 1/4 to a 1/3 of the office came down with whatever bug they brought to the office and it tended to hit just before various tax or other deadlines since people were already a bit rundown and stressed. I'm pretty sure they lost significantly more money than if they simply stayed at home, did a bit of work, and came back when they were no longer contagious.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Jeremy »

My girlfriend's cruise ship went to mexico, she got it and gave it to me.

It could just be a fast acting cold, but I'm making as much commotion as I can get away with.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Molyneux »

Jeremy wrote:My girlfriend's cruise ship went to mexico, she got it and gave it to me.

It could just be a fast acting cold, but I'm making as much commotion as I can get away with.
Honestly, if you've got a fever of 101 or above, it's better to be safe than sorry. Even if it IS just an unusually virulent cold.
Now if only we could get the rest of the penny-pinching bastards out there to realize the fact that coming into work sick puts lives at risk.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Jeremy »

When in America, you need to pinch 9/10ths of a penny.
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Re: What ever happened to Swine Flu?

Post by Ziggy Stardust »

Bedlam wrote:That is an interesting point, will a H1N1 vaccine be included in the shots given to normal vulnerable individuals this year or will they just get a regular flu vaccine based on whatever version is currently doing the rounds. It might be included by the vaccine makers as a way to use up the large amount of H1N1 vaccine which has been returned to them, although I dont know the fesability if taking the returned vaccine and adding it to another vaccine mix.
It's pretty unlikely that they will be giving out H1N1 vaccines this year, unless the same strain of the virus becomes epidemic again. The "updated" flu vaccine will be given out as normal, and no additional vaccines will be manufactured unless a lot of people are getting infected by something new. In mid-July, the WHO will have data from the Southern Hemisphere's flu season, and they will make decisions based off of that.
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