The Swine Flu has hit a number of places in North America, including Mexico and New York. Eight cases have been identified, as of Sunday, in New York. With a number of USM students traveling to Mexico for spring break, the flu is a legitimate threat in Maryland. The USM has an Emergency Preparedness Policy that delegates the coordination and planning in such emergencies to institutions.
Institutions have been asked to meet and discuss plans in the case that the Swine Flu shoes up in Maryland. Will post on more updates...
In the meantime, here is some advice from Dr. Frank Calia, Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine, and Acting Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs of the UM School of Medicine. Dr. Calia, who is an expert in infectious diseases, offers the following:
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1) Do not panic.
2) Although swine flu has not yet been discovered in Maryland, it may hit here, however, to date the strain that has been discovered in the US is relatively mild and so far is responding well to two anti-virals
3)The anti-virals are plentiful and readily available.
4) They should NOT be given in advance of disease symptoms, since doing so widely may result in a flu strain developing for which the anti-virals will not work.
5) The good news is that all swine flu, like all flu, prefers cold weather. While we may see an outbreak, the chances will diminish as the weather gets warmer.
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15 comments:
Oh, sh*t! I was in Cancun (Mexico) for the spring break! I've been messing with some local girls, too! DAMN!
Where can I get the antivirus shot at?!! Is it provided at the medical office at UMCP?!
This Dr. says the swine flu like all other flu's "likes" colder weather, and as the weather gets warmer the threat will diminish. Well I don't think doc has had it to Mexico city, because I don't think it gets any warmer down there' and this is where its coming for.
I don't see why everyone is worrying. The only reason it would kill someone is that they have another condition or an extremely weak immune system. There is a treatment for it, even. It's just the flu.
The reason it has killed people in Mexico is because their health care is very poor and they lack the level of sanitation we have here.
We're not all going to die. SARS, west nile, mad cow, avian flu, etc. were overblown just as this is. The biggest symptom of swine flu is overblown paranoia facilitated by twitter and the media.
Far more people die of heart attacks, car accidents, etc. than people die of swine flu in the US. It is comparatively a mere pixel on the LCD screen of health concerns.
Chris, one of the characteristics of this strain of flu is that it doesn't seem to be picky with who it targets. Healthy people have come down with it. It isn't limited to just children and old people.
People are saying "the regular flu kills 35,000 americans every year. no reason to get worked up over this." But the regular flu has a vaccination... this doesn't. Experts have to watch the swine flu and see what happens.
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. :-/
Healthy people get it, yes, but rarely do they die from it (especially here where we have good health care). 1% of some other countries' entire populations die a year from seasonal influenza. And it actually infects young people more, but usually by itself it is not fatal.
You can't deny that it has been the only thing people are talking about, and the symptoms are much, much more harmless than avian influenza, and look how that ended. It just goes to show you that what is really the pandemic is paranoia.
We don't even need a vaccination since we have a treatment, though of course I agree it would be nice. I believe this will be over soon either way.
According to wikipedia (which contrary to popular belief is reliable because it cites its sources and you can go back to those sources and verify the information), only 8 people total have been confirmed dead from this virus.
I think the public is overreacting a little too much.
@ Chris
So far there isn't evidence that this will be the case with swine flu, but at least with avian flu and other flues that have been involved in pandemics and potential pandemics, people that are healthy are the most hard hit and die the most often. You're right when it comes to the regular flu, but not with epidemics. In the 1918 outbreak, for example, the lions share of the deaths were healthy young adults.
@ Chris
Only 8 people confirmed dead? So what about those 100-something in Mexico? Are you saying that those haven't been confirmed as swine flu related deaths?
Well, I do have to admit that the media is blowing this up to some extent. Headlines everywhere were "First US Death from Swine Flu." After little investigating, I found out that the child who died was actually Mexican, and only visiting Texas. So... there have still been no US deaths. Or any deaths anywhere in the entire world, outside of Mexico.
So I went to the UMCP medical office and told them about my spring break in Cancun (Mexico), and they checked up on me and said I don't seem to have any obvious symptoms of swine flu. I asked them for a shot anyways but they refused! Can they do that?!!
Those 100-some are SUSPECTED deaths, not confirmed. There is a difference. I'm not trying to sound pretentious but look at the wiki article.
It's 9 now, but it's clearly NOT hundreds. The number in parentheses is suspected but not confirmed. I'm not uninformed, and a lot of people probably think I am when I say only 9 confirmed, however, it's true.
Click here to view the chart.I'm not stupid, and I'm merely trying to increase objective knowledge on this. It is only 9 confirmed. That's it.
Update: There has been 6 probable cases of the swine flu in Maryland now. But they still aren't sure.
Anyway, I agree with Chris that this is probably being blown WAY out of proportion. The media has a tendency to do that, especially with something like diseases.
However, there is definitely at least a little cause for worry. Mexico isn't the "filthy, third world country" you're making it out to be, Chris. And while they may not have "better healthcare", the fact is that healthy people, people considered healthy by our standards as well, are dying from this. That's reason to be concerned by itself.
I'm not saying we should all go out and by those surgical masks. I'm not worried at all really because I know stuff like that never happens in Baltimore; even diseases are scared to come here! But seriously, the government isn't even really that worried about it so I see no need to be worried myself. The government's concerned about it becoming a pandemic, not about it killing people. When they start freaking out, I'll freak out.
And Jason_B, spring break for you guys was over two weeks ago. If you haven't been showing flu-like symptoms by now, you don't have anything. There is no vaccination and they can't waste resources giving a medication to someone who doesn't need it. So stop acting silly.
wtf is "swing flu symptons" it's so stupid.... basic symptons:
runny nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, fever.............
so during a FLU/Allergy season............ we should all go to the hospital to see if we have the swine flu? i know at least maybe 30 people are having running nose and sore throat due to allergies
Now it says there have been 13 deaths. Thought I'd post that the WHO is now calling this virus influenza a (H1N1) as opposed to swine flu.
Oh, and I found this related video kind of funny (I don't find the disease funny but the propaganda parts are silly).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASibLqwVbsk&fmt=18
My Dad said that flu vaccines are linked to autism, so to be safe from swine flu I'm trying to lick an autistic kid.
There is no shot you can get if you're exposed. There is no cure either. If you are symptomatic, you may receive anti-viral medications, such as TamiFlu, which are designed to lessen the effect of the virus on your immune system. However, there are not cures and you will still have symptoms, but the time you deal with these will be lessened.
Secondly, vaccines are not linked to autism, that theory has been disproved time and time again. Only the extremists who want to push their own stupid, and uneducated, opinion continue to spout off that mindless drivel.
It's the flu, people! By putting all this wrong information out there you're only helping the hype. Go back to your Quadmania or other childish high-school events and live your life.
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