Swine flu raises fear of pandemic - Adults and Children

Nurses COVID

Published

Specializes in ED.
Having watched bird flu evolve over the past several years in Asia, it is interesting that North Americans pay little attention to health issues in far away foreign lands. But there are now 40 confirmed A/H1N1 swine flu cases in the USA. High schools in Texas have been closed down as has St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens in NY because 28 students have been infected.

Perhaps when it is your children or grand children, spouse, siblings, other relatives, or friends and neighbors that are infected and need professional health care, you might be more inclined to follow the news.

I watch the news, and I take it with a grain of salt. Do you really believe everything you see on tv? Yes people have been infected. As far as I understand, only one needed to be hospitalized. The rest have made a full recovery. That doesn't sound like the criteria worthy of panic and attention that this thing is getting.

the news does get a bit overdone, especially with the 24/7/365 channels, and updates every couple of minutes on the internet.

i know it would be difficult tracking those driving in from mexico, but couldn't they find those who'd been on planes with those who were sick and do screenings, or on any planes that had been incoming from mexico?

Specializes in ER.

Whatever.

The population needs to be culled anyway.

Specializes in being a Credible Source.
If a kid at the school had RSV would it make the news? Would you care?

No, because (a) most kids have had RSV by the time they're school-aged, and (b) except for kids with pulmonary dysfunction, most kids just get a nasty cold from RSV.

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

A group of students at a private academy near hear returned from Mexico all were ill. They've closed the school until confirmation is received or ruled out. http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10254240

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

My biggest fear at this point is the "worried well" -- half the people I know are coughing and sneezing from allergies (the pollen has turned everyone's cars yellow/green). I can just see 50 "worried well" showing up at the ER while the person who's kid just came back from Cancun is thinking they have allergies....

And remember, folks, with the 1918 flu that killed my grandma's older brother (and half the town), it was initially preceeded by a mild version that was "like a bad cold" from what I remember hearing from grandma/great grandma. My grandma said that a guy came back from WWI, there was a picnic after church to celebrate his safe return. A week later, his entire family was dead, and every family in town -- every single one -- had at least one fatality. Yes, they didn't have antibiotics or tamiflu back then, but she said folks would be fine at breakfast and dead that afternoon. She and my greatgrandma were hysterical any time any of the kids/grandkids came down with a cold, and would run them to the doctor for sniffles when she'd tell you to shake off a broken bone...

Specializes in student; help!.

One of the many reasons we raise our own now. It's almost-not-quite funny to see the labels on chicken touting no abx, when it's THE LAW, not the producers' idea.

of course, the meat industry is still going to continue to use factory farming...where millions of animals are confined in unsanitary conditions and given CONSTANT doses of antibiotics, just to ensure that superbugs, immune to standard treatment, are definitely going to develop.

70% of all US produced antibiotics are given directly to factory farmed meat animals to promote growth.*

Measles, TB, Smallpox, Influenza, and Pertussis all mutated from domesticated animals before becoming human diseases. (this is why hunter-gathered populations tend to be the ones wiped out by pandemic disease from groups of people who keep domesticated animals.) the idea of giving factory farm animals antibiotics in every meal is absolutely horrifying, and contributes hugely to the risk of a drug-resistant pandemic. buy free range and organic meat if you really care about preventing pandemics...or better yet, go vegetarian.

*source: Mellon M, Benbrook C, Benbrook KL. Hogging It: Estimates of Antimicrobial Abuse in Livestock. Cambridge, MA:Union of Concerned Scientists, 2001.

Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.
Thank you indigo girl. Many are watching this situation unfold.

I feel rather frustrated right now. Everyone knows a potential pandemic could occur at any time. My facility just recently laid off several workers, one of which was our Infection Control Nurse!

Is your facility a hospital? If so it will loose its accreditation without an ICN!

Whatever.

The population needs to be culled anyway.

Wish there was a way to cull selectively :lol2:

Specializes in ER, Trauma, ICU/CCU/NICU, EMS, Transport.
It's Official - It's Swine Flu in Mexico as Well

You should not travel if you are sick. Don't get on a plane if you have the flu.

I just wanted to comment on this one statement -

Do we REALLY think this is a realistic request...to not travel if you're sick or not to fly....

How many people will be out of town/away from home, have the flu, and decide to lay over in their hotels?

As I write this, I am in my hotel room, and due to leave town tomorrow and travel home and just considering this if it was me sick.

Now, first let me qualify this whole post by saying THAT "if" you are SERIOUSLY sick (IE: fever, chills, rigors, myalgias, massive URI syptoms) then YES, you have no business getting out of bed - BUT what are you to do while out of town????

Sometimes your hotel cannot accommodate you if you stay extra days.

Unless you bought airline travel insurance, you'll loose your ticket.

What about the responsiblities and committements that are requiring your presence back at home?

Again, unless you're sick enough to be heading to the ED for evaluation, testing and supportive care - your'e probably going to still travel despite the "perfect" reccommendation to do otherwise.

I've got the sniffles and stuffy nose tonight, you can bet your last dollar, I'm heading home in the morning as well as millions of other traveller's (sp?) just tomorrow alone!

-MB

Specializes in NICU, ER.

My concern is that if this is really a potential pandemic, than what the heck is the facility that I work for doing about it. I am hoping that tomorrow we will be briefed on the status of the situation. I am a NICU RN and RSV restrictions have just been lifted. This makes me very nervous!!

I wish there was something more interesting on the news. I can only take so much swine flew before switching to the equally interesting shopping channel.

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