Swine flu raises fear of pandemic - Adults and Children

muffin7 · Apr 26, 2009

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.

This is horrible. Several years ago, I told my family and friends that the reason that we are getting resistant bugs (MRSA, ORSA, VRE and nec fasc) is due to the use of antibiotics in the foods we eat. About 75% of the time I buy organic meat and chicken. Rarely, do I buy conventional milk (hormones and antibiotic). When you look at the children in our society many are obese. I would bank on not only are they eating junk, but the meat in the burgers are probably full of hormones and of course antibiotics. :down:

I would not like to be working ER at this time.

muffin7 · Apr 26, 2009

According to the link below the virus is treated with a couple of antivirals.
The swine flu is made up of four different viruses and the flu vaccine for this year may treat two of the four viruses.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30390176/

Laney

Check out this link. According to it, two of the four viruses found in the Swine flu are covered in the seasonal flu shot. :specs:

LaneyB · Apr 26, 2009

The difference this time is it is now spreading person to person. Yes, it has been around but up until now it was only spread swine to human. This is different completely.

LaneyB · Apr 26, 2009

And another reason this is a bigger deal is that humans do not have immunity to swine and bird strains, and this strain has each.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2009

Here's something that occurs to me from an entirely selfish viewpoint as a nursing student. IF this were to go BIG and turn into a pandemic with many hospitalized - would clinicals be canceled? Would nursing students on a unit be a help or get in the way during a national public health emergency? What do you all think?

WalkieTalkie, RN · Apr 26, 2009

I just got put on alert for the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, and it is expected that there will be an announcement tomorrow from the State Dept. of Health. We have never had to open the Biocontainment Unit, but we have undergone months of training for this reason.

LaneyB · Apr 26, 2009

But I may be wrong on the person to person transmission. Does anyone else know?

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2009

But I may be wrong on the person to person transmission. Does anyone else know?

Yes, health officials have said it is spreading person to person.

allnurses Guide · Apr 26, 2009

According to the news last night, food handlers dealing with raw pork are at risk, but good hygeine takes care of it. Cooking pork thoroughly (which you should be doing anyway because of other diseases!) kills the virus.

Most of the cases in Mexico don't seem to be tied to contact with swine however, but person to person transmission (again, according to the TV news last night). Mexico City has had severe and fatal cases, but none of the US cases have been serious. There are also meds available in the US that adequately treat it.

I think the most "preparation" I'll be doing is asking if anyone with cold/flu sxs has traveled lately (or family members), and give them a mask if they have, until cultures can be done. We do rapid flu and strep tests all the time.

azhiker96, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2009

I'm wondering if this is just going to fizzle out and surprise us.
I would love to know why the cases in the US haven't been deadly compared to the cases in Mexico. Maybe enough people haven't been infected in the US yet, to have a true picture of the mortality stats.

I think you've hit it on the head. Mexico has had roughly 1300 serious cases and 80 deaths or about 6 deaths per 100. The US has had about 20 cases so far. We don't know how many mild cases there have been in Mexico where people stayed at home and didn't seek treatment. With new cases around the world we'll see how this plays out.

rngreenhorn · Apr 26, 2009

I'm wondering if this is just going to fizzle out and surprise us.

I guess I'll be more surprised if it doesn't fizzle out... All this talk about swine has made me hungry for a pork chop or a McRib...

on a related note, I wonder how many people have died from eating McRibs? Two bites and your arteries slam shut!

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2009

I think you've hit it on the head. Mexico has had roughly 1300 serious cases and 80 deaths or about 6 deaths per 100. The US has had about 20 cases so far. We don't know how many mild cases there have been in Mexico where people stayed at home and didn't seek treatment. With new cases around the world we'll see how this plays out.

I would guess thousands have had this virus in Mexico City and other areas of Mexico. Most don't go to a doctor for a flu bug if they get better in a few days, and most who DO go see a doctor aren't tested.