Nanker Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-wor...0,5302753.story An estimated 57 million Americans have contracted pandemic H1N1 influenza since the outbreak began last April, about 257,000 have been hospitalized with complications from it, and nearly 12,000 have died, according to estimates released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Virtually all cases of influenza that were tested have been caused by the H1N1 virus rather than by seasonal flu viruses, a finding that leads some experts to predict -- rather hopefully -- that the country will not see a regular flu season this year. Color me surprised and skeptical, but I'm not a health care professional - nor do I play one on the Interweb. It strikes me as odd that pig flu was so hyped this year. But everyone who had influenza this season had the JimmyJohnson version? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 The 1918 flu that killed MILLIONS was a H1N1 strain. The first wave wasn't bad, but it mutated and the second wave was the bad one. Whenever the H1N1 strain appears, there is the chance that it could mutate to be just as virulent. We were lucky that it didn't. As with the 1918 flu, this H1N1 killed proportionately more young people than other strains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 57 million? That's 1 million per state Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 The 1918 flu that killed MILLIONS was a H1N1 strain. The first wave wasn't bad, but it mutated and the second wave was the bad one. Whenever the H1N1 strain appears, there is the chance that it could mutate to be just as virulent. We were lucky that it didn't. As with the 1918 flu, this H1N1 killed proportionately more young people than other strains. Ya... So... Times are much different when it comes to social health practices. Is it really "luck" that it didn't mutate? I find that hard to believe... Am I way off base here or is it the same crap shoot as it was back in 1918? What I am saying is that as a society we are doing a lot to stop it from mutating? Is this a correct statement? Again, you are in the field... Is it really "luck?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see what happened here. Who mostly got the H1N1? US citizens. So who is most likely to now be immune to H1N1 and its mutations? US citizens. And when the more deadly mutation comes out...who will likely die? Not US citizens. Time to choose sides people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Ya... So... Times are much different when it comes to social health practices. Is it really "luck" that it didn't mutate? I find that hard to believe... Am I way off base here or is it the same crap shoot as it was back in 1918? What I am saying is that as a society we are doing a lot to stop it from mutating? Is this a correct statement? Again, you are in the field... Is it really "luck?" It's really luck. Mutation happens regardless of policy statements from HHS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Ya... So... Times are much different when it comes to social health practices. Is it really "luck" that it didn't mutate? I find that hard to believe... Am I way off base here or is it the same crap shoot as it was back in 1918? What I am saying is that as a society we are doing a lot to stop it from mutating? Is this a correct statement? Again, you are in the field... Is it really "luck?" Yes it is. Flu viruses have RNA instead of DNA as their genetic material. There are no proofreading enzymes for RNA synthesis, so there are are a lot more mutations occurring. The strain determination is based on the proteins the virus incorporated into its coat. The social health practices could limit the spread of the virus. We now have vaccines which weren't around in 1918. That's why the push to get immunized occurred. On the other hand, the ability to travel halfway around the earth in a day could help spread it much quicker today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 It's really luck. Mutation happens regardless of policy statements from HHS. I am not talking policy statements... I am talking about actual physical health precautions we take nowadays vs. the bygone era. It was so much worse years ago... Then one has to factor in weakened immune systems because to the cesspool people were living in. You guys know a lot more about this... Yet, we have to be doing something right to slow mutation... No?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I am not talking policy statements... I am talking about actual physical health precautions we take nowadays vs. the bygone era. It was so much worse years ago... Then one has to factor in weakened immune systems because to the cesspool people were living in. You guys know a lot more about this... Yet, we have to be doing something right to slow mutation... No?? Nope. Mutation happens. Not a hell of a lot we can do to slow it down. The health precautions we take now treat or prevent already existing diseases; they don't prevent new ones from developing. The fact is, Mother Nature/random chance/God/The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a lot better at outsmarting us than we are her/it/him/his noodly appendage. In fact, I could make a pretty good case that we speed it up (e.g. antibiotic-resistant bacteria developing as a result of evolutionary pressure from overuse of antibiotics, or recombination of different influenza strains in the giant petri dish of Southeast Asian livestock farming techniques). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Nope. Mutation happens. Not a hell of a lot we can do to slow it down. The health precautions we take now treat or prevent already existing diseases; they don't prevent new ones from developing. The fact is, Mother Nature/random chance/God/The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a lot better at outsmarting us than we are her/it/him/his noodly appendage. In fact, I could make a pretty good case that we speed it up (e.g. antibiotic-resistant bacteria developing as a result of evolutionary pressure from overuse of antibiotics, or recombination of different influenza strains in the giant petri dish of Southeast Asian livestock farming techniques). Really! Thanks for the explanation... For some reason I always had faith that we were doing better against it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see what happened here. Who mostly got the H1N1? US citizens. So who is most likely to now be immune to H1N1 and its mutations? US citizens. And when the more deadly mutation comes out...who will likely die? Not US citizens. Time to choose sides people. Pffffff, I chose sides a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster4324 Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 One side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Pffffff, I chose sides a long time ago. Let me guess?... German automobile, brie, Chardonnay, and a drive through Sonoma County... Doesn't sound like you chose the proper side! I gotta go check my smug alert detector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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