Possible Pandemic: "Swine Flu"

[MikeD]

This seems like it's getting over-reported, but it seems like there's been someone human to human transmission.  The suspected death count in Mexico is getting larger. 

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/26/swine.flu/index.html

WHO and CDC seem to be taking this very seriously (then again I'd rather they overreact then under react). This does seem to have a slightly bigger chance of turning into a pandemic then Bird Flu did.  Does anyone's squadron have a pandemic plan?

[maverik]

in all seriousness what's a pandemic plan? Like going to meetings in full HAZMAT gear?

[Eeyore]

Duct tape and saran wrap... check.

[heliodoc]

Debatable if CAP has a plan....

More like CAP members listening to State Depts of Health, State Emergency Management, etc and worksite procedures to cover this

So CAP members need to pay attention what is already out there in press or direct from the med community

BUT expect a newsflash from NHQ CAP anyday, now!!

[maverik]

anyone know the state dpartment/cdc website to cover where this and how fast it is spreading?

[Smithsonia]

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

The CDC does not appear to be updating this website in quick order. Likely most of the Web staff is out with the flu... or maybe gone for the weekend.

[maverik]

haha guess what I have been sick with flu like symptoms and have been tested for regular flu,mono,and strept and the tests came back negative this just made my day better! Gotta call the doc now, wow.

[Spike]

There is nothing to worry about now.  How can anything bad happen in The United States?

Haven't we been dumping billions into medical preparations for possible pandemics since Kennedy.........oh that's right, our Government for the past 40+ years have been giving billions to other countries to stop aids and malaria.

One thing that is apparent.....the first reporting of this new influenza strain came from Mexico.  Perhaps they were experimenting with things they should not have been experimenting with and it got away from them.

Heck, 10 cases into the Mexican outbreak and the Mayor of Mexico City closes most of the city down.......does he know something we don't know??

Lets hope this is only a scare.......and we devote some resources into preparing for the real outbreak that happens about once every 100 years. 

 

[RiverAux]

I'm not sure what role, if any, CAP might be able to fill in response to a large-scale disease outbreak.  More than likely we would be hit pretty hard given that youths and senior citizens are generally more easily knocked out by diseases and we're full of both. 

[wuzafuzz]

I'm not sure what role, if any, CAP might be able to fill in response to a large-scale disease outbreak.  More than likely we would be hit pretty hard given that youths and senior citizens are generally more easily knocked out by diseases and we're full of both.

I KNEW we were full of something   

Seriously though, I've read this bugger is actually sparing folks over 40, on average.  No idea why, and I can't remember where I read it.

[Gunner C]

Last I saw on adults (a few minutes ago) was that the upper limit for problems appears to be 50 at present.  Stay tuned.  DHS secretary has declared a national health emergency.  While this isn't as ominous as it sounds, there's definitly a threat to public health.

[chiles]

I'm not sure what role, if any, CAP might be able to fill in response to a large-scale disease outbreak.  More than likely we would be hit pretty hard given that youths and senior citizens are generally more easily knocked out by diseases and we're full of both.

Influenzas are the great equalizer. They affect 20-45 year olds. The Spanish Flu of 1918 and the Pan Flu of 1968 bear this out.

This particular issue is a concern because it's a novel version of H5N1. There isn't a vaccine available for it and it can take upwards of 6 months to mass produce one. The disease went through a process of antigenic shift. The surface antigen changed to become more easily transmissible between swine and humans. There has been one case of human to human spread. Pandemic response plans focus on the distribution of anti-retrovirals (assuming they are effective) to those who are ill or in contact of those who are ill. Also, ill people will be isolated (standard) and those in contact will be quarantined. This includes those coming in through air and sea ports.

CAP could help with a pan flu response in a couple of ways. First, we can do coastal and border patrols to assist in detecting people crossing them if we seal them. Secondly, mass quarantine doesn't work very well in a pandemic since there will be a major reduction in the work force and properly manning such a quarantine requires a large amount of medical, security, and support staff. So, social distancing is the key. However, this assumes that some of the responsibility of taking supplies to residents is assumed by the government. So, CAP personnel might be helpful in delivering food to the public (in the leaving a milk bottle on the porch way).

[Stonewall]

Key Facts about Swine Influenza (Swine Flu)

From the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Website

Swine Flu

What is Swine Influenza?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

How many swine flu viruses are there?
Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years, different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. At this time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

Swine Flu in Humans

Can humans catch swine flu?
Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.

How common is swine flu infection in humans?
In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza have been reported.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

How does swine flu spread?
Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

What do we know about human-to-human spread of swine flu?
In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized for pneumonia and died 8 days later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was detected. Four days before getting sick, the patient visited a county fair swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the swine.

In follow-up studies, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. Additional studies suggest that one to three health care personnel who had contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of swine flu infection.

How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?
To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.
What medications are available to treat swine flu infections in humans?
There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent swine influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. At this time, CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.

What other examples of swine flu outbreaks are there?
Probably the most well known is an outbreak of swine flu among soldiers in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976. The virus caused disease with x-ray evidence of pneumonia in at least 4 soldiers and 1 death; all of these patients had previously been healthy. The virus was transmitted to close contacts in a basic training environment, with limited transmission outside the basic training group. The virus is thought to have circulated for a month and disappeared. The source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction into Fort Dix, and factors limiting its spread and duration are unknown. The Fort Dix outbreak may have been caused by introduction of an animal virus into a stressed human population in close contact in crowded facilities during the winter. The swine influenza A virus collected from a Fort Dix soldier was named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1).

Is the H1N1 swine flu virus the same as human H1N1 viruses?
No. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are antigenically very different from human H1N1 viruses and, therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide protection from H1N1 swine flu viruses.

[RiverAux]

CAP could help with a pan flu response in a couple of ways. First, we can do coastal and border patrols to assist in detecting people crossing them if we seal them.

I don't think looking for illegals is going to play a big part in any response to something like this considering they are but a tiny fraction of those coming into the US.  Maybe if we imposed draconian restrictions on normal visits into the US to prevent this from coming here, then maybe worrying about illegal entry would make sense.  But as long as someone with a disease can hop on a plane and fly into the US without any sort of health evaluation, then it doesn't make any sense. 

By the way, I don't have a problem with CAP doing border-type work, I just don't think that in this particular situation it would be all that useful. 

[Smithsonia]

When pigs fly - we will have swine flew - for sure.

[chiles]

CAP could help with a pan flu response in a couple of ways. First, we can do coastal and border patrols to assist in detecting people crossing them if we seal them.

I don't think looking for illegals is going to play a big part in any response to something like this considering they are but a tiny fraction of those coming into the US.  Maybe if we imposed draconian restrictions on normal visits into the US to prevent this from coming here, then maybe worrying about illegal entry would make sense.  But as long as someone with a disease can hop on a plane and fly into the US without any sort of health evaluation, then it doesn't make any sense. 

By the way, I don't have a problem with CAP doing border-type work, I just don't think that in this particular situation it would be all that useful.

Actually, closing the borders is on the table. If they decide to do it, then the threat really won't come from those people legally traveling into and out of the US. The concern will be those who get over by shady means. Not to mention the fact that tracking them is nearly impossible. A large amount of the illegal immigrant population will not seek medical care, even in the face of death. Further, they live in close quarters with other immigrants and not in the cleanest of conditions.

However, there threat largely remains in the more traditional manners of transportation. But, if CAP were to want to support a pan flu response, this would be one of the areas we can help. The good news is that antiretrovirals have been effective (which is not often the case and the drugs can make a patient sicker than the disease) and all the patients in the United States have fully recovered. But a major disaster is always one small antigenic drift away.

Teach your people how to protect themselves and others. Cough etiquette and hand washing are major areas of education. Not going into work sick and seeking medical attention when the illness won't go away is also important.

[JayT]

Haven't we been dumping billions into medical preparations for possible pandemics since Kennedy.........oh that's right, our Government for the past 40+ years have been giving billions to other countries to stop aids and malaria.

Because stopping hundreds of thousands, or millions of people from dying in area's who can't afford to protect themselves, or too uneducated to protect themselves, isn't a worth cause at all.

[chiles]

There is nothing to worry about now.  How can anything bad happen in The United States?

Haven't we been dumping billions into medical preparations for possible pandemics since Kennedy.........oh that's right, our Government for the past 40+ years have been giving billions to other countries to stop aids and malaria.

One thing that is apparent.....the first reporting of this new influenza strain came from Mexico.  Perhaps they were experimenting with things they should not have been experimenting with and it got away from them.

Heck, 10 cases into the Mexican outbreak and the Mayor of Mexico City closes most of the city down.......does he know something we don't know??

Lets hope this is only a scare.......and we devote some resources into preparing for the real outbreak that happens about once every 100 years. 

Medical supplies work well for certain strains or substrain of a virus. Our stockpile of immunizations doesn't exist. There are other things in play. We need to make sure that antiretrovials are effective, which seems to be the case.  Then we need to make sure everyone knows NOT to expect any FEMA support when it's a raging pandemic. The reason is that FEMA won't have the personnel to help themselves, let alone us. Just food for though.

[JayT]

There is nothing to worry about now.  How can anything bad happen in The United States?

Haven't we been dumping billions into medical preparations for possible pandemics since Kennedy.........oh that's right, our Government for the past 40+ years have been giving billions to other countries to stop aids and malaria.

One thing that is apparent.....the first reporting of this new influenza strain came from Mexico.  Perhaps they were experimenting with things they should not have been experimenting with and it got away from them.

Heck, 10 cases into the Mexican outbreak and the Mayor of Mexico City closes most of the city down.......does he know something we don't know??

Lets hope this is only a scare.......and we devote some resources into preparing for the real outbreak that happens about once every 100 years. 

Medical supplies work well for certain strains or substrain of a virus. Our stockpile of immunizations doesn't exist. There are other things in play. We need to make sure that antiretrovials are effective, which seems to be the case.  Then we need to make sure everyone knows NOT to expect any FEMA support when it's a raging pandemic. The reason is that FEMA won't have the personnel to help themselves, let alone us. Just food for though.

You know, for a nurse, you should know better then to post something so inflammatory. That's just fear mongering.

[chiles]

Which part do you take exception too?

[Smithsonia]

Before we all go into self deployment mode and head to the border with guns ready... you might want to look at the site above. www.CDC.gov -- This isn't bird flu which H15N... it's not SARS either, it is a H1N1 virus. It is out of season and we haven't any vaccine prepared. So, being that were surprised, we are taking the same precautions that we do every flu season. BUT, being that it is out of the normal flu season, we need to react with vigilance, caution, and put some protocols online that are usually "at rest" this time of year.

That said, it's rather standard flu. We've seen it before. It's not anymore fatal than most yearly flus. So for the time being, quit watching TV too much. It makes you scared, it doesn't spread flu, but it does spread panic. FROM THE OFFICIAL CDC WEBSITE - SEE BELOW>

How serious is swine flu infection?
Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the U.S. with no deaths occurring. However, swine flu infection can be serious. In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died 8 days later. A swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey occurred in 1976 that caused more than 200 cases with serious illness in several people and one death.

[isuhawkeye]

Earlier in this thread someone asked about "Pandemic plans".  What follows is a very over simplified description of a pandemic plan

At its core these plans address two things.  The first is a sick policy, and the second is a continuity of operations plan. 

In the first part of this plan you address what employees and volunteers are expected to do if they become sick.  Generally you do not want symptomatic staff coming into the office and infecting the remainder of the work force. 

The second part of the plan is a continuity of operations plan.  The premise of this plan asks how you will do business if a significant percentage of your staff are unavailable.  How will you continue your work, what are the essential functions, that need to continue to take place even if you are short staffed.

[jimmydeanno]

Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir and has issued interim guidance for the use of these drugs to treat and prevent infection with swine influenza viruses. CDC also has prepared interim guidance on how to care for people who are sick and interim guidance on the use of face masks in a community setting where spread of this swine flu virus has been detected. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide new information as it becomes available.

Strongly Recommend Home Isolation of Cases:
•   Persons who develop influenza-like-illness (ILI) (fever with either cough or sore throat) should be strongly encouraged to self-isolate in their home for 7 days after the onset of illness or at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer. Persons who experience ILI and wish to seek medical care should contact their health care providers to report illness (by telephone or other remote means) before seeking care at a clinic, physician's office, or hospital.  Persons who have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath or are believed to be severely ill should seek immediate medical attention.
•   If ill persons must go into the community (e.g., to seek medical care) they should wear a face mask to reduce the risk of spreading the virus in the community when they cough, sneeze, talk or breathe.  If a face mask is unavailable, ill persons needing to go into the community should use a handkerchief or tissues to cover any coughing.
•   Persons in home isolation and their household members should be given infection control instructions: including frequent hand washing with soap and water.  Use alcohol-based hand gels (containing at least 60% alcohol) when soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty.  When the ill person is within 6 feet of others at home, the ill person should wear a face mask if one is available and the ill person is able to tolerate wearing it.

So the CDC isn't even recommending going to see the doctor if you develop flu-symptoms.  I'm not medical expert, but that tells me, like the normal flu, the body is able to fend it off itself. 

I would assume that those who have weakened immune systems (young and old) would be more susceptible.  Another assumption I'm making is that the cases of death weren't from the actual flu virus itself, but other conditions developed as a side effect of it; pneumonia, etc.  All things treatable outside of the third world.

[Tubacap]

Up to Pandmeic Level 4

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html

[jimmydeanno]

^I'm still not worried.  The common cold reaches pandemic levels every time it breaks out.  I think we're being overly sensationalist. 

The CDC is still telling everyone to wash their hands and if they get sick to just stay home for a week.  Thanks to modern medicine here in the first world I doubt we'll see much of anything besides a couple hundred or thousand people with "the flu."

Those in the third world without access to standard medicine should be more concerned.  But thanks to my ability to go to Wal*Mart and by a $1.00 bottle of tylenol, I won't die from fever.  If I catch pneumonia from it, I just drive 5 minutes down the road and they give me antibiotics and tell me to come back in a week.

When it's Ebola, let me know.

YMMV

[notaNCO forever]

Currently in the U.S. there has only been six confirmed cases and no deaths, so unless you are out of the country you don't have to much to worry about. It never hurts to be safe, but I don't think there is a need to run into your bomb shelter yet.

[JohnKachenmeister]

OH MY GOD!!!!  WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!  MAKE IT STOP, BARRACK!!!!!  HELP US!!!!! 

The above message was brought to you as a public service by the American Main Stream Media. 

The Main Stream Media... Hyping minor incidents to crisis levels since 1789.

[JayT]

Currently in the U.S. there has only been six confirmed cases and no deaths, so unless you are out of the country you don't have to much to worry about. It never hurts to be safe, but I don't think there is a need to run into your bomb shelter yet.

You mean I can't stay in my shelter with my gas mask, shotgun, and adult diapers?

[Spike]

It looks like anyone in Orlando this past week is doomed!  Thank you Mexican Tourists. 

Asked the Question "should we have done more, like closing the borders or screening incoming passengers at airports", the Secretary of Homeland Security replies "No, since it was already here, closing the border or screening passengers would do nothing beneficial".

So, just because there where a few cases in New York last week why not take action to stop the possible spread from more people coming into the US sick?

She is not very good at communicating.  She also passed the blame for scaring almost 500,000 New Yorkers by having Air Force 2 chased by a jet fly low in lower Manhattan to the FAA.  Someone needs to resign over that screw up, and we need to start at the top of the list.

[ctim]

Up to 64 cases in the US. While it seems to be spreading fast and it
seems like the government is playing it down (my paranoid side ), it is important to realize that staying away from people when possible, constantly washing your hands, and not touching your face will help keep you healthy.
On the bright side, even with the worst case scenario of 1/3 of the world getting sick with this you still have a 2/3rd chance to keep healthy! Take a look at your two friends and say "Well, one of us is going to get the flu, no hard feelings alright?"

[Rotorhead]

Up to 64 cases in the US. While it seems to be spreading fast and it
seems like the government is playing it down (my paranoid side ), it is important to realize that staying away from people when possible, constantly washing your hands, and not touching your face will help keep you healthy.
On the bright side, even with the worst case scenario of 1/3 of the world getting sick with this you still have a 2/3rd chance to keep healthy! Take a look at your two friends and say "Well, one of us is going to get the flu, no hard feelings alright?"

64 cases.

Check out how many thousand people die in the US from garden-variety influenza every year and then get back to us on this horrible threat.

[Cecil DP]

Thank God the military had the massive swine flu vaccinations back in 1976-I will be spared!!!

[JayT]

Up to 64 cases in the US. While it seems to be spreading fast and it
seems like the government is playing it down (my paranoid side ), it is important to realize that staying away from people when possible, constantly washing your hands, and not touching your face will help keep you healthy.
On the bright side, even with the worst case scenario of 1/3 of the world getting sick with this you still have a 2/3rd chance to keep healthy! Take a look at your two friends and say "Well, one of us is going to get the flu, no hard feelings alright?"

You realize that something on the order of forty thousand people die every year of the regular flu, right?

Less then a few dozen have died of the Swine flu.

[Spike]

64 cases.

Check out how many thousand people die in the US from garden-variety influenza every year and then get back to us on this horrible threat.

First Death....a child very sad. 

Linky---->http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/29/swine.flu/index.html

A pandemic need not start out by killing thousands.  Do some looking around for how the Influenza of 1917-18 started.  Slowly!

[JayT]

64 cases.

Check out how many thousand people die in the US from garden-variety influenza every year and then get back to us on this horrible threat.

First Death....a child very sad. 

Linky---->http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/29/swine.flu/index.html

A pandemic need not start out by killing thousands.  Do some looking around for how the Influenza of 1917-18 started.  Slowly!

Yeah, but the pandemic in 17-18 was virtually ignored at first.

[Spike]

Up to 64 cases in the US. While it seems to be spreading fast and it
seems like the government is playing it down (my paranoid side ), it is important to realize that staying away from people when possible, constantly washing your hands, and not touching your face will help keep you healthy.
On the bright side, even with the worst case scenario of 1/3 of the world getting sick with this you still have a 2/3rd chance to keep healthy! Take a look at your two friends and say "Well, one of us is going to get the flu, no hard feelings alright?"

You realize that something on the order of forty thousand people die every year of the regular flu, right?

Less then a few dozen have died of the Swine flu.

It is approaching 200 in Mexico, possibly more because they don't have the same type of reporting procedures we have.  PLUS all influenza starts out slowly.  That is why there is a quick rush to react to a vaccine that may not be working, because they have time.  In this case, this "flu" is a mutated strain of two different viruses, much different from the swine flu of the 1970's, and we are slow to get a vaccine produced.     

[JayT]

The number of deaths in Mexico has been revised down to less then twelve, I believe.

[ctim]

I was talking to my brother who is a paramedic in the local ER, what he was saying is that in order to get a confirmed case it has to be lab proved. The lab process takes a long time and if you have a lot of sick people in the ER you are not going to worry about "proving" to the CDC and WHO that you have a confirmed case, you are just going to give them the antiviral and move onto the next one.
Like other people have been saying, it is starting out slow and it MAY pickup speed. It is really just a bad flu that is more contagious then normal.

[JohnKachenmeister]

In "The Peter Principle" Dr. Laurence Peter explained that "Work expands to fill the time and personnel allotted for it." 

The same principle applies to news.  Since 24-hour news stations started, the idea that news must expand to fill the time and personnel allotted seems to be operational. 

The more time available, the more news must be found.

"Someone in San Antonio has sneezed... Does this mean the End of Western Civilization?  We'll find out from our panel of experts.  Stay tuned."

[sandman]

You know, for a nurse, you should know better then to post something so inflammatory. That's just fear mongering.

I would like to echo Capt. Hiles response: Which part do you take exception too? Please clarify.

/r
Sandman
RN,PHN,BSN, and a few other letters....

[Rotorhead]

Why is everyone so worried about this, when, as we've pointed out above, thousands die of "everyday" influenza every year?

Shouldn't we be panicking in the streets over THAT?

[JayT]

I was talking to my brother who is a paramedic in the local ER, what he was saying is that in order to get a confirmed case it has to be lab proved. The lab process takes a long time and if you have a lot of sick people in the ER you are not going to worry about "proving" to the CDC and WHO that you have a confirmed case, you are just going to give them the antiviral and move onto the next one.
Like other people have been saying, it is starting out slow and it MAY pickup speed. It is really just a bad flu that is more contagious then normal.

At our hospitals, they're not testing unless the patient is serious enough to be admitted.

[mfantroy]

Here in St.Louis it might get to a point if you call 911 with flu-like symptoms and the EMS crews will show up in full PPE gear.



KSDK -- Local first responders do not want to be caught off guard if the swine flu spreads to Missouri, which is why West County EMS & Fire personnel began preparing for a local outbreak Tuesday morning.

Their biggest concern is making sure first responders stay healthy while they respond to potential swine flu patients. In the event people start calling 911 with flu-like symptoms, emergency crews will show up in full face masks, gloves, eyewear and protective gowns.

First responders say if an outbreak happens here, communication will be a top concern.

But right now the technology isn't there to let different departments, like West County and St Louis City, for example, to talk directly to each other. That's one problem they're already working to overcome.

"It's not like we'd be totally in the dark, no," says West County EMS & Fire Community Liaison Officer Kim Bacon. "We have plans in place to overcome the obstacle of communication. It is, however, delayed. It would be ideal, in a world where money wasn't an option, if we could all talk directly to each other. All disciplines, all departments, all the time."

One of those plans is to set up inter-agency communication centers to facilitate communication in the event of a pandemic.

The St. Louis County Health Department is also stepping up their surveillance of local hospitals and doctors offices to make sure they can stomp out any potential outbreak right away.

KSDK

[Gunner C]

Since Mexico is the land of my forefathers, I'm wondering . . . are these cases appearing predominately in Hispanic neighborhoods?  There's precious little that's actually being reported on the specifics of the spread of the piggie flu.  I was wondering if some sort of misguided PC junk is keeping good advice from being sent forward.  If there is any indication that this is the case, Hispanic neighborhoods need to be targeted for resources.

Our wonderful government already missed the boat with this epidemic - they figured out what's going on a couple of weeks late.  The Mexico City embassy was asleep.  Lo siento, y'all (South American Spanish phrase of the day).

[EMT-83]

^ From what I've heard, people infected were in Mexico on vacation or business. There's been nothing reported about certain ethnic groups being more susceptible than others.

One suspected case involves an adult with children in the same school system as some of our cadets. Let me think... who did I shake hands with?

[davidsinn]

Just for giggles does anyone know what Fed.gov's plan for rapid emergency deployment of a vaccine is?

I will give the answer tomorrow. 

[SJFedor]

I was talking to my brother who is a paramedic in the local ER, what he was saying is that in order to get a confirmed case it has to be lab proved. The lab process takes a long time and if you have a lot of sick people in the ER you are not going to worry about "proving" to the CDC and WHO that you have a confirmed case, you are just going to give them the antiviral and move onto the next one.
Like other people have been saying, it is starting out slow and it MAY pickup speed. It is really just a bad flu that is more contagious then normal.

At our hospitals, they're not testing unless the patient is serious enough to be admitted.

Part of our triage in the ER now is asking if they've been to certain areas affected by this (NYC, Mexico, Certain counties in TX and CA) as well as if they've got any symptoms of the flu. If they do, we pretty much treat them like every other flu patient, slap a surgical mask on them, try and get them out of the waiting room as quickly as possible, and send nasal and throat cultures.

I doubt this is gonna be nearly as bad as the media is marking it up to be, but oh well.

[cap235629]

here is a wrinkle to think about...

Air travel.

My wife and kids recently all came home from a trip to Philadelphia.  They were feeling fine.  After 4 flights they all had upper respiratory infections.

There is no air filtration in pressurized cabins on commercial aircraft.  EVERYONE is breathing the same recirculated air.

So all it would take is for 1 person on 1 flight to be a carrier and the exposure grows exponentially!

[MikeD]

here is a wrinkle to think about...

Air travel.

My wife and kids recently all came home from a trip to Philadelphia.  They were feeling fine.  After 4 flights they all had upper respiratory infections.

There is no air filtration in pressurized cabins on commercial aircraft.  EVERYONE is breathing the same recirculated air.

So all it would take is for 1 person on 1 flight to be a carrier and the exposure grows exponentially!

Scarey in general, but can the flu de joure be spread by airborne exposure?

[cap235629]

yes

[davidsinn]

Just for giggles does anyone know what Fed.gov's plan for rapid emergency deployment of a vaccine is?

I will give the answer tomorrow. 

Ok looks like there were no takers. The answer is:.....

They will mail it.


No joke. The USPS is the method of choice. Think of it this way: they already have a distribution system set up that hits every last part of the country. As a consequence mail carriers will be some of the first vaccinated should the bovine excrement hit the fan.

[capchiro]

I have heard of a recent exercise wherein CAP was requested to fly medical personnel and certain baggage in their possession (vaccine type) from one place to another in an atttempt to expidite same..

[davidsinn]

I have heard of a recent exercise wherein CAP was requested to fly medical personnel and certain baggage in their possession (vaccine type) from one place to another in an atttempt to expidite same..

I can see how we would speed up a point distribution but you can't beat the mail to get something to every hospital and clinic in a short amount of time.

[JayT]

You know, for a nurse, you should know better then to post something so inflammatory. That's just fear mongering.

I would like to echo Capt. Hiles response: Which part do you take exception too? Please clarify.

/r
Sandman
RN,PHN,BSN, and a few other letters....

Because people are already scared. For example, last night, and the night before, I did tours of duty in the Peds ER of a hospital in the next county over, close to NYC. Tueday night, perhaps one in every ten kids who came in had 'flu like symptoms' came in with a duck mask on, the staff looked'em over, sent them home.

Last night, it was one in every three kids, and the waiting room was full of people wearing duck masks. Kids who had no possibility of getting the flu, and none of the symptons were taking up beds for kids who were really sick and needed help. Now, of course this happens every few months (MRSA, SARS, Avian flu, head injuries aka Natasha Richardson Symptom.)

But, of course, it still put's a strain on EMS and hospital resources.

My exception came from the fact that, as medical professionals, we should be encouraging people to trust the medical system, and to listern to it's advice and warnings. Encourage people to take precautions, be careful, and to only go to the hospitals or clinics if they have symptoms that are really bad. Saying that 'FEMA will not be able to help' so early in this incident is implying that the medical services can't handle the situation, and will only cause more panic, more people rushing to the ER because they're kid has the sniffles because they ignore proper advice. And, of course we all know that staying in the hospital is a good way to pick up a nosocomical infection.

Also, I fear that some cadet on this site will read that, and spread it among his/her squadron and parents that a CAP nursing officers are already saying that the government isn't able to handle the problem.

Confidance in the system is what's needed.

If you guy's think I'm wrong with my logic, please email me and I'd love to discuss it with someone more experienced in the field.

But then again, I'm just a lowely EMT-CC student who's degree is going to be in psychology. I don't have all of the cool letters yet. :-p

[cnitas]

I get why 'fear mongering' is bad, but what part of Capt Hiles response was 'fear mongering'?

[Spike]

The SBA sent my small business 2 forms to complete and send back to CDC/ State Department telling them who runs the business and what employees are essential.  I have never seen such forms before in all my business owning experience. 

[Rotorhead]

here is a wrinkle to think about...

Air travel.

My wife and kids recently all came home from a trip to Philadelphia.  They were feeling fine.  After 4 flights they all had upper respiratory infections.

There is no air filtration in pressurized cabins on commercial aircraft.  EVERYONE is breathing the same recirculated air.

So all it would take is for 1 person on 1 flight to be a carrier and the exposure grows exponentially!

Just like with regular influenza.

Which kills many more people every year than "swine flu."

[Smithsonia]

Part of what is going on is:
1. a plethora of news coverage... most of it is reasonable... but the amount of coverage is over the top. Watch less news (1 hour a day) and you'll find yourself sleeping easier.

2. Part of it is: TV sweeps period is underway. May is always a ratings period. We love it when you watch the cliff hangars and series sign-offs. In TV news, we love November Hurricanes, we adore wars during February (the Gulf War was Feb '91 and the run up to Gulf War 2 was in Feb 2003. These are significant TV ratings periods. If we can get you to watch a few extra minutes per day... we make lot's of money.

3. People hear what they want to hear. There is part of us that enjoys the exhilaration of communal fear. We watch horror movies and talk about the misfortunes of others for the same reasons. I've often thought that partially this was the fault of us in TV. It is not. Take responsibility for your own dubious existential worries. You don't know the little girls that seem to disappear weekly but constantly reappear on Nancy Grace. You don't know the fallen Hollywood starlet or druggie pro-athlete either. Most of our fears are of our own imaginings. If you don't like this about yourself... then stop it. We are herd animals and it is part of our psyche. BUT, we do have control over this piece of business.

Written by a 43 year TV Professional in the field of News Promotion.

[N Harmon]

I've been laughing to this all week.

http://xkcd.org/574/

[SarDragon]

I've been laughing to this all week.

http://xkcd.org/574/

Here's the mouse-over text:

"Bad flu epidemics can hit young adults hardest because they provoke their powerful immune systems into overreaction, so to stay healthy spend the next few weeks drunk and sleep-deprived to keep yours suppressed."

[Always Ready]

"Bad flu epidemics can hit young adults hardest because they provoke their powerful immune systems into overreaction, so to stay healthy spend the next few weeks drunk and sleep-deprived to keep yours suppressed."

Wilco

On topic: I'm not worried about it. If it becomes more easily transferable between humans and more deadly, then I may worry...a little. Honestly, I'm treating it like I treat any other flu outbreak...I'm not changing a thing about my life So if I get any of you sick, sorry...sucks to be you