Ach!!.....

I had to go to Bakersfield yesterday and hadnÂt been in a few weeks so I planned on a big grocery shopping. It was like the day before a big holiday at every store I went to. Everyone was talking about getting what they needed and not coming back until the flu was over. Every store I went to had someone out front handing out disinfecting wipes I saw several people wearing masks. At Costco the guy at the door was cleaning the cart handles with Lysol as you walked in and giving out hand sanitizing wipes to everybody. My hands are sore this morning from all the sanitizing gel I used yesterday. Boy I hope this is just one of those things the news media hypes and is really not as bad as they say but this is getting scary.

Claudia

Same thing here, Claudia. In NY, it's even more so. DH decided to put some extra things in the apartment as a 'just in case' thing & he surely wasn't alone.

I'm hoping this blows over soon. DH is supposed to fly to Houston on May 6. So, we're watching their cases closely.

/tricia

I don't see much to worry about for most of us. We have better access to health care then much of the world should it be needed. Getting rest, exercise, and eating healthy, like we should be doing anyway, is probably the best we can do. Really hard to avoid the flu if it is going around so I'm just waiting my turn. Most of the time I'm so sore and tired that by the time I figure out I have the flu it is over with.

Chicken soup sounds good but I bought fixings for chili and already have 5lbs of smoked brisket to use up. Maybe a couple extra jalapenos... ten times more vitamin C than an orange!... or maybe a habenera and just smoke any virus stupid enough to enter my body.

: )
lyra

I haven't really marketed since last week. We've been out for dinner since last Friday night! I work in a school, so I'm definitely concerned. I was using my alcohol gel all day yesterday!

But DD had to fly today with the grands to Puerto Rico. We suggested that she not change planes in Texas unless absolutely necessary. So she's flying through Miami instead. I'm still nervous. The airport was busy, but not jammed.

I don't want to sound to flippant but this sort of reminds me of Y2K. A lot of media hype and coverage and a lot of manufactured fear. I live in Houston and am just going about my daily business as usual. And so, it seems, is everyone else. Had a pedicure after work yesterday. Stopped off at two grocery stores on the way home to pick up a few things. Went out to lunch today and the restaurant was as crowded as ever. I didn't see any signs of panic or upset.

Funny thing is, there seems to be more alarm in places that have not seen any cases than there is here. This weekend I'm headed off to San Marcos (outlet malls) for our annual girls' shopping weekend. Glad we weren't planning on going to Mexico but we're not making any adjustments in our plans.

A 23 month old toddler from Mexico died in Houston today. ~sigh~ Visiting relatives in Brownsville and got sick while he was in Texas.

I'm keeping Maggie (GD) tomorrow because she is sick and cannot go to school. Sad thing is the pre-school didn't know she was sick. DD discovered Maggie didn't feel well once she got home from work this afternoon. I'm not saying that she has the Swine Flu but I can see how this flu will spread like wildfire. Although I'm not changing my routine at all I guess I'll break down and buy some alcohol hand gel. We always thought a few germs were good for you...but not this one.

Good idea about making a chicken soup. I think I'll try to do that tomorrow while I'm home with Maggie.

Don't get me wrong, I am still going about my routine, just a bit more careful. And I am not too worried about this virus, but am about the one that it may mutate to in 6 to 12 weeks. My understanding is that this virus is slightly differant form the one in Mexico already.

Y2K was a dissapointment, but the bird flu was contained to Asia thanks to dilegent precautions taken by many countries.

And I did buy some chicken feet for stock yesterday.....

We get vigilant every flu season. People will show up with hacking kids and say they were to sick to go to school, so they decided to go to the library. Books get cleaned with antibacterial wipes when they come in, and (euw) you wouldn't believe how many people sit on the computers and cough without covering their mouths, or they sneeze into their hands and then grab the mouse. I figure we must have good resistance by now.

Today we put a huge box of kleenex at the computers with a sign pasted on it: "Please be considerate...Cover your coughs".

Although I know the threat is real, and this flu virus is a serious concern, I also believe the media tends to feed on our fear and make just about anything sound much worse than it is.

I don't intend to change my routine, either. I think plain old common sense is the best defense. I tend to avoid crowded places as much as possible anyway.

Linda

Peppi I'm more worried about folks like your dad (and mine!).

A 23 month old toddler from Mexico died in Houston today. ~sigh~ Visiting relatives in Brownsville and got sick while he was in Texas.

He arrived in Texas with "underlying health issues" and started showing symptoms 4 days later. I don't know what the incubation period is for swine flu but I would bet that he contracted the disease in Mexico before coming here. They transferred him to Houston for better care than he could get in Brownsville.

Apparently about 36,000 people die annually from flu. Who knew? Mostly it kills the very young and the very old, as they are the most vulnerable.

Like I said, it appears to me to be a lot of media induced fear. Let's face it, this kind of stuff makes good headlines, and it "sells papers".

Here is a link that might be useful: Mexican boy visiting Texas 1st US swine flu death

It's not media hype, although this is red meat to the media's 24/7 news cycle.

• The WHO on Wednesday raised its alert level to Phase 5, the second-highest, indicating a pandemic may be imminent, and was talking about moving to Phase 6. The Phase 5 alert -- the first ever -- activates added efforts to produce a vaccine.

"It really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic," WHO Director General Margaret Chan said in Geneva. "We do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them."

We have it in our county and we now have cases in the two towns next to mine. In New YOrk, ground zero seems to be St. Francis Prep in Queens and the cases in my area are adults who worked there.

I don't scare easily but I am also worried, especially for the young and old. I had Grace at the DR. Monday for a re-check of something else and there were 5 teenagers sitting int he waiting room (unusual) and I found out from the nurse after they all thought they had swine flu. I would have never brought Grace in...

We are taking common sense precautions with hand washing, etc. My son is on sports that has kids from different districts and I am debating about going tonight. I am not an alarmist, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

It is spreading fast.

Must say it has my attention.

I am a bit concerned about our road trip through the States especially the California, Texas, Arizona legs. We had originally thought of heading from LA to San Antonio along the the southern border but maybe we'll take a more central route.

One thing I find strange about this strain is that it seems to "favour" teens and young adults rather than the Boomers and the elderly.

Hi All!!

I was at my doctor yesterday for an unrelated issue and we got to talking about the flu in general.
My comment was that I got the flu last year-it was bad I was so sick I thought I was gonna die!! (Not kidding folks)
This year I got the flu shot and guess what??
In Mid-March-right on schedule I got the flu again although it was not as bad this year it sure has lingered in fact I still have a nagging cough most mornings!

Dr Lou says the swine flu is a very mild flu...He says it hits hard and fast but most feel better in a day or 2.
Tamiflu only works if you start taking it within 12-24 hours of the first symptoms also it does nothing to prevent the flu.

He also stated that the reason people die from the flu is some underlying pre existing condition (in most cases).
The very young, the very old and anyone with a compromised immune system...external lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking as well as poor eating habits and poor fitness levels all contribute to flu deaths.

I don't have any answers and I feel bad for those suffering but I do not plan on changing my routine other than turning off the news...too much hype for me!!

Please pass the homemade soup!!!!

Cheers!
Susie

I'm one of those with a 'compromised immune system' so I'm taking it seriously. There's no such thing as a mild flu for me. Last Friday, I added another positive marker to my collection...Sjogren's Disease. Geesh. So, now when I write that I'm saying something "tongue in cheek" you'll know that I'm not joking since my tongue is permanently stuck to my cheek!

/tricia

Jessy, my thoughts excactly! So far though it is only the young ones. Dad flies back home on Sunday so I think I will force him to shower as soon as he gets home just to wash the couties off. At 82 he is in good health but still...

Lysol kills flu germs.

I think the name "swine flu" makes it sound more scary than it is. And the poor pigs who are being killed around the world, ugh.

Flu kills thousands every year - any kind of flu. I've had it and it was not pleasant. But I am not scared by this one - just being my usual hand-washing, opening-doors-with-my-elbow regular self.

Remember SAR's from a few years back? And what about the flesh eating bacteria that killed a few people a couple of years ago. No problem being cautious but again, the media (the devil IMHO) overplays much of this for ratings. Not to say it shouldn't be taken seriously, but I always think there is a underlying reason for some of this hysteria. Stay healthy everybody and remember...none of us get out of this thing alive!

Duane

The problem with this as I understand it, is that it has the capability to jump species....it has already gone from hogs to humans....could it then go to birds? and then mutate once again and go back to humans?
This flu is different because it has the potential to change so rapidly.
Linda C....washing ehr hands, squirting that alcohol gel and slurping Scotch....as everyone knows alcohol kills germs....and I want to be sure my insides are as sterile as my hands!!
Linda C

I hope this is a case of the news media over blowing things as usual but who knows they overplay everything so we never know when to take things seriously. I just read the history of the 1918 flu pandemic on Wikipedia and I hope that is not what is happening now. It was a virus that started in the spring was somewhat mild at the beginning and became deadlier when it came back around in the fall. It said the virus, H1N1, kills via a cytokine storm, overreaction of the bodyÂs immune system, and thatÂs why mostly the 20 to 40 group was hit the hardest. The strong immune systems of young adults ravaged the body, whereas the weaker immune systems of children and middle-aged adults caused fewer deaths. Maybe I should worry about my 23 year old DGS and not so much about my 88 year old dad.

DH came home yesterday and ask if this was caption trips. He is a Stephen King fan and The Stand has always been one of his favorite books. I told him to let me know if he starts dreaming about an old woman in Nebraska.LOL

Claudia