H1N1

[enismirdal]

Well, it's official: swine flu is in my department. Someone I actually know has it, rather than just "four people in Computer Science" or "John's sister". I'm not actually concerned for my wellbeing or anything like that, but it's intriguing to see how fast it's taken off in London now.

And for anyone who I haven't yet told, I walked past the Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, earlier this week when he was being interviewed for ITN. He was outside a local hospital where they've been dispensing Tamiflu. I guess I should have moved into the camera shot and held up some sort of sign protesting about all the world's injustices.

So, the inevitable poll...

[Poll #1434150]

Comments

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Bah, typo in poll. Oh well. Too late to do anything now.

[ilanin.livejournal.com]

Um. Enidear, does your second sentence mean that everyone should be ticking the friend of a friend box?

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

*grins* Technically correct... Teehee!

[deborah_c]

I'm not entirely sure what I have, but talking to the doctor in the morning, and really hoping it's not...

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

There are 20 dead here, and many more infected. They say nearly 3000. It we cut down by 50%, it's still a lot of people. The weather is very mild here, so dying of flu, any flu, is worrisome.

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Yeah - last time I checked there were about 30 dead in the UK, but all but about 5 of them already had serious health problems. The figures on infections are not even being properly counted any more - they reckon perhaps as many as 100,000. My borough's one of the hotspots and they're getting 700 reports a day of possible new cases.

So yeah, people are dying, which is very sad for their families, but there's no evidence that it's more dangerous here in the UK than normal flu, really. Though it does have rather odd demographics, seeming to affect children more often than old people.

I'm glad they seem to have mostly got the message across that swine flu parties are not such a great idea, however!

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

(nod) Many of the reported cases might not be swine flu, I know. The ones who died here were children, old people, and at least one woman who was pregnant. The younger woman not pregnant who died was either asthmatic or had diabetes. It seems that if you had health problems, the flu hits you harder. And yes, children and old people, that should be a matter of research, no? Unless they die because their bodies are not yet /no longer able to fight the flu properly.

Swine flu parties?

[jay-of-lasgalen.livejournal.com]

We found out yesterday that one of the trainees who worked with us for ten weeks up until last week has it.

[emperor]

I think at least one of my LJ-fiends has been off with flu.

[(Anonymous)]

Confirmed or suspected? I was under the impression that they weren't rushing to confirm cases any more but I might be misinformed.
Abner

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

They're not confirming them with lab tests any more, but the helpline and website are checking people's symptoms and if you tick enough boxes they declare it to be swine flu and prescribe you Tamiflu if they think it's necessary. Something like that, anyway.

So I'd say, if the Flu Helpline says it's swine flu, it counts. If it's just suspected then it's more equivocal!

[x19narya90x.livejournal.com]

Me and my sister were wondering if some people might have had it and not realised what it was - just dismissed it as a bad cold or something.

I'm very firmly in the "don't panic" camp, and I'm getting sick of the media scare-mongering!

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you're quite right. There does seem to be a whole spectrum of responses, from "manky cold" through "full-blown flu" to those occasional unfortunates who get it really really critically. I suspect that normal flu is the same, though. I've never had full-blown flu that I can recall, but a few times I've had stinking colds that have been bearable, if not pleasant, so long as I dope myself up to the eyebrows with painkillers.