The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: thundley4 on May 11, 2009, 09:00:42 AM
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MONDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- Confirmed cases of H1N1 swine flu in the United States climbed to more than 2,500 by Monday, and the U.S. now surpasses Mexico as the country most affected by the outbreak, according to World Health Organization figures.
The number of deaths in the United States linked to the illness rose to three over the weekend, with health officials in Washington state reporting late Saturday that an unidentified man in his 30s had succumbed to the infection.
In a state Department of Health news release, officials said the man, who had an underlying heart condition, died last week with what appeared to be complications from the swine flu, the Associated Press reported.
The man's death came after two prior fatal U.S. cases of swine flu: a 33-year-old woman in Texas, and a Mexican toddler who had been treated at a Texas hospital. Both of those individuals also had chronic underlying medical conditions.
The swine flu count in the United States now stands at 2,532 confirmed cases in 44 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday. On Saturday, CDC officials said those numbers included 104 hospitalizations. The vast majority of cases are mild, however.
"We had expected more cases and we are continuing to find them," Dr. Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for science and public health program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a Saturday teleconference.
The jump in confirmed cases is partly due to the reduction in the backlog of testing for infections. But the number of confirmed cases is probably an underestimation of the total number of actual cases as the virus continues to spread, Schuchat said.
Link (http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/cdc-/626981.html)
I really don't understand what the :censored: is going on. A couple of weeks ago this was the top story, and almost causing people to panic. It is spreading more quickly and doesn't seem to be slowing, but suddenly it's no longer news. Is there some reason that they dropped this story?
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Link (http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/cdc-/626981.html)
I really don't understand what the :censored: is going on. A couple of weeks ago this was the top story, and almost causing people to panic. It is spreading more quickly and doesn't seem to be slowing, but suddenly it's no longer news. Is there some reason that they dropped this story?
I think that because it hasn't been as deadly as feared in the US, which I suspect is mainly because of the news coverage and aggressive anti-viral treatment by doctors, it is no longer newsworthy. My concern is that as it spreads more widely more people are going to get sicker, but because the media is no longer making a big deal about it, they won't seek medical attention as quickly as they are now, and we'll end up with even more deaths. Fortunately, the US does have a excellent medical system, despite what the DUmmies tell us, so hopefully people will be able to get treatment when necessary.
I still think there should have been more aggressive quarantining when this first appeared in the US.
Keep washing your hands people!
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I think the media cooled because it was beginning to be an embarrassment. After it became known that 35,000 people in the USA died last year as a result of flu and no one panicked, what's the point?
This current strain of "swine" flu does not appear to be especially aggressive or deadly. The initial hype reminds me of the Global Warming Ongoing Hysteria Movement. Never pass up a good chance to scare people. It makes them easier to mold and conform.
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I have to wonder if the fear mongering and near panic didn't help to prevent it becoming more serious, and if that will change.
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The U.S. leads the world in cases because we have better and more available diagnosis.
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"Never let a good crisis go to waste". The Obama crowd has already milked this one and are looking for the next one.
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And all of the deaths (here at least) have been due to underlying medical issues. As with any flu or virus, those with existing medical problems are always the most vunerable. That's no different than the normal flu.
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"Never let a good crisis go to waste". The Obama crowd has already milked this one and are looking for concocting the next one.
Fixorated. :II: