Listened to the guy  who heads vaccine developement at WHO ( actually a New Zealander based in the States!) tonight and he said it could take 5 to 6 months to produce a vaccine for this strain of 'flu. He did say that it appears those most affected tend to be younger and that older people may have some immunity because of similar 'flus we have contracted over the years. No consolation for parents, that  information.

Swine Flu Baffles Experts And Raises More Questions Than Answers

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/148015.php

Good update Lynn.  Here in Texas, all UIL competitions have been canceled as well as shutting down more schools.  On Mon., I spoke with my RD and she gave me a prescription for one of the flu preventatives, there are two - Relenza and Tamiflu, to have just in case I needed it.  We also got one for DH, as it is more likely he will come in contact with it than me.

However, we were going to have it filled, just in case, and it is hard to find.  Loads of people are coming across the boarder, it is reported, to have just such prescriptions filled as Mexico is low on the drug. 
I was at Bingo all night, so I haven't caught up on the latest news (about to do that now).  Yep, we've had our first fatality here in the States (a little boy visiting from Mexico) and we've had several cases here in Illinois (including at least one in my county).  Luckily most cases seem to be mild and self-limiting, but damn it seems to spread quickly.  I'm getting a bit more worried - my husband is a cardiac patient and my stepmom and brother are quite ill and probably would land in the ICU even with a "mild" case of flu.

Wash your hands, and stay home if you're sick!!!

Here's a tracker from GOOGLE:

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.488281&z=5

I see Biden needs to be quarantined for foot-in-mouth disease again... Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not recommend taking any commercial flight or riding in a subway car “at this point” because swine flu virus can spread “in confined places.” A little more than one hour later, Biden rushed out a statement backing off.

“I would tell members of my family — and I have — I wouldn’t go anywhere in confined places now,” Biden said on NBC’s “Today” show.. “It’s not that it’s going to Mexico. It’s [that] you’re in a confined aircraft. When one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft. That’s me. …

“So, from my perspective, what it relates to is mitigation. If you’re out in the middle of a field when someone sneezes, that’s one thing. If you’re in a closed aircraft or closed container or closed car or closed classroom, it’s a different thing.”

That contradicted more restrained advice from President Barack Obama and the federal government — and the last thing the White House wants to do right now is shut down the airline industry and big-city subways out of mass panic.

The White House quickly arranged for Biden to make this statement through a spokesperson.

“On the Today Show this morning, the vice president was asked what he would tell a family member who was considering air travel to Mexico this week. The advice he is giving family members is the same advice the administration is giving to all Americans: that they should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways. This is the advice the vice president has given family members who are traveling by commercial airline this week. As the president said just last night, every American should take the same steps you would take to prevent any other flu: Keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work if you're sick and keep your children home from school if they're sick.”

 

Host Matt Lauer had asked the vice president: “This is by no means a ‘gotcha’ type of question. … But if a member of your family came to you … and said, ‘Look, I want to go on a commercial airliner to Mexico, and back within the next week,’ would you think it’s a good idea?” Biden made it unmistakably clear he would not want his family to make any trips on planes or subways.

These sorts of comments are what the Obama administration fears from Biden, who after more than three decades in Washington is known for making gaffes.

Biden has had fewer of them since the election and even fewer since taking office. Recently, he stirred things up by saying he was once in the Oval Office with George W. Bush and told the president that no one was following his leadership. Karl Rove flatly called Biden a "liar."

“If you are feeling certain flu symptoms, don't get on an airplane, don't get on any system of public transportation where you're confined and you could potentially spread the virus. So those are the steps that I think we need to take right now. But understand that because this is a new strain, we have to be cautious.”

Before taking office, Biden was the unpredictable one in the Obama team. He compared the economic crisis with Sept. 11, saying, "We're at war!" and he said it was “a mistake” that Obama selected a CIA director without consulting the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Geoff Freeman, the senior vice president of the Travel Industry Association of America, called Biden's comments "unfortunate."

"We need to leave this in the hands of the medical experts, and medical experts are not discouraging anyone" from using these modes of transportation, he said.

Biden and other government officials "need to be very cognizant of the words they use and not make inflammatory comments."

"We're pleased to see the White House working to clarify these comments, and we urge all elected officials to watch their words because they can take on a life of their own."

To keep from getting sick, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends: “Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.”

Obama said at his news conference on Wednesday night that “individual families [need to] start taking very sensible precautions — that can make a huge difference.

“So wash your hands when you shake hands,” he advised. “Cover your mouth when you cough. I know it sounds trivial, but it makes a huge difference. If you are sick, stay home. If your child is sick, keep them out of school.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090430/pl_politico/21925;_ylt=Ag8P.44Sbv8w6Gc3gv5EoXms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTJkZ25qbjlxBGFzc2V0A3BvbGl0aWNvLzIwMDkwNDMwLzIxOTI1BGNwb3MDNgRwb3MDMTMEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDYmlkZW5zYXlzYXZv

Today all only essential government agencies will work in Mexico ( police, fire ). Telling evrybody to close work for  at least 5 days and stay home. Where the heck is Obama ? Why is he and Jenet Napalitano ( sp ) allwoing flight in from say Mexico city. PC perhaps? So he may care more about being PC the out nations citizens health ??? He is so over his head[QUOTE=JasmineRain]I see Biden needs to be quarantined for foot-in-mouth disease again...

Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not recommend taking any commercial flight or riding in a subway car “at this point” because swine flu virus can spread “in confined places.” A little more than one hour later, Biden rushed out a statement backing off.

“I would tell members of my family — and I have — I wouldn’t go anywhere in confined places now,” Biden said on NBC’s “Today” show.. “It’s not that it’s going to Mexico. It’s [that] you’re in a confined aircraft. When one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft. That’s me. …

“So, from my perspective, what it relates to is mitigation. If you’re out in the middle of a field when someone sneezes, that’s one thing. If you’re in a closed aircraft or closed container or closed car or closed classroom, it’s a different thing.”

That contradicted more restrained advice from President Barack Obama and the federal government — and the last thing the White House wants to do right now is shut down the airline industry and big-city subways out of mass panic.

The White House quickly arranged for Biden to make this statement through a spokesperson.

“On the Today Show this morning, the vice president was asked what he would tell a family member who was considering air travel to Mexico this week. The advice he is giving family members is the same advice the administration is giving to all Americans: that they should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways. This is the advice the vice president has given family members who are traveling by commercial airline this week. As the president said just last night, every American should take the same steps you would take to prevent any other flu: Keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work if you're sick and keep your children home from school if they're sick.”

 

Host Matt Lauer had asked the vice president: “This is by no means a ‘gotcha’ type of question. … But if a member of your family came to you … and said, ‘Look, I want to go on a commercial airliner to Mexico, and back within the next week,’ would you think it’s a good idea?” Biden made it unmistakably clear he would not want his family to make any trips on planes or subways.

These sorts of comments are what the Obama administration fears from Biden, who after more than three decades in Washington is known for making gaffes.

Biden has had fewer of them since the election and even fewer since taking office. Recently, he stirred things up by saying he was once in the Oval Office with George W. Bush and told the president that no one was following his leadership. Karl Rove flatly called Biden a "liar."

“If you are feeling certain flu symptoms, don't get on an airplane, don't get on any system of public transportation where you're confined and you could potentially spread the virus. So those are the steps that I think we need to take right now. But understand that because this is a new strain, we have to be cautious.”

Before taking office, Biden was the unpredictable one in the Obama team. He compared the economic crisis with Sept. 11, saying, "We're at war!" and he said it was “a mistake” that Obama selected a CIA director without consulting the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Geoff Freeman, the senior vice president of the Travel Industry Association of America, called Biden's comments "unfortunate."

"We need to leave this in the hands of the medical experts, and medical experts are not discouraging anyone" from using these modes of transportation, he said.

Biden and other government officials "need to be very cognizant of the words they use and not make inflammatory comments."

"We're pleased to see the White House working to clarify these comments, and we urge all elected officials to watch their words because they can take on a life of their own."

To keep from getting sick, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends: “Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.”

Obama said at his news conference on Wednesday night that “individual families [need to] start taking very sensible precautions — that can make a huge difference.

“So wash your hands when you shake hands,” he advised. “Cover your mouth when you cough. I know it sounds trivial, but it makes a huge difference. If you are sick, stay home. If your child is sick, keep them out of school.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090430/pl_politico/21925;_ylt=Ag8P.44Sbv8w6Gc3gv5EoXms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTJkZ25qbjlxBGFzc2V0A3BvbGl0aWNvLzIwMDkwNDMwLzIxOTI1BGNwb3MDNgRwb3MDMTMEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDYmlkZW5zYXlzYXZv

[/QUOTE]

Sorting fact from fiction about swine flu

Officials closer to answering key questions — and disproving wrong theories

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30484783/ I think that the advice that VP Biden would give his family is good advice for every american family. He is right on. President Obama when asked about closing the border (not quoting) said that he thinks it's too late because "the horses are already out of the barn". The virus has already gotten to the United States from Mexico, so why keep out others with the disease. I think that he couldn't be more wrong. If we have 100 Mexicans with the flu, I believe we are safer and maybe more likely to be spared the virus than if 200, 300, 400, 500, of the death carriers enter into our country. Keep in mind that the vacine for this flu was developed quite some time ago and more than likely the virus has already mutated. From the front page of the LA Times - Others have concluded that cytokine storm was the cause of many of the 1918 deaths. What started the cytokine storm?  I just think it's interesting that strep was bacterial superinfection. [QUOTE=JasmineRain]Others have concluded that cytokine storm was the cause of many of the 1918 deaths. [/QUOTE]

Yes. Although I cannot immediately offer links to the many articles with this conclusion the immediacy of symptoms and the postmortem examinations of lung tissue certainly seems to follow the details of a cytokine strom.

I am off to Mexico City in a few hours as part of a relief effort to bring anti-viral medications and palliative relief to those stricken by this horrendous circumstance/situation.
Pip, go google 'cytokine storm' if you want more info.  I'm going to lay down on my heating pad - this laptop is making my neck and shoulder hurt worse.

Not every illness is due to strep.  We are wonderfully complex organisms, and there are plenty of wonderfully complex organisms just waiting to infect us.  In addition we're not always built to spec, or we sustain damage somewhere along our journey.  Our self-repair mechanisms don't always restore us back to factory newness.  All these issues contribute to various illnesses.  I don't think it does anyone any good to always implicate strep.
[QUOTE=levlarry]I think that the advice that VP Biden would give his family is good advice for every american family. He is right on. President Obama when asked about closing the border (not quoting) said that he thinks it's too late because "the horses are already out of the barn". The virus has already gotten to the United States from Mexico, so why keep out others with the disease. I think that he couldn't be more wrong. If we have 100 Mexicans with the flu, I believe we are safer and maybe more likely to be spared the virus than if 200, 300, 400, 500, of the death carriers enter into our country. Keep in mind that the vacine for this flu was developed quite some time ago and more than likely the virus has already mutated. [/QUOTE] thank you.  What is the name of your organization?  I mean, maybe we can chip in and help. Like I said, if we don't treat it at the source, we can't control the spread.  Good on you, Shug, you are in my thoughts! Edited as I had to answer a phone call:

http://swineflu.ning.com/forum/topics/what-projects-should-we-tackle

http://https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=197

http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_subsrc=RCO_RedTab&s_src=DRF
Spelunker2009-04-30 10:54:38ThanksI'll say a prayer for you and your group that you will have safe travels and help as many people as possible while you are there. When do you leave?[QUOTE=JasmineRain]Pip, go google 'cytokine storm' if you want more info.  I'm going to lay down on my heating pad - this laptop is making my neck and shoulder hurt worse.

Not every illness is due to strep.  We are wonderfully complex organisms, and there are plenty of wonderfully complex organisms just waiting to infect us.  In addition we're not always built to spec, or we sustain damage somewhere along our journey.  Our self-repair mechanisms don't always restore us back to factory newness.  All these issues contribute to various illnesses.  I don't think it does anyone any good to always implicate strep.
[/QUOTE]