christa 1's Comments
hope they upset 4chan. morons. no one messes with 4chans cats.
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I am glad to see some commenters here are actively and correctly analyzing the threat of swine flu. I am currently obtaining a masters degree in global public health with a focus on emerging infectious diseases. Let's note a few things of important:
1. The Spanish flu originally circulated as a moderately infectious and virulent strain before mutating and killing 30 million people. The ability for the strain to attenuate is largely due to the lack of containment and surveillance of the disease.
2. I assume most of you are healthy adults. This strain of flu is more deadly to healthy adults. The over-response of the immune system in healthy adults is usually the cause of death, rather than the actual virus itself.
3. Why have prior pandemics been able to spread so quickly? Well, lets simply apply some common-knowledge to that one. No internet. A lack of global surveillance. When the media can disseminate information to a large number of people quickly and those people can take precautions, the ability for the flu to spread is reduced. Obviously this is not the sole or main reason the flu isn't a pandemic yet, but it's certain a factor.
4. Comparing car crash mortality rates and influenza mortality rates is simply ridiculous. Yes, car crashes are a major problem. Go ahead and list off every god damn probably cause of death you want and talk about how "more people die every day of disease/accident/x." The truth of this matter is, if you all found out in a few months, when this disease subsides, that a highly infectious and potentially deadly strain of flu was infecting hundred of persons in the U.S, Mexico, Europe and a host of other nations, YOU WOULD BE LIGHTING UP MESSAGE BOARDS bitching about the lack of transparency in government and media. This point is the one that irks me that post as a person working in public health. If we do EVERYTHING we can to keep you safe from disease, people act bratty and laugh at the "overreaction" to the threat. If we do nothing and a disease emerges, everyone gets angry and tells acts why we did not do our job.
The truth of the matter is, diseases are highly unpredictable. At this moment, there are thousands of epidemiologists and public health workers flying into the center of the epidemic in Mexico to track this disease and determine the best ways to contain it. I'd like to see how many of you would be willing to go with them right now. Please don't mock the efforts of the people educated to deal with these problems.
1. The Spanish flu originally circulated as a moderately infectious and virulent strain before mutating and killing 30 million people. The ability for the strain to attenuate is largely due to the lack of containment and surveillance of the disease.
2. I assume most of you are healthy adults. This strain of flu is more deadly to healthy adults. The over-response of the immune system in healthy adults is usually the cause of death, rather than the actual virus itself.
3. Why have prior pandemics been able to spread so quickly? Well, lets simply apply some common-knowledge to that one. No internet. A lack of global surveillance. When the media can disseminate information to a large number of people quickly and those people can take precautions, the ability for the flu to spread is reduced. Obviously this is not the sole or main reason the flu isn't a pandemic yet, but it's certain a factor.
4. Comparing car crash mortality rates and influenza mortality rates is simply ridiculous. Yes, car crashes are a major problem. Go ahead and list off every god damn probably cause of death you want and talk about how "more people die every day of disease/accident/x." The truth of this matter is, if you all found out in a few months, when this disease subsides, that a highly infectious and potentially deadly strain of flu was infecting hundred of persons in the U.S, Mexico, Europe and a host of other nations, YOU WOULD BE LIGHTING UP MESSAGE BOARDS bitching about the lack of transparency in government and media. This point is the one that irks me that post as a person working in public health. If we do EVERYTHING we can to keep you safe from disease, people act bratty and laugh at the "overreaction" to the threat. If we do nothing and a disease emerges, everyone gets angry and tells acts why we did not do our job.
The truth of the matter is, diseases are highly unpredictable. At this moment, there are thousands of epidemiologists and public health workers flying into the center of the epidemic in Mexico to track this disease and determine the best ways to contain it. I'd like to see how many of you would be willing to go with them right now. Please don't mock the efforts of the people educated to deal with these problems.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idCNN2446846220090925?rpc=44