bird flu from asia?

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Well, I've had only had the flu once since I stopped taking the flu shot.

My dad was the same way.

But it is true, drugs do not affect/effect(which ever, too lazy right now) me in the same way as the average person. I.E. if labeling states one may get diarehha, I get constipated! If labeling states you'll be constipated, I get diarehha! If labeling states one may feel droggy, I'm hyper and vise versa. I remember, when I had medical insurance, my doctor telling me, "Why don't you just exorcise(sp?)?"

I choose to be drug free.

Another example, I just had a root canal and the doctor wanted to prescribe me some kind of drug. I asked if I could just take ibuprofen if I had pain, he said to take in 600-800 mg. A few days later he called to see how I was doing or if I needed the prescription & I told him I didn't even need the ibuprofen stuff. He said, "That's freakish." I replied with, "Thanks!".

How are the twins Momma?



*****

Dammit. Get your flu shots, if you die I don't want anyone blaming me. I'm not.

[Sean]

Originally Posted by cacophony

admittedly i don't have the energy to read this whole thread, and i'm sure there are awesome little tidbits sprinkled throughout, but why should anyone apologize for making statements on the origin of this virus? life isn't like CSI, the CDC doesn't walk onto the scene of a breakout and know everything instantly. it's going to be a long time before this thing is fully understood. anyway, i'm probably responding to something that wasn't intended as i read it.

i'm concerned that people are becoming cynical about the warnings and preparation and press coverage now that the virus is proving to be less deadly than we feared. like because the worst didn't happen we should blame the government or media or whathaveyou for "fearmongering." just seems like the way the wind is blowing. but the fact is, there was no way of knowing in the beginning how serious this new illness would be. based on reports of deaths and a very rapid spread it made sense to mobilize the way everyone did. still, it just seems like that cynicism is out there on the horizon. we didn't all die, so why did we bother caring?

the way these viruses typically work, it will be back next fall and it will actually be worse and harder to fight off. i just hope we haven't decided this was a "cry wolf" situation here and decide to ignore the warnings next flu season.

For me, the problem is that reporting on this was blown out of proportion to the point that it's probably hurt more people than the flu itself has. The pork industry - which has zero chance of actually spreading the H1N1 flu - has taken a big hit, entire pig farms are being culled, and in Egypt, Christian pig farm owners are even having to physically fight off those who would force them to unnecessarily destroy their livelihoods. So while I agree that it's worthwhile to be cautious and prepare for the worst just in case, the reporting has been sensationalized to an unreasonable extent, and has single-handedly caused an unreasonable, damaging and dangerous panic around the entire globe - all in the name of having that attention-grabbing lead story every day whether it's warranted or not.

[Dunwho]

Jeeeze when did this get so serious?

Im just wondering... do you think there is an evil pig out there... gettin a little extra muddy... maybe sticking his snout in a bit of charlie and has been gettin 'round a bit...

....all the pigs know who he is but nobody wants to say it....they are afraid... cus this pig means business...

...i mean its real hard to come back after such a crash and burn as he experience... one day it was king of the farm and red carpet "ho downs"....next day it was being beat up in an alley way in the bad part of town...high on shit heroine...and willing to sell his own ass for a hit...

....what was a pig doing in the big city anyway!?

...this pig just turned evil...he wanted his own back....he called it swine flu...




we call him...


BABE

EVIL! SHOOT ON SIGHT

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

You should stick to making music.

[Dunwho]

Originally Posted by jOHN rODRIGUEZ

You should stick to making music.

All im sayin is chill it out and treat this whole thing as it really is.. a bit of the flu on a bad news week..

...i guess the "seriousness" that this thread inherited scared me a little....

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Originally Posted by Dunwho

All im sayin is chill it out and treat this whole thing as it really is.. a bit of the flu on a bad news week..

If you say so. **

Originally Posted by Dunwho

...i guess the "seriousness" that this thread inherited scared me a little....

yeah, yeah, yeah, right.

I'm gonna miss the jokes and be bored. Again.

[cacophony]

Originally Posted by Sean

For me, the problem is that reporting on this was blown out of proportion to the point that it's probably hurt more people than the flu itself has.

i beg to differ. it was handled in exactly the proportion it needed to be handled while the nature of the virus was unknown. at the point that the news broke and the first cases were coming to light the mexican government was saying hundreds of people were already sick and as many as a hundred people were already dead. that was on first report and discovery of the illness. it spoke to a virulence that could be catastrophic if it wasn't contained. couple that with the rapid rate at which new cases popped up, in country after country after country, and you're talking about a knew, poorly understood virus with incredibly fast transmission and the mexican government raising the alert that it could kill as fast as it could travel. not only that, the reports coming out of mexico were saying it was the young and fit who were dying first, which is a highly abnormal way for the flu to kill. so now you've got fast transmission, rapid death, and illness among the strong. all reasons to react as quickly and as vocally as the WHO and CDC did.

it takes time to understand microoganisms. in the time it takes to isolate and thoroughly understand the nature of a virus and study how illness affects the infected, they can spread to hundreds and thousands of immune-compromised people.

it takes one person contracting a new, deadly virus to walk into a daycare or nursing home, sneeze, and touch a doorknob.

what we CAN'T do is decide it's crying wolf just because the world didn't end. you can't know the level of pandemic that something like this is going to reach without studying its mode of transmission and trying to keep pace with it. you can't get one step ahead of an unknown new bug.


what if katrina had never hit new orleans? knowing what you know now, do you think people would have been any safer living in the 9th ward with the insufficient levees just because that one storm didn't hit? what would happen the next time a storm really did hit? the danger was present. if evacuating 3 times on a false alarm means the 4th evacuation clears people from deadly consequences, the 3 false alarms were worthwhile drills.

[cacophony]

Originally Posted by Dunwho

...i guess the "seriousness" that this thread inherited scared me a little....

Originally Posted by jOHN rODRIGUEZ

I'm gonna miss the jokes and be bored. Again.

last time i checked this forum was still called "world." i joined dirty way back in, what, 2001 or 2002 maybe, and the world forum has always been the world forum.

if it's become nothing more than a showcase for the john show i'll be happy to piss off for another 6 months.

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

Originally Posted by cacophony

if it's become nothing more than a showcase for the john show i'll be happy to piss off for another 6 months.

No apologies for your seeing it that way. There are other people posting here, not just I.

If that's your attitude, I won't miss you. Cheers!

*****

BTW everyone: DunWho is in the lead, I think, in number of posts. This is the Dunwho Show! I'm simply a participating spectator. Sadly, ratings are sinking and it will be cancelled soon.


*****

Well, I'll be damned. The Dunwho Show has been renewed for another season: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30563707/

[Sean]

Originally Posted by cacophony

i beg to differ. it was handled in exactly the proportion it needed to be handled while the nature of the virus was unknown. at the point that the news broke and the first cases were coming to light the mexican government was saying hundreds of people were already sick and as many as a hundred people were already dead. that was on first report and discovery of the illness. it spoke to a virulence that could be catastrophic if it wasn't contained. couple that with the rapid rate at which new cases popped up, in country after country after country, and you're talking about a knew, poorly understood virus with incredibly fast transmission and the mexican government raising the alert that it could kill as fast as it could travel. not only that, the reports coming out of mexico were saying it was the young and fit who were dying first, which is a highly abnormal way for the flu to kill. so now you've got fast transmission, rapid death, and illness among the strong. all reasons to react as quickly and as vocally as the WHO and CDC did.

it takes time to understand microoganisms. in the time it takes to isolate and thoroughly understand the nature of a virus and study how illness affects the infected, they can spread to hundreds and thousands of immune-compromised people.

it takes one person contracting a new, deadly virus to walk into a daycare or nursing home, sneeze, and touch a doorknob.

what we CAN'T do is decide it's crying wolf just because the world didn't end. you can't know the level of pandemic that something like this is going to reach without studying its mode of transmission and trying to keep pace with it. you can't get one step ahead of an unknown new bug.


what if katrina had never hit new orleans? knowing what you know now, do you think people would have been any safer living in the 9th ward with the insufficient levees just because that one storm didn't hit? what would happen the next time a storm really did hit? the danger was present. if evacuating 3 times on a false alarm means the 4th evacuation clears people from deadly consequences, the 3 false alarms were worthwhile drills.

Reports that "swine flu could wipe out tens of millions of people" (actual CNN quote) when only like a dozen people were actually sick is irresponsible overkill to an incredible, brazenly out of proportion degree.