Swine Flu

heather93277

So I'm sure you've all heard of this swine flu. I had been reading the news stories but got quite a wake up call today.

A school has been closed in the city I live in because there has been 1 confirmed and 1 suspected case. My children don't attend this school but the actual school is located about 1.5 miles from my home. This leads me to the thought that the family/families probably shop where I do, etc. A little scary! :noway:

I just wanted to send out a reminder to please wash your hands and wash them often!! If you or your kids are feeling sick, stay home and get well.

Since a lot of us work out in gyms, be sure to wipe down equipment and weights before and after using them. Better safe than sorry!!

Let's stay safe & healthy!! :flowerforyou:

heather93277

So I'm sure you've all heard of this swine flu. I had been reading the news stories but got quite a wake up call today.

A school has been closed in the city I live in because there has been 1 confirmed and 1 suspected case. My children don't attend this school but the actual school is located about 1.5 miles from my home. This leads me to the thought that the family/families probably shop where I do, etc. A little scary! :noway:

I just wanted to send out a reminder to please wash your hands and wash them often!! If you or your kids are feeling sick, stay home and get well.

Since a lot of us work out in gyms, be sure to wipe down equipment and weights before and after using them. Better safe than sorry!!

Let's stay safe & healthy!! :flowerforyou:

memaw66

They have closed all of the schools in the district I live in, I don't have school aged children but I am always in large crowded areas. The first confirmed cases were in the school that my children graduated from!!! Yikes, so close to home!!!!

I hope it's contained soon! This is VERY scary!


Stay healthy everyone!!!


Memaw

heather93277

Update, just saw they upped the level to a 5. Level 6 is an all out pandemic. Sheesh!

Anna_Banana

It's very scary. We are in Nebraska, which doesn't have any cases reported yet. But it makes me nerveous to send my kids out the door.

NykkieC

Wow...scary. :frown:

quinnybear

i know this is a serious topic, but... heres a little funny story:
my dad and i ride bikes with a cycling group on tuesdays and he always calls me midday to ask if i still plan on riding. well yesterday he calls me and says "i'm not going to ride today, i've got that flu thats been going around." :frown:

it took a second of silence on my part for my dad to say "not that swine flu. just the regular flu!" :laugh:

Dave198lbs

all propaganda

proceed with your normal daily lives

kerrilucko

all propaganda

proceed with your normal daily lives

Dave this may be a first... but I completely agree with you.

heather93277

all propaganda

proceed with your normal daily lives

Dave this may be a first... but I completely agree with you.

That may be the case, but still doesn't hurt anything to be sure to wash hands and such

michlingle

will swine flu help with weight loss? :laugh: I agree, this is being blown out of proportion....Let's see, appoximately 40k die per year of the regular flu, 160 people have died so far from swine, and there's 7billion people in the world, the numbers just don't scare me yet.

Dave198lbs

all propaganda

proceed with your normal daily lives

Dave this may be a first... but I completely agree with you.

That may be the case, but still doesn't hurt anything to be sure to wash hands and such

I wash my hands anyway...don't you?

michlingle

Oh and just so we're all aware, it's an yellow on the Department of Homeland Security Alert System, so still be afraid, just not terrified.

kerrilucko

all propaganda

proceed with your normal daily lives

Dave this may be a first... but I completely agree with you.

That may be the case, but still doesn't hurt anything to be sure to wash hands and such

I wash my hands anyway...don't you?

absolutely. And all the precautions you NORMALLY take to prevent illness from spreading- don't share food and drink, cover your mouth when you cough, etc, are the best things you can do to protect yourself and your family. But seriously guys. SARS hit WAY worse than this so far has... and I still think IT was blown way out of proportion.

Marla64

All I keep thinking is the Carol Burnett skit during the last mass swine flu hysteria of the '70s-- (I can still remember having to line up for my shot before going back to school-- :noway: )

Carol's diagnosed and turns to the camera and has a pig snout-- they knew enough to poke fun. So, oh my-- please people-- calm yourselves-- if the media didn't have something hysterical to report they wouldn't know what to do with themselves-- don't be sheep.

heather93277

all propaganda

proceed with your normal daily lives

Dave this may be a first... but I completely agree with you.

That may be the case, but still doesn't hurt anything to be sure to wash hands and such

I wash my hands anyway...don't you?

absolutely, but I know some folks that are questionable LOL!! :laugh:

tgh1914

will swine flu help with weight loss? :laugh:

Haven't seen too many skinny pigs...

memaw66

will swine flu help with weight loss? :laugh: I agree, this is being blown out of proportion....Let's see, appoximately 40k die per year of the regular flu, 160 people have died so far from swine, and there's 7billion people in the world, the numbers just don't scare me yet.

Better safe than sorry.

jojo52610

thousands of people get the flu every day - old people and children and people with immune deficienes are always at risk -

I agree witht he propaganda - nonsense

wash your hands!

littleluvbug

I agree that it's being blown out of proportion, but we do need to be careful and take precautions. Here's a couple of helpful things to know:

1. This is a virus, not bacteria, so antibiotics will not help
2. Wearing surgical masks will not completely protect you. The virus is airborne and is smaller than the ventilation holes on the mask, so don't feel "safe" if you wear one.
3. Washing your hands with an antibacterial soap will NOT kill the virus (remember, it's not bacteria), it will, however, wash the virus off your hands, so wash, and wash often!
4. Eating pork will not spread the flu, it's airborne, not in pig tissue.
5. Using the antibacterial wipes at the grocery store will not make your cart clean, just spread the virus around more, so if you go out, make sure you don't touch your mouth and eyes and face and be sure to was your hands as soon as you can.

Hope that helps, being educated about it can help calm fears...anyone got any other tips?

librarygirl

all propaganda

proceed with your normal daily lives

Dave this may be a first... but I completely agree with you.

That may be the case, but still doesn't hurt anything to be sure to wash hands and such

I wash my hands anyway...don't you?

absolutely. And all the precautions you NORMALLY take to prevent illness from spreading- don't share food and drink, cover your mouth when you cough, etc, are the best things you can do to protect yourself and your family. But seriously guys. SARS hit WAY worse than this so far has... and I still think IT was blown way out of proportion.

I'm sure people already do this but I always cough or sneeze into the inner part of my arm instead of my hand.

Dave198lbs

I agree that it's being blown out of proportion, but we do need to be careful and take precautions. Here's a couple of helpful things to know:

1. This is a virus, not bacteria, so antibiotics will not help
2. Wearing surgical masks will not completely protect you. The virus is airborne and is smaller than the ventilation holes on the mask, so don't feel "safe" if you wear one.
3. Washing your hands with an antibacterial soap will NOT kill the virus (remember, it's not bacteria), it will, however, wash the virus off your hands, so wash, and wash often!
4. Eating pork will not spread the flu, it's airborne, not in pig tissue.
5. Using the antibacterial wipes at the grocery store will not make your cart clean, just spread the virus around more, so if you go out, make sure you don't touch your mouth and eyes and face and be sure to was your hands as soon as you can.

Hope that helps, being educated about it can help calm fears...anyone got any other tips?

being educated about 1200 calories hasnt stopped the hysteria or calmed the fears here
so I say...proceed and quit worrying

littleluvbug

Dave-
Agreed, proceed, live life to the fullest every day and for heaven sakes people, eat your 1200 calories a day at least!!

Marla64

I agree that it's being blown out of proportion, but we do need to be careful and take precautions. Here's a couple of helpful things to know:

1. This is a virus, not bacteria, so antibiotics will not help
2. Wearing surgical masks will not completely protect you. The virus is airborne and is smaller than the ventilation holes on the mask, so don't feel "safe" if you wear one.
3. Washing your hands with an antibacterial soap will NOT kill the virus (remember, it's not bacteria), it will, however, wash the virus off your hands, so wash, and wash often!
4. Eating pork will not spread the flu, it's airborne, not in pig tissue.
5. Using the antibacterial wipes at the grocery store will not make your cart clean, just spread the virus around more, so if you go out, make sure you don't touch your mouth and eyes and face and be sure to was your hands as soon as you can.

Hope that helps, being educated about it can help calm fears...anyone got any other tips?

being educated about 1200 calories hasnt stopped the hysteria or calmed the fears here
so I say...proceed and quit worrying

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Indeed-- excellent advice.

MisoSoup79

I hate to make light of this situation… but… as of today the CDC shows 91 laboratory confirmed cases of Swine Flu in the U.S. Out of those 91, there has been one death. http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
Every year approximately 40,000 people in the U.S. are killed in a fatal car accident. But… millions of people are involved in auto accidents each year that are NOT fatal.
Over 500,000 U.S. citizens die of cancer each year. But… many more people catch cancer in it’s early stages and become survivors.
Just because someone in your city/area had/has swine flu, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will be exposed. And just because you are exposed to swine flu, it doesn’t mean you will contract the virus. And even if you do, it doesn’t mean you are going to die.
My point is, we can’t live our lives in fear of the next scary thing. Lots of people die in their own homes because of stupid household accidents. Lots of people are victims of brutal crimes. Lots of people do contract communicable diseases and die from it. But let’s put our fear into perspective and try to enjoy our lives while we are here – because you NEVER know when your time is up, or how you’re going to go!

heather93277

Well I guess I'm just a weirdo who actually cares that a school was closed in my community because of an illness and was just trying to send out a friendly reminder LOL. I don't see schools being closed in my town because of other flus or car crashes or cancer.

I guess I shouldn't care cause it wasn't *my* kid?? I always thought it would be a sad, sad world we live in when people stop caring.

my bad.

Marla64

Well, I think the point more specifically Heather, is not that you care, but that the school (and media) is going so freaking nutso about this. They buy into this mass hysteria and then egg others on-- it's madness.

MisoSoup79

Well I guess I'm just a weirdo who actually cares that a school was closed in my community because of an illness and was just trying to send out a friendly reminder LOL. I don't see schools being closed in my town because of other flus or car crashes or cancer.

I guess I shouldn't care cause it wasn't *my* kid?? I always thought it would be a sad, sad world we live in when people stop caring.

my bad.

I don't mean to offend or hurt your feelings. My response is just in general to the masses who begin to panic at the next scary thing.

It's not about not caring at all. It's just about making sure that we put our fears into a realistic perspective. I just don't like to see people go about their lives in terror over the natural course of life. My response wasn't specifically targeted at you.

I personally know so many people who stress over uncontrollable things/circumstances. That stress leads to health problems. I'm just trying to point out that we can't stress over the things we have no control over. That's all. :flowerforyou: My apologies for sounding apathetic.

Dave198lbs

we have nothing to fear but fear itself

(I just made that up)

Marla64

we have nothing to fear but fear itself

(I just made that up)

Gotta write that one down-- that's inspired.

hopetobeinshape

PS there are vaccines and medicines that will treat this flu. And its right at your local pharmacy, Tamiflu. I agree the media is freaking people out for no reason.

I have a terrible awful cold right now and Im not running around thinking im dying from the bacon flu :laugh: Just taking my cough drops and hot honey tea.


This too shall pass- I just made that up too