Swine flu

[is4fun]

Today I noticed more than twenty people, mostly women, wearing surgical masks in the metro and on the street. I would take it they are worried of the swine flu? Should we be worried? Based on my reading, in Russia no. In the west there are recommendations to get vaccinated and all this on Government money i.e. Canada. What to make of this? Are people in Russia getting vaccinated? Is this a serious virus? Comments please!

[FatAndy]

It is poor zombied people. Never mind.

[andymackem]

Do drugs companies sell vaccines? Yes.
Do drugs companies have shareholders demanding profit? Yes.
Is there a recession? Yes.

So a little health scare helps keep up profits.

H1N1 isn't significantly different from any other flu. Are people getting flu at the moment? Yes. Is it November? Yes. Do people normally get flu in November? Yes.

I'm waiting for 'glamur' masks with designer labels and glittery bits

[xSnoofovich]

Buryatia Declares Flu Emergency | News | The Moscow Times | Daily newspaper

[Clean32]

Originally Posted by andymackem Do drugs companies sell vaccines? Yes. Do drugs companies have shareholders demanding profit? Yes. Is there a recession? Yes. So a little health scare helps keep up profits. H1N1 isn't significantly different from any other flu. Are people getting flu at the moment? Yes. Is it November? Yes. Do people normally get flu in November? Yes. I'm waiting for 'glamur' masks with designer labels and glittery bits

a little knowledge is a dangeris thing aye

[xSnoofovich]

Ukraine Bans Crowds to Combat Swine Flu | News | The Moscow Times | Daily newspaper

[Clean32]

Originally Posted by is4fun Today I noticed more than twenty people, mostly women, wearing surgical masks in the metro and on the street. I would take it they are worried of the swine flu? Should we be worried? Based on my reading, in Russia no. In the west there are recommendations to get vaccinated and all this on Government money i.e. Canada. What to make of this? Are people in Russia getting vaccinated? Is this a serious virus? Comments please!

unfortunately the surgical masks that you have seen are really of little help. you best defense is alcohol wipes or hand wash.

[xSnoofovich]

Reported Cases in Ukraine Double in Two Days

[bugs]

masks only help if u dont want to infect someone, however they are quite useless for prevetening yourself of infection

[franzewich]

Originally Posted by andymackem Do drugs companies sell vaccines? Yes. Do drugs companies have shareholders demanding profit? Yes. Is there a recession? Yes. So a little health scare helps keep up profits. H1N1 isn't significantly different from any other flu. Are people getting flu at the moment? Yes. Is it November? Yes. Do people normally get flu in November? Yes. I'm waiting for 'glamur' masks with designer labels and glittery bits

In Germany the swine flu is now fully on the way; and evidence shows that this swine flu is not any more dangerous than "regular" flu!

Which does not mean you should underestimate its danger - "regular" flu also can kill! Wash and desinfect your hands every time you come back to your apartment, do that frequently during your office hours. There is a desinfectant oil named SANITELLA which you get in every apteka - 250ml cost 290 rbl. Works like a soap pump, and you need just a few drops to thoroughly rub your hands with. Will last well through this flu season, even if used very often per day - do it! Face masks, as stated in medical reports, only prevent spreading bacteria from the wearer to the bystanders, not the other way around. Why else do surgeons wear face masks - not to infect the patient on the table in front of them or not to catch a desease from the patient?

Vaccination is only good for the shareholders of the pharma industry - with the help of the WHO. Too many conflicting information, too vague - and, worst of all, the vaccination has not been fully tested!

Wish you all a flu-free winter season!

[Swarbs]

"Which does not mean you should underestimate its danger - "regular" flu also can kill!"

A good point, but one which should be taken in context. You should only worry about "swine flu" if you are worried about "regular flu". Regular flu, which is primarily H3N2 flu, is already pandemic in humans, and kills around 32,000 people a year in the US alone. H1N2, which is technically a variant of bird flu, is also pandemic in humans. But both those strains have been active for years, so they just don't make good news for the tabloids, or good excuses for politicians wanting to look good and exert some more control. Or drug companies wanting to boost profits.

As for what you should do, you should do the same you do every flu season. Wash your hands regularly, avoid people who are ill, take care of young and old people. Just be sensible. But don't take Tamiflu or any other vaccine unless you are in a group that is particularly at risk of flu. Studies have associated it with a variety of neurological and behavioral symptoms:

Tamiflu Gets New Warnings on Psychiatric Side Effects

Most worryingly, four Japanese children who took Tamiflu during the last bird flu scare fell out of windows and died, and one leukemia patient died of encephalitis.

Of course this shouldn't stop you getting vaccinated if you are advised to due to preexisting medical conditions, but in general swine flu is no worse than normal flu, and so taking the vaccine unnecessarily is arguably a bigger risk that actually catching swine flu!

[Max77]

Masks... little clothing fetish!
Let the girls have it their way!!!

[sinny]

hat You Can Do to Stay Healthy

* Get vaccinated. Vaccination is the best protection we have against flu. Seasonal flu vaccine is available now and initial doses of 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine also are available, with additional doses available later this year.
* Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
* Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
o Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
o Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
o Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread that way.
o Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
* Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
* Stay informed. This website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
* Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information.

[xSnoofovich]

So, it goes like this -

Swine flu isn't part of the battery of tests that are given at the local clinics. If you think you might have it, you must pay 10k RU to get tested.

OR-

They can test you for it, after you die.

A person who was a friend of a friend died last week - she was a healthy woman in her mid-late 40s, with a family, and got sick. She died inside of 48 hours ( from starting to feel sick, to death). This more than likely won't get reported as Swine Flu, but what else could it be?

The problem is that not all of the clinics have the proper labs or equipment to test for it. So that is why in Zabaikalsk, there is an "epidemic" whereas in other regions, nothing has been reported. The regions around Zabaikalsk simply dont have the labs to test for it - so no Swine Flu !

[sophieperle]

..."Novartis alone has a $979 million contract to supply H1N1 vaccine to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which amount to 251 million does and the total 35% projected US supply"....

Workers' Compensation: Compensating Adverse Flu Vaccine Reaction Victims



"In the 4th trimester, Flu A (H1N1) will benefit:
*1,6 milliard USD to GlaxoSmithKline
*between 400 and 700 millions to Novartis
*and 500 millions to Sanofi-Aventis"...

Une manne financière pour les laboratoires - PHARMACIE GLAXOSMITHKLINE SANOFI-AVENTIS NOVARTIS


etc.
etc.
etc.

no comment!