36,000 People die of 'flu in the USA each year

Originally posted by Guzzeppi
reply to post by Essan

So it's ok that 36,000 people die a year? Well 36,000 people died from influenza viruses that we knew about! This strain is new, meaning that there is no vaccine yet developed and could kill as many or more as it did in 1918-1919. There is not enough Tamiflu or any other drug to offset this virus for the world. We have very good health care here in the U.S., but what about the 3rd world countries that have healthcare worse than Mexico? The mortality rate there, if it spreads, will be off the charts. My 2 cents.

Guz

That's not factual. The majority of people confirmed with this flu are having MILD symptoms. People who have cancer etc and young babies would fare worse but it isn't the plaque.

reply to post by scordar

Yes, like Pakistan. This is big news too. I'm keeping my eye on those Taliban.

reply to post by Bombeni


Human thought travels faster than anything else we know of. I see all the threads as big nets trying to catch as much thought as possible.

reply to post by Bombeni

I didn't state any facts. I only am saying that there are no deaths here in the usa...yet, because of our healthcare system. I believe that the mortality rate in a 3rd world country will be higher than in Mexico.

Guz

Many people have died from influenza that's true. This is what I say though. When was the last time it actually prompted the government to create emergency Fema camps all around the country? I can't remember
one time maybe I've forgotten something but I'm pretty sure. Doesn't that make you a little uneasy I know I am.

Hold on. You can't make a statement like that in your title. You're lumping all flus together. That would be like lumping all cancers together and coming up with an average mortality rate. Misleading to say the least. You can't compare, say, testicular cancer with colo-rectal cancer. It's night-and-day.

Same with the flu. There is the common flu we tend to see year to year and then there are killer flus like the 1918 pandemic. There is no reason to panic about this one. It's highly probable it will run its course in a couple weeks. But we need to be really careful about how we apply statistics. You can't compare apples and aardvarks.

About 20,000 people die from MULTIPLE flu strains each year. No matter how you wash it anyone with a brain can see this virus has the potential to rise above that number. And it doesnt mutate like the normal flu. However if youre so sure its good to go how bout you visit a few er's snatch up a case and let us know how that goes. As always the you first policy is the best, practice what you preach.

If 36000 people dies from flue every year, just in the U.S., which makes 98 death per calendar day, I'm wondering why they ringed the alarm, when officially 170 poor mexican died and 1000 got the flu within few days? If we're following the upper scheme, 170 american dies within two calendar days from a standard flu.

I believe this is one of the proof that this H1N1 flu is quite greater then any of us could imagine and the death toll is quite greater then as any government admits.

[edit on 27-4-2009 by ShadowIntelligence]

Originally posted by Beach Bum
Many people have died from influenza that's true. This is what I say though. When was the last time it actually prompted the government to create emergency Fema camps all around the country? I can't remember
one time maybe I've forgotten something but I'm pretty sure. Doesn't that make you a little uneasy I know I am.

I've been busy and unable to follow all these flu threads, but has info. come out that these Fema camps have anything to do with the swine flu?

reply to post by Essan

i haven't read the posts yet (no time) but that 36,000 isn't an actual count .It is an estimate figure of a possible number of flu deaths and flu related deaths as calculated by a computer program. 36,000-Not Actual Total

www.medicalnewstoday.com...


"The CDC uses indirect modelling methods to estimate the number of deaths associated with influenza. Thus the much publicised figure of 36,000 is not an estimate of yearly flu deaths, as widely reported in both the lay and scientific press, but an estimate - generated by a model - of flu-associated death, he says."

Sorry I don't know how to do quotes.


[edit on 4/27/2009 by MsSmartypants]

[edit on 4/27/2009 by MsSmartypants]

The premise of this post is bogus. Again, because the OP is lumping mostly common flu strains together. If you want to make a comparison, look at all flus in modern history. You put the 1918 flu in there and the picture changes.

The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster.

link

An estimated one third of the world's population (or ≈500 million persons) were infected and had clinically apparent illnesses during the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic. The disease was exceptionally severe. Case-fatality rates were >2.5%, compared to

Think about the group age.....

Flu - Less than 6 More than 60 (Years old)-- (minority? more vulnerable?)

Swine Flue - Healthy Young adults to Mid-age People (majority?) - does this show how powerful can the swin flu be?


[edit on 28-4-2009 by Next_Heap_With]

This virus, that is wrongly called swine flu (it's not only swine, but a mix of chicken and human too) is very likely going to infect around 30% of US population, with a death rate of about 3% (an opmistic prediction). That means that around 90 million people in US will be infected and 2,7 millions at least will die. And when it hits China and India, things will really start to get unbearably ugly.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who smells bulls* around with Swine Flu. AIDS, Heart Disease, Cancer, etc. all kill millions upon millions every year and we don't call them pandemics and get the media attention like this.

To me whether this virus is natural or not is of little consequence, I can see where this is headed. Combine this with out engineered financial implosion, "Terrorism", etc., we are full steam ahead to loss of freedom.

People are acting out of shock and awe right now and not using logic. Think 9/11.

reply to post by Anonymous Avatar


Well there is always the possibility that the entire event was staged. That the organism was intentionally dispersed into the population in Mexico. But even if that turned out to be the case, that in no way changes the nature of influenza or its potential downside. Intentional or not this is potentially serious. Even more so if it was intentional.

One thing that should be noted about this particular virus, is its composition. It is being called the swine flu, probably to draw attention away from the bird flu elements that are in it. But in reality, its the bird flu elements that are the problem here. Baxter's recent "accident" was a mixture of the bird flu with a virus that would combine and mutate in the human body to turn into an easily spread human pandemic.

I see no difference with this unnaturally combining virus, that is supposedly mild in its offset here. Its not in the initial virus that the biggest concern lies, but in the mutating and incubating in the body. This could very well make mincemeat out of the regular statistical casualties, but it will take its time to develop. This could take months to mutate into a very dangerous form.

I really hope I'm wrong, but its mixed, just like the other incident with Baxter's was.

reply to post by Essan


Star and Flag for you Essan!

This is something that people forget about. And we are really far away from that number still. This is getting blown way out of porportion if it is just a flu and a few people have died. Media/government scaremongering at its best.

On the other hand...

What worries me is that the WHO and CDC know that thousands of people die in the US a year from the regular old flu during the season. Only 150 have died, and even less than a quarter have been confirmed that it was swine flu. But, these organizations are freaking out, makes me wonder if they know a lot more then what they are telling us.

So I honestly don't know what to think about the situation. I live a survival oriented lifestyle and have what I need to ride the storm out should it get bad. And it never hurts to have some extra food and water at home just in case.

But, as always, be vigilant, be prepared, and stay salty.

reply to post by Essan


I understand your intent, but...

The swine Flu is a virulent strain seemingly capable of killing rapidly, and killing those in the prime of their life.
Traditional Human Flu kills those who are weak and frail.

The Swine Flu has evolved rapidly from a Animal to Human transfer, to a Human to Human transfer.

Swine Flu has traveled around the planet rapidly.

As it is a previously unseen virus, its capacity to evolve rapidly is a serious concern and could result in current treatment being ineffective quickly.

Even if only 2% of those infected cases result in death, the way this is able to spread would mean millions of deaths around the world.

Traditional Flu, while still dangerous, is not as virulent, not as deadly, not killing young healthy people, and it is known.

Again, I understand what you are trying to say, but the comparison between this virus and ordinary Human Flu is not relevant.

reply to post by mystiq


Why is the fact that it has avian fragments so important? The most important factor is that it is a recombinant of human influenza. That gives it the critical human-to-human transmissability. And of all the infuenzas known, the swine type has proven to be the most lethal. I don't get what makes the avian aspect susch a big deal.

The concern surrounding the H5N1 is that IF it successfully recombines with a human influenza it could, by virtue of the birds' mobility, spread widely and quickly with little chance of stopping it.

Originally posted by Essan
I appreciate this is old news, but I think it's useful to get a sense of proportion here.

So far just over 100 people have died of Swine 'flu in Mexico and exactly 0 have died in the USA.

Data from 2003 suggests that on average 36,000 people die from 'normal' 'flu in the USA each year

Source

Using new and improved statistical models, CDC scientists estimate that an average of 36,000 people (up from 20,000 in previous estimates) die from influenza-related complications each year in the United States. In addition, about 11,000 people die per year from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus that causes upper and lower respiratory tract infections primarily in young children and older adults. The study demonstrates that most deaths caused by RSV occur in the elderly.

Whilst Mexican Swine 'flu may have to potential to become a serious pandemic, let's, for the time being at least, keep a sense of proportion, eh?

Or maybe unnecessary panic is what people want?

Complacency killed the cat!

It’s no small issue when the WHO issues pandemic warnings. It is important to understand what a Pandemic really is.

The Spanish Flu was the worst pandemic in world history. The flu that year killed only 2.5 percent of its victims, but more than a fifth of the world's entire population caught it, and so it's estimated that between 50 million and 100 million people died in just a few months.

We do not currently have any natural immunities or a vaccine for the swine flu, so the entire populous is susceptible and that’s the real issue here. If it spreads fast and lots get it then deaths could mount up in a very short time. E.g. Pandemic

Even if you get sick your very very unlikely to die. Fact is any fast spreading flu for which no vaccines or natural immunities exist can cause Pandemic.

This is not something to that should be taken lightly. All should take steps to help mitigate the effects of possible Pandemic. It is better to be scared and informed than blissfully ignorant when so much is at stake.


[edit on 28-4-2009 by Donkey_Dean]