No 0.1% is very low mortality but across a population of 6,000,000,000 it would still kill around 6 million.

Also the actual mortality rate is higher than 0.1% and it is still mutating, from other threads I believe there are now about 30 new strains.

People are worried it mutates into something more deadly or combines with H5N1 which has about a 50% death rate. Normal flu is about 1 - 2% so even that if it goes global which H1N1 is doing COULD result in 60 - 120 million deaths.

I am not suggesting people should be panicing BUT there is no harm in being a bit more prepared. As has been previously stated if you get in extra food etc it's not a waste as you are going to eat it anyway, just means that if the SHTF you do not need to venture out into any chaotic scenes to stay alive.

Originally posted by Kaytagg
I mean why the hell is it being hyped so much?

What hype? Where do you see hype?
I see APATHY being pushed and a media cap on the news.

The VERY VALID CONCERN is that this flu is behaving in the same way as the 1918 epidemic which killed tens of millions around the world. It mutated and came on, very strong, in the fall. October or so.

For me (working with the Health/Hospital Sector) the real issue isn't any mortality rates of it...its the rates at which our Hospital Staff are dropping and going home sick.

For instance, my Community Team normally has 32 Staff. We were down 9 this morning, 3 confirmed with Swine, waiting to hear on the other 6. All in the space of 3 days.
I've just received a few text messages from 2 other Nursing Staff who are showing flu symptoms so will be checked up on tomorrow - in the mean time they can't return back to work till they are cleared - which means we're likely down 11 Nursing Staff tomorrow.

Thats more than a third of our nursing/operational staff down in our team alone.
In a sector that is already stretched staff-wise...believe me, losing a third even for a day or two is a major shyte-storm.

Other Teams I know of are similar or approaching that.

So too the Med Teams and the Inpatient Wards.


...its not so much the mortality that is the issue...its showing up at a Hospital or calling your Community Team and we haven't got a soul to spare to assist you. Thats the real issue. The grinding to a halt of those required systems due to so many being off work.



Peace.

This is not flu season. Solar exposure kills viruses. That is why winter is the traditional flu season. But this flu is engineered.

Thanks for the links, as well as the concern that this version mirrors the 1918 version. Perhaps the "unfrozen" version???

Back to the matter at hand, more to the point. In my area, they have announced nearly every case that's been confirmed at the hospital. The only thing is, I am fairly certain that alot more people have had this around here... There is another thread floating around posing the question of whether the author should attempt to contract this version of H1N1 before it mutates to allow antibody production...

I'll have to look at that thread...

My point is, our hospitals around here are not swamped with possible cases at this point, as per two RN's I know in the area. They are concerned about the fall though, as has been mentioned here and other threads on this topic.

Either way, I wish all strong immune systems!

Update:

Normally my Team comprises 32 Operational Staff - mainly frontline Community Nurses, Social Workers and Therapists.
We also have 3 Drs and 3 Admin Staff.

Count this morning:
11 Operational Staff down
1 Dr down
2 Admin Staff down.
= 14 from a total of 38 off, 5 confirmed now with Swine Flu and thus put off work for the next week. All 5 are Senior frontline Nurses.
The rest are stood down for a minimum of 3 days awaiting reassessment to ascertain whether or not they are also off for at least a week.


Presently - due to low floor-staff numbers we are unable to do our normal '2-up' Acute visits. We assess Acutes in pairs for safety...so as of today all Acutes have to be solo...which not only increases risk but also in many ways decreases the effectiveness and responsiveness of care to our clients in a time of high need.

We are also needing to agressively triage our Acutes.
Meaning those who otherwise would have been seen and assessed/assisted so hopefully a full acute and admission to the Wards averted are now not ranking that high up the priority ladder...effectively being left until their unwellness either stabalises or increases to the point they make the cut-point now.

Again the trickle-down effect is obvious: Lowered standard of care, increased pressure upon clients and their families/supports and increased likelihood of lengthy Inpatient Admissions to deal with higher levels of decompensation that may well have been averted.

The reality is that we are now assessing acutes here on site - rather than in the community. So our *frontline* has now been pulled back from the community to literally the front door of our service.

Thats also the reality across the Hospital Board we work for...the Staff numbers are pulled back on site to no longer prevent and control...rather its to contain, not even that, to just manage.

The reality is that for the Health Sector here you will now have longer wait times...you will now have lowered standards of care due to key experienced Staff being off work...that in reality means your risks have increased.

While that again may not be an issue about mortality...its certainly a HUGE issue about accessibility to urgently required assistance.


I'm also aware that our local Emergency Services are experiencing similar effects.


Factor in the effects that must also be having in other workplaces, the shops, the petrol stations, the transport services, utilities etc etc etc.


Mortality isn't at the moment the big kick in the guts - its that the very infrastructure of your everyday life is slowly (or actually pretty quickly) grinding and winding down.


Those who know me KNOW I'm not one for panic or hype...though seriously I have some concerns.

I'm concerned that if the supposed *first wave* has hit hard on already stretched services to the point of effectively crippling us at certainly times during the day...then well...I'm sooooo not looking forward to having to deal with the effects of the second or third *wave*


All we can do is our best - hope for the best...and perhaps in some ways start more proactively preparing for perhaps 'not the best' happening.



Peace.





[edit on 25-6-2009 by alien]

Was watching the news here in Canada, and the biggest concern here is the influx of sick people coming to the ER who suspect they have swine flu, but don't. The panic has caused emergency rooms to spill over when they are already over crowded.
Fear has taken precedence over common sense.

Originally posted by alien
I'm concerned that if the supposed *first wave* has hit hard on already stretched services to the point of effectively crippling us at certainly times during the day...then well...I'm sooooo not looking forward to having to deal with the effects of the second or third *wave*

isn't it a good thing that the hospital staff are getting sick now, won't that boost their immunity for the next waves? also, if nurses stay away from hospital when they're ill...shouldn't everybody else be doing the same thing?

No hospital panic evident here in Adelaide, SA ... life just goes on as normal.