H1N1 in retrospect...

[SteamWake]

A photodocumentry on the 'pandemic' that never really was...

http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/hea...-later?slide=1

By the way I had this virus and survived

[Weiss Pinguin]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

By the way I had this virus and survived

TBH I always thought it was funny how freaked out everyone got over this. Sure, it might've spread pretty quickly, but crikey, the regular flu kills far more people every year. Although I've never had swine flu, so I can't really say if either one feels worse.

[tater]

2009 H1N1 was never about total mortality, just the demographics. Seasonal flu tends to hit old people hardest in the mortality stats. Younger people died from H1N1. During the peak there were a bunch of kids in the ICU with it, far more than were typical.

THAT was the scare. USually kids get flu at school and do fine, it's scary to think of your sweet 4 year old ending up in the ICU. Friends of ours are pediatric urgent care docs, so we talked about this over dinner many times during the h1n1 season, and they were definitely seeing more badly sick kids than usual.

[SteamWake]

I can honestly say that anyone of weak constitution for one reason or another may have subcommed to the illness. But then again thats true of any flue.

I tried to go back and find the thread I posted here when I had it but alas the search only goes back 8 pages

But still I cant help but feel that there was a major over reaction for what ever motivation be it to sell flue shots or encourage health care reform.

[Wolfehunter]

The whole thing was a scam for the pharmaceutical industry to make profits. They use fear and media to sucker people in. Yes it helps some people but for others the vaccine can kill as many people as did the flu did. So I take my chances with the flu.. I die then my time is up. That's life.

I'll be concerned when I see millions of people dropping from a flu.. Then its time for me to consider getting a vaccine.. Otherwise.. not going to happen.

[Tchocky]

One hand - Pandemics are wonderful news outlet panic-fodder. What you don't know could KILL YOU. Tune in after sports.
It's in the interest of news orgs to make this run and run. Not so sure about pharma, they came out of this looking pretty awful, by my recollection.

Other hand - This flu was killing people in ways we hadn't been seeing very often. It was infecting the young and healthy, not killing them, but these things mutate and evolve. This wasn't your normal flu. It wasn't more deadly than standard flu, because it was hitting less vulnerable people. That's what made it interesting.

So yeah, rather large broad-brush reaction to a nuanced issue. After the hubbub has died down it seems we're all pretty disappointed to still be surrounded by coworkers, and that post-acoughpalyptic wasteland ain't a-coming.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by Wolfehunter

So I take my chances with the flu.. I die then my time is up. That's life.

Same here. Besides that, if I contract a virus and survive it, the likelihood of contracting it again is decreased. I didn't bother to get the shot, praying it would instead go to someone who would need it more than I did.

[tater]

Originally Posted by Wolfehunter

The whole thing was a scam for the pharmaceutical industry to make profits. They use fear and media to sucker people in. Yes it helps some people but for others the vaccine can kill as many people as did the flu did. So I take my chances with the flu.. I die then my time is up. That's life.

I'll be concerned when I see millions of people dropping from a flu.. Then its time for me to consider getting a vaccine.. Otherwise.. not going to happen.

Assuming you are a young adult to middle aged male, you're almost never recommended for a flu shot anyway.

When a shot is recommended for your age group, etc, then it is worth taking.

[Wolfehunter]

Originally Posted by tater

Assuming you are a young adult to middle aged male, you're almost never recommended for a flu shot anyway.

When a shot is recommended for your age group, etc, then it is worth taking.

Even If I was an old fart. I wouldn't just run and take it blindly. I'll only take it if there is a real pandemic. Then the odds favor the shot than the flu.

[baggygreen]

The govt has suspended flu shots for kids under 5 down here, because its made hundreds sick and killed at least 1.

What's different between last year and this year? they added the H1N1 vaccine.

Question for you: H1N1 was declared a pandemic. is each individual strain of flu called a pandemic by the WHO? No? then why this one, with its smaller infection and mortality rate than say, brisbane flu?

[Wolfehunter]

Originally Posted by baggygreen

The govt has suspended flu shots for kids under 5 down here, because its made hundreds sick and killed at least 1.

I don't remember the sources but there have been a many deaths from the vaccine. There was also two version of the vaccine. Privilege people received the good one.. The rest had the lesser. I guess it really depended where you lived.

Here there is a difference in belief's between the doctors. Some say take it others say you don't need it. I wouldn't never let my child have a flu shot.

My daughter brought home a government document from her school when it was at its height. Suggesting vaccination against the virus if they haven't gotten it already.

Problem with the government document had no address for the location inoculating the kids. No phone number to contact them. They where being ferried by bus. The only way I could reach her was contacting through her school? Also the way the document was written made it sound like there not responsible of any events that may occur.. Basically saying if she dies its my fault because I sign it!

I and my wife found that suspicious. We refused.

[Noren]

Just for medical profits, 2 versions of the vaccine?

Here in europe I've never heard such a thing. Its true that normal every-year flu mostly affects the weak and the old, this strain of swine-cross-over flu could make even healthy younger persons ill.

As usual, its difficult to predict exactly how dangerous an illnes is but I for one prefer a country to be little to careful than the opposite. Here in Denmark vaccine was bought from abroad, and health care and firemen etc had 1 priority. But then stories came that it was'nt as dangerous as was first expected....now we swim in the vaccines haha.

[tater]

Noren, due to antivax nutjobs, there are multiple versions in the US, including one for kids without a preservative (never mind that all of the many studies have shown no links between preservatives and ill effects (except the one guy who made up his data to the contrary—antivax people love HIM for some reason, lol)).

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by tater

Noren, due to antivax nutjobs, there are multiple versions in the US, including one for kids without a preservative (never mind that all of the many studies have shown no links between preservatives and ill effects (except the one guy who made up his data to the contrary—antivax people love HIM for some reason, lol)).

Dident they have a run of the childrens version that 'expired' on the shelves?

Write them off