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The Discovery of the 2009 A/H1N1 Pandemic - Mexico: April 17 New Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

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  • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

    Originally posted by vinny View Post
    Will those surgical masks actually give them any protection, or is it just a feel good im doing something factor.
    Off my box....

    CDC recommends health care workers exposed to persons under evaluation for avian influenza use a respirator at least as protective as a NIOSH approved N95 respirator.
    Also see www.osha.gov

    .
    "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

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    • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

      Originally posted by vinny View Post
      Will those surgical masks actually give them any protection, or is it just a feel good im doing something factor.
      Influenza spreads primarily through large droplet (airborne droplets of mucous, saliva and microorganisms) and and contact (by direct touching) transmission. Those surgical masks will prevent you from touching your mouth with your hand and may also block you from breathing in some large droplets from people coughing, sneezing, talking etc. Although the masks don't protect against airborne transmission (virus particles themselves floating in the air) like an N95 respirators, so there is still a chance of the virus particles getting through. However, airborne transmission is not thought to be a major mode of transmission for influenza.

      Probably better than nothing.

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      • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

        Reader's comments from www.bbc.co.uk/news
        (No dates or times on comments but taken from site at 4.40pm BST)

        I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.

        Yeny Gregorio D?vila, Mexico City

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        • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

          Originally posted by vinny View Post
          Reader's comments from www.bbc.co.uk/news
          (No dates or times on comments but taken from site at 4.40pm BST)

          I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.

          Yeny Gregorio D?vila, Mexico City
          This seems to be the first information I've seen of people who have been vaccinated getting infected. Can anyone confirm other sources? Are HCW's being vaccinated with the 2008-2009 influenza vaccine as recommended by WHO (has an H1N1 component)?

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          • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

            the seasonal flu vaccine would not be expected to confer much if any cross protection to this virus as it is unique and antigenically different from the current year's seasonal flu strains. My guess is that the mexican government stepped up vaccination before the strains were typed out under the reasonable assumption that this was an outbreak related to the current seasonal flu strains and that the vaccine would protect people. As I understand, they are now focusing on limiting transmission by reducing public gatherings (called social distancing) and antiviral treatment and not vaccination. It will take several weeks at least before they have an effective vaccine for this strain.

            Lots of preparedness info available on www.pandemicflu.gov

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            • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

              I fear that we are looking some time longer than that before any vaccines are available, if egg based production techniques are used.

              We are looking at 3 months at least before there is anything. Remember global production capacity for vaccine production is still at IRO 660m does per annum - I dont know how many of the full scale cell culture plants planned are active/ fully scaled up/ operational. Does anyone? An accurate picture on global vaccine production capacity as of today would be useful.

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              • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                how many plants do you need ?

                just one should be enough, just install more bioreactors, or not ?

                I've been asking this question since years in several forums as well
                as vaccine producers.
                No answer. People were not interested.
                I'm interested in expert panflu damage estimates
                my current links: http://bit.ly/hFI7H ILI-charts: http://bit.ly/CcRgT

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                • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                  what's with these "advance purchase agreements" ?
                  are they still valid for H1N1 ?
                  I'm interested in expert panflu damage estimates
                  my current links: http://bit.ly/hFI7H ILI-charts: http://bit.ly/CcRgT

                  Comment


                  • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                    You are likely correct, vibrant62 - creating the vaccine is one thing, having a large number of doses is another.

                    Fortunately the virus is susceptible to oseltamivir and relenza so IF this does become a pandemic, for a few months the strategy wil be social distancing and antivirals.

                    CDC said 7 of 14 samples tested were a match with the US cases - I am wondering what the other seven samples were postitive for, and whether the swine flu cases in Mexico were from the severe cases we have been hearing about. Could it be that swine flu in Mexico is nto too much worse than the cases so far in the US, and some other virus is responsible for the severe illness and deaths?

                    Any real epidemiologic data on the Mexico cases out yet? ages, gender underlying health status? I hear its mostly 'young" men but no real numbers....

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                    • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                      Welcome LSL!

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                      • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                        Page last updated at 18:58 GMT, Saturday, 25 April 2009 19:58 UK News Feeds
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                        LATEST:Top US health official says new strain of swine flu has spread widely and cannot be contained


                        Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives. Also entertainment, business, science, technology and health news.

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                        • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                          Don't get too excited about :already widely spread".
                          Inability to "contain" a flu virus is no surprise - unlike SARS, flu is transmissable a day before you even know you are sick... and has a very short incubation period (as short as 1 day) so it has long been known that a flu outbreak is very very unlikely to be geographically contained - unless you have a small outbreak identified very quickly in a geographically isolated area and you can get in there quickly with antivirals.

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                          • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                            From the bbc http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/8018428.stm Please remove to another thread if this is not the correct place.

                            The highlighted section is worrying.......

                            Mexico flu: Your experiences


                            Mexico City residents are being told to wear protective masks
                            Readers in Mexico have been emailing the BBC describing the sense of fear gripping the country as a result of a flu virus outbreak, which has so far claimed up to 60 lives.

                            The World Health Organization says the virus has the potential to become a pandemic.

                            Read a selection of BBC readers' comments below.

                            I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.
                            Yeny Gregorio D?vila, Mexico City


                            The situation in Mexico City is really not normal. There is a sense of uncertainty that borders on paranoid behaviour in some cases. At this very moment, Mexican TV is showing how military forces are giving masks to the people in the streets. Moreover the news is sending alarming messages for the audience. Really, the atmosphere in the city is unsettling, a good example: pubs and concerts are being closed or cancelled and people don't haven thorough information. In this city (and country) there is an urgent need for assertive information, no paranoid messages from the government or the Mexican media.
                            Patricio Barrientos and Aranzazu Nu?ez, Mexico City
                            Massive events have been cancelled at the National Auditorium - Mexico City's largest indoor venue with capacity of 10,000 - which has been closed. Two soccer games have been cancelled at the Olympic Stadium. A sold out game with 70,000 expected attendance will be played behind closed doors. Another game at the famous Azteca Stadium that would draw an attendance of 50,000 will also be played behind closed doors.

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                            • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                              what I think is a good possibility- that this will modulate and decrease until late fall early winter, when the next wave hits. thats when the fit really hits the shan. just my best guess, not a prediction, just following other pandemic timelines it seems really possible. so if it doesnt go ballistic into a full blown pandemic this spring and summer, please, please dont let your guard down on this- its just extra time to get ready...please uses that wisely! There are some special items that a flu pandemic preparedness list contains, besides our usual all hazards type preps. I'd bet they will dry up quick- all kinds of masks, gloves, flu meds, certain supplements and OTC meds, etc. Get em while the getting is good
                              Upon this gifted age, in its dark hour,
                              Rains from the sky a meteoric shower
                              Of facts....They lie unquestioned, uncombined.
                              Wisdom enough to leech us of our ill
                              Is daily spun, but there exists no loom
                              To weave it into fabric..
                              Edna St. Vincent Millay "Huntsman, What Quarry"
                              All my posts to this forum are for fair use and educational purposes only.

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                              • Re: Mexico: Swine Flu & Other Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

                                Those are my thoughts, too. A first wave of a pandemic can be mild in comparison to other waves. People relax and can let their guards down.
                                I hope the government launches an excellent program in helping people prepare.

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