It's 1968 again: We have a pandemic

[Abaddon]

Obligatory Madagascar joke

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Thanks for getting that out of the way.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

But would it be a good idea? Travel restrictions would kill people indirectly, due to loos of income.

Hell, should the FDA disapprove a drug that could cost jobs and destroy income just because it was found to be extremely dangerous? The chance of anyone dying from loss of income due to 6 month travel restrictions is extremely low. I am half sure that you are joking though.

 

[Miles Teg]

Hell, should the FDA disapprove a drug that could cost jobs and destroy income just because it was found to be extremely dangerous? The chance of anyone dying from loss of income due to 6 month travel restrictions is extremely low. I am half sure that you are joking though.

I wasn't talking direct death, just sideways stuff. People loosing jobs, access to healthcare (yes, even in Canada) etc. As has been said, Canada's probably going to loose more people to airplane crashes than it will to Swine Flu.

 

[ThERat]

Sobieski, you know what is the key words in your statement?

IF

What if there is a virus that kills 50% of the people, what would we do then?
What if the virus could be transmitted like an ordinary flu?

I guess if that is the case, we humans would try to minimize the spread, though I personally doubt that it is really possible in this globalized world. Maybe a small island like Singapore could try and close all borders, but then everyone would die of starvation instead of the virus.

However, in the end this is just a harmless flu and I don't know why this warrants level 6. Might as well give this 'honor' to every flu that spreads around the globe. Why is this one so special? Let me guess...WHO sees a chance to make themselves look very important for funding purpose and the pharma industry needs to boost their sales...and humans do what they always did, not use their brain...

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Geez. My problem was the lie that in an actual dangerous pandemic, it wouldn't do much good to cut off travel. If time is needed to develop a vaccine and deliver it to as many as possible, then it can definitely help. Of course the swine flu is probably overblown. That is not what my annoyance was about.

Now imagine we actually did have a really dangerous virus, but at first people weren't that sure about the danger. My bet is there would be a lot of pressure towards keeping borders open longer than a true risk/benefit analysis would suggest. I think tourism and commerce would hold too much sway.

And if people are so worried about the potentially fatal or detrimental effects of extremely low income, they would be demanding far larger social welfare benefits for fellow citizens. That is a pretty weak argument.

 

[Miles Teg]

Geez. My problem was the lie that in an actual dangerous pandemic, it wouldn't do much good to cut off travel. If time is needed to develop a vaccine and deliver it to as many as possible, then it can definitely help. Of course the swine flu is probably overblown. That is not what my annoyance was about.

Two problems creep up here:

The first is how you define cutting off travel as "doing any good". It's like buying an expensive fishing net to catch flies with. Is it going to kill all the flies? No, because it has holes. Is it a cheap preventive measure? No. Will it kill a few flies? Of course.

The second is that once again, you start talking "what if". If the next flu is bigger, we'll use bigger guns. At best, you're freaking out over a white lie to keep people calm, at worst, you're freaking out over an objectively sound statement.

 

[Kerozine]

H1N1 apparently not as deadly as previous influenza outbreaks, but spread has reached pandemic levels. Gotcha.

 

[Rashiminos]

The virus has already spread to Europe, North and South America, Oceania, Africa and Asia, but if we quarantine those continents then hopefully it won't spread to Antarctica.

Antarctica is the new Madagascar in Pandemic IV

***

However, in the end this is just a harmless flu and I don't know why this warrants level 6. Might as well give this 'honor' to every flu that spreads around the globe. Why is this one so special? Let me guess...WHO sees a chance to make themselves look very important for funding purpose and the pharma industry needs to boost their sales...and humans do what they always did, not use their brain...

Allows government to declare "national emergencies" over "health issues." The quoted are possible pretenses.

 

[Tee Kay]

I live in the swine flu capital of the world, with the world's highest swine flu cases per capita. My friend's brother has swine flu and I'm not panicking...

 

[bhsup]

Why aren't the Spanish insulted that it isn't being called Spanish Flu again?

 

[civ_king]

Just like in 1976, when that Democrat, Jimmy Carter, was president. And Obama's a democrat, and Swine Flu's back. Coincidence?

I'm pretty sure your being sarcastic and read politifact but here http://politifact.org/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/apr/30/michele-bachmann/michele-bachmann-wrong-70s-swine-flu-broke-our-/

Spoiler quick version :

The scare began in February 1976 when recruits at Fort Dix, N.J., came down with flu symptoms, and one died. This led to fears of a pandemic. The president in 1976 was Gerald Ford — a Republican.

Swine flu also surfaced briefly in 1988, killing a woman in Wisconsin who had visited a swine exhibit at a county fair. The president at the time was Ronald Reagan — a Republican.

 

[Winner]

from BBC

Bah. It'll be fine.

After all the fuss I almost hope for a sudden mutation or recombination with H5N1. Human population needs a reduction.

ANYWAY, I don't get it - how is the Mexican flu any different from a normal seasonal flu, which also hits the whole world? Does WHO want to devaluate the term "pandemic" so that it ceases to have any meaning? If they call this a pandemic, then EVERY SEASONAL FLU outbreak is a pandemic as well.

I have a feeling they just did that in order to save the face - they fueled all the hype so they can't just say "we were wrong, let's move on".

 

[Camikaze]

Someone at my school has swine flu. And still came to school when they had it, apparently. But, my school ain't closing down yet. It will when more people get it. What's really bad is that half the school is a boarding school. It will spread like wildfire there. The infirmary will be fuller than after the Failed Science Experiment of '73.

And it's an agricultural school with a piggery, which I'm sure the media will idiotically latch on to.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Two problems creep up here:

The first is how you define cutting off travel as "doing any good". It's like buying an expensive fishing net to catch flies with. Is it going to kill all the flies? No, because it has holes. Is it a cheap preventive measure? No. Will it kill a few flies? Of course.

If it catches 90% of the flies for a long time, then it could significantly slow down the spread. You see? That could mean the difference between the vast majority of the population protected and the vast majority unprotected.

Your second point. If they don't think it is dangerous enough to require measures such as travel restrictions, then they should just say that. No reason to BS about travel restrictions being useless. I am not freaking out either. I am actually very calm. Simple common sense just says it is a lie and that damages credibility.

 

[GoodGame]

I'm going to the States this summer, and I really want to go to Mexico. I hope this doesn't restrict travel there from the US even more. Can't see how it wouldn't though.

Don't see what the big deal is though, how many people has it killed?

Just curious, where and when are you visiting Shekwan?

 

[JtheJackal]

After all the fuss I almost hope for a sudden mutation or recombination with H5N1. Human population needs a reduction.

ANYWAY, I don't get it - how is the Mexican flu any different from a normal seasonal flu, which also hits the whole world? Does WHO want to devaluate the term "pandemic" so that it ceases to have any meaning? If they call this a pandemic, then EVERY SEASONAL FLU outbreak is a pandemic as well.

I have a feeling they just did that in order to save the face - they fueled all the hype so they can't just say "we were wrong, let's move on".

World Health Organization definition

* emergence of a disease new to a population;
* agents infect humans, causing serious illness; and
* agents spread easily and sustainably among humans.

And the disease has to be like that in multiple continents

So Swine Flu is the definition of pandemic

 

[Phlegmak]

Can we blame this on homosexual marriage somehow?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

World Health Organization definition

* emergence of a disease new to a population;
* agents infect humans, causing serious illness; and
* agents spread easily and sustainably among humans.

And the disease has to be like that in multiple continents

So Swine Flu is the definition of pandemic

The last point may be a point of contention.

 

[JtheJackal]

The last point may be a point of contention.

You mean the "agents spread easily and sustainably among humans" part? Swine Flu seems very contagious to me.