Swine Flu Update
I will continue to update throughout the day as new information becomes available. Yesterday I posted foods and supplies you should be stocking up on now. If you haven’t done so please go out and purchase a few things today. This afternoon I will post some guidelines for caring for those who are ill. Please check back.
The World Health Organization raised the alert level to Phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country. Monday was the first time it has ever been raised above Phase 3.
Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.
The World Heath Organization has now confirmed person-to-person transmission of the swine flu virus in the United States.
The WHO said some students in New York City infected with swine flu had not traveled to Mexico and must have contracted the disease from classmates who had recently returned from a trip to the country.
That is significant because it suggests the swine flu virus that is suspected in dozens of deaths in Mexico is now strong enough to be passed among people in other countries, raising the likelihood of a flu pandemic.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518196,00.html
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Tuesday to respond to the swine flu outbreak after two fatalities in Los Angeles were being investigated for possible links to the virus.
The declaration is accompanied by a request for federal funds to cover enactment of emergency “services, materials, personnel and equipment to supplement extraordinary preventive measures being taken across the state.”
U.S. scientists hope to have a key ingredient for a swine flu vaccine ready in early May, but are finding that the novel virus grows slowly in eggs — the chief way flu vaccines are made.
Even if all goes well, it still will take a few months before any shots are available for the first required safety testing, in volunteers.
“We’re working together at 100 miles an hour to get material that will be useful,” Dr. Jesse Goodman, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration’s swine flu work, told The Associated Press.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518261,00.html
April 28 5:30pm PDT
It’s been a crazy day filled with rumor and not much real information. I suspect we will hear about many more confirmed cases of the flu tomorrow. Everyone is trying to be very cautious to avoid panic. The CDC only updates their information once a day so it is hard to get accurate information.
The CDC did say a few interesting things today. They confirmed the swine flu is moving very aggressively, far faster than the seasonal flu. This flu has a very high degree of transmission from family member to family member, in other words it is very easy to catch. They are preparing a seed stock which can be used to create a vaccine for this strain of the flu. The CDC has not decided whether or not to go forward with the vaccine or to combine it with the seasonal flu vaccine being developed for the next flu season.
The CDC has also said schools should be closed for a few days, when a child who attends, is confirmed to have the swine flu. If you have a child who is ill or you are ill please keep everyone home. The flu spreads very easily and if someone in your home is ill everyone is probably capable of passing on the germ to others. Please stay home.
I have written about the evolution of a pandemic flu and you may remember I told you a pandemic comes in waves. The swine flu has been mild in the United States and no deaths have been recorded outside of Mexico. This early wave is mild, however, the second and third waves are usually more severe. Yes, this wave may last nine to ten weeks, but it could resurface in the fall, as a more potent strain.
You should also be aware that Homeland Security has not limited travel to Mexico and they have not limited flights from Mexico to the US. However, the major US and British cruise lines will no longer be stopping at Mexican ports. Thank you cruise lines!
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I have been thinking about this all day – the waves that a pandemic takes. The news reports keep saying how it is good that this is coming when the spring weather is here when it will go away quickly and be mild. Then they say it will possibly come back in the fall… I feel like this is our “drill” for what may come.
I understand they are trying to be cautious and not having people panic… I really hope that everyone is preparing and not blowing this over… It’s in the preparing that we will have peace. I know you feel different in California then we do in Idaho.. Living here it is NO big deal and if I am worried about it – I am a crazy lady..
What do you think about the vaccine that they may give next fall… I really don’t want to take it, from what I read about what happened in the 1970′s. Do you think it can be safe if they are able to grow the vaccine from seeds?
I feel like I am at peace and prepared because I have been following your blog for 6 months or so. It is my wish that we can help people prepare and be ready for what may come. That my extended famly will take this seriously and get prepared.
Do you think they are keeping the real risk “quiet”? I don’t think most people are worried at all about the threat of what this can become. They keep reporting about what happens with a seasonal flu and make it seem like this is the same type of thing. I don’t feel like it is the same at all – what do you think?
I’m trying hard not to get to worried and go about my normal life… Wash my hands often. But it’s kind of scary when you don’t know if the person next to you is a carrier.. I have 80 N-95 in my home – when you do start being worried enough to start wearing them and have your children who go to school wear them? I have enough food storage and over the counter medication, gloves, water on hand.. We are prepared. I just don’t want to get infected.
Sorry this is very long – I just feel lost and helpless with the way they are reporting the risks. A little frustrated.
Sondra,
I have a child who lives in California. She reports that there are still people in California who have blown this off. There may be any number of reasons why the media, and even medical personnel, don’t seem to be giving accurate reporting. One reason journalists may not be reporting the way you think they would is because they may not really know enough about how a new virus operates and so they really don’t know how to ask the right questions. The answers they get will impact how they write.
Secondly, medical personnel do not want to unduly alarm the populace and have their professionalism put in question. This does have importance in any area of expertise–even in parenthood. If you are adamant about something and it doesn’t happen, then you lose your credibility, which can negatively impact how others trust you when the next crises arises. By the same token, if you don’t warn them accurately when needed, you will also lose the trust of those who consider you a watchman.
What is really needed is to have the media direct people to websites like fluwikie.com, etc. so that the populace can study up on their own about what to do.
I have been upfront for over a year with my own grown children about what could happen in a severe pandemic. My feeling is that you prepare for the worst case scenario, and if it actually happens, you will still find that you are scrambling to keep up with the challenges. It is because the government and the media have not adequately informed citizens all along about what would be needed for a worst case scenario that they are hesitant now to do so because there will be problems. As you have noticed, many people still are not willing to ‘buy into’ the situation even when it is staring them in the face. It is for these that we will need to make extra preparations if possible.
On a practical note, does every person in your household have their own tube of toothpaste? If not, I would suggest that everyone follow this practice immediately. If your spouse objects, ask what they would think if they were in a hospital right now that had patients with the flu and there was only ONE tube of toothpaste for the use of all the patients. Viruses don’t announce themselves immediately as soon as they enter a person. They leave themselves time to enter another person maybe via the family toothpaste tube. Our family had this happen the year there was a virulent strain of strept–the year Jim Henson, the puppeteer, died of strept.
Another thing to pay attention to in your family is the practice of taking second helpings at a meal. Do family members keep the serving spoon completely off their germy plate? Or do family members touch their germy plate with the serving spoon and then return it to the serving bowl so that the next family member can share their stealth virus? If family members can’t master keeping the serving spoon off their plates, then do what the food industry does–have them get a clean plate for second helpings.
Sondra, sounds like you and I think a lot alike. I live in a small town (4,000 people) and everyone I’ve talked to is convinced that the flu will NOT show up here, because no one has travelled to Mexico recently. There is so little education among the people I’ve talked to that it frustrates me. I am prepared to quarantine at home, but only know of a couple of other people who have made the same preps. My hubby thinks I’m nuts, my boss thinks I’m silly. I hope they’re both right, and that we don’t end up needing to quarantine just now. I’d rather be nuts or silly than have the people around me who are not prepared become ill.
They’ve announced the first death in the United States from this flu. A two-year old visiting with family from a Mexican border town near Brownsville, Texas, has died.
This flu seems a lot like 1918. In a seasonal flu the greater majority of deaths are the very young and the elderly and those with health problems. In 1918, a large number of deaths were those who were healthy young adults. I understand that a large number of those who have already died in Mexico are the young adults 20-40 year age group. This is why Carolyn has been talking about having supplies in place to care for ourselves at home–in a worst case scenario hospitals would not be able to handle the masses of sick people and they would need to be cared for at home. Check lds.org providentliving site for information on pandemic preparedness. There is an order you need to follow to remove your masks and gloves so that you won’t further contaminate yourself or those about you. Here is the link:
http://providentliving.org/pfw/multimedia/files/pfw/pdf/113475_PandemicPlanningPDFsCombined_pdf.pdf
Thanks everyone for your great advise! It’s good to have this forum to communicate with others.
We do have different toothpaste tubes – so that is good… I also go through toothbrushes often and more when we are sick. I never thought about the serving spoon – so we will work on that.
I’ll checkout the order to remove gloves and masks at LDS.org… I didn’t know that there was a procedure. Thanks again!!
Really, it does feel good to be prepared and to have others help you be calm
.. Thanks again!
Good evening from Dallas. I had some face masks in emergency storage, then I read that I should have N-95 type. I went to a medical supply store that I have used often in the past for family members. The clerk told me she could only sell me 10, as people are coming in absolutely in a panic.
I live in a VERY small town in Nevada, about 1400 people. Our family and a few other families have been preparing for such an emergency for a very long time; however, with this flu scare, we have increased our preparations; we have face masks, have ordered more and have several boxes of surgical gloves, different sizes. When this hits (not if, but when) we need to be prepared to help those around us.
My grandson, whom we are raising, is thinking of doing his Eagle Project on teaching this community what to do to be prepared. We were considering this project before this scare, but now even more so.
We all need to purchase the food items and other things needed to nurse sick people and be able to stay home. We practiced this by going on our food storage for 30 days last fall. It was hard not going to the store, but we did it! That experiment and experience taught us a few things.
If we are prepared, we shall not fear. I have a lot of peace about this scare and anything else that might come. We are still preparing, however.
We just hope that there will be no “second wave” influenza, which is predicted to be deadly and the speed of getting infected to this disease is faster than the first one. Researchers also should hurry up on getting the right formula of vaccines they make.