Hey, we’re talking about influenza H1N1 here, not the Andromeda Strain. By all reports we’ve heard so far, it’s producing mild to moderate symptoms compared to other flu viruses in the last 40-50 years. Wash hands with soap and water when returning from a shopping trip and remove outerwear in the laundry area if you think it might be contaminated. Some disposable surgical masks and few bottles of hand sanitizer should suffice. Influenza is spread mostly by airborne droplet infection, when a sick individual sneezes or coughs, much less by contact with surfaces.

There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005, resulting in 42,636 fatalities. About 116 people died EVERY DAY in vehicle crashes in the United States — one death every 13 minutes.

Compare that to the 353 people who have died of influenza in the United States from January 1 to July 31, 2009, according to CDC numbers. (Most of these were people with compromised immunity, including the elderly, infants, and women who were pregnant or had given birth shortly before getting sick. Of the pregnant women, they are dying mostly from pneumonia, caused by reduced lung capacity.)

More people die on America’s highways in three days than have died in seven months from the flu, yet no one in the press is screaming and shouting about a vehicle carnage “pandemic”.

It’s good to be prepared, but, stop a minute and think about it. Tyvek® hazmat suits? Full-face respirators? You’re likely to scare your kid to death with the Moon Suit!

Hey, we’re talking about influenza H1N1 here, not the Andromeda Strain. By all reports we’ve heard so far, it’s producing mild to moderate symptoms compared to other flu viruses in the last 40-50 years. Wash hands with soap and water when returning from a shopping trip and remove outerwear in the laundry area if you think it might be contaminated. Some disposable surgical masks and few bottles of hand sanitizer should suffice. Influenza is spread mostly by airborne droplet infection, when a sick individual sneezes or coughs, much less by contact with surfaces.

There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005, resulting in 42,636 fatalities. About 116 people died EVERY DAY in vehicle crashes in the United States — one death every 13 minutes.

Compare that to the 353 people who have died of influenza in the United States from January 1 to July 31, 2009, according to CDC numbers. (Most of these were people with compromised immunity, including the elderly, infants, and women who were pregnant or had given birth shortly before getting sick. Of the pregnant women, they are dying mostly from pneumonia, caused by reduced lung capacity.)

More people die on America’s highways in three days than have died in seven months from the flu, yet no one in the press is screaming and shouting about a vehicle carnage “pandemic”.

It’s good to be prepared, but, stop a minute and think about it. Tyvek® hazmat suits? Full-face respirators? You’re likely to scare your kid to death with the Moon Suit!

(Sorry, I’m new to this.)

(Sorry, I’m new to this.)

This is in fact down from 2.5% thanks to (more recently implemented) early detection and anti-virals being administered, which seem to have stopped the deaths from occuring and made the sickness ‘milder’. It cannot stop the spread though, with a further 10% being added daily. The 1918 pandemic killed about 2.75%, and they had no antivirals.

When will governments start reserving their antivirals for only health care and emergency workers?

Nigel Thomas.
Bird Flu Manual Online.
2009 H1N1 Flu preparedness for businesses.