# How worried should we be about Swine Flu? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 25, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359 "2009-04-25T23:07:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/121 "2009-04-27T19:18:43Z")
> [@wonder9](#): > > [Cytokine storm](http://www.fluwikie.com/index.php?n=Science.PrimerCytokineStorm) > > Wow. Can’t believe I was the first to post that. Go me! Post 103. There are times I doubt my existance ☹ ---
**Author:** ![wonder9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c57346/32.png) [@wonder9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonder9)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/122 "2009-04-27T19:32:51Z")
I did in fact read your response. The poster who asked the question evidently hadn’t. I guess if I was a really good doper I would have referred them to your answer rather than try to grab all the glory myself with another mention of the same thing. I will be a better doper. I will be a better doper. I will be a better doper… ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/123 "2009-04-27T19:53:38Z")
> [@wonder9](#): > > I did in fact read your response. The poster who asked the question evidently hadn’t. I guess if I was a really good doper I would have referred them to your answer rather than try to grab all the glory myself with another mention of the same thing. > > I will be a better doper. > I will be a better doper. > I will be a better doper… Its okay, I will just be over here consumed in self doubt… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/124 "2009-04-27T20:33:31Z")
Sorry, I just had time to browse the thread, but are they doing anything to slow/halt travel from Mexico. I read someplace that they are warning people about going to Mexico. are there screenings of some sort at the airports and the borders. Also, for those in the medical field, at what point, if any, is it wise to halt travel from Mexico? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/125 "2009-04-27T20:38:02Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > From what I understand the cases in New York are relatively mild because Americans go to the Doctor if they get sick. In Mexico they waited until they were really sick and so it spread more rapidly and people died. The problem with this is that the poor will be more severely impacted, as they are less apt to go to the doctor, or as quickly. This can exacerbate the problem further due to the fact that many of the poor live in closer proximity to each other in inner cities. Also, if they do feel the urge for medical attention, this could really overflow our emergency rooms, as for some of the poor—and illegal aliens—that is their “going to the doctor”. > [@mswas](#): > > I think that in America we will probably be fine. Drink lots of fluids, have some vitamin C and Mom’s chicken soup. Wait, are you suggesting people don’t go to the doctor and just tried it as a cold? ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/126 "2009-04-27T21:03:03Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > What worries me most is the age group that appears vulnerable, young adult and middle aged, significantly different than normal flus . > > That is eerily similar to the 1918 pandemic. That’s because the strain is extra-terrestrial and is floating down from space so young people come into cintact with it more. It’s TRUE! I saw it on TV! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/127 "2009-04-27T21:43:36Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Exactly what I was going to say. What an ass. I can’t even see what he THINKS is offensive. Is the word “swine” in and of itself an insult to Jews regardless of context? What a douchebag. Yeah, Litzman is pretty much an asshole. A \*fundie \*asshole. Sorry to say, we have them too. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/128 "2009-04-27T21:55:15Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Yeah, Litzman is pretty much an asshole. A \*fundie \*asshole. Sorry to say, we have them too. I know better than to generalize someone like that to all Israelies. Hell, on the whole, Israel is probably culturally less religious than the US is. The ultra-Orthodox people just make all the noise. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/129 "2009-04-27T22:03:15Z")
I don’t even understand why ‘swine’ would be offensive to Jews. We’re just not supposed to eat them! Do Israeli fundamentalists routinely freak out about stuff like this? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/130 "2009-04-27T22:06:34Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > I don’t even understand why ‘swine’ would be offensive to Jews. We’re just not supposed to eat them! Do Israeli fundamentalists routinely freak out about stuff like this? WAG: Maybe it is the thought of having viral pig DNA (ETA: Not phrasing it the most correctly here, but I think I made my point?) in their system, it is too much for them to bear, and they’d rather stick their fingers in their ears and _lalalalala_ than have the idea thrust into their face via the name of the illness? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/131 "2009-04-27T22:12:15Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Wait, are you suggesting people don’t go to the doctor and just tried it as a cold? Well, physicians can be of help to folks with influenza under a limited range of circumstances, frankly. 1st, if they present within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, oseltamavir (or the other antiviral whose name escapes me at the moment) may be effective in shortening the severity and duration of the symptoms. 2ndly, if one is beginning to suffer secondary consequences of the flu, like bacterial pneumonia, or other complications. For the mass of folks in the middle, the doc will be able to say: Yep, you’ve got the flu. It’s too late to shorten the course, and you don’t appear to have complications. Drink plenty of fluids, take tylenol and/or ibuprofen, rest, and call if you develop symptoms of complications. A few might need prescription cough suppression to give some relief from their symptoms, but even this carries some risk. The cough does help keep lungs clear, and suppressing it may raise the risk of pneumonia. High risk folks (compromised immune systems, lung diseases, very young, frail) should definitely contact their docs at the first sign of symptoms/significant exposure. It remains to be seen who may be helped by physicians in the low risk group. We’ll have to wait for more clinical data. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/132 "2009-04-27T22:55:02Z")
**QtM** , it would be important for the cases to be tracked, though, wouldn’t it? Is there some way to do that (a number to call, a test you can do at home and send in to the health department) other than going into the doctor? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/133 "2009-04-27T23:26:09Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Wait, are you suggesting people don’t go to the doctor and just tried it as a cold? Depends, in general most strains of influenza the main treatment is support [rest fluids, tender care] rather than meds. Keep in mind, antivirals are NOT antibiotics, they are fairly individual and treatments have to be tailored to specific groupings. heck, a lot of illnesses we get meds for much of the time in NON US/‘first world industrialized’ countries get nothing more than rest and fluids and support where we would be in a hospital with tubes everywhere and meds umping in at OPEC speeds. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/134 "2009-04-28T00:39:30Z")
> [@C3](#): > > **QtM** , it would be important for the cases to be tracked, though, wouldn’t it? Is there some way to do that (a number to call, a test you can do at home and send in to the health department) other than going into the doctor? Not that I’m aware of. During flu season, the expectation is not to diagnose every case, as that just won’t happen. But rather, to get an idea of the relative prevalence of the type of flu appearing in a given region. Frankly, the vast majority of cases of influenza I saw when working in the private sector never got reported; we knew the flu was in the area, we diagnosed those cases we saw based on symptoms, not on lab tests, and we didn’t report. I only took nasal swabs to test for flu on the first few cases I’d see in each season, when there was still uncertainty as to which strain was coming into an area. These got reported. And if any cases of flu-like illness show up at work over the next few days or weeks, I’ll definitely be culturing them, until we see what’s in the community. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/135 "2009-04-28T01:10:41Z")
Yes, because uncultured flus have a tendency to be ill-mannered boors, even piggish. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/136 "2009-04-28T04:35:35Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > WAG: Maybe it is the thought of having viral pig DNA (ETA: Not phrasing it the most correctly here, but I think I made my point?) in their system, it is too much for them to bear, and they’d rather stick their fingers in their ears and _lalalalala_ than have the idea thrust into their face via the name of the illness? 😕 Nah, it’s just manufactured offense used for a power play. If he manages to get people to call it something else, he’ll show how much power he has over the press and the public. If they don’t call it something else (which will probably be the case), he’ll act as if the government owes him something in return - oh, the indignities he must suffer! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/137 "2009-04-28T04:36:52Z")
Pork sellers all over Thailand have reported a vast plunge in sales now because of this. The same thing happened with chicken and bird flu. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/138 "2009-04-28T14:59:14Z")
CNN is down to one story all day long. They have people in Mexico City showing everybody wearing masks as they walk about. Right now the horror of the subway. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/139 "2009-04-28T15:02:03Z")
I’m headed to Boulder…see the rest of you in Las Vegas where you can meet my lil friend… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359/140 "2009-04-28T16:20:54Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > WAG: Maybe it is the thought of having viral pig DNA (ETA: Not phrasing it the most correctly here, but I think I made my point?) in their system, it is too much for them to bear, and they’d rather stick their fingers in their ears and _lalalalala_ than have the idea thrust into their face via the name of the illness? 😕 But that wouldn’t be a problem as long as you didn’t get the flu from eating pig meat. Kosher rules apply only to food. After all, most viruses we get come from other humans, and human flesh is not a kosher food, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-we-be-about-swine-flu/494359.md?page=8)