Swine Flue outbreak in Mexico, US; 20 confirmed dead.

[Ed Anger]

Also: playing Johnny Cash's The Man Comes Around over the PA: Tacky or not?

I seriously thought about it. 

[derspiess]

Also: playing Johnny Cash's The Man Comes Around over the PA: Tacky or not?

I seriously thought about it. 

Do it.  And blast it when it comes to the "100 million angels singing" part

[Martinus]

Work update: sent a few people home. Felt good flexing my authority. Was nice and told thim it doesn't count against their sick days.

Man, you really showed them.

You should have destroyed them completely by giving them a ride home in your car.

[Neil]

Work update: sent a few people home. Felt good flexing my authority. Was nice and told thim it doesn't count against their sick days.

Your panic level is insufficient.  You might not be cut out for upper-middle management.

A real branch manager would not have gotten out of that situation without a decent lawsuit or human rights complaint.  Try this:  Accuse any Jews (or better yet, Muslims) at your company of being suspicious, because they're a little too obvious in avoiding pigs, something that only an infected person would do.  Either that, or ask the most attractive woman at your office if she wants to ride your hog.

[crazy canuck]

Work update: sent a few people home. Felt good flexing my authority. Was nice and told thim it doesn't count against their sick days.

You are supposed to wait until they get sick before you start sending people home because of this....

[Monoriu]

I now really regret not stockpiling some Tamiflu earlier.  By now they should be out of stock in all drug stores.  The only way to get them now is by going to a doctor/hospital - but that's probably the last thing I want to do if I am infected. 

[Brazen]

All you wanted to know about swine flu (no e, unless pigs have chimneys now) but were afraid to ask. From the Science Media Centre.

May I bring to your attention the last question:

20: Are we all going to die?

A: Yes but probably not of flu and more probably not of this virus

Questions below answered by Professor Andrew Easton, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick. Answers to the same questions by Dr John McConnell, editor of The Lancet Infectious Diseases can be viewed here.

1: Can you comment on early detection methods and vaccine synthesis?

A: With regard to vaccine synthesis, the current system of preparation of vaccines will be activated when it is clear that the situation merits it i.e. when the WHO determines that the pattern of infection is such to suggest that the virus represents a significant threat. Having done this there will be a delay as the vaccine candidate is prepared. Most importantly, there will be a necessary delay as the vaccine stocks are produced and disseminated. At best this will take 6 months and possibly more. A concern must be the availability of the materials necessary to generate sufficient vaccine stocks. Current information suggests that there may be a shortfall in the immediate term.

2: Is screening at airports a waste of time?

A: Health surveillance in these situations is always helpful. As was seen with the SARS outbreak viruses can be spread as a result of international travel. The type of screening being done is designed simply to detect travellers with elevated temperatures and that could be due to many causes quite unrelated to flu. This means that the way in which the screen is used is the important factor. It is essential that any response is proportionate and careful.

3: Why does the flu seem to be less deadly outside of New Mexico, is it the disease changing or simply better healthcare in more developed countries?

A: It is probably too early to say. A complete answer would require a lot of information about individual patients and their treatment.

4: What do we know about the disease? What don't we know?

A: We know it is flu and that means we understand quite a lot. However, we are a long way from understanding everything about flu.

5: How quickly might it spread?

A: It might spread very slowly but equally it might spread quickly. At the moment the information is not sufficient to say. It is necessary to monitor the rate of spread as closely as possible and use that to predict likely patterns of spread. The factors that affect spread of influenza are not completely understood.

6: How bad is it going to get?

A: Cannot answer

7: The basic virology of flu -- how do new viruses like the Mexico strain arise? What makes them nasty?

A: Taking the first part. Flu is unusual in that it is able to exchange genes with other flu viruses. To do this two or more different flu viruses must infect the same individual or animal at the same time. Obviously this is rare. This reassortment process generates new gene combinations and it is these that represent the threat since humans may not have encountered them before. With the second part we do not know what makes a 'nasty' flu virus.

8: Why do the US and Mexico flanks of the outbreak apparently look so different?

A: See question 3.

9: Will there be any cross-immunity between normal H1N1 and the Mexico strain?

A: At the moment the information suggests that there is very little if any cross immunity.

10: What plausible explanations are there for the apparent mismatch between what's Mexico and the United States.

A: see Q 3.

11. what are the chances of this year's seasonal flu vaccine containing anything that might offer protection against this strain.

A: If there is an inadequate level of cross immunity as appears to be the case the current vaccine will have minimal effect.

12: A reminder of a timeline for flu transmission including when symptoms develop, when people are infectious and not etc.

A: The best description is available through CDC or WHO.

13: Masks - how useful are they in offering any protection or are they simply a measure that makes people feel better

A: The correct mask can have an effect of reducing risk, though it is difficult to quantitate for a population.

14: What thoughts on international travel - should any further measures be taken to screen people?

A: See Q 2.

15: What are the chances of this strain mutating into a strain that is more dangerous and more virulent.

A: Cannot answer. We simply do not understand what is required for a virus to be more virulent. However, the likelihood must be low or it would happen more often.

16: Estimates of timeline to develop a vaccine - should that be needed.

A: See Q 1.

17: An explanation of how antivirals work

A: The current antivirals inhibit the function of a critical virus protein. This reduces the ability of the virus to grow.

18: Has the focus on H5N1 in recent years led to the risks from an H1N1 strain being underestimated?

A: No. While H5N1 has got a lot of attention especially from the media virologists have always recognised that a different virus may appear to generate a pandemic.

19: How prepared are we and what would happen if it does come here - face masks etc

A: The UK government has a pandemic emergency plan which was prepared some years ago. This has within it the measures possible to try ot reduce the impact of a pandemic. The emergency plan involves the availability of antiviral drugs (which have been shown to work with the latest virus) as well as other measures.

20: Are we all going to die?

A: Yes but probably not of flu and more probably not of this virus.

[Josquius]

I hereby encourage everyone who is flying in the near future to try and look slightly ill, sniff a bit and mutter 'damn rabid pig' (ignorance is a wonderful thing) when on the plane.

[Monoriu]

The temperature detectors at airports are extremely easy to defeat.  Just take some fever reducers.

[jimmy olsen]

Official death toll is up to 149 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682/

[Tamas]

Any deaths so far outside of Mexico?

[Alatriste]

The temperature detectors at airports are extremely easy to defeat.  Just take some fever reducers.

And that's it. Mono, in the movie you will be the one; you know, the archetypical 'too clever by half' character that bypasses security measures, let's the lethal virus run wild, and billions of humans die... 

[Brazen]

Epidemiologists are generally of the opinion that if we channelled all the money from pandemic panics into diseases that actually do kill vast swathes of people, the money would be much better spent. But the pressure is on governments from the public in wealthy nations to protect themselves rather than save poor people. 1.6 million people died from TB in 2005, for instance. That's 24 per 100,000 population.

[Martinus]

Official death toll is up to 149 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682/

It has been reported here that only about 20 of these deaths were caused by the swine flu and the rest is other causes. So far, all the deaths were in Mexico and it appears this is due to poor hygiene/ignoring the flu originally. It seems this flu is no more deadly than your typical, human variety of flu that we have each year.

[DisturbedPervert]

The temperature detectors at airports are extremely easy to defeat.  Just take some fever reducers.

Are you a member of the Army of the 12 Monkeys?