I'm writing this post to help inform you guys specifically. So you will know a little more about the situation when this confronts you in reality. Mark my words, it will. From here on out I will be referring to Swine Flu as Novel H1N1, a strain of Influenza A, per request. It is the correct label after all.
I know everyone is liberal with the skepticism on the issue, but approach this comparison with an open mind: It is like living in New Orleans and Katrina is headed towards you. It is just a medium storm at first so you have the option of riding it out and you aren't really sure if it is going to hit NoLa or not. These things are unpredictable... That is where Novel H1N1 is right now. It is coming and the nervousness you are sensing from everyone else is just in preparation. This storm could climb to a category 5 and could hit us head on. Please don't dismiss it.
Federal authorities plan to launch a massive campaign in the coming weeks to convince Americans to get the swine flu vaccine and to erase any public skepticism about the flu's danger and the safety of immunizations.
This video is the best introduction to the current state of things. It is a production from Nova in their series Nova Science Now (the best tv show on earth). This was from 2006 when Avian Flu was a threat and everyone was scared. The whole segment is about the 1918 H1N1 Pandemic though. They are talking about a strain of the same virus and explain what happened then, and more importantly they discus the physiology of viruses. It also has the best description of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase I have ever seen. I wish I had seen it before I took virology.... So you have all that information at your finger tips now. You'll also learn about how it is spread and what the symptoms are.
It is separated into 2 parts, the second part starts off with excellent animation describing the importance of the "H" and "N"s. Keep in mind when you are watching this that the 1918 flu pandemic they are talking about was a similar Influenza A strain. They just keep referring to it as the 1918 flu.
I know a lot of people are paranoid about the vaccine due to mercury and other preservatives but I'm going to let you come to your own conclusions. I will tell you that scientists are questioning whether or not older generations really need it. They think it might be possible that immunity may have already been instilled in people from the Russian Flu (1946-1957) and then again from the late 70's with the H1N1 outbreak. Even if you didn't get sick, you may have had the vaccine to these flus which were similar Influenza A strains. Read more here.
One thing I don't like about the vaccine is the fact that it isn't going through a proper trial phase. I know there is no time, but by the time they find out if there are severe or even lethal side effects, thousands of people will already have had the shot. Another thing with the vaccine that you can't really count on, is by the time you get it, the sample they produced the vaccine with may not even be helpful in protecting you anymore. There is a real possibility that by the time it hits here badly, it may have mutated. Rendering the vaccine useless against this specific threat. Mutations are what make dealing with viruses in general so hard for medicine. -- A quick side-note, there is hope that causing HIV to hyper-mutate that it may destroy itself. That is being studied right now and if it is successful, it will have applications with every virus that ails us.
You should also know that the current strain of Influenza A, Novel H1N1, is resistant to a lot of stuff, which is one of the reasons why it is particularly dangerous. For example the CDC is stating that 13% of cases are Tamiflu resistant, which is a considerable change from the normal 1% resistance seen in Influenza A in the past. More here. It has been circulating more in the southern hemisphere from what I've been told, since it is winter there now. Which is where a lot of case studies will likely be coming from. Thankfully we have this time advantage and we aren't going to be as ignorant as they are now.
To address the skepticism that this is fear mongering and the media getting everyone freaked out, I will try to counter it with pointing out that this is a story that has been driven by the CDC and WHO. Every other scare tactic used against us has been originated and driven by the media. This information is coming directly from liberal people who are basing their claims in fact. Even when they address the issue of predicting the spread, they are getting the information from people like Nate Silver. More here and here.
One last thing. The FDA and FTC have issued a statement about fraudulent products from slimy people trying to take advantage of the situation. My guess is there are going to be lots and lots of scams playing on peoples' fear over this flu season. The FTC is ready to investigate and prosecute these people as they bubble to the surface. Press release here.
There seemed to be a lot more information I wanted to get across, but I can't seem to get this post right. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments and I will try to answer. Magnolia is a registered nurse so she might know the answers too.
Please see your doctor to discuss whether or not you should get the vaccine. Just don't walk in there ignorant. Remember it is completely possible for this to miss us. Just like it was possible for Katrina to swing a louis and head to Texas. I hope this is helpful, and didn't just scare anyone.
Thank to Rita for helping me out.
