Flu Outbreak Going To Prevent Hauling?

[kaliraksha]

I'm about as scared of the swine flu as I am of the regular flu- not very. This doesn't change my life or my routine in anyway, I have a very high level of hygienic practices regularly to ward of all communal diseases. The only thing I'm "scared" of is the ridiculous paranoia of people... I read that in Austin they were 1000s of swab samples behind because people were going in to get tested if they ate pork, which means if one of my loved ones or I get sick it's going to make it more difficult or at least timely to seek treatment because of paranoid people.

 

[NeonKitty]

Wow. I really hate it when I'm right.

Hysteria over swine flu is the real danger, some say - CNN.com
(CNN) -- As the number of swine flu cases rises around the world, so is a gradual backlash -- with some saying the threat the virus poses is overblown.


By Monday, 985 cases of the virus, known as influenza A (H1N1), had been confirmed in 20 countries, the World Health Organization said. The number of fatalities was at 26, including one in the United States.
"There is too much hysteria in the country and so far, there hasn't been that great a danger," said Congressman Ron Paul, a Republican from Texas. "It's overblown, grossly so."

The United States' only death this year from the virus was a 22-month-old boy in Texas who was visiting from Mexico. The other 25 deaths happened in Mexico.
"I wish people would back off a little bit," Paul said.
hand.
"We have people without symptoms going into the emergency rooms asking to be screened for swine flu at the expense of people with real illness," said Cathy Gichema, a nurse in Pikesville, Maryland.
"Schools are being shut for probable causes -- sending these kids congregating to the malls. How is that helping?" Gichema said.
Dr. Mark Bell, principal of Emergent Medical Associates, which operates 18 emergency departments in Southern California, said the level of fear is unprecedented.
"I haven't seen such a panic among communities perhaps ever," Bell said. "Right now, people think if they have a cough or a cold, they're going to die. That's a scary, frightening place to be in. I wish that this hysteria had not occurred and that we had tempered a little bit of our opinions and thoughts and fears in the media."

Officials tell schools not to close for swine flu - CNN.com

(CNN) -- Federal officials now recommend that schools stop closing when a case of swine flu is confirmed at a school, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday.

Scientists believe the H1N1 virus epidemic is no more dangerous than seasonal flu, and schools should act accordingly, Sebelius said.
"This virus does not seem to be as severe as we once thought it would be," she said at a news conference at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sick students should be kept home for seven days, she said, "but the schools should feel comfortable about opening."
Schools that have been closed can reopen, Sebelius said.
There were 702 probable and 403 confirmed cases in 44 states on Tuesday, said Dr. Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director.
In a pandemic, closing schools has a definite benefit, Besser said. But closing during a general flu outbreak is not required, he said.

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But hey, what do the experts and health practitioners like us know? Hysterics are the obvious rational response, as opposed to say, educating yourself and washing your hands, for instance.

 

[TISH1124]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeonKitty Wow. I really hate it when I'm right.

Like hell you do

You crack me up!

 

[pumpkincat210]

I will admit it! The news panicked me and got sick from a sinus infection, mild food poisoning at the same time, i was sure that i was sick with the swine flu. Luckily they did a 2 minute test at the doctor and it was negative. The timing was impeccable, i thought it was over for me. I didn't think i'd be so easily freaked. I am not watching the news anymore. Or try on makeup in the store for awhile and only then with lots of alcohol.

 

[NeonKitty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpkincat210 I will admit it! The news panicked me and got sick from a sinus infection, mild food poisoning at the same time, i was sure that i was sick with the swine flu. Luckily they did a 2 minute test at the doctor and it was negative. The timing was impeccable, i thought it was over for me. I didn't think i'd be so easily freaked. I am not watching the news anymore. Or try on makeup in the store for awhile and only then with lots of alcohol.

I'm really annoyed at the media over this, swine flu breaking news was on 24/7, every channel. To those of us who have some health background it was obvious is was being oversensationalized with the interest of gaining viewership and whatnot, and thus at the expense of public interest. I read on CNN one day, they were quoting a woman on a bus in mexico who was wearing a mask, and putting on eyeliner, but she refused to take the mask off to put on lipgloss. That was kinda hysterical and a glaring example of the kind of misinformation that is out there as well. Influenza is a droplet borne infection, an ordinary surgical mask will prevent you from coughing or sneezing on someone and passing the virus, or have someone elses snot droplets land on your face. BUT a droplet borne infection can be passed from the hands of a person with the virus who rubs their nose or covers their cough with their hand, place their hand on the bus rail, and the person touching right after picks it up, then touches their eye while they are applying eyeliner. They have just put the virus in their eye, obviously now contaminated and probable carrier of the virus.

What would have been of benefit to the public is reporting of solid research borne information and public health practices that are effective. People believed if they wore that paper mask they were safe from the virus. They were not. A false sense of security from the mask at the expense of proven prevention techniques, such as washing your hands, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, not touching your face only serves to INCREASE spread of the virus. Also, alcohol hand wash is still being debated and researched in the medical community as being an effective in killing contaminants, versus betadine and chlorhexidine and good ole fashioned water and soap. I can't say that the literature is consistent on this, nor hospital practice. IV injection sites are prepped with alcohol before injections, but when preparing for central line insertions we use chlorhexidine. For cleaning surfaces, we use cavi-wipes, which kill even tuberculosis bacteria (and eat through your hand but that's another story). For surgery its still betadine. If alcohol were the be all and end all we would be using it everywhere.

I think what needs to be done now, in addition to research into a vaccine and manipulating mutations of the virus, is an examination of our public health education practices. The message is not getting out there, clearly. I think hand washing needs to be promoted not just in times of a pandemic scare, but routinely. obviously, more vaccination education is required also, since more and more people are nixing literature based findings for scare mongering on the internet at the expense of their child's health and that of herd immunity.

As to trying on makeup, swatching a product on an intact skin barrier is not really going to present a problem for you. It's when you put it near mucous membranes like mouth, eyes, open cuts etc that it becomes an issue. Add in what I mentioned above about alcohol effectiveness, I am very wary of alcohol based cleanings of shared products, particularly cream products being used on someone's mouth, eyes, skin blemishes. So you'll never see me watching a lippie on my lips at the store. Hand only, and lip swatch once the product is bought.

[sarcasm] But again, take it as you will, since this thread has clearly shown, I don't have a freakin clue what I'm talking about. It makes much more sense to listen to those who declare this the KING of pandemics and PEOPLE ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES [/sarcasm]

 

[pumpkincat210]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeonKitty I'm really annoyed at the media over this, swine flu breaking news was on 24/7, every channel. To those of us who have some health background it was obvious is was being oversensationalized with the interest of gaining viewership and whatnot, and thus at the expense of public interest. I read on CNN one day, they were quoting a woman on a bus in mexico who was wearing a mask, and putting on eyeliner, but she refused to take the mask off to put on lipgloss. That was kinda hysterical and a glaring example of the kind of misinformation that is out there as well. Influenza is a droplet borne infection, an ordinary surgical mask will prevent you from coughing or sneezing on someone and passing the virus, or have someone elses snot droplets land on your face. BUT a droplet borne infection can be passed from the hands of a person with the virus who rubs their nose or covers their cough with their hand, place their hand on the bus rail, and the person touching right after picks it up, then touches their eye while they are applying eyeliner. They have just put the virus in their eye, obviously now contaminated and probable carrier of the virus. What would have been of benefit to the public is reporting of solid research borne information and public health practices that are effective. People believed if they wore that paper mask they were safe from the virus. They were not. A false sense of security from the mask at the expense of proven prevention techniques, such as washing your hands, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, not touching your face only serves to INCREASE spread of the virus. Also, alcohol hand wash is still being debated and researched in the medical community as being an effective in killing contaminants, versus betadine and chlorhexidine and good ole fashioned water and soap. I can't say that the literature is consistent on this, nor hospital practice. IV injection sites are prepped with alcohol before injections, but when preparing for central line insertions we use chlorhexidine. For cleaning surfaces, we use cavi-wipes, which kill even tuberculosis bacteria (and eat through your hand but that's another story). For surgery its still betadine. If alcohol were the be all and end all we would be using it everywhere. I think what needs to be done now, in addition to research into a vaccine and manipulating mutations of the virus, is an examination of our public health education practices. The message is not getting out there, clearly. I think hand washing needs to be promoted not just in times of a pandemic scare, but routinely. obviously, more vaccination education is required also, since more and more people are nixing literature based findings for scare mongering on the internet at the expense of their child's health and that of herd immunity. As to trying on makeup, swatching a product on an intact skin barrier is not really going to present a problem for you. It's when you put it near mucous membranes like mouth, eyes, open cuts etc that it becomes an issue. Add in what I mentioned above about alcohol effectiveness, I am very wary of alcohol based cleanings of shared products, particularly cream products being used on someone's mouth, eyes, skin blemishes. So you'll never see me watching a lippie on my lips at the store. Hand only, and lip swatch once the product is bought. [sarcasm] But again, take it as you will, since this thread has clearly shown, I don't have a freakin clue what I'm talking about. It makes much more sense to listen to those who declare this the KING of pandemics and PEOPLE ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES [/sarcasm]

Thanks for the info.. i had no idea alcohol may not be enough, i don't usually ever put a lipstick on my mouth and i'm always wiping layers away and adding alcohol just for a hand swatch.
and what is with all the anti-bacterial stuff they have everywhere? Isn't it anti virals we need? bio hazard suits with our own oxygen supply?

 

[NeonKitty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpkincat210 Thanks for the info.. i had no idea alcohol may not be enough, i don't usually ever put a lipstick on my mouth and i'm always wiping layers away and adding alcohol just for a hand swatch. and what is with all the anti-bacterial stuff they have everywhere? Isn't it anti virals we need? bio hazard suits with our own oxygen supply?

IDK WTF with all the haz-mat stuff, probably a mix of healthy precautionary protocol for a poorly understood infective agent, and direction from government/directors/business leaders (who tend not to be medically trained). A lot of the reaction was done just to make governments look like they were doing SOMETHING as opposed to nothing. The pork product banning and pig stock culling is a good example of this since there was plenty of evidence that H1N1 cannot be passed through pork products, and as of yet no evidence that patient zero actually received this virus from pigs (all swine in the area tested negative).

Alcohol, yeah the jury is still out. We have alcohol hand wash and sinks available at every station and cube in my hospital. For quick washes between tasks we generally use the hand wash, provided it was not an exceptionally dirty task. But alcohol wash leaves a thick residue on your hands that grosses me out and I have to wash off after a couple uses. For serious tasks that involve visible dirt and or contact with body secretions of any variety, we will ALWAYS wash with soap and water. All of this protocol is on top of wearing gloves and changing those out between patients/tasks. It's not unusual for me to go through an entire box of gloves in a single shift. But from my observation most staff will still lean toward old fashioned hand washing over alcohol, especially in isolation conditions.

I don't buy antibacterial stuff. Primarily because all of the antibacterial agents in hand soap, dishwashing soap etc generally only kill good bacteria and not the harmful ones. Additionally, these products increase bacterial resistance and mutation into superbug status.

For a true airborne lethal virus, let me tell you, then we are truly f*cked, because you simply can't establish airborne precautions everywhere, and masks won't protect you, the typical virus is small enough to get through the typical mask. A lot of research has been going on for some time (Our national disease research centre is two blocks from my hospital) into handling pandemics, viral outbreaks, and some of the nasty bacterial bugs. hopefully this recent "pandemic" will increase funding and interest into pandemic prevention.

Generally speaking most viruses and bacterium do not pass through an intact skin barrier, which is why we aren't deathly ill all the time. The majority are borne through injestion, inhalation, directly into blood stream (IV) or contact with mucous membranes.

A really good technique for limiting publicly obtained infections is not only handwashing frequently especially in restrooms, but once you have cleaned your hands, grab a paper towel and turn off the taps with that. Use another to open the door on your way out, dispose of the towel right after. I do this all the time, it's a habit for me. In situations where there are only blow dryers or cloth towels I will turn taps off with my elbow or forearm, and hook my arm around the door handle just to get it open, then hold it and push it open wide with your foot. This way you avoid recontaminating yourself before you even leave the restroom.

 

[pumpkincat210]

I don't buy antibacterial stuff. Primarily because all of the antibacterial agents in hand soap, dishwashing soap etc generally only kill good bacteria and not the harmful ones. Additionally, these products increase bacterial resistance and mutation into superbug status.

QUOTE]

THANK YOU! I hve been telling people this for years!! Noone believes me though. And then people wonder why antibiotics are only prescribed, hello!? because a ton of people stop taking them when they feel better instead of the whole course. And then one super strong bug breeds with another and creates a super super strong bug that antibiotics won't treat, unless of course they give you an anti biotic so strong it kills you in the process.

As for bathrooms i avoid public ones as much as possible, always flush the toilet with my shoe, wash my hands well, turn off the water with a paper towel and kick the door open all while trying to hold my breath for the longest amount of time possible.

 

[pink_lily82]

I heard on the radio the other day about someone suggesting that they should change clothes in the garage and then go into the house as a precaution. That's a thinker. At work, I've had tons of people ask where the masks and gloves are located and to tell them we're out. The mass hysteria irks me almost as much as dealing with buttloads of antibiotic prescriptions for children due to ear infections. But that's a whole other issue.

 

[TISH1124]

This is such a sad story...She had just given birth not to long ago...so sad the baby will never know his mother

Relatives grieve for Texas woman with flu who died

 

[NeonKitty]

That is a really sad story. I think what is important to note is that the woman had chronic underlying health conditions. This means her pregnancy was high risk to begin with, meaning she was probably quite ill already and the swine flu just tipped her over the edge, unfortunately. This is not a case of an average healthy person taken down by the virus. I've seen women in the ICU who choose to become pregnant despite medical advice not to because of their health conditions and they lose the gamble. It's sad.

Of all the patients I've seen in the ICU I would say a good majority of the ones who lose their battle it is due something indirectly responsible. For instance someone who is admitted on life support for a bleed in the brain may succumb to pneumonia. When you are that sick your body is already struggling with the crisis that brought them in, and is not able to cope with the cascade of events/infections/etc that follow.

She unfortunately fell into the category of people that who are high risk for any flu or infection. The very young, the very old, and the very sick/immunocompromised.

 

[TISH1124]

Not trying to get into a long medical debate, as previous posts....I just noted the story was sad because she had a newborn...regardless of what she died from... Not gonna do a 20 paragraph post just to state that, really....

it's a Sad story, period. No statistics required.