Comments on: Swine Flu Update

By: Cinsel

Cinsel — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:13:44 +0000

If this round of pig flu is indeed fizzling out, it’s been a worthwhile drill for the international public health sector. And it’s flushed out a lot of wild-eyed conspiracy theorists.

By: Flu Mask

Flu Mask — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:10:08 +0000

Now that Rupert Grint has come down with a case of swine flu, I think it’s attracting even more attention than before (I didn’t think it previously possible..).

People really need to relax.

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:27:55 +0000

Swine Flu Update: Swine flu (H1N1) information leaflets are being delivered to households across the UK today. I.. http://tr.im/kQ9o

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:27:47 +0000

@Barnaby Thanks for your input. You’re right that link didn’t bear up to scrutiny. However, the BBC did report that the WHO was, at the time set to lower the Phase. I didn’t intend to imply that SARS was a false alarm, just an early warning of what might happen when a truly virulent and contagious disease emerged. In the meantime, AIDS and malaria continue to kill millions. Moreover, I don’t think I concluded that swine flu would not become a pandemic, just that it could go either way and we might ultimately see a second wave of infection during the Northern autumn/winter of an evolved version of this virus. In the meantime, should we be partying like it’s the end of the world – http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/world/americas/07party.html?hp

Oh, one more thing…where’s the evidence that this virus did any host jumping? Isn’t it a mish-mash of pig, bird and human viruses…it could have been hosted anywhere…

By: Barnaby Dawson

Barnaby Dawson — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:16:04 +0000

You link to an article which you claim gives reason to believe the WHO may lower its alert level. But the detail of the article does not support this. I think its unlikely they’ll lower this level unless swine flu disapeers from either the US or Mexico (and there are no epidemics in the southern hemisphere). Indeed it seems more likely that a full scale pandemic will be announced in the next month or two as countries in the southern hemisphere comes into their flu seasons.

The mass media routinely scare monger with regards to terrorism, paedophilia and a multitude of other utterly minor risks. The risk of a swine flu pandemic is not insignificant and deserves the level of attention that the media gave it.

You imply that SARS was a false alarm. It was not. It was a successful containment of a new and deadly disease by the WHO that without action could have become a serious epidemic or more. The scale of the media reaction to SARS helped in defeating it and we shouldn’t deride it. The scare over bird flu was useful in strengthening our preparations for the next pandemic (whether swine flu or otherwise). It is the nature of pandemics that there will be the occasional threat that does not turn into a pandemic. These occur infrequently enough that it is worth reacting to them as we would to a pandemic. In addition it must be recognised that as we currently have no practical way to tell which threats will become pandemics that we must react to all of them or be unprepared for the next pandemic.

I see no reason to conclude that swine flu won’t become a pandemic. Firstly the northern hemisphere has come out of its flu season so we shouldn’t expect any epidemics there. Secondly the southern hemisphere is only just coming into its flu season so we should not expect epidemics there yet in any case. Thirdly serious pandemics take time to build up and this disease has only just jumped host.

In conclusion your comments are premature and it is too early to drop our guard. The probability of a swine flu pandemic may be lower than it seemed but its still significant and shouldn’t be trivialized.

By: Charles Martin

Charles Martin — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:07:52 +0000

Swine Flu Update — Sciencebase Science Blog http://tinyurl.com/cus9gx

By: John Browning

John Browning — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:09:48 +0000

If there was not a truck wreck near Fort Bliss Texas a few weeks ago and the trucks were not coming from Monterey Mexico with a load of Genetic altered Bio-Hard Material, truck overturned and released BIO-Hazard at the Border as I understand it., Lot’s of Gossip going on with the exception of the PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON THE LOAD GOT SICK with the FLU. And why are they at Fort Bliss TX?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????in the hospital.

The only conspiracy theorists are the ones who dream this up not the ones who get sick.

Dr. John M. Browning III

By: Phil Terry

Phil Terry — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:10:38 +0000

Thanks so much for mentioning the “science behind the news” flu virus webinar this Friday. Really appreciate it.

It looks to be a great 90 minutes with some top scientists. I do hope you’ll also join us

Phil
Creator, 250,000+ member Darwin Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53320310123
Twitter: PhilTerry

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:02:56 +0000

You’re telling me! My original swine flu post has about 200 comments that I upmoderated but at least three times that number in spammers and incoherent conspiracy theorists that really didn’t warrant approval.

By: Robert Bowen

Robert Bowen — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:30:49 +0000

If this round of pig flu is indeed fizzling out, it’s been a worthwhile drill for the international public health sector. And it’s flushed out a lot of wild-eyed conspiracy theorists.