Letter - Throwing foxes into the hen house?

Casey O.
11/04/2009 4:02 PM

Kay, I agree with you. Here is what I have read or heard on TV. They have been randomly testing people at clinics to see what strain they have and I believe it was either all or almost all were H1N1. Every person that is in a hospital is tested and so is every person that has died. They have all been confirmed H1N1. The hospitalizations and deaths are accurate counts as of the cut off date for the week, which I believe is a Saturday and we are then updated on Wednesday. With this being said, if somebody tells you they didn't have H1N1, but they had the seasonal flu, I wouldn't trust them as of right now. Soon the season flu will start popping up, which I believe starts around Thanksgiving. Everything is testing H1N1 and they aren't testing every case because it would take a long time to confirm ever person that has been sick. I would think maybe a year or so?? If it takes that long, who cares a year later, you either survived or died. As far as schools go, they follow the same rules for seasonal flu, but it is much later in the shool year, much shorter peak time and colder outside so people stay home more and don't spread it as much. It could get real bumpy if H1N1 is still at its peak when the seasonal flu starts.... The one good thing I see out of this is, this generation is learning why and how to wash their hands. Nothing worse than being in the restroom and some woman just wiped herself, touched the same knob as the person before her that had just wiped themself, and she walks right out of the bathroom without washing her hands! Ugh

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Kay P.
11/04/2009 3:37 PM

I do wonder a couple things. Is the increase in the schools reporting illness a result of hightened sensitivity and possibly paranoid parents, kids and educators that in past years wrote off milder cases of FLU-LIKE symptoms as a common cold? Seriously, even if my kids SNEEZE at school, they are marched down to the nurse's office to have their temp taken. Thankfully, they are usually healthy and I haven't got a call to pick them up yet. The other thing I wonder is WHY it's OK for any medical professionals to skip confirming H1N1 and blame any flu on it as the LIKELY cause...in other words dismiss confirmation and tell a patient they have H1N1? Wouldn't it be useful to track confirmed infections thru-out the state and determine trends or patterns to find indicators of an increase or decrease. IF no confirmation testing is done to identify the strain specifically, is it possible to be mis-representing the epidemic if clinics and hospitals thru-out the country are "claiming" H1N1 for a significant portion of NON-tested flu illnesses? I guess I am interested in scientific facts and not generalized numbers. Math and science were always stronger subjects for me because I was interested in statistical fact. I also don't care to be lied to about specifics, I would want to know, without a doubt if a flu case is indeed what it's being sold to me as. A few that I have talked to have told me that they were "told" by their Dr, that they "probably" have H1N1. If they have had it already, they they wouldn't necessarily need a shot now, but in the future, correct? I realize it will mutate and future vaccinations will be necessary for those people in high risk categories. However, shouldn't current flu patients be tested to confirm their infection, that those testing positive now don't need to use up vaccine now...but at a later date be prepared for future mutations. Just wondering...

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Casey O.
11/04/2009 3:02 PM

Al, that was a different strain in 1976 then what we have today. If our current strain of H1N1 mutaes, we will need new vaccines. The reason you need a new seasonal flu shot every year isn't because it wore out, it's because the strains mutate and the old vaccine can no longer protecting you from the new mutation.

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larry l.
Alexandria, MN     11/04/2009 2:53 PM

WOW -- Reading this letter was like reading all "urban legends" rolled into one!

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Al G.
Garfield, MN     11/04/2009 2:35 PM

Casey O "1976: President Gerald Ford orders a nationwide vaccination program to prevent a swine-flu epidemic." So the government was aware of the threat from at least 1976.

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Casey O.
11/04/2009 2:22 PM

In Minnesota for the seasonal flu, we had about 27 schools reporting illness last year and 43 repoting the year before. Those reports came in the end of January to the middle of February. Last week, we had about 280 schools reporting in OCTOBER. This is not normal. We have been at a steady peak since September, it usually is end of January to beginning of March and the peak lasting about 5 weeks. We have been in a peak for about 9 weeks now, with the seasonal flu still to come and possibly another wave of H1N1. Here is Minnesotas site with graphs and maps. It is updated weekly. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/flu/stats/index.html

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Casey O.
11/04/2009 2:04 PM

Flu vaccines are grown in eggs in labs across the pond. Countries figure out how much they should order, put in their order, and wait until the order is filled. The vaccine labs start working on next years seasonal flu vaccine a year ahead of time. Yeah, they need to figure out what strains will hit a year in advance, then get to work to supply the world for the next season. H1N1 has only been known about since April. While the labs have been busy making the seasonal vaccine, they also have had to make the H1N1 vaccine in a short amount of time, which isn't growing so good in the eggs. What could our government, or any other government do to hurry the process? Remember the tamiflu shotage from Bush? We put in our order late and only so much could be made at one time to cover the whole world. I believe we were on the waiting list for two years. Luckily the bird flu didn't and still hasn't spread easily from person to person.... As far as Katrina goes, the only thing Bush was at fault for was, not getting help there earlier, after it had hit. The rest of it had nothing to do with him..... This flu has hit two nursing homes in our state. One in Henn. co. and one in Stearns co. Between this flu and the seasonal flu that is yet to come, it could get pretty bad. Let's hope for the best and that it all fizzles out.... As far as the seasonal flu, I believe the general number is about 36,000 for an entire year, not months.

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Al G.
Garfield, MN     11/04/2009 1:40 PM

Casey O what is the number of deaths caused by the "common" flu virius?...how many deaths were the result of 2ndary conditions, i.e. heart, lung, etc problems? If the issue is so important where is the vaccine? Shouldn't we consider this Obama's katerina?

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tom s.
11/04/2009 1:36 PM

Margaret where did you get your facts from?

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Casey O.
11/04/2009 12:51 PM

I am embarrassed for you Margaret. The actual North American deaths so far from H1N1 are 1476, worldwide is 6255. Sorry this is so disappointing to you that millions have not died. You also need to add these "extra" deaths into what we have on average per year from other things. There is no way of knowing what this flu is going to do and I pray, for even your sake, that it stays mild and doesn't mutate....... If you had read what "national emergency" means, you would also know that it is for medical providers so they can treat many people, quickly. That's it. Get you in and out as quick as possible. It's not some dark sinister plot. It relaxes the federal rules that health care people must follow so they don't need to make people wait for care while filling out paperwork and they can open up hospital wards in other places like at schools, should it be needed. That's what a "national emergency" means. Not so scary now is it?.... Also, if you bother to follow the news, you have known that the Obama girls did get their vaccine for H1N1. They weren't first, but they weren't last. I personally felt our presidents family and staff should have been vaccinated as soon as it was available.

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