Local KIFI reported today that people are talking about having Swine Flu Parties. What would a swine flu party be exactly? Find someone with the swine flu, and get together with them to get exposed to the flu and either a) build up a resistance or b) get it over with.
The article says this is not new thinking, people have been doing this with chicken pox in the past. But is this a good idea? I don’t know. So far the vaccine does not have the best record, and there have been reports that several people thinking they were vaccinated did not accurately receive the vaccination.
What are your thoughts? Would you consider voluntarily getting exposed in an effort to build an immunity?
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Hell No!
Unlike the chicken pox, the swine flu can be fatal, and the person goes from being very sick to being very dead very fast. This idea sounds like another form of Russian roulette, only slightly slower and a lot more painful.
From what I’ve read, folks over 55 have a degree of resistance to this flu, because it’s related to the Spanish Flu of 1918 and the following round of the mutated Spanish flu that hit in 1927-28. The parents of kids born in the 40’s to mid-50’s have resistance from these epidemics, but this particular strain, another mutation, hasn’t been seen since then.
And the resistance only works when a person is in very good health to start with. If an otherwise healthy middle-aged person has allergies, high blood pressure, or asthma, they’re in just as much danger of dying than the younger people are.
I just got over this flu, why in the world would anyone want to do this. This flu is awful and completly miserable, I would have much rather not have gotten it, this is not something that you can just sit around and hope to get, You don’t want this. If you don’t get it that is great, but if you do i have sympathy for you.
I’m curious – Someone who is HIV positive can be criminally charged for knowingly sleeping with someone and putting them at risk for AIDS or death. We’ve seen and read cases like this across the country. Now, if a H1N1 “infectee” knowingly tries to infect another person, and we know H1N1 can cause death, could he/she be charged with a felony crime? Food for thought.
Currently the only persons being tested for H1N1 flu are those ill enough to be hospitalized. Others are tested for the seasonal flu and if positive immediately begun on treatment with Tamiflu. Why? Because more than 90% of all flu’s that test positive for seasonal flu are H1N1 flu.
The onset/development of symptoms of H1N1 flu is fast and anyone who goes in for treatment (now) is immediately started on treatment. Usually H1N1 is also resolved within a week in the great majority of cases if the affected person receives medical intervention once symptoms arise.
Comparing this virus to that of HIV/AIDS is ignorant and irresponsible.
Wendyjo, you missed Reader’s point. If someone intencially infects another person with H1N1 and that person dies, is it a crime? I think it should be but the problem is proving it.
With HIV the act of infecting the other person is overt. You cannot just sneeze and give it to someone else. With H1N1, the victim my not recognize the transmission event. It could be a shared cup, shaking hands, a kiss, spitting on the phone, etc…
Right – my point was that if someone knows for sure he has H1N1 and purposefully attends a party with the intent of infecting others, so they can “get it and get it over with” – and the party attendees are both healthy and some with medical issues, known or not, what will ramifications be if a death occurs? True, you’d have to prove you got the virus at the party and not another public place.
Either way, you’d have to be insane to attend a swine flu party.
While rare, chicken pox can be fatal as well. In the case of swine flu, most of the people that have passed away from it have also had other preexisting conditions that compounded the issues. In a health person they will feel like crap but will get over it. Same with the seasonal flu.
It is reasonably certain that both of my children had swine flue (a little less then a week apart). I didn’t see any point in having the test done because: a. The treatment would be no different; b. The only benefit would be statistical purposes; c. The testing is expensive with no benefit; and d. The test hurts (anyone ever had that stick shoved up their nose? Been there, done that, no thank you). They were miserable enough already. I luckily didn’t get sick but spread every surface in my home with Lysol frequently, including myself.
There have been 15 swine flu deaths in Idaho, so far in the flu year of 2009.
http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Health/PanFluHome/IdahoCaseCounts/tabid/890/Default.aspx
10-19-09
A 15-year-old freshman at Hillcrest High School died Sunday. The boy had flu-like symptoms was taken to the hospital on Oct. 15 in respiratory arrest.
An investigation and autopsy are underway to determine the role H1N1 played in the teen’s death. Other medical conditions may also be a factor.
Idaho confirms 3 deaths related to swine flu
Posted: Oct 28, 2009 3:18 PM MDT
H1N1 More>>Dealing with H1N1 while in college Immunity to H1N1 may be broader than thought Another H1N1 vaccine approved for children22 million sickened by H1N1 in 6 months 10-day ordeal with H1N1H1N1 vaccine myths debunked Most who want H1N1 shot can’t get it Health fears are nothing to sneeze at H1N1 virus dominant strain worldwide: WHO Banks’ H1N1 flu vaccines stir outrage BOISE, Idaho. – State health officials are reporting three more deaths in Idaho related to the swine flu.
The state Department of Health and Welfare says the deaths include and a male teenager and a woman in her 40s from south-central Idaho. The third was a northern Idaho man in his 50s.
Idaho has now confirmed 10 deaths related to the swine flu. Health officials did not say whether the three suffered from other medical problems, which has been the case with four of the seven other deaths confirmed in Idaho since September 1.
The Idaho Statesman reports that the deaths include two men and a woman from Canyon County, a woman from Latah County, a teenager from Bannock County, a Bonneville County man in his 60s and another man in his 40s from Bingham County.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Swine flu has sickened about 22 million Americans since April and killed nearly 4,000, including 540 children, according to federal estimates released Thursday.
The figures — roughly a quadrupling of previous death estimates — don’t mean swine flu suddenly has worsened, and most cases still don’t require a doctor’s care. Instead, the numbers are a long-awaited better attempt to quantify the new flu’s true toll.
“I am expecting all of these numbers, unfortunately, to continue to rise,” said Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We have a long flu season ahead of us.”
No reason to have the infection specifically tested for H1N1, that’s what it is and it just needs treated – eradicated before it hurts the children anymore.
This flu is hurting and killing a lot of people, including many children. Many of the survivors will experience long term consequences. Remember rheumatic fever? It still exists and can occur even with proper medical treatment of the flu, resulting in permanent heart and lung damage leading to early death. That’s only one of the consequences of swine flu if you happen to contract the virus, don’t die but don’t fully recover.
This is serious illness. Just ask the parents who’ve lost children to the swine flu. Take serious precautions, and if you or your loved ones do become infected – be seriously treated.
Wendyjo you might need to double check your facts on this: “A 15-year-old freshman at Hillcrest High School died Sunday. The boy had flu-like symptoms was taken to the hospital on Oct. 15 in respiratory arrest.”
An autopsy found that he didn’t even have swine flu and died from septic shock.
Updates here:
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?s=11339360
and here:
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?s=11346110
Admin note: Hi Roxy, this is not what the autopsy found according to the articles cited above. For the sake of accuracy, the article does not say the autopsy found that boy didn’t have H1N1 – it’s not determined yet. The article states
According to the articles and as already discussed in comments above, the direct cause of death was septic shock and the boy also had flu symptoms at the time – which is why he was admitted to the hospital in the first place. It may or may not turn out to be true that the boy had the H1N1 strain in this particular case – which doesn’t matter at this point. It’s the news channels (including the source cited above) that initially reported that the boy had H1N1 – they then corrected themselves. Additionally, this isn’t the only case the articles talk about.
The CDC has admitted to overinflating swine flu cases and deaths stating H1N1 testing is just too expensive. So in all reality we have no clue whether the majority of people that have died this season have died from the regular flu or this other strain.
We also haven’t heard of any new cases of H1N1 in at least 3 weeks which means as always, the media tends to blow these things up and make a big deal of them.
Hi Guest2,
Generally speaking, it would irresponsible for people in these positions to not err the side of caution when data follows a pattern of historical epidemics that have been studied.
When you prevent things from being worse than they would have, some people interpret that as “overreacting” because there wasn’t a catastrophe. Then there are the people who use fear mongering (with very few facts) for other purposes – but that’s another subject. In this case, it does seem like there has been a fairly close relationship to the facts, which is refreshing.
By definition, true “estimates” in these complex areas are either going to be too high or too low. It’s a matter of degree and how responsible the methodology was. You will never get it exactly right. Hence, the reason they’re called estimates. On top of that, the more successful you are in prevention, the more your estimates are going to be off (so ironically the better you act on the problem, the . It’s an informed guess about something not yet fully known, which is very useful and necessary for making a decision.
Estimating and predicting based on the best facts available (as opposed to a political goal) is essential for dealing with a potential threat. The reason why so many people are scared to do it is that it while it’s safer for the country, it’s politically risky.
In this case, both republicans and democrats came together and declared it an epidemic, so while anything can be made into a partisan attack with enough effort, it’s more difficult in this case.
Roxy, go back and check your facts. The 15 y/o child we refer to was finally decided to have died of septic shock, secondary to swine flu.