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World Wide Flu Pandemic Looms

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numbercruncher

numbercruncher

Beware of Dropbears
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Was just speaking to my mother on the Gold Coast who has a nasty flu and apparently the Hospitals up there have been filling up with people with it !! A boy just died in Brisbane and apparently the effects can and are lasting months !

Then i read this on ninemsn

The AMA is pushing for all flu sufferers to wear masks in public as infection levels skyrocket and a worldwide pandemic looms.
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http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=283198


So be careful out there folks, if you see someone sneeze run a mile and if youve got one of those Goody Goods in the office that comes to work "even when they are sick" make sure you smash them in the head with knuckledusters erm i mean tell them to go home ....


Creditcrunch and a pandemic all at once, now thatd be an interesting combo!
 
Yes, it's a bad flu - I just got it a couple of days ago! So much for the flu shot - must have been a different strain. Worst flu I've had in a very long time.

I do know the Gold Coast hospital was on bypass a couple of days ago and the ambulances were transporting patients to another hospital about 45 mins drive away.
 
My brother had it last week and passed out on the toilet believe it or not (cracked his head on the floor) but he's ok now.

Cousin just got it yesterday and is pretty roughed up
 
numbercruncher said:
if youve got one of those Goody Goods in the office that comes to work "even when they are sick" make sure you smash them in the head with knuckledusters erm i mean tell them to go home ....
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Only trouble with that is that you really need to be going home at the first hint that you might have the flu rather than waiting for any firm evidence.

Somehow I just don't see the average employer granting the 50 or so sick days a year (with no medical certificate since you won't get one of those for a sneeze) that would be needed. And the economy would grind to a halt if they did.

By the time someone has visible symptoms, they may just as well be at work to my understanding since they will already have done most of their share of the virus spreading.
 
Certain strains of the flu can be very threatening.

I had a serious bout 10 or 15 years ago, lasted one week with raging temperatures and could hardly move let alone get out of bed. Had 3 blood tests as a result as I thought I had contracted something really bad.

From Wikipedia:The Spanish flu pandemic lasted from 1918 to 1919. Older estimates say it killed 40–50 million people[2] while current estimates say 50 million to 100 million people worldwide were killed.

regards YN
 
YELNATS said:
Certain strains of the flu can be very threatening.

I had a serious bout 10 or 15 years ago, lasted one week with raging temperatures and could hardly move let alone get out of bed. Had 3 blood tests as a result as I thought I had contracted something really bad.

From Wikipedia:The Spanish flu pandemic lasted from 1918 to 1919. Older estimates say it killed 40–50 million people[2] while current estimates say 50 million to 100 million people worldwide were killed.

regards YN
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Ooh that was a nasty flu you caught!


Big difference between the last Pandemic in 1918 was the Worlds population being Under 2 Billion then and the other much bigger threats is them leaving the countrysides to fill up megacitys and the fact millions of people can travel from one side of the globe to the other in a day - So next time the effects will be massive and spread at an ungodly speed i would imagine!

:eek:
 
I was watching the Bird Flu pandemic last time, seeing it suddenly turn into a regional epidemic in the Far East. was lining myself up to buy into pharmaceutical companies that worked on bird flu drugs, but in the end i didnt actually make any purchase.

now this flu comes up...

ok guys...sorry for viewing this general chat thread through opportunistic eyes...but you guys probably know this characteristic!
 
Smurf1976 said:
Only trouble with that is that you really need to be going home at the first hint that you might have the flu rather than waiting for any firm evidence.

Somehow I just don't see the average employer granting the 50 or so sick days a year (with no medical certificate since you won't get one of those for a sneeze) that would be needed. And the economy would grind to a halt if they did.

By the time someone has visible symptoms, they may just as well be at work to my understanding since they will already have done most of their share of the virus spreading.
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Yeah I agree with that, something about an incubation period? Urban myth?
I think it's better to go home if you feel sick, rest n such will make you recover faster.
 
Is this media hype again? My girlfriend is a nurse at Gold Coast Hospital and hasn't had or mentioned a flu let alone an epidemic.
 
surfingman said:
Is this media hype again? My girlfriend is a nurse at Gold Coast Hospital and hasn't had or mentioned a flu let alone an epidemic.
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Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke is undergoing medical tests after being taken to hospital this morning.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/09/1973319.htm

Flu to hit surgical lists - QUEENSLAND public hospitals are free to suspend elective surgery to relieve pressure on their emergency departments, Health Minister Stephen Robertson says.
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www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22180905-3102,00.html

A GROUP of Gold Coast primary school students on excursion to Canberra are expected to return home this weekend after an Influenza A outbreak on the trip.

Thirty-nine children and seven adults from Marymount Primary School at Burleigh Heads went to Canberra Hospital this morning with flu symptoms after becoming ill during the excursion.
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http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22184682-29277,00.html

Queensland Health says the state is in the midst of its worst influenza outbreak in six years.
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http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/01/1994399.htm

A KILLER flu could hit Queensland in a matter of days, health experts have warned.

Three Perth children have died from what is believed to be a severe form of flu, sparking fears the virus could soon spread here.
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http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,22034209-5003426,00.html


Seems every media is spreading the Feardemic ! :)
 
Those masks will do BUGGER ALL to prevent the spread of any flu. There are gaps around the side of the mask, and the flu bug can easily pass through the masks that are publically available.

Most flus stay contagious for a few days after noticable symptoms surface, so those workaholics will end up spreading the flu through airconditioning systems and shared equipment, like phones.

The best way to treat a flu, or a cold with 'flu like symptoms' is with common sense. Lots of water, fresh fruit and vegies and plenty of rest.
 
I asked my Girlfriend about the "epidemic" she said "there is a few cases of the Flu around and the Ekka @ brisbane (for the non Qlders) would be the most obvious place to catch it". A 4 year old did die from it during the week in Brisbane sadly, but its far from a state emergency.

Interesting fact she stated "the colder the weather or air conditioning the less chance of the spreading of it."

Sprinter sums it up:
Quote:
The best way to treat a flu, or a cold with 'flu like symptoms' is with common sense. Lots of water, fresh fruit and vegies and plenty of rest.

Now how are those Lions going, kangaroos must have the flu?
 
Smurf1976 said:
Only trouble with that is that you really need to be going home at the first hint that you might have the flu rather than waiting for any firm evidence.

Somehow I just don't see the average employer granting the 50 or so sick days a year (with no medical certificate since you won't get one of those for a sneeze) that would be needed. And the economy would grind to a halt if they did.

By the time someone has visible symptoms, they may just as well be at work to my understanding since they will already have done most of their share of the virus spreading.
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Agree entirely, Smurf. Most of the contagion occurs when the original patient has no obvious symptoms.

But don't you remember the panic when bird flu was about to sweep the world and we would all fall down and die like flies? Every winter there is a new strain of influenza, and the media is doing its usual thing of seeking a headline.
 
Australia will almost certainly experience a flu pandemic one day, federal Health Minister Tony Abbott says.

Mr Abbott is refusing to make influenza vaccine stockpiles available this flu season despite the deaths of six children to influenza A because he does not consider it a national emergency.

He said Australia had to be prepared for the possibility of being swamped by a dangerous strain, possibly of bird flu.

"One day there will be a flu pandemic - that is almost certain," he told ABC Radio.
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http://http://optuszoo.news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=97550&rss=yes

Now that pesky Costello is head line grabbin'
 
I don't know if I'm just lucky, but I havn't had the flu yet when everybody in my family & workplace has had it at some stage or another. I have a green tea & zinc + C tab every day. Anyone else have a good remedy to avoid the flu or reduce the severity if you do get it?
 
A few more have passed away recently, last one sadly was a mother of young children )>:


The influenza outbreak sweeping Australia has now claimed nine victims, including a Queensland woman who died just two days after showing the first symptoms.

Mother-of-two Deborah Miller, 33, of Caboolture, north of Brisbane, died last Sunday after being rushed to hospital, Queensland's The Sunday Mail newspaper reported.
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http://optuszoo.news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=65570
 
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