twinetowngirl (Anonymous) says…

What a scare tactic…none have even been tested to make sure it is the swine flu..

TTGirl, if you investigate, I believe you'll find that the CDC has recommended not testing here at KU. Something along the lines that a) yeah, we know it is spreading, b) the test results take long enough during which time you should treat it as though it were anyway, and c) if you try testing everyone, you will flood the labs and you won't get the results back until they are over it anyway.

If medical intervention is required, yes, they still test.

I read an article somewhere else where a KU student was discussing his nausea and intestinal pain which supposedly KU was attributing to H1N1.

News flash: Flu is upper respiratory. Flu does not infect the stomach and gut. Something else may come in behind it, but that is not the influenza virus.

It makes you wonder if these numbers have absolutely any meaning.

There is so much over-reporting, inaccurate reporting, and scare reporting going on about H1N1. Its pretty sloppy stuff, actually.

And then people like Marion make it even worse.

Let me repeat:

There is much over-reporting, inaccurate reporting, and scare reporting going on about influenza in general and H1N1 in particular. The KU storyline is just one example.

It's pretty sloppy stuff, actually.

Boston -- You are wrong about the symptoms not including intestinal problems. Straight from the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

"What are the signs and symptoms of this virus in people?

The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Severe illnesses and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus."

Regular flu peak months: November through March...

While I don't believe 284 students have H1N1, I would be willing to bet most if not all do not have the regular flu. The flu happens, but not this time of year.. Both are serious and should be dealt with carefully.

If it comes down to KU not saying anything or KU saying something, I would like to be informed. This information isn't supposed to scare anyone... It's not a tactic of some motive KU has to disrupt everything. It's simply information. They aren't lying in their statements, it's everyone else that turns what they say into mass chaos and discontent.

And although I lament the quality of reporting on science, as demonstrated on this topic, the outright lies and misrepresentations about vaccines generally provided by twinetowngirl is outrageous.

Vaccines save lives.

The CDC recommends that people NOT go to the doctor if they think they have H1N1; the recommendation is to stay home until the fever has been absent for at least 24 hours, without medicaation.

that is a great way to keep a lid on the number of swine flu infections===just ignore them.

How many ICU beds are there in Lawrence? If you are one of the unlucky ones to have your lungs turn to liquid within 48 hours of contracting swine flu, will LMH be able to help you?

Phillbert -- I stated it incorrectly. But here is the source of my view. From a respected virologist who trains physicians.

http://www.virology.ws/2009/05/05/influenza-and-gastrointestinal-symptoms/

The point is that flu does not infect and reproduce in the gut or stomach.

momofk, your husband was not likely specifically tested for swine flu. As you will see here, even the most sophisticated of tests take longer than a few minutes.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153945.php

"If you have Fever, you have the flu. Period."

I think this whole thread is sick.

http://www.alert.ku.edu/

More info on the cases of students displaying symptoms and what one needs to do.

I think one important detail is being overlooked here-- how many of these 284 students are actually experiencing any symptoms at all? I will not argue and say that none of them have legitimate symptoms of some flu-like illness, or H1N1 for that matter, but let's think about this from a college student's perspective:

1. You receive an email telling you that swine flu is spreading. It lists common symptoms of the virus and advises you to take precautions.

2. The count goes up.

3. You receive another email urging extreme caution and practically ordering you to stay at home when you have symptoms. Do NOT go to Watkins, do NOT go to class-- just rest.

One morning you're a little tired and you decide you'd rather not go to that 9:00 a.m. class. You email your professor telling him or her that you're exhibiting H1N1 symptoms (an easy, hard-to-excuse out). The professor reports the number to the University, and our count rises.

Conceivable, right?

As for those who do have actual symptoms of H1N1 or any other illness, I hope that they recover soon. We're lucky to live in a highly developed country.

Marion, Here is the good news part from the WHO article.

"Likewise, the clinical picture of pandemic influenza is largely consistent across all countries. The overwhelming majority of patients continue to experience mild illness. Although the virus can cause very severe and fatal illness, also in young and healthy people, the number of such cases remains small."

elsewhere WHO reported that H1N1 had very little genetic variation, surprising for its rapid spread portending an easier time fighting it.

better than Marioni on Swine Flu: http://www.bloggersbase.com/articles/lifestyle/sports-and-fitness/h1n1-flu-death-by-needle-part-five/

---includes: vaccines have tiny microchips for "mind control!"
yeah. really serious about this stuff [?].

Boston_Corbett (Anonymous) says…

And although I lament the quality of reporting on science, as demonstrated on this topic, the outright lies and misrepresentations about vaccines generally provided by twinetowngirl is outrageous.

Vaccines save lives.

Boston..ever listened to the long list of side effects on EVERY commercial or advertisement for prescription drugs? And those actually go through clinical studies and trials before being put out on the market. This vaccine is being mass produced in only a few months unlike the 1 to 2 years it should take to make it. You think that makes it safe?? Your entitled to your opinion just as I am. I actually feel sorry for you thinking that I am spreading lies and misrepresentations. If you want to be the goverments human guinea PIG and get that vaccine that is your choice, as not getting it is mine.

Even Boston Corbett, who criticizes much of the doom and gloom reporting on this H1N1 outbreak, acknowledges that flu is a serious illness. The US experiences 30,000 deaths annually from normal seasonal flus, and with the higher number of infections anticipated from this H1N1, there could easily be many thousands more this year.

And these deaths will be different.. Experts expect more deaths in the young, instead of the usual concentration in the old and aged.

The basic safety and efficacy of flu vaccine production has been proven over years of use. It is also simply a incorrect to say that clinical trials are not being conducted on this specific vaccine. Would it be nice to have two years for more studies? Sure.

But without a vaccination program, thousands, if not tens of thousands of additional deaths may occur in the US.

Twinetowngirl seems to suggest that it would be more wise to wait for a long series of trials to provide gold-standard assurances of safety. By implication she suggests this vaccine will be so dangerous that it will kill more than the flu... thousands, if not tens of thousands of individuals. This simply is a wild exaggeration of the worst sort.

Twinetowngirl is entitled to her opinion. But so is Boston. And Boston thinks her opinion is based in emotion and poltics, and not based on science. Boston believes that people like twintowngirl advocate a position that causes tens of thousands of illnesses and hundreds of deaths. Just in the US alone.

http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html

I think that after reading all the comments, it's safe to say that no one has a complete handle on this illness. Here are some suggestions: Realize that 1) there will be wildly differing ideas about this flu 2) some aren't sure it's a flu. 3) there is a good debate about what to call it 4) sufferers will have different symptoms 5) treatment will differ from doctor to doctor 6) treatment will differ from hospital to hospital 7) crackpots will claim many types of conspiracies--thereby offering mutual cancellation of truth 8) we live in instantaneous communication 9) journalism ain't what it used to be 10) the world is increasingly complicated 11) our nation is, on the whole, about as smart or dumb as it's ever been and

12) it's just a few weeks until football season so. . . 13) I will take any tickets of those season ticket holders who are afraid to go to any of KU's home games.

TT-girl, human trials of two different H1N1 vaccine protocols was started in Australia in July, the U.S. a couple weeks ago. these will render data before time for people to get the shots.

I agree with you in that we need to be concerned and avoid just blindly taking what the government/authorities give us. this is, for most people, far less than a life threatening flu. the ordinary annual flu kills far far more people, and especially among the usually identified groups of particularly vulnerable like seniors and people with chronic health problems (like me).
H1N1 does not fit the usual calendar for the flu, and it aflicts young/healthy people. often those who get the sickest with it were not among the usual vulnerable groups.
there will be a risk profile for the H1N1 vaccine, and we'll have it in about three weeks it looks like. I seriously doubted that they'd be able to pull this off by october. apparently they will. now, the millions of doses are being mass produced before completion of the human trials.

TT-Girl, I'm not getting an H1N1 vaccine shot until those trials are done.

7) crackpots will claim many types of conspiracies—thereby offering mutual cancellation of truth

---Maniac, you always say you ignore my posts, even as you respond to them...thanks for reading.

yes I'm quite familiar with nanotechnology, molecular motors, etc.
however, for your conspiracy and that of the blogger I linked to to work, there'd have to be a huge conspiracy involving literally tens of thousands of people.
the Watergate conspiracy had maybe a dozen people in on it, and that sure didn't hold very long. yes, people manipulate data all the time, including data that proports to support manmade global warming, but because somebody over there manipulated data, because of something unrelated that the government did, it is an epic stretch to say that shows how there could be tiny microchips in the vaccines for mind control.

furthermore, I am actually far more educated than 99% of the american public on neurology, mind, brain, etc., and I can tell you without reservation that anybody who claims they can put a device into a brain and control somebody is so full of bunkum it is just silly!
you'd be much better trying to do hypnosis. individually, that'll often work. you maybe can pull off autosuggestion on a group. but you don't need sci/fi microchips to do the hypnosis! LMAO.

at best, the microchips-doing-mind-control is just that: sci/fi. we can't even build that! and may never be able to.