Here are some stats on flu pandemics in the last 120 years (from Wikipedia):

Latest flu pandemics


Name of pandemic Date Deaths Subtype involved
Asiatic (Russian) Flu 1889–90 1 million possibly H2N2
Spanish Flu 1918–20 40 million H1N1
Asian Flu 1957–58 1 to 1.5 million H2N2
Hong Kong Flu 1968–69 0.75 to 1 million H3N2


Missing from this table are the mortality rates. Normal flu is about a 0.1% mortality; primarily the elederly, health-compromised, and infants. SARS/Bird Flu were about 0.3%.

Note that the pandemics lasted one to two years.

The Spanish Flu of 1918 had a mortality rate of (estimated, as records are sparse) 5-20%. Unlike any flu you have had, it causes hemmohraging from the mucous membranes, including lungs, eyes, and ears. It spread to areas not touched by frequent commerce, such as the Fiji Islands, Alaska, and remote areas of northern Canada. In the Aleut populations, mortality was close to 33%.

Its second-most striking characteristic is that it mostly killed healthy young adults between 10 and 65.

It is considered the most lethal event in history to mankind (most people killed), although a greater percentage of people were killed world-wide in the Black Plague (20%).

The Spanish Flu was of Type H1N1, as is the current Swine Flu. Of course, there are hundreds or thousands of sub-types under the H1N1 title. The current Swine Flu mostly has symptoms like your typical winter flu. The biggest concern seems to be ease of transmission.

I believe government is making a big deal out of this for one or two reasons:

1. Money. If lots of people are sick, a lot of people are not working. The global economy doesn't need that kind of kick in the crotch right now.

2. There may be concerns that this flu will mutate into the form of the 1918 pandemic. During the last great pandemics, the virus often mutated, and there would be "waves" of infection.

The WHO says 750 doses of vacine can be developed, world-wide, in about 4-5 months. But each person would need 2 shots. That's enough to cover 375 million out of 7 billion. In other words, 5% of the world's population could be innoculated. By next Sept.

I guess the good news is that no one in the Taliban or Al Queda would be going to the clinic for a shot, er, innoculation.

Are you safe? I think so. Take the normal precautions you would any day of the year. Don't rub your eyes or pick your nose unless you have washed thoroughly before-hand. Wear a face-mask if concerned in crowded places.

 

EVERYONE LIVE IN FEAR!!!!!!!

36,000 americans die each year from complications with the flu. Imagine how many die across the world. The flu is the flu. Yeah it might not be fun to get but seriously... The news said the other day " TENS OF MILLIONS COULD DIE"
If it mutates into something like the Spanish flu then yeah be a little worried.

Yeah I have the same chance of dying from the flu as I have dying in a car accident (40,000 a year).


It has been a slow news week. Nothing to SCARE the public with so time to blow something out of proportion. Nothing is more scarry than something you can't see.

I am just waiting for the fun part when CNN and FOX news have a little ticker on the screen showing how many people have died or how many are infected, like the Dow Jones average or the vote counts coming in for an election.

 

Anyone read The Last Town On Earth? Takes place in a small logging town in Washington state that quarentines itself during the 1918 spanish flu pandemic. It would be a good read for people who are scared of the world.

 

Bored:

Agree 100%. Somebody on this forum has a quote at the end of their posts that says:

"Given enough time, the survival rate for everyone is zero," or something very close to that.

It might get really bad. But it probably won't.

 

Just remember birth is 100% fatal.

BTW Biden totally blew this one. The question was what would you advise your family about travel to mexico and he responded I wouldn't let them fly or take the subway for that matter. Out of curiosity, where does one catch the subway to Mexico, is that on the Metro Rail, BART or the NY Subway?

 

I think the 4 train heads that way. They just finished it too, haven't printed a new map yet.

 

Whats really sad is that a lot of people are stupid enough to listen to every little thing they hear on the news...

 

Even though it sounds like "you've decided", guess where it started? NBC on the Today show. That said, it was a no win question for the VP and Mr. Gibbs is doing some explaining right now.

 

These guys will do anything to gain support for socalized medecine

 

We came into NRT last night and it took almost 1.5 hours before the authorities would allow anyone to deplane. EVERYONE (crew included) had to be thermalscanned and if they triggered it then their temperature was taken manually. Also every person had to fill out a health questionaire and was provided a medical mask to wear. If it gets any more incontinent I think travel will really suffer!