Swine Flu

sarah_elton

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/health/huge-increase-in-people-who-have-totally-got-swine-flu-200907241928/

tbs624

From the Times Online:

"the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, today blamed the failure of the new official swine flu diagnosis website on the number of people visiting the site out of curiosity rather than because they had the disease.

The National Flu Pandemic Website launched at 3pm yesterday and had ground to a halt wihin minutes. Officials said that it was receiving 2,600 hits per second - or 9.3 million hits per hour - at around 5pm."

Sir Liam seems to be basing his comments on the fact that people start off looking at the checklist on the site and then abandon it...ergo they ain't got the swine flu or they'd read on???

What about those amongst the site's visitors who are dropping to the floor, even as we type/read, having fallen prey to the computer transmitted variant described by Sarah in post 78 and therefore rendered incapable of seeing the checklist through to the bitter end........:eek:

DebtHater

Swine flu is nothing to worry about.

I am more worried about the credit crunch than I am about getting swine flu.

Most of my close family have had it - I dont live with them - and they followed the advice and stayed indoors. 4 days later and they are all fine. I have yet to know of someone who has died from it, just the odd person on the news that I have never heard of.

I go into our local hospital day in, day out picking up patients to take them home - I am a taxi driver, so that must make me an extremely high risk ?! Not likely, seeing as you can catch anything from anybody, so it doesnt really bother me at all. What will be will be.

And these folk that have "underlying health issues" - why didnt they get them sorted, so when they did get swine flu it wasnt such a big deal ?!?!

kunekune

Actually, when you look at 'underlying health issues' you might be rather surprised. The blog on the bbc actually talks about what they were and they aren't all the sort of serious thing you might think, and I do wonder in a more paranoid moment, whether they are mentioned mainly to calm the rest of us down. Trouble is, most of us have something that could be called an underlying health issue too if we think about it: I'm rather fat and drink more than I ought to. I bet if I die of H1N1 flu, that will turn out to be an underlying health issue so I don't count. Ditto my son with a learning disability and a perpetual snotty nose plus history of pneumonia and other secondary infections, and my hubby with parkinsons.

So, while I do think OP is overreacting and there has been some terrible reporting of statistics, that doesn't mean I would discount the need to take some precautions or do some planning. As with any statistical information, what is given us should be read critically and with an independent frame of mind.

Gwhiz

8000 people die each year in the UK from normal flue. So far we have 30 Swine flu deaths.

Says it all really.

MunnyBoiler

Whoops :eek:

Just realised my typing error on my posting #47!

Of course, I did mean to say 'face mask'. My only excuse is that I wasn't feeling well, was really tired, had a headache, cough, high temperature, sore throat .......

Thrugelmir

Gwhiz wrote: »

8000 people die each year in the UK from normal flue. So far we have 30 Swine flu deaths.

Says it all really.

I didn't realise so many people stick their heads up their chimneys. :rolleyes:

parisjordana

[QUOTE=DebtHater;23605531



And these folk that have "underlying health issues" - why didnt they get them sorted, so when they did get swine flu it wasnt such a big deal ?!?![/QUOTE]

My child has severe asthma how can you sort that out,apart from being on inhalors since the age of 3 there isnt much that you can do apart from educate her from a very early age and to spot the signs and always be aware and always carry her medicines and alert card with her.I dont worry about me catching the swine flu as my immune system is fine hers isnt:(

Davesnave

This whole thread is a wind-up; must be. OP has never posted before.

I must say some of the answers are very entertaning though, and I'd read them all, but my head feels fuzzy and I have a pain in my neck, so I think I'll go lie down for a bit....

Gwhiz

Davesnave wrote: »

This whole thread is a wind-up; must be. OP has never posted before.

I must say some of the answers are very entertaning though, and I'd read them all, but my head feels fuzzy and I have a pain in my neck, so I think I'll go lie down for a bit....

OP was the journalist from the link above. Tempted to email ITV to expose Beeb for fabricating the news. Just can't be arsed though!