Swine Influenza: Disaster or Media Panic?

[nealbie]

Just ever so slightly controversial there Ciall. :wink:

I for one would not like to see a pandemic as that is just morbid to even consider wanting hundreds of millions/billions of people to die. *tuts at Ciall*

In Britain, pretty much everyone of us is "supposedly" safe from the flu as we have what is believed to be the necessary tools to eradicate it. However, we would have to shut down the channel tunnel, stop all flights and put men back on the gun posts around our coastline for a couple of months :lol:

 

[Nadia]

This may sound really, really weird, but I hope there is a pandemic. Survival of the fittest = how we evolved and got to where we are today.

Oh yeah that'd be just great that :roll:

 

[ciallkennett]

Just ever so slightly controversial there Ciall. :wink:

I for one would not like to see a pandemic as that is just morbid to even consider wanting hundreds of millions/billions of people to die. *tuts at Ciall*

The last "pandemic" we had only killed a few thousands people, and I hate to say it, but it's natures way of keeping strong and evolving.

Only the strongest sperm makes it to the egg, only the strongest unborn child survives, only the strongest animals eat others and are able to defend their own lives.

I hate to say it, and it is very controversial, but it is natures way to prosper and develop. If it wasn't for such things as that, we would not be as developed and strong today.

 

[Ben]

Is that what you'd want on your tombstone? "Wasn't strong enough"

 

[Snoo]

I still have the Bird Flu.

 

[BetaKitten]

Lol my local council is going mental because a woman has potential swine flu in the area...

They've done some tests and they're not positive yet but they're treating her just in case...

 

[Ollie]

Everyone was talking about this practically all day in college today. There were also lots of jokes about it.
We also found a way to fit people into 3 categories.
1- They think it will be a massive pandemic and everyone will die.
2- In a happy medium.
3- Think it doesn't exist and don't worry about it at all.

Also we looked on the BBC website and found out that out of the hundreds of reported deaths. Only 9 of them had been 'confirmed' to be Swine Flu (8 in Mexico, 1 in USA).
I know it's a problem and we're on 'level 5' (still don't know what all the levels are) but I don't think you can call it a worldwide pandemic when only 9 people have been confirmed dead by it. And even if it is the hundred so they say, it's just a pandemic so far in that country as only 1 has died outside of Mexico in the USA.
I haven't really read into this alot so all of the above may be absolute tripe, but it's all from what I've heard and read from sites.

Also all the students in our college got emails from the government about it, and what symptoms to look out for and what to do if you think you have it.

 

[Ollie]

Lol:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/35/20090430/tm ... 6af92.html

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^It does however say a 'large proportion'... Currently, we have just over 100 reported cases... That is a minor blip on the human number...

 

[Dave]

Bit of fun.

 

[nealbie]

Hahahaha! Absolutely love it!

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^My comment was only because of your lack of that quote in the post on the previous page, without the detail of the 'Phase 5' stuff...

3 cases in London now apparently, and my mate's mum has been 'caught' by the paranoia and purchased lots of masks, demanding him to always leave the house with one...

Shows how easy the media trips our brain really...

 

[nealbie]

Medicine Epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population.

Says nothing about death.

Yeah, UC is right, it just means a large amount of humanity will be affected in some way by it. Death is not necessarily going to happen to everyone lol.

Yeah, this no doubt will be worse than bird flu, but the pork related pandemic (parp :lol: ) wont kill us all, and it doesn't need to to be a pandemic.

 

[kimahri]

Well Pig flu has been reported over here.

Bye guys.

oink.

 

[Steven]

Cant wait to see if we get a level 6. Then its a true pandemic!

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^My comment was only because of your lack of that quote in the post on the previous page, without the detail of the 'Phase 5' stuff...

Well...not to be an ass, but if you don't understand what Phase 5 is, perhaps you shouldn't comment on it...?

But I do, there's enough media detail (read: panic) about it that practically every single person young and old know about it...

It's quite ridiculous that Phase 5 is called in when only 13 confirmed deaths are due to it, as I was typing this probably 3 people died due to a car accident world-wide, and even more died due to (for want of a better word) 'proper' pandemics such as AIDS and HIV...

The percentage of people who have died of swine flu compared to practically all other forms of death is very, very minor... I'm more likely to be killed by a train crash tomorrow than contract swine flu... That's my view, the media have spread the disease more than the germs that carry the damn thing...

Mexico seem to have the right idea by keeping it low key and not informing people... By doing this, they are reducing panic and actually preventing spreading of the disease more, since most the people holidaying there ran off as know as they were told by friends and family... Not thinking that they may have the disease and that they could be bringing it along with them, possibly infecting their families and friends on their return...

So yeah, to quote Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy... "DON'T PANIC!"

 

[Sara]

I'm just glad I've got my zombie apocalypse plan all figured out. Sara, myself and my mate Chris will all head to my local pub (which we ACTUALLY all refer to as The Winchester, even though that's not its name).
Then, Sara will use a gun, I will arm myself with a blunt object, and Chris will probably get eaten. We worked this out cause Sara is amazing at Duel

And Big Buck Hunter! Don't forget Big Buck Hunter.

SHOOT THE RABBIT!!!!!!

 

[the_missus]

Bit of fun.

Absolutely love it!!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

It's so annoying how everytime anyone coughs/sneezes/is sick, people are like HAHA SWINE FLU.

Get a new joke .

 

[the_missus]

I know...tis getting a tad on my nerves.....Mind you Mexico was such a lovely place to go...really enjoyed it *cough* oink *cough*