Click to Translate to English Click to Translate to French  Click to Translate to Spanish  Click to Translate to German  Click to Translate to Italian  Click to Translate to Japanese  Click to Translate to Chinese Simplified  Click to Translate to Korean  Click to Translate to Arabic  Click to Translate to Russian  Click to Translate to Portuguese  Click to Translate to Myanmar (Burmese)

PANDEMIC ALERT LEVEL
123456
Forum Home Forum Home > Main Forums > General Discussion
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Flu Spreading in U.S. 2016
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant

Flu Spreading in U.S. 2016

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Flu Spreading in U.S. 2016
    Posted: January 02 2016 at 8:00am
The flu in the U.S. as of the December 19, 2015 CDC report is now above baseline levels.

The proportion of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) was 2.2%, which is above the national baseline of 2.1%. Four of 10 regions reported ILI at or above region-specific baseline levels. One state experienced high ILI activity; Puerto Rico and two states experienced moderate ILI activity; New York City and three states experienced low ILI activity; 44 states experienced minimal ILI activity; and the District of Columbia had insufficient data.

comment: since a fair limited number of sample are taken and flu is not a reportable illness in the U.S. anymore, it is hard to know how many people really have it.  There have been reports of people in many areas with a serious flu strain that will just not go away.  It is putting people in the hospital and we will know the story much more when children go back to school January 4, 2016.

With the spread of swine flu continuing in Iran and Israel as well as in some other countries, the dominance of an h1n1 strain does not mean the vaccine will be that effective. The announcement by China that our biggest threat of a Pandemic will be from a mutation which is like an avian flu and now is producing fatalities in humans is not all that comforting.

Medclinician


"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Dutch Josh View Drop Down
Adviser Group
Adviser Group


Joined: May 01 2013
Location: Arnhem-Netherla
Status: Offline
Points: 94007
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 03 2016 at 12:26am
https://flunewseurope.org/

Week 52/2015 (21-27 December)

  • Influenza activity remained low in most countries in the WHO European Region.
  • The proportion of influenza virus-positive sentinel surveillance specimens increased to 17% from 11% the previous week.
  • Detections of A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and type B influenza viruses among sentinel surveillance specimens were reported by 14 countries.

Season

  • For the first time since week 40/2015, the proportion of influenza virus-positive sentinel surveillance specimens was over 10% for two consecutive weeks, confirming the start of the influenza season in week 51/2015.
  • The increase since week 49/2015 in virus detections among sentinel and non-sentinel patients with respiratory disease is due largely to A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses, the subtype representing 84% of subtyped type A viruses. Influenza type B viruses of the Victoria lineage were detected more frequently (75%) than those of the Yamagata lineage (25%). Viruses characterized so far this season are genetically similar to the strains recommended for inclusion in this winter’s trivalent or quadrivalent vaccines for the northern hemisphere.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 06 2016 at 12:59pm
Despite a quiet mainstream media the real news is that Flu is now widespread in North Carolina and also regional in several other states near Washington D.C. This is pretty much absent and amazing there are any numbers at all since doctors are not reporting flu cases except when patients are hospitalized, if then.

Last year, the flu was widespread over most of the U.S.on this date - and it is still happening - some people are very ill.

The geographic spread of influenza in Guam and one state was reported as widespread; five states reported regional activity; 12 states reported local activity; 29 states reported sporadic activity; the District of Columbia and three states reported no influenza activity; and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not report.

Medclinician



"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
ViQueen24 View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ViQueen24 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 09 2016 at 7:41pm
Well, Med, I have what I assume is this flu. OMG, I feel terrible! The usual suspects for symptoms: headache, fever, nasal and bronchial congestion, cough, exhaustion, sore throat, chills. Ugh! These symptoms are pretty intense. I caught it from my boss when she came over to take inventory and stayed for 20 minutes. Some kind of virus is fairly widespread at the plaza, although not like other years where people are dropping like flies. Seems to be more of a cold for most, but my boss got pretty sick, too. That's the news from the Pittsburgh area. Anybody else sick?
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 10 2016 at 6:50am
Originally posted by ViQueen24 ViQueen24 wrote:

Well, Med, I have what I assume is this flu. OMG, I feel terrible! The usual suspects for symptoms: headache, fever, nasal and bronchial congestion, cough, exhaustion, sore throat, chills. Ugh! These symptoms are pretty intense. I caught it from my boss when she came over to take inventory and stayed for 20 minutes. Some kind of virus is fairly widespread at the plaza, although not like other years where people are dropping like flies. Seems to be more of a cold for most, but my boss got pretty sick, too. That's the news from the Pittsburgh area. Anybody else sick?


There is something very nasty out there and there is no coverage at all on mainstream media. I mean - none.  Last year at this time Flu was widespread across the U.S. One thing I do know, is it is hitting the elderly, the young, and people with pre-existing conditions much harder. Some are in the hospital and I believe this is a "sometimes they come back" kind of Flu.

Some would venture to say, if some group designed a knock out punch for the U.S. and other developing nations in the way of a Virus - it would be something insidious which takes people out over time. Some viruses have been ruled out as biological weapons because they don't work that quickly, but a virus that simply would not go away and stay away, could be very bad.

For one, it would go past the usual Flu Season and not be monitored for 6 months.  There have been brief glimpses and warning from countries of strains and yet- they are unlikely to ever call another Pandemic until it is obvious.

The best course of action is to continue to prepare.  Something wicked this way comes.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 10 2016 at 2:07pm
Flu now widespread in Maryland - Regional in a fair number of states. There is local activity in 27 states. District of Columbia and two states reported no influenza activity; and Puerto Rico did not report. It is unusual that D.C. though surrounded by states with regional activity mostly, is not reporting the flu.

http://phpa.dhmh.maryland.gov/influenza/fluwatch/SitePages/Home.aspx

Coverage in the mainstream media of the Flu is fairly non-existent. More than 1/3 of the specimens tested were type B.  While 23.5% of the tested samples were Yamagata lineage, 5.9% where Brisbane which is not covered in the common Trivalent form - only the Quadrivalent form which is not as available and more expensive.

None of these figures is really that accurate in that samples are from selected areas as per a base count from the hospital. Flu is not a reportable disease and there are no known figures for deaths except for cases in the hospital. Many flu cases may be reported or not as ILI (Influenza Like Illness)

There is less reporting and CFR (case fatality ratio) numbers than we have had in decades. Google Flu Trends and Google Dengue Trends are no longer publishing current estimates of Flu and Dengue fever based on search patterns.

One of the few trackers left reflects the week 52 map I put up ending January 2, 2016

http://www.flufacts.com/flu-tracker.jsp

Also a flu strain which could be fairly lethal and yet not symptomatic could be serious. If it does not produce a high fever during the period it is contagious, that is going to let a lot of people past the scanners in airports.

Also, in some cases a person comes down with it many times after first believing it is over. This falls right through the cracks in a system which ends isolation with discharge usually and people may still be contagious.

The Flu is out there and people are sick - however well it is being reported or not.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 16 2016 at 6:39am
INFLUENZA HEALTH ALERT
January 11, 2016
Situational Update
The Sacramento County Division of Public Health has received three (3) reports of ICU patients under age
65 with confirmed influenza for the 2015/2016 influenza season. We have also been notified of an
increase in the volume of patients at hospital emergency departments
. There are no reported deaths.
We are therefore raising the health notification to health alert level. Please see actions requested of clinicians below:

Actions Requested of All Clinicians
1. Report to Sacramento County Division of Public Health (SCDPH) electronically via CalREDIE or via
confidential fax (916) 854-9709 the following laboratory-confirmed cases of seasonal influenza:
• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) cases under age 65 admitted for influenza
• All deaths due to influenza complications
• Novel strains of influenza (e.g., Avian influenza H7N9) regardless of hospitalization /vital status
• All outbreaks of influenza
Medical records for ICU cases and deaths under age 65 should be uploaded into the CalREDIE filing
cabinet or sent via confidential fax (916) 854-9709.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Dutch Josh View Drop Down
Adviser Group
Adviser Group


Joined: May 01 2013
Location: Arnhem-Netherla
Status: Offline
Points: 94007
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 16 2016 at 9:15am
https://flunewseurope.org/

Week 01/2016 (4-10 January 2016)

  • Of the 43 reporting countries, 35 reported low influenza activity and eight medium activity.
  • The proportion of influenza virus-positive sentinel specimens continued to increase: from 30% in week 53/2015 to 37% in week 01/2016. Most specimens came from only two countries.
  • Detection of A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and type B influenza viruses was reported in sentinel surveillance specimens by an increasing number of countries: 22, as compared with 17 in the previous week.

 Season

  • The proportion of influenza virus-positive sentinel surveillance specimens has been over 10% since week 51/2015, indicating that the influenza season in the European Region started in week 51/2015.
  • Three quarters (74%) of the viruses detected were type A, and 26% were type B. The vast majority of the subtyped A viruses and B viruses ascribed to a lineage were A(H1N1)pdm09 and B/Victoria, respectively. The dominance of the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus coincides with reports of severe disease and deaths associated with infection with this virus in Armenia, Israel, Turkey and Ukraine.
  • The majority of the viruses characterized so far are genetically similar to the strains recommended for inclusion in this winter’s trivalent and quadrivalent vaccines for the northern hemisphere. Nevertheless, a small number of A(H3N2) viruses were dissimilar to the vaccine strain. Furthermore, the most prevalent B virus lineage (Victoria) is not in included in the trivalent vaccine, which is the more widely used in Europe. 

Additional information influenza in the world is available on WHO global influenza updates.


[

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein
Back to Top
ViQueen24 View Drop Down
Adviser Group
Adviser Group
Avatar

Joined: May 14 2013
Location: Verona, PA
Status: Offline
Points: 12270
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ViQueen24 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2016 at 10:43pm
This flu is one of those "hangers-on". I'm still coughing and blowing my nose, especially in the morning, and my energy level, quite honestly, is sucky. My ears are still stuffy, which is to be expected. I missed 4 days of work, and after the 3rd day, went to the Dr. as required by my workplace. He put me on Prednisone for my asthma and sent me on my way.

When I went back to work last Friday, I discovered that about 25% of the plaza had been afflicted by the virus. I also saw a gal that works at the adjacent Sunoco who has been sick since right before Christmas, the boss that I caught it from was still sick, and a co-worker who has been sick since around the 28th is also still sick. So I am going easy till I am well over it.

I used my Sambucol and Oscillococcinum, but not sure how much difference they made. I think maybe the virus moved thru its most aggressive stage more quickly than might have otherwise, but sure didn't stop it from settling in a bit. Hope to be over it soon, because I'm not a patient sick person!
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 30 2016 at 5:09am
Flu is now widespread in California.  Despite a near blackout of Flu news in the U.S. it is spreading and there has been little or no news covering it this season. Note also it is regional in quite a few states. This has to be the most stealth Flu reporting I have seen since they began tracking the Flu.

So far, I see no weekly summary to explain this map.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/summary.htm


It would appear Flu is spreading through most of the West coast regionally including Nevada, the Sunbelt States and Texas. New York as well.

It does seem odd that it is epidemic in parts of Russia while we have heard little of that happening here.

Medclinician


"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 20 2016 at 3:55pm
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/summary.htm

One should be concerned when things are just too quiet. Flu is spreading in the United States and for over a month haven't seen a single mainstream media headline about this. It was only widespread in a very few states. Now it is in California, most of the Sunbelt states including Texas and most of New England. This includes Washington D.C. and New York. Why have we seen no headlines about this?

According to this week’s Fluview report, flu activity continues to increase in the United States. There are localized pockets of high activity in parts of the country and national levels of influenza-like-illness and the percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for flu in clinical laboratories continues to increase.

Widespread flu activity was reported by Puerto Rico and 12 states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Vermont). Regional flu activity was reported by 20 states (Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington).

For the week ending February 13, the proportion of people seeing their health care provider influenza-like illness (ILI) increased from 2.4% to 3.1%, which is above the national baseline (2.1%)

Medclinician








"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2016 at 11:13am
http://www.cbs5az.com/story/31198169/flu-now-widespread-in-arizona-over-3700-cases-reported

PHOENIX (AP) -

State health officials say the flu is now widespread in Arizona.

The Department of Health Services says more than 3,700 flu cases have been reported, although the department says there likely have been even more cases.

According to the department, there have been cases in all 15 counties but that Maricopa County accounts for just over half the statewide total.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2016 at 11:16am
http://wnyt.com/health/flu-widespread-new-york-state/4045681/

Flu is now widespread in New York State.

The declaration means that all non-vaccinated health care workers must now wear surgical or procedure masks while working with patients.

The New York State Health Department says 817 flu-related hospitalizations have been reported in New York so far this season.

If you haven't gotten the flu shot, it's not too late.

The New York State Health Department says this year's strain is also a good match for the most common strains of flu now circulating.

Medclinician


"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 22 2016 at 2:48pm
Originally posted by Medclinician Medclinician wrote:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/summary.htm

Now this is strange. CDC took down their Week 6 map - and now only Week 5 is there which does not show the widespread outbreaks in 12 states. A total of 47 states have widespread, regional, or local activity with only one state Mississippi reporting no activity. Which is not accurate.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm#ISTE
There is activity in Mississippi.

http://www.picayuneitem.com/2016/02/flu/

According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, flu activity has been low this season.
However, in other parts of the country, severe respiratory illness has been documented in young to middle-aged adults who have been diagnosed with the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The majority of reported cases of severe illness and death have occurred in unvaccinated individuals, a MSDH release states.
According to the release, the CDC identified the 2009 H1N1 flu strain as the virus in circulation this flu season, which is the same strain responsible for serious illnesses and deaths in Mississippi during the 2013-2014 flu season.

comment: which is fine since they are claiming the current U.S. vaccine covers the h1n1 strain unless it mutates as it has done several times in the past as it became more widespread.

Medclinician



but above the Week 5 map are Week 6 numbers.

Medclinician








"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 27 2016 at 8:31am
It is amazing to me that no mainstream media is covering this or reporting on it. The spread of the Flu continues to increase in the U.S. and no one is talking about it.  One might say this Flu is a "late bloomer" where in previous years there was an early onset, this one is taking hold and a lot of people are ill. It is now widespread or regional in most of the U.S.

It's everywhere in the U.S. Widespread flu activity was reported by Guam, Puerto Rico and 21 states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington). Regional flu activity was reported by 18 states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming). The District of Columbia and 10 states (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Wisconsin) reported local influenza activity. The U.S. Virgin Islands and 1 state (West Virginia) reported sporadic influenza activity.

Medclinician


"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
ViQueen24 View Drop Down
Adviser Group
Adviser Group
Avatar

Joined: May 14 2013
Location: Verona, PA
Status: Offline
Points: 12270
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ViQueen24 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2016 at 10:10am
This one's for you, Med; found it on Pollen.com.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 24, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- This year's flu season continues to be a mild one, with low rates of hospitalizations and flu-related deaths, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday.

However, flu activity is picking up a bit and the season isn't expected to peak for several weeks, probably some time in March, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"Last week influenza activity did increase a bit more and at a little bit faster rate," said Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist in the CDC's influenza division.

Doctor visits for flu last week increased from 2.5 percent of all visits to 3.4 percent, Brammer said. "To date, it's still been a mild season, with low levels of hospitalizations and low levels of flu-associated deaths," she said.

This flu season is a welcome change from last year, which saw a particularly early and nasty flu season. By this time last year, flu was already severe and sending thousands of Americans -- especially older ones -- to the hospital, Brammer said. In fact, she added, "By this time last year we had peaked and were coming down."

Despite the mild season, 13 children have died from flu complications this year, Brammer said. Depending on the severity of a flu season, the CDC has reported anywhere from 40 to more than 300 pediatric deaths. So the number of child deaths this year is comparatively low, she said.

Unlike last year, the most common flu strain circulating this season is the H1N1 strain. Last year, it was the H3N2 strain, Brammer said. "But H3N2 is still hanging in there, it's not going away," she said. "We've got a little bit of everything out there."

Both of these strains, and a third one, are included in the current flu vaccine, Brammer said, making this year's shot a better match than last year's.

Milder weather may be one factor affecting this flu season, Brammer said. But it's only one factor of many that can determine the severity of a flu season. Another big factor is how many people are immune because they've been vaccinated.

The following states reported widespread flu activity: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont. The rest of the states reported moderate to low flu activity, the CDC said.

In a typical season, flu complications -- including pneumonia -- send more than 200,000 Americans to the hospital. Death rates linked to flu vary annually, but have gone as high as 49,000 in a year, the CDC said.

Virtually everyone older than 6 months of age is advised to get a flu shot. The exceptions are people with life-threatening allergies to the flu vaccine or any ingredient in the vaccine, according to the CDC.

Pregnant women are considered at high risk and should get vaccinated. Women with newborns also need their flu shot to help protect their infants, who can't be vaccinated until they are at least 6 months old. Also considered high risk for flu and prime candidates for a vaccine are seniors and people with chronic health problems, such as lung and heart disease, according to the CDC.

It's still not too late to get a flu shot, Brammer said. "Even when we peak, it's only halfway through the season. So for people who haven't been vaccinated, there is still benefit to getting vaccinated."

More information

To learn more about the flu, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: Lynnette Brammer, M.P.H., epidemiologist, influenza division, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FluView, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Back to Top
PrepGirl View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: May 31 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 1629
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PrepGirl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2016 at 4:50pm
I have had a cold starting last Oct. I just can't get rid of it. Stomach pain everything. I'm still coughing . Nothing helps.
PrepGirl
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2016 at 9:33pm
PrepGirl get on Mucenex and call you doc to get on codine cough syrup so you can sleep. You might have walking penumonia so go get an X-ray of course after you see your doc.
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 29 2016 at 7:39am
[QUOTE=ViQueen24]This one's for you, Med; found it on Pollen.com.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 24, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- This year's flu season continues to be a mild one, with low rates of hospitalizations and flu-related deaths, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday.

However, flu activity is picking up a bit and the season isn't expected to peak for several weeks, probably some time in March, officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said./QUOTE]

Thank you viQueen24. Over the years I have learned to watch the spread maps for brown. That is widespread. No matter what numbers they are giving us, when most of the country is brown or regional there is a problem.

It is possible they have slowed H1N1 down with the current vaccine. Let's hope so. We have enough irons in the fire without another nasty flu season. However this one is a later bloomer. I think global warming is a possibility. It was warm in New York on Christmas and despite a few chills here and there we are not seeing the Vortex stuff we did last year.

Super cold, people trapped indoors together, and something from other parts of the world coming in through the airports or from south of the border in U.S. usually sets it all off.

Yet, there are some real lurkers about virus wise. The resistance is growing to our antivirals and antibiotics and we will see a day not that far off when nothing touches several new strains of disease or even older ones that have mutated.

The actual perish numbers - i.e. death count from the flu is just not there. No one is going to get upset until whatever it is, no matter how miserable, starts killing people.

For now - yes a lot of people die from a lot of things - but the flu is not one of them currently.

Did take a rather close look at the number of celebrities and musicians that died last year and recently. Cher was in the hospital with the Flu and that is another place you will see if a bug starts getting people. Famous people dying form it.  They may be able to cover general population numbers, but if movie stars and rockers start kicking off  from it, then we will know.

Taking it a day at a time and glad today I am neither coughing, sneezing, or sick my stomach. But I sure know quite a few people who are sick. And my heart goes out to them and hope they will get better soon.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 06 2016 at 7:23am
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

You won't see posts on the spread of flu in the U.S. in the mainstream media. It is widespread in many states and many people are very ill. Amidst all the boring headlines which flood CNN and Fox on the presidential campaign there is little coverage on disease in the U.S. and for that matter much of the world.

It is widespread in most of the United States.

The geographic spread of influenza in Puerto Rico and 33 states was reported as widespread; Guam and 14 states reported regional activity; the District of Columbia and one state reported local activity; and the U.S. Virgin Islands and two states reported sporadic activity.

17% currently have the flu. That is a lot of people. Evaluation on whether this is an epidemic yet is based on numbers from March 3rd, not the March 27th and only a selective number of deaths are even counted. Many are not.




comment: basically - as more areas are brown - the worse it is.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 11 2016 at 12:26pm
A lot of people have the flu. Over 1 in 5 in some areas. As some people get it, they have a chronic cough for months - and a few do not get over it totally at all. So far the year of 2016 is the year of the collective yawn about spreading diseases except for Zika and its effect on babies.

The flu is out there and some people are pretty sick.

Medclinician


"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 12 2016 at 9:56am
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/03/03/flu-widespread-in-minnesota-health-dept-says/
Despite the fact flu is fairly widespread in the U.S. and spiking - there is very little except being posted on a state by state basis.

Medclinician

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The Minnesota health department reports that the flu is now widespread in the state.

Ninety-four people were hospitalized two weeks ago, and another 74 were admitted this past week.

“The last two weeks have seen quite an increase. Half of our cases were really just in that last week,” nurse practitioner Patsy Stinchfield said.

Beds are filling up at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, most because of influenza. Stinchfield said a spike in flu cases at Children’s Hospital has come later in the season than in years past.


"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2016 at 12:31pm
Think I'm the only person in the watchtower anymore. Now it's in 40 states. Considering the almost complete absence of any reporting in the mainstream media or apparent concern - I know for one thing I know some people who are very very ill and if this one mutates and gets more lethal- we are going to have a real problem.

Widespread flu activity was reported by Puerto Rico and 40 states. Regional flu activity was reported by Guam and 10 states (Alabama, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia). Local flu activity was reported by the District of Columbia

Nationally, the percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza viruses in clinical laboratories during the week ending March 12 was 23.1%. For the most recent three weeks, the regional percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza viruses in clinical laboratories ranged from 10.9% to 26.7%.
  • During the week ending March 12, of the 5,968 influenza-positive tests reported to CDC by clinical laboratories, 4,557 (76.4%) were influenza A viruses and 1,411 (23.6%) were influenza B viruses.


Medclinician


"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
DeepThinker View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar

Joined: September 26 2015
Location: So. California
Status: Offline
Points: 3245
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DeepThinker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2016 at 12:46pm
Medclinican from my observations this flu season has been very severe for some people.   While I didn't notice one big wave where everyone was sick... a lot of people got it.   However it wasn't the prevalence of minor cases that inspired my first comment.

This year I have personally known more people to be hospitalized with flu and pneumonia.    I have also personally known several people to die from respiratory infections.

So while the flu seemed to be a bit less infectious than some years... those that got it had very severe illnesses.  Also here in Southern California I think we are done with flu, our peak seemed to be sometime in late January/early February.
Back to Top
EdwinSm, View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator


Joined: April 03 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 24065
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EdwinSm, Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 19 2016 at 11:09pm
Some years back I started keeping a record of pediatric cases of flu deaths reported by CDC (USA version!), as it was the only flu statistic that legally had to be reported.  I realise that different strains of flu affect the age range differently, but I use this as 'a proxy' for how bad things are.

It seems that this year the number of deaths among children will be in the low range comparable to years like 2004/5 (47 deaths), 2005/6 (46 deaths) and 2011/12 (37 deaths).  [So far this year CDC have reported 28 deaths.]

So from that perspective it seems that the current season had be at the milder end, so I do not expect a lot of 'news', even though the figures are still tragic.


The site I use (lots of graphs, with pediatric case a little over half way through the report):
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 20 2016 at 11:26am
Originally posted by DeepThinker DeepThinker wrote:

Medclinican from my observations this flu season has been very severe for some people.   While I didn't notice one big wave where everyone was sick... a lot of people got it.   However it wasn't the prevalence of minor cases that inspired my first comment.

This year I have personally known more people to be hospitalized with flu and pneumonia.    I have also personally known several people to die from respiratory infections.

So while the flu seemed to be a bit less infectious than some years... those that got it had very severe illnesses.  Also here in Southern California I think we are done with flu, our peak seemed to be sometime in late January/early February.


Thank you for the comment DeepThinker. There are a lot of caring, aware, and good people here on AFT.

I have been in contact with people in the South - Tennessee - West Virginia and other locations and for some who have other health problems or are older - it is very bad. When I talked to DrJohn Ray he said they are seeing a "nasty lung flu" hitting and it lasts for weeks. Recently, people are discouraged from going to ER unless they have serious fevers are have not been vaccinated. I fail to see the logic in vaccinating someone who has an active case of the flu. Also a form of Norovirus is sweeping and people are talking to me who have both the cough and the stomach issues.

Having lost someone several years ago to Swine Flu, as well as nearly my own son and wife at the time, perhaps I have become rather sensitized to reports which in the past have been incorrect in some cases to 10x less than those present.  The current Flu is spreading and yet there are doctors posting on other sites they have seen no cases in their area.

The real news?



http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Documents/Week%2010%20-%20FINAL%20Report.pdf

Overall influenza activity in California was “widespread*” during Week 10.

Influenza virus detections by Respiratory Laboratory Network and Sentinel Laboratories
o 1,101 (25.8%) of 4,270 specimens tested were positive for influenza during Week 10, which is lower compared to Week 9 (30.4%)

comment: In California it would appear that 1 in 4 people have the flu. Last week it was nearly 1 in 3. That is 10,000,000 people in my state who are ill today. Looks like most of them either chose or were not told to go to ER or a clinic. That doesn't make them any less sick. With a vaccine that supposedly targeted the prevalent strain - why did these people still get it?

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
jacksdad View Drop Down
Executive Admin
Executive Admin
Avatar

Joined: September 08 2007
Location: San Diego
Status: Offline
Points: 47251
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jacksdad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 20 2016 at 12:16pm
Yep - I'm down with a pretty nasty respirarory bug right now. A lot of people I know have, or have had it. My wife got hit pretty hard and missed a few days of work last week when she was sick, but she's doing much better (luckily - she's asthmatic so anything respiratory has the potential to get really bad). Seems pretty widespread in this part of SoCal right now.

"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary.
Back to Top
DeepThinker View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar

Joined: September 26 2015
Location: So. California
Status: Offline
Points: 3245
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DeepThinker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 20 2016 at 1:03pm
Originally posted by Medclinician Medclinician wrote:



Influenza virus detections by Respiratory Laboratory Network and Sentinel Laboratories
o 1,101 (25.8%) of 4,270 specimens tested were positive for influenza during Week 10, which is lower compared to Week 9 (30.4%)

comment: In California it would appear that 1 in 4 people have the flu. Last week it was nearly 1 in 3. That is 10,000,000 people in my state who are ill today. Looks like most of them either chose or were not told to go to ER or a clinic. That doesn't make them any less sick. With a vaccine that supposedly targeted the prevalent strain - why did these people still get it?

Medclinician


Medclinician.... with all due respect I think you are miss reading the lab results.   Isn't what this data suggests is that 1/4 of people with respiratory infections, who also get tested at the doctors office test positive.   Most people with flu are never tested, and often you get false negatives.   So while these tests give us some suggestions as to the flu's prevalence,  and helps us understand what strains are active...   I don't think these numbers tell us anything about how many people are actually sick right now.


MTA: just looking at that report in detail...   It seems my late January/early February was pretty accurate.  This report suggests that peak flu happened in mid February.  One of the problems with studying flu is that outbreaks spread so quickly but there is a delay between when you get exposed. get sick and then go to the doctor.    By the time the hospitals see a huge upswing in cases... The community is probably past the peak and the cases are already decreasing.
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 20 2016 at 7:09pm
Originally posted by DeepThinker DeepThinker wrote:

Originally posted by Medclinician Medclinician wrote:



Influenza virus detections by Respiratory Laboratory Network and Sentinel Laboratories
o 1,101 (25.8%) of 4,270 specimens tested were positive for influenza during Week 10, which is lower compared to Week 9 (30.4%)

comment: In California it would appear that 1 in 4 people have the flu. Last week it was nearly 1 in 3. That is 10,000,000 people in my state who are ill today. Looks like most of them either chose or were not told to go to ER or a clinic. That doesn't make them any less sick. With a vaccine that supposedly targeted the prevalent strain - why did these people still get it?

Medclinician


Medclinician.... with all due respect I think you are miss reading the lab results.   Isn't what this data suggests is that 1/4 of people with respiratory infections, who also get tested at the doctors office test positive.   Most people with flu are never tested, and often you get false negatives.   So while these tests give us some suggestions as to the flu's prevalence,  and helps us understand what strains are active...   I don't think these numbers tell us anything about how many people are actually sick right now.


MTA: just looking at that report in detail...   It seems my late January/early February was pretty accurate.  This report suggests that peak flu happened in mid February.  One of the problems with studying flu is that outbreaks spread so quickly but there is a delay between when you get exposed. get sick and then go to the doctor.    By the time the hospitals see a huge upswing in cases... The community is probably past the peak and the cases are already decreasing.


This is what we were told in New York when they had 500,000 - 1,000,000 cases and they reported something like 37,000. And I agree - if you only test people at the doctor's office or clinic - most people never even go in - so you really have no accurate numbers at all. The only numbers I think are close are how widespread it is.  6 months into the Flu season we are hearing well it peaked last week. Also there is more than one "Flu" out there. The recent spread of a "stomach flu" which is not just in the U.S. is also hitting people.

The problem with the "new viruses" is that they don't just hit and go away. People "get over" them and may come down with the same flu 2-5 times. Basically when they terminated "Flu Trends" we lost a really valuable way to track the flu.

Remember the Pandemic?

http://nypost.com/2009/06/11/who-announces-swine-flu-pandemic/

In the United States, where there have been more than 13,000 cases and at least 27 deaths from swine flu, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the move would not change how the U.S. tackled swine flu.

“Our actions in the past month have been as if there was a pandemic in this country,” Glen Nowak, a CDC spokesman, said Thursday.

comment: At this that I tracked during the summer hundreds of thousands of cases in New York. It was posted here on AFT.  A few months later CDC admitted that the number had been grossly under-reported. All of that - is literally purged from the net.

At one point I talked to a nurse in Wisconsin as to why they had stopped reporting the deaths from the flu. Suddenly they decided to just report infants. I nearly died myself in at the CHOMP clinic from what was diagnosed as "the flu" There were dozens of babies in terrible shape and I saw a young man barely make it through the ER doors and die within 20 feet of me.

There was no treatment. No anti-virals were given. I lay in a room with the lights turned down and no IV- my vitals were not even monitored. I was expected to die.

I didn't. Talking again to the nurse in Wisconsin near Madison, I was told - she had tried and lost her job complaining. She was told what was the point in scaring people with death counts and high infection rates if we simply do not have the medical system or hospitals to even begin to treat a Pandemic.  We don't even have enough respirators to treats dozens, much less thousands in a city.

Soon most of the viruses - especially flu - will be resistant to all four antivirals. Already https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amantadine which saved my life years ago is not that effective. Strains are growing resistant to Tamiflu and Relenza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanamivir - is what is being stockpiled to treat the Infrastructure with if they head underground. 

https://www.dhs.gov/medical-countermeasure

There will be no clinics treating millions -

The formulas to even estimate epidemics are even being altered. Now they are based on former years - not on raw percentages - and we have no CFR for this flu season. We have samples and estimates. No one is counting.

Perhaps I have not been feeling all that well for the last few days and someone near and dear to me is very very ill. I am glad to hear of those who have gotten better - but like in a scary Stephen King novel - Sometimes they come back.


Medclinician


"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
DeepThinker View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar

Joined: September 26 2015
Location: So. California
Status: Offline
Points: 3245
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DeepThinker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 21 2016 at 1:25am
Vitamin C and D(when I can plan ahead) have been my saviors.   Vitamin C in 1gram pills works for me.    Powder seems like yuck to me!   But I have never felt the need to go to huge doses either.   10 to 20 grams a day makes a big difference for me.

If you can keep your vitamin d level high before you are exposed research suggests a benefit.

So D before you get exposed and C as you are getting sick... but it has to be HUGE doses... even mine are small compared to what people do for very severe infections.

Word of caution if you are not sick or stressed or otherwise need the C.... you can hit bowel tolerance on as low as 4-8 grams a day.   Since your body can tolerate much greater doses of vitamin C when you are sick suggest to me that your body needs it.
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 21 2016 at 8:52am
Originally posted by DeepThinker DeepThinker wrote:

Vitamin C and D(when I can plan ahead) have been my saviors.   Vitamin C in 1gram pills works for me.    Powder seems like yuck to me!   But I have never felt the need to go to huge doses either.   10 to 20 grams a day makes a big difference for me.

If you can keep your vitamin d level high before you are exposed research suggests a benefit.

So D before you get exposed and C as you are getting sick... but it has to be HUGE doses... even mine are small compared to what people do for very severe infections.

Word of caution if you are not sick or stressed or otherwise need the C.... you can hit bowel tolerance on as low as 4-8 grams a day.   Since your body can tolerate much greater doses of vitamin C when you are sick suggest to me that your body needs it.


Rant alert  - fighting off a really nasty flu

Disclaimer here - this is not recommended without a doctor monitoring you. Sometimes one can take as much as 150 grams - 200 grams of vitamin C which can kill just about everything. There have been very few deaths - hardly any from C overdose. I had h5n1 years ago which I got from someone from South East Asia. Having studied a case where a man's wife was on a respirator and nearly died and he took large doses of C- he had few symptoms and recovered. Since I ran a health food store in the 1960s and took over 8 courses in nutrition when I did my pre-med and took courses at Stanford as well, vitamins are not a big fake industry.

Basically you cannot patent a vitamin and with the judicious use of vitamins and herbs versus many drugs which have huge side effects and literally kill people, you can see the terrible effect of a drug-insurance-medical power structure which in many cases creates the very illnesses it is supposed to cure. Most drugs have a "rebound" and can cause the very condition. Example muscles relaxers cause convulsions i.e. valium - pain killers given when there is no pain can cause pain - heart drugs given to stabilize the heart can cause CHF, heart failure, and death.

Drugs given to lower cholesterol can cause the body to produce more of it and the bottom line is when you are up against a virus with no treatment - what is left - chicken soup - drink liquids and take aspirin?

People who take an active interest in their own health and do not accept what is told to them by doctors without question are often depicted as nervous mentally ill people with issues.

The issue is a drug industry in which a large portion of the medicine are given to relieve symptoms rather than cure anything. Cough drops and cough syrup in many studies were found to be useless. Antihistamines, especially nose sprays can make your nose even more stopped up and anti-acids- I have seen people drink Mylanta by the quart and Zantac can ruin peoples stomachs.

SIP (Sit in Place) is what I have been told and received little or no care with a 106 temperature and Swine Flu I caught from my son. I was told not to even come in with less than a 102 degree fever.

I write this to you all with the best of intentions. We must continue to say you must consult your doctor - not self medicate and no matter what they prescribe - take it without question.

Having been in the field of medicine for 50 years, yes I started as an orderly when I was 17, and worked in it actively for at least 30 - I have seen a lot.

Worked at Kaiser in the CCU, ICU, and ER and even on an ambulance and we have a lot of war stories which we would tell on the night shift. Many heart drugs were pulled because they caused heart attacks. Many sleeping pills - Halcion made people psychotic and destroyed their sleep patterns. They never did pull the anti-acids and cold medicines which do nothing to cure a cold.

In fact, much of the industry is not into curing anything. We have had cures for cancer for decades. One brother in law worked in a lab 25 years ago and they discovered a cure for several types of cancer which you still won't see because there is so much money to made on taking care of cancer patients as opposed to curing them.

The immune systems can help you and it can kill you. If it reacts too violently, it is the Cytokine storm that often kills people versus the virus.

Crystalline C can be purchased at health food stores. I even managed to survive a raging case of Salmonella with it as well as Swine Flu.

Linus Pauling was nearly persecuted as he showed taking C to bowel tolerance can likely kill a host of diseases. If you have stomach issues and it is not buffered - it could kill you. Check with your doctor.

So I will cozy up with my lemon juice - C- Vitamin D- grape juice (not for the diabetics), and prayer- and hopefully take out another nasty virus.

Thanks to you "my family" in AFT. Been 10 years. We do care about each other.

We have all lost people and I am telling you - rarely do we get accurate numbers on how many people are sick, dying, or infected anymore. They feel the panic would be worse than the deaths. If indeed - and not if but when we have the next series of Pandemics- and there will be more than one at the same time- it won't be declared until there are bodies in the streets.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 24 2016 at 7:46am
http://wkrg.com/2016/03/24/area-doctors-say-the-flu-is-whats-going-around-this-week/

For the first time this year, doctors with Premier Medical have seen a spike in Type A influenza. Dr. Pitcock says symptoms are classic for the flu with an onset of a headache, sore, throat, cough, fever and muscular aches and pains. He says, if diagnosed within 48 hours Tamiflu can be given to adults and children to decrease the course of the disease and lessen the severity of the symptoms. Dr. Pitcock stresses this key point- come to the physician early if you have symptoms… after 72 hours, the Tamiflu is not effective since it doesn’t improve the symptoms significantly. The doctors at Premier Medical are also still having cases of bronchitis with upper respiratory infection symptoms.

"What's going around"

It is challenging to track, but a lot of people are pretty sick out there. Personally I have been fighting off something pretty nasty and although I do remain a bit isolated - it only takes a trip to Walmart to stand in multiple cough paths of children and others infected to get whatever is possibly infecting a large part of the U.S. population right now.

Except for the large brown areas and also darker regional areas on the CDC week 10, there is almost nothing out there in the mainstream.   Most of the "Flu boards" and Blogs are gone. As for the infamous Dr. Henry Niman - he has vanished.  One wonders if Tamiflu "does not improve the symptoms after 72 hours" if it is really even effective.

One telltale part of "this flu" is the cough. It just will not go away. I have spoken to many people who have this bug and one symptom is it is worse at night when one lies down. Also, the sinus congestion is pretty bad even producing nose bleeds in some and really intense headaches.

The odd part of this flu is that it is a late bloomer. In previous years we saw nasty h1n1 hitting early and sweeping the United States. Yet as these viruses mutate they hang on longer and they also come back over and over. You think you have finally shaken it and a week later it's back.

Problem is - no one is really counting. The numbers are from a few places and there are no death counts i.e. CFR. At the same time another rash of Norovirus type flu - which either co-infects or is a newer flu which has lung, stomach, and even a neural component is about.

Day by day - watching and waiting -

Maybe if we are attacked in the U.S. it won't be guns or military that takes them out. They will rue the day they ever came as they catch the flu and as in War of the Worlds - with all the plans- the common cold will be the best protection of all.

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Jen147 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: March 23 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 17144
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jen147 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 30 2016 at 5:02pm
My brother in law is in ICU with the flu right now... H1N1.  Anyway... he's a big healthy stout kind of guy, reason they moved him to ICU was he developed a heart arrhythmia.  I know from years back reading that it likes to attack the heart in some people. 
Back to Top
Penham View Drop Down
Chief Moderator
Chief Moderator
Avatar
Moderator

Joined: February 09 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 14913
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 30 2016 at 8:29pm
Jen, please keep us updated on his condition.
Back to Top
Jen147 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: March 23 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 17144
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jen147 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 30 2016 at 9:05pm
I will. He's not a sick kind of person at all.  I don't think he's ever had the flu before in his whole life.  They had him 24 hours almost before finally telling us today it was H1N1 & that was after we asked why he'd been moved to ICU.  They said because he developed heart arrhythmia and we were like, What?! Why... and they said it could be the virus.  And that's when they said it's the flu.  Understand most of this info is coming from my MIL and she's a nervous wreck type & doesn't understand Dr. speak but I finally stepped in & got as many answers as I could to try & make more sense of things.  They may have told her from the very beginning that it was flu (she's the one that took him to the ER yesterday) but it could have just went over her head.
 
He's a single dad just 41 years old.  His wife died in a car accident 8 years ago, he has a 16 yr old son.
Back to Top
Penham View Drop Down
Chief Moderator
Chief Moderator
Avatar
Moderator

Joined: February 09 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 14913
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 31 2016 at 7:21pm
Is he doing any better today?
Back to Top
Jen147 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: March 23 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 17144
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jen147 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 31 2016 at 11:02pm
Yes he is. Thanks for asking. He got moved to a regular room today. I'm not sure if he's still having the arrhythmia any more or not. Since today was the first he's had access to a phone I was hoping to talk to him personally & get better info but I was gone all day & didn't get a chance to speak to him. I do know that visitors are limited to 16 & older & full gown plus mask are required. I was a little surprised by that but I guess that's normal protocol for H1N1 ??

I am hoping he has his cell phone back & I can just text him tomorrow. I'm not going to visit, my 11 yr old is off school for Spring Break & has a history of asthma so I'm not going to risk it.
Back to Top
Jen147 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: March 23 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 17144
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jen147 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 31 2016 at 11:07pm
My hubby just told me they've been giving him Tamiflu in the hospital. I know it was over the 48 hrs even before he went to the ER, but I guess they decided it couldn't hurt.

EDIT: I misunderstood my husband... He (my BIL) did NOT get a flu shot.
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 01 2016 at 6:46am
There is are still flu outbreaks across many parts of America. I was on the phone with someone last night in the South where flu has nearly shut down a clinic and infected most of the people coming there for treatment.

We often subjected to CDC reports - well it was a lot worse last week without ever being told "This is week it is pretty bad."  That is the way it was during the Pandemic when New York had hundreds of thousands of cases and reported only less than 5% of them. Three months later they finally said - well yes - there were a lot more.

People who get one of several strains of flu and Norovirus going around aren't "a little sick" they are very sick - especially those who are older or very young and have other medical problems. I talked to DrJ a few times and he had a bug which took him 3-6 weeks to get over at all and I have had something for a month or more.  It drops deep in the lungs, is like a nasty cold, and for some causes severe nausea and vomiting.

Some people are sick of being sick. Tamiflu is only really effective if given 72 hours from the onset of the flu. Most of the times if you miss that window, it will not do anything about the symptoms and only in some cases lessens the impact of the disease but doesn't cure it.

I do not want to lose another person dear to me to the flu. I already lost one in Chicago in 2013 to Swine Flu. As the years have gone by they just don't report cases or even human deaths from the Flu as they did. There are literally no reporting from sites that is current and we must wait for weeks to get information on outbreaks if ever.

to be continued...

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 01 2016 at 6:52am
As they said in the XFiles - The Truth is out there (it is still out there if you dig hard enough)

Outbreaks



http://www.healthmap.org/en/?_escaped_fragment_=p=106

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Jen147 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: March 23 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 17144
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jen147 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 01 2016 at 6:39pm
Hey all. My BIL went home this evening. He was still pretty sick so he is trying to take it easy at his house. My MIL said he looked better, had color back in his face & actually has the energy to get to the bathroom & back. They want him to follow up with a cardiologist as I think there was still some abnormalities there but they did not explain to him exactly what or why. He tried to tell them, "Look, I had a perfectly functioning heart before I came here."

I think he was nervous to go home & be alone but also hated being there. His main symptoms he said that forced him to the ER were chest tightness & pain & he could not breath. Besides the normal flu symptoms. And he said it wasn't like the kind of tightness you might get from a chest cough.
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 02 2016 at 7:39am
Originally posted by Jen147 Jen147 wrote:

Hey all. My BIL went home this evening. He was still pretty sick so he is trying to take it easy at his house. My MIL said he looked better, had color back in his face & actually has the energy to get to the bathroom & back. They want him to follow up with a cardiologist as I think there was still some abnormalities there but they did not explain to him exactly what or why. He tried to tell them, "Look, I had a perfectly functioning heart before I came here."

I think he was nervous to go home & be alone but also hated being there. His main symptoms he said that forced him to the ER were chest tightness & pain & he could not breath. Besides the normal flu symptoms. And he said it wasn't like the kind of tightness you might get from a chest cough.


It's good to hear he is home but what exactly was done to treat what he has. Do any others of the family have a similar illness?

Medclinician
"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Penham View Drop Down
Chief Moderator
Chief Moderator
Avatar
Moderator

Joined: February 09 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 14913
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Penham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 02 2016 at 4:42pm
Glad to hear he is home? But what are they doing for him at home?
Back to Top
Medclinician View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member
Avatar
Valued Member Since 2006

Joined: July 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 23322
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Medclinician Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2016 at 8:35am
The Flu is not over yet in the U.S. Some people are getting it once more and it is hard to say if these 2nd and 3rd times of it coming back are reflected in the CDC map or figures.  It is still widespread in California and New York and either widespread or regional in most of the U.S.

The geographic spread of influenza in Guam, Puerto Rico and 29 states was reported as widespread; 18 states reported regional activity; the District of Columbia and two states reported local activity; one state reported sporadic activity; and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not report.

Never in the U.S. since Flu reporting began have we had such little data on many actual cases, infections are deaths there are.

Medclinician

"not if but when" the original Medclinician
Back to Top
Jen147 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: March 23 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 17144
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jen147 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2016 at 9:39am
Originally posted by Penham Penham wrote:

Glad to hear he is home? But what are they doing for him at home?
 
As far as I know they aren't doing anything for him.  He's doing ok.  I know he took the Tamiflu while he was in there & they may have sent him home with some, I'm not sure how many days are prescribed.  And told him to follow up with a cardiologist.  He doesn't have health insurance so I think that's why they cut him loose.  But he is getting along ok.  He is not back to work yet though, he works for a small local fencing company.  But he is back at his own house, making his own meals & such so he's doing a lot better.  My husband told him he really did need to make that appointment with the cardiologist, so we are trying to encourage him to do it, but he says he feels fine.  Good grief, stubborn.
 
EDIT: He's on antibiotics too & either an inhaler or oral steroids.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down