"Regular" influenza is spreading, take care of yourselves people

[uppityperson]

CDC publishes a map every week, a couple weeks prior to whenever we are. Here are the last 2 maps. What with people traveling for the holidays and school starting up again, there's a big change. The flu can set you up for pneumonia, which can kill you. It happened to a relative in early 20's last yr. So stay home, take care of yourselves, if you feel sick (fever, aches, then the 3 week cough). Thank you. End of public service message.

Week ending Dec 24, 2005

Week ending Dec 31, 2005

[Poll_Blind]

1. Thank you for this information! n/t

PB

[CornField]

2. That's an odd map, isn't it?

Isn't the flu typically more rampant in the northern and north eastern states?

[pinto]

13. Not necessarily. It moves from host to host. Many think climate is a

factor in transmission. It's not. Climate may actually be an inhibitor to the annual viral flu outbreaks. The important factor is the vector. In this case, as always, flu is passed from person to person.

Climate may play a role in severity - ie, people with the flu not having adequate heat at home, etc. But severe weather has always been seen to dampen the spread of the flu because people don't get out and about as much.

The maps seem to picture a spread of flu incidence through the Southwest. I live in CA, and I've heard, second hand, about a lot of people having the 7 - 10 day bout.

ed for accuracy.

[HereSince1628]

25. Give it time...these maps are early in the flu seasons and

it's also already 2 weeks later. I haven't visited the CDCP site but I wouldn't be surprised to see it being widespread in much of the country at this time.

Remember that for the CDC a flu case must be lab confirmed. Most people don't get their flu confirmed.

[Missy Vixen]

3. WASH YOUR HANDS!

Sorry to yell, but if people actually washed their hands a few times per day with hot water and soap, they'd stay healthier.

Here's to keeping DU'ers healthy through this flu season...:toast:

Julie

[ewoden]

9. I hear Cheney and Rumsfeld won't get the flue

They've wahsed their hands of so many things already!! Sot of like the Pilot fella

[w8liftinglady]

19. lol..good one

[bluestateguy]

4. Watch those grocery store shopping carts

They are filthy. Once you put your hands on one of those, DO NOT put your hands on your face at all, until you can go home and wash them.

I can't prove it, but I have good reason to believe that I got the flu last year from a dirty shopping cart.

[uppityperson]

7. flu virus lives in a narrow temperature range

The perfect temp range is your respiratory system (nose, throat, lungs). You get the virus on your hands and touch your nose or eyes and the little buggers zip right off the the perfect spot, set up shop and you get sick. Wash your hands. Don't touch your face. Money is very dirty also.

[niyad]

8. take disposable gloves, or insist that your market, as many others are

doing, provide wipes for the cart handles. there was an article in what passes for a newspaper here about this very issue.

[SmokingJacket]

22. My personal paranoia is public pens.

In winter I shop with my gloves on, and keep a pen in my purse to sign checks.

[SPKrazy]

27. Public pens are nasty!

especially when the clerk or whoever pulls them out from behind their ear!

[onecent]

29. One of our stores has wet wipes to wipe the cart off, which I use

every time I go in there.

Stay Well!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. House full of people(7)... 2 of us sick last of December....

(in Oregon) 1 bad case for 3 days, I shook mine off in 2.

At least for us, it was a mild strain. :)

[WestHoustonDem]

6. My daughter got it today. I had my shot but she's

in really bad shape. High fever, achy all over.

[CornField]

10. I'm so sorry to hear that.

It always sucks when our kids are sick. :hug:

[WestHoustonDem]

12. Thanks. I hate that she's sick, but I can always tell when she's

really sick because she's so sweet to me. I'd rather have her bitch at me (she's 16) than see her sick, but I do enjoy her kindness when she's sick.

[Rainscents]

11. What type of flu going around? Haven't heard... Link please?

[uppityperson]

14. influenza

http://www.cdc.gov/flu

[Rainscents]

15. Sounds like this is seanal flu.

Thanks!

[uppityperson]

20. Yes, seasonal flu, this is the season.

not avian flu but regular influenza which still does kill people. Granted a higher percentage are the elderly, the young, the already poor health, but it does kill others and it can knock you out anyway for several weeks. Listen next time you are out in public. Hear that "hack hack hack" cough? Does the cougher say "oh, it's just a cough, been going on for a couple weeks, bronchitis"? This is the last stage of the flu. And, while there are viruses that cause gastrointestinal upset which are commonly called "the flu", GI problems are not a symptom of influenza but another crappy thing.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Interesting - seasonal flu is very low in Europe

Levels of normal seasonal flu are extremely low across Europe, despite growing worries about bird flu following three deaths in Turkey, experts said on Tuesday.

The incidence of clinical influenza was around or below baseline levels -- the level generally seen in the summer -- at the start of the year, according to the Dutch-based European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS).

In the week to January 1, sporadic cases of seasonal flu were reported in just six of the 28 European countries participating in the scheme -- Britain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-01-10T132603Z_01_COL048344_RTRUKOC_0_US-EUROPE-SEASONAL.xml&archived=False

and:

As fears of avian flu grow, levels of normal winter flu are at an all-time low and the chances of a bad flu season this year are vanishing.

At the turn of the year levels of ordinary flu were running at under 10 per 100,000 consultations with GPs, about three times less than the "baseline" levels of flu activity seen in summer months.

In the past, winter flu levels, described as "normal seasonal activity", have been expected to reach levels of 30 to 200 per 100,000 consultations.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/10/nflu10.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/01/10/ixportal.html

[Maine-ah]

17. I've been sick since sunday

so hasn't the boss.

My sinuses are freaking packed, my throat is so sore, I sound like a man. No paid sick days, no personal days, no health insurance, no raise in two years. I can't afford to take a day off. My husband is starting to come down with it.

ok, I'm done complaining now, I just feel like shit and haven't had a chance to get the "woes me" out yet.

;(

[w8liftinglady]

18. about 50 kids at my son's school-including him

here in norheast texas.kids are so resilient-he has 102 temp and is watching cartoons.no appetite-headaches,fever.

[justabob]

23. Same here... 6 kids sent home in 2 days in my son's class

Including my son, same symptoms as yours.

[uppityperson]

21. New map out today

Week ending Jan 7
edited to add date.

[DesertRat]

24. My state is RED on Every map

Wash your hands everyone!

[BlueIris]

26. Oh, I've been swimming in botanicals this winter.

Yes, they DO assist me in resisting disease. (runs for bee pollen)

[Catherine Vincent]

28. I agree with everyone above.

Wash your hands as much as you can. If you ever go out, the first thing you should do when you get back home is wash your hands. I tell my nieces with kids all the time to have their children wash their hands as soon as they get back from school and buy those little hand sanitizers from Target for their backpack and to use before they eat lunch. Oh and especially after you get home from the grocery stores and using those grocery carts. Yuck yuck!