Posted on 05/11/2009 6:10:08 PM PDT by TaraP
Swine flu is spreading so far and fast in the U.S. that state health officials may soon stop counting individual cases, a federal health official said Monday.
The novel H1N1 virus accounted for 40 percent of flu viruses logged in the U.S. in the past week and helped propel an uptick in overall flu-like illnesses, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, a deputy director with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC has confirmed more than 2,000 cases in 43 states and Washington D.C., with 94 hospitalizations and three deaths. Another 700 cases are suspected. Although the flu is spreading quickly, it remains relatively mild in the U.S., say health officials.
“They tell us for sure this virus is circulating throughout the United States and it’s likely to be in every state,” Schuchat said, adding: “It’s a time when we really need to guard against complacency as we move to a new normal
“I think the cases we’re confirming are the tip of the iceberg here,” Schuchat said in a press briefing Monday.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Yawn.
They have a budget to protect.
Is that another way of saying hypochondriacs are doing what they do?
I heard that Sanofi and the other companies that make Tamiflu and its imitators have a huge oversupply that they want to move fast—before it goes past the expiration date.
That’s why the CDC is pushing this flu-mania.
How many US Senators own stock in Sanofi?
Not to you, but my reply to the report is:
Bullsh%t
It is still statistically insignificant
Yep, people here that there is a "pandemic" coming and a sneeze convinces them they have swine flu.
This is also the time of year that pollen is really bad and, as a result, so are allergies. A lot of allergy symptoms are very similar to mild flu symptoms.
To the CDC: I’ll have to second that “yawn”.
There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, “Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!”
The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.
“Don’t cry ‘wolf’, shepherd boy,” said the villagers, “when there’s no wolf!” They went grumbling back down the hill.
Later, the boy sang out again, “Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!” To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away.
When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, “Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don’t cry ‘wolf’ when there is NO wolf!”
But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.
Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, “Wolf! Wolf!”
But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn’t come.
At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn’t returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping.
“There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, “Wolf!” Why didn’t you come?”
An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.
“We’ll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning,” he said, putting his arm around the youth, “Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth!”
Already stopped counting cases. I know someone who was a suspected quarantined case. They only send some of the tests on for further testing (those where the symptoms are severe.)
Cheers!
That’s pretty cool I must say!
BTW, don't look at this one too long.
And if the flu doesn’t “get you” , global warming will... /s
Yikes! It’s alive!
Yeah, weird thing about it is it’s a Jpeg, no actual motion at all. It’s your eyes, and maybe the screen refresh rate. I can’t look at it too long without getting nauseous. That’s the reason for the caution.
Oh NO Mr. Bill......................................!
My daughters were just exposed to it, so their asthma doctor is prescribing tamiflu. Since they are high risk for complications, I’m thankful for the tamiflu.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.