The N1H1 virus killed something like 50 million people near the end of WWI. I think I read that it killed something like 3% of the world’s population. Check out the flu of 1918.
Was talking to my wife last night about flu. Seems like nothing until you get it.
N (number) H (number) mean? I think they refer to the particular strain of the flu, with H1N1 being something like Book I, Chapter 1 in the Great Flu Story. Because the numbers keep getting bigger as we go along.
It may be over my head, but I would appreciate an explanation. I promise to read it over and over until I think I understand.
H stands for Hemagglutinin and N stands for Neuraminidase. These are just 2 proteins found on the outer coat of the virus. There are different variants of each protein and each is given a different number.
I don't feel a lot more enlightened, but at least, I have an idea of which direction to head toward, to find more information.
DH's cold is still nasty, but he says that with Tylenol, a decongestant, and an OTC cough medicine, he is feeling a little bit better.
I felt like I was coming down with something yesterday, but whatever it was, it has moved on. I'm staying as isolated as I can and washing my hands all the time. I nearly died of pneumonia when I was only 4, and have been told ever since that my lungs are "medically fragile." At age 70, I have many other areas of fragility, so I am washing my hands like crazy and trying to stay away from ailing people.
DH, bless his heart, is trying to avoid me, as well. He will share his love and his money, but he does NOT want to share his cooties!
This year's flu is a bad one. Please do take precautions.
Influenza viruses are constantly mutating as they move back and forth between human, avian and swine populations. The danger to humans from a particular strain varies from year to year and can sometimes be very bad. The 1918/1919 flu pandemic killed between 50-100 million people worldwide.
Although they say that this year's flu vaccine isn't as effective as they'd hoped, do get it anyway if you haven't already. And stay away from people who have the flu!
Yes, it is best to stay away from those who have the flu.
The real danger is the possible pneumonia that may result. Flu symptoms include congestion, cough, fever, headache, and aches and pains. But if you add trouble breathing to the mix, it's time to head to the ER.
Hopefully your dad has had his pneumonia shot. If not, I would encourage him to get it.
Since I've been getting the flu shot for ten years now, I've noticed a major improvement from both colds and the flu.
I've had both pneumonia vaccinations also. But the flu shot has protected me from the usual flu season crap I'd pick up from student interns where I work. Used to get 2-3 bugs a season before started receiving the flu shots.
Since 2008 they've been virtually nil.
If your bro has it, still stay away. The flu shot is only supposedly 30% effective against the flu. Better safe than ....
Remember to wash your hands regularly and frequently. I do a lot.
All I know is that it was a miserable couple of weeks that I had it. The doc said the tamiflu I took would help make it less miserable so I don't know what I would have felt like without it. Took a long time to get any energy back. Just heard on the news tonight that an unprotected cough can send particles 26 feet away! Wow.
Even young healthy people are occasionally dying from the flu this year. Do what you can to protect yourself. This year's vaccine doesn't protect you from this strain.
Interestingly the famous "Spanish Flu" epidemic of 1918-19 (which may have started in Kansas) probably killed more people in less time than WWI which immediately preceded it. It had the interesting property that it had a higher fatality rate for young and middle-aged adults--the very ones you'd expect to be strong enough to survive it. America lost 675,000 out of a population of 105 million. The best global estimates are 50 to 100 million deaths.
Also, we have no vaccine against this strain of flu. If it comes back it could be just as horrendous as it was back then.
DH used to be a high school teacher, and he got sick every year from kids hacking and honking in his classes. I worked with the public too. All of us in our office kept Lysol spray in our desks, and as soon as we were done dealing with an obviously ill person, we would spray our desks, wipe them down with antibacterial wipes if we had them, and wash our hands with soap and water. We also wiped down any writing instruments the sick person handled.
We are up-to-date on vaccinations, for what that is worth, and we are both careful about hand-washing after being out in public. (We were both raised to be germ-cautious; both of our mothers were registered nurses.)
This new stuff sounds scary. I hope our precautions are enough.
Yes, this is a particularly bad year for flu. If you've already had the vaccine, recent reports estimate it's 40% effective. While far from perfect, it's better than nothing. If possible, turn or walk away from those who sneeze and cough into the air instead of their arm or elbow. Teach your kids to manage their airway secretions this way. If you do get it, drink a cup of non-caffeinated non-alcoholic liquid every hour and take ibuprofen following the labe instructions.
I was on an elevator last week filled with people when some woman coughed. She didn't cover her mouth. I was like how rude was that?!
In a tight space with nowhere to go and the air is self-contained without ventilation. The least she could have done was to cover her bleeping mouth, lol.
She was clueless. Or maybe just didn't give a hoot.
I had it over new year (christmas gift from my sister, lucky me) and spent a few days shivering on top of intense flu like symptoms that did not let up for over a week (aching bones included). My entire household came down with it but the kids got over it quite quickly - I refused them their offered shot this year.
There is not a lot to be done for a virus, really, except hope your immune system is in peak form so it does not develop into pneumonia.
If in doubt about your own health (sniffle, tickly throat/cough) STAY AWAY from older folks or folks with health issues. My sister came to visit to see how I was since I've had some illness this year, and she brought her snuffly cough with her. She called two days later to say she was ill and hubby told her I had come down with it already and was shivering and groaning in the spare room.
This flu is killing people unexpectantly - healthy teenagers included, which is strange for flu, but there you go. The flu shot in the UK does not provide protection of either of the two different viruses on the go this side of the pond.
I've read that one reason younger people so frequently died from the flu of 1918/1919 was due to their attempts to keep working hard, which drove the virus deeper into their lungs.
Just FYI, I got the vaccine (in November). Still go the flu. Had it Thurs-Sunday last week. Didn't die from it (yet!), word is that if you get the vaccine it helps lessen the severity. But it was still nasty!
Some people with weaker immune systems (and some with fine immune systems) can die from the flu. I haven't gotten the vaccine yet (I'm not too fond of needles) and probably should. I haven't gotten the flu yet, which probably means I'll get sick after posting this. In Japan, people wear surgical masks when they start to show symptoms of colds or flu as an attempt to slow the rate of infection, a practice I adopted in Washington state. I'd rather look weird than cough and sneeze everywhere. If infected, rest and fluids are essential!