Pandemic (Swine) Flu

Originally Posted by Chris

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8028371.stm

Good news

[chaos23]

Originally Posted by Damien

Good news

It wont make any difference to us. Its already spread. Mexico should have shut down on Saturday last week.

Originally Posted by chaos23

It wont make any difference to us. Its already spread. Mexico should have shut down on Saturday last week.

The good news he's referring to is the fact that scientists believe this is a mild strain of the flu. So even if we do all get it, it's not going to do a lot of damage.

[SOSAGES]

Originally Posted by Caspar

I've had the normal seasonal flu, and when you have it it does feel like you're going to die, and tbh, you feel you hope you do!!!

wierd man wierd

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Russ B

I just sneezed. If I'm going down I'm taking you all with me

We're all going up mate. send us a postcard from the depths

[TheDaddy]

A fine example of scared people going way OTT, no swine flu in the country and pigs aren't responsible for passing it anyway, still kill 'em all and the government says no compo because they can sell the meat, who'd buy a bacon sarnie coz of the media hype though, still they wont starve, as a modern day Marie Antoinette might be credited with saying, 'let them eat pork'

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...Tf9iAD97S7UPG2

Originally Posted by Damien

I love how people are pushing the conspiracy angle with absolutely no understanding of the science and a couple of links to a blog from someone who equally has no understanding of science. For some reason people think that two different opinions are equally, even if one is factually wrong. Typical conspiracy angle rubbish, one day these people will learn the value of evidence.

David Aaronovitch has a new book out about this sort of thing (Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History), and had an article in the Sunday Times this week about 9/11 conspiracy theorists, but made the general point that "The construction and circulation of audio and visual material devoted to 9/ll revisionism is easy on the internet. Cheap movies, often made using material not cleared for copyright, made and narrated by non-professional film-makers, have been posted on Google video, YouTube and other sites specialising in moving pictures. Invariably such items make the same claims to accuracy and balance as do mainstream TV programmes, but have been concocted with the smallest fraction of research and resource, though no little ingenuity".

I think the same thing is happening with the H1N1 outbreak - people are supposed to extend the same credibility that is given to Subject Matter Experts and the World Health Organisation, to proponents of various conspiracy theories such as "it is a man-made virus released by government agencies/New World Order/insert boogie-man of choice" (imho), who do not supply any evidence (that stands up to independent scrutiny). Should David Irving be given the same credence as the Holocaust Memorial Museum, or the National Enquirer the same factual equivalency as the Encyclopedia Brittanica?

Originally Posted by foreverwar

David Aaronovitch has a new book out about this sort of thing (Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History), and had an article in the Sunday Times this week about 9/11 conspiracy theorists, but made the general point that "The construction and circulation of audio and visual material devoted to 9/ll revisionism is easy on the internet. Cheap movies, often made using material not cleared for copyright, made and narrated by non-professional film-makers, have been posted on Google video, YouTube and other sites specialising in moving pictures. Invariably such items make the same claims to accuracy and balance as do mainstream TV programmes, but have been concocted with the smallest fraction of research and resource, though no little ingenuity".

I think the same thing is happening with the H1N1 outbreak - people are supposed to extend the same credibility that is given to Subject Matter Experts and the World Health Organisation, to proponents of various conspiracy theories such as "it is a man-made virus released by government agencies/New World Order/insert boogie-man of choice" (imho), who do not supply any evidence (that stands up to independent scrutiny).

Thanks for that. I have ordered that book on Amazon, Always been interested in why people believe in conspiracies so willingly, they hunt them out. That quote is correct in the double standard of those people though, the insistence on 'research' (which is a smoke screen to try and suppress superstition) yet they are awfully uninformed as they constructed a world in which the flaws in their logic are not confronted and instead the narrative in entirely supportive of their views.

The Alex Jones video where he tried to claim 7/7 happened before the elections? (Doesn't take much research to find out the date of an election does it? ). As well as these blogs trying to claim that "this virus had to be made in a lab" astonishing ignorance and then they call everyone else 'blind'.

[chaos23]

Originally Posted by Chris

The good news he's referring to is the fact that scientists believe this is a mild strain of the flu. So even if we do all get it, it's not going to do a lot of damage.

Well that not entirely true. The scientists dont really know how bad its going to be yet as they dont know enough about the virus. Although people only suffering with mild symtoms is encouraging, thats not to say the severity will not get worse.

The askhams are reported to be in a worst state today than when they left hospital.

They seem well enough to have contacted Max Clifford and sold their story to the Daily Hate......

BBC

Daily Hate

Latest update from the Doctors at WHO
"1 May 2009 --The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 06:00 GMT, 1 May 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 331 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
The United States Government has reported 109 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Mexico has reported 156 confirmed human cases of infection, including nine deaths.
The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (34), Germany (3), Israel (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (3), Spain (13), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (8).
Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO website on a regular basis. WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities."

Originally Posted by foreverwar

They seem well enough to have contacted Max Clifford and sold their story to the Daily Hate......

BBC

Daily Hate

Actually I believe Chaos (quite correctly) considers talking to Max Clifford and the Daily Mail is a serious symptom of the illness.

[Russ]

Infractions are only a click away. Posters will remain civil to each other at all times.

Ok i think it is well and truly time to leave this thread before i respond to a certain comment in a way that will get me suspended. There is little left to debate anyway so perhaps a good time for this to die.

[Horace]

I was talking to girl in Mexico last night who currently has swine flu. I asked her how it compares to regular flu and she's replied "Just the same.".

[Salu]

A man rang up NHS direct yesterday but initially, couldn’t get through. All he got was crackling.

Eventually he did manage to get through and told them he was coming out in “rashers�.

Their advice was simple. “Just rub some oinkment on the affected area and stay off work for a weeeeeeeek�….

You may laugh. You may say it snout to do with me…..However there are many people out there that think this is the beginning of the end. Yes, that’s right. The “aporkalypse�!