CDC quit counting swine flu deaths at 300

[Dennis S]

Is this any way to run a railroad?

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Swine...PQ20090724

[AlphaDog]

Frankly I'd rather have them put their time, effort, and money into getting a vaccine ready to go out (which it says they're doing) than counting. How many deaths were there during the same period from "plain" flu? It isn't that I'm not taking this seriously, but sometimes simply counting something isn't very productive in the big scheme of things, especially when there's a rather high cost involved in doing the counting.

[M A V I C]

AlphaDog wrote:
Frankly I'd rather have them put their time, effort, and money into getting a vaccine ready to go out (which it says they're doing) than counting. How many deaths were there during the same period from "plain" flu? It isn't that I'm not taking this seriously, but sometimes simply counting something isn't very productive in the big scheme of things, especially when there's a rather high cost involved in doing the counting.

Well, the last updates I heard on it was that swine flu wasn't any more deadly than the regular flu. None of the documentation and in-depth studies I've seen show that the flu vaccines have been at all effective. In fact, most recent studies have just pointed out that the flu vaccines have never been effective since no one is even trying to create vaccines that will predict the next strain of the flu.

[AlphaDog]

M A V I C wrote:
[quote=AlphaDog]
Frankly I'd rather have them put their time, effort, and money into getting a vaccine ready to go out (which it says they're doing) than counting. How many deaths were there during the same period from "plain" flu? It isn't that I'm not taking this seriously, but sometimes simply counting something isn't very productive in the big scheme of things, especially when there's a rather high cost involved in doing the counting.

Well, the last updates I heard on it was that swine flu wasn't any more deadly than the regular flu. None of the documentation and in-depth studies I've seen show that the flu vaccines have been at all effective. In fact, most recent studies have just pointed out that the flu vaccines have never been effective since no one is even trying to create vaccines that will predict the next strain of the flu.
What?! You mean they've been lying to us?!

In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I still blame a flu shot I got back around 1998 for my rheumatoid arthritis. Both my regular doctor and my rheumatologist believe, along with me, that the shot triggered some genetic trait for it that I carried, and it might have stayed dormant if I hadn't gotten that shot. I had a pretty severe allergic reaction to the vaccine right after it was given, and everything went downhill from there. For obvious reasons, I haven't had a flu shot since, but I do prefer that other people try to keep themselves healthy so I don't get contaminated.

I still don't see the big deal about the CDC no longer counting the deaths. I'm sure there's something they could be doing that's more productive.

[mikebw]

This is SPARTA!

[Grumpyguy]

to accurately diagnose the Swine flu, you'd have to test each infected person.

If it is any indication, Britain stopped counting deaths the other day, officially, and they stopped testing.

My guess is cost, logistics, cost.....

[Racer X]

In Puerto Vallarta, they were testing everyone who went through the airport, either arriving or departing, with IR cameras. Looking for people with a fever. They had a doctor on site for anyone who looked overheated suspicious. I guess other countries are still taking this seriously.

I think it was just to look impressive for the tourists though. No one down in PV that I personaly spoke with was actually worried.

[Michael]

From the CDC website:

Why has CDC stopped reporting confirmed and probable novel H1N1 flu cases?
Because only a small proportion of persons with respiratory illness are tested for novel H1N1, at this time, confirmed and probable case counts represent a significant underestimation of the true number of novel H1N1 flu cases in the U.S., so the true benefit of reporting these numbers to track the course of the epidemic is questionable. In addition, because of the extensive spread of novel H1N1 flu within the United States, it has become extremely resource-intensive for states to count individual cases.

What monitoring system will CDC use to replace counting confirmed and probable novel H1N1 flu cases?
Instead of reporting confirmed and probable novel H1N1 flu cases, CDC has transitioned to using its traditional flu surveillance systems to track the progress of both the novel H1N1 flu pandemic and seasonal influenza. These systems work to determine when and where flu activity is occurring, track flu-related illness, determine what flu viruses are circulating, detect changes in flu viruses and measure the impact of flu on hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S

[MacArtist]

Well, what is a person supposed to do?

Some people claim that the swine flu vaccine in the mid 70's gave people Guillain Barre Syndrome.

I'm 45, have asthma and I'm about 50 lbs overweight. Should I get vaccinated when it's released?

[AlphaDog]

MacArtist wrote:
Well, what is a person supposed to do?

Some people claim that the swine flu vaccine in the mid 70's gave people Guillain Barre Syndrome.

I'm 45, have asthma and I'm about 50 lbs overweight. Should I get vaccinated when it's released?

I had to look up Guillain Barre, since I've heard of it but had never taken the time to find out exactly what it is. I see that it's an autoimmune disorder, and so is rheumatoid arthritis (see my post above.) My gut is telling me that people who developed GB after getting the swine flu shot had the same thing happen to them as happened to me - the particular vaccine triggered something in their genetic code that might have remained dormant otherwise. Scary.

Hindsight being 20/20, I'd skip the vaccine, but, in your case your asthma could make you particularly vulnerable to H1N1. It's a tough call. At least there is treatment available for the most common forms of GB, and there's no treatment available for being dead.