BamBam
20-07-09, 12:53
I know we're not supposed to post any more threads about Swine Flu, but I thought this might be helpful.
I too am concerned about the flu, particularly as I have a young child and I live in London in a borough next to the worst affected area in the UK at the moment - my husband uses the tube every day and works in an office where all sorts of stuff goes round quickly. I also had what is known as a Cytokine Storm many years ago when I caught Bejing Flu, which was far more deadly than this current pandemic strain...but here I am to tell the tale. :D
I was also pregnant during the last flu epidemic which killed thousands - I was also a small baby during the last pandemic which killed millions and nobody had access to the likes of Tamiflu either.
Flu can kill, of that there is no doubt - but lets try and keep things in some kind of perspective. See what you make of the below statistics:
1. About 106,000 people die each year in the UK due to smoking.
2. Every year, more than 75 million people get sick from food poisoning – (and that’s just the US). Speaking as someone who a few years ago ended up in hospital on a drip due to food poisoning, I can confirm that it’s a serious illness and no joke! It was far worse than any flu I’ve ever had in my life thus far, including the aforementioned deadly Bejing Flu. It took me about 6-8 weeks to fully recover from it.
3. In the UK, more than 4,400 people get MOUTH CANCER every single year and nearly 1,600 die from it each year.
4. In 2007, 646 pedestrians were killed in road accidents in Great Britain. Around 90-100 people per week are killed in road related accidents in the UK alone. Over 1.2 million people are killed in road traffic accidents around the world each year.
5. 3,000 people die each year from choking on food.
6. More than 1,000 people die each year in the UK due to falling down the stairs.
7. On average, more than 11,000 people die each year from chewing gum.
8. In the UK alone, more than 7,000 people die each year from accidents in the home
9. 400,000 people around the world die each year from drowning.
10. And finally and very sadly, 15 million children around the world die each year from starvation
So please, lets try not to panic over this recent flu. The media are absolutely blowing it up and some of the UK government ministers are also making a complete mess of it as well. The reason pandemics can be so serious is because obviously, its a new strain of flu which most people will not be immune - this causes overload on the health systems and has the potential to cost the economy dear - something which is made even worse during a recession. Unfortunately, like any normal flu, pandemics can also be deadly.
I also wonder how many people really do have this "flu" seeing as they are no longer testing people for it. Last year, I had a very nasty cold which started out with a sore throat and slight fever etc - if I'd had the same thing this year, I guess I might have assumed I had swine flu. Although there is no question that lots of people have come down with it, there also has to be a proportion who have not but are being treated for it all the same.
My advice is to stop reading the news - stick to the recommended hygine practices, keep your homes clean, get plenty of rest/good nutrition/exercise etc. I also keep lots of stock items in the cupboard incase we are unable to go to the shops due to sickness and if you are lucky enough to have a spare bedroom, why not turn it into a "sick room" incase one of you falls ill and you need to try and isolate the person affected? And lastly, do not underestimate the power of chicken noodle soup!! I make this myself (from scratch) and freeze large batches of it which can be pulled out and used as and when needed. :)
Hope this has been helpful to some of you and I wish all of those who are suffering all the very best - get well soon! :hugs:
I too am concerned about the flu, particularly as I have a young child and I live in London in a borough next to the worst affected area in the UK at the moment - my husband uses the tube every day and works in an office where all sorts of stuff goes round quickly. I also had what is known as a Cytokine Storm many years ago when I caught Bejing Flu, which was far more deadly than this current pandemic strain...but here I am to tell the tale. :D
I was also pregnant during the last flu epidemic which killed thousands - I was also a small baby during the last pandemic which killed millions and nobody had access to the likes of Tamiflu either.
Flu can kill, of that there is no doubt - but lets try and keep things in some kind of perspective. See what you make of the below statistics:
1. About 106,000 people die each year in the UK due to smoking.
2. Every year, more than 75 million people get sick from food poisoning – (and that’s just the US). Speaking as someone who a few years ago ended up in hospital on a drip due to food poisoning, I can confirm that it’s a serious illness and no joke! It was far worse than any flu I’ve ever had in my life thus far, including the aforementioned deadly Bejing Flu. It took me about 6-8 weeks to fully recover from it.
3. In the UK, more than 4,400 people get MOUTH CANCER every single year and nearly 1,600 die from it each year.
4. In 2007, 646 pedestrians were killed in road accidents in Great Britain. Around 90-100 people per week are killed in road related accidents in the UK alone. Over 1.2 million people are killed in road traffic accidents around the world each year.
5. 3,000 people die each year from choking on food.
6. More than 1,000 people die each year in the UK due to falling down the stairs.
7. On average, more than 11,000 people die each year from chewing gum.
8. In the UK alone, more than 7,000 people die each year from accidents in the home
9. 400,000 people around the world die each year from drowning.
10. And finally and very sadly, 15 million children around the world die each year from starvation
So please, lets try not to panic over this recent flu. The media are absolutely blowing it up and some of the UK government ministers are also making a complete mess of it as well. The reason pandemics can be so serious is because obviously, its a new strain of flu which most people will not be immune - this causes overload on the health systems and has the potential to cost the economy dear - something which is made even worse during a recession. Unfortunately, like any normal flu, pandemics can also be deadly.
I also wonder how many people really do have this "flu" seeing as they are no longer testing people for it. Last year, I had a very nasty cold which started out with a sore throat and slight fever etc - if I'd had the same thing this year, I guess I might have assumed I had swine flu. Although there is no question that lots of people have come down with it, there also has to be a proportion who have not but are being treated for it all the same.
My advice is to stop reading the news - stick to the recommended hygine practices, keep your homes clean, get plenty of rest/good nutrition/exercise etc. I also keep lots of stock items in the cupboard incase we are unable to go to the shops due to sickness and if you are lucky enough to have a spare bedroom, why not turn it into a "sick room" incase one of you falls ill and you need to try and isolate the person affected? And lastly, do not underestimate the power of chicken noodle soup!! I make this myself (from scratch) and freeze large batches of it which can be pulled out and used as and when needed. :)
Hope this has been helpful to some of you and I wish all of those who are suffering all the very best - get well soon! :hugs: