Re: Avian Flu. What are every day, average citizens saying?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

I ask because I'm an RN and I manage a very busy clinic, with pediatricians, family medicine doctors and internists.

We have had lively discussions in the workplace about medicine and politics.The last major event that everyone talked about at length was Katrina and the plight of the patients and hospital staff in NOLA.

We are focusing on influenza, as we do every year at this time. Our primary focus is insuring that our highest risk patients receive the vaccine soon and we are bracing, as we always do, for "winter crunch", cold and flu season.

However, Avian flu hasn't been a part of that discussion, at all.

Nor have I heard it discussed when I spend time with my family or friends.

It really doesn't seem to be "on the radar" for people I spend time with.

I'd love to hear what other, non DU'er folks are saying about this in other areas of the country or world.

MKJ

edited to add: In other words, are the scare tactics working?

[mike_c]

1. we started a discussion about avian flu pandemic...

...with my university's student health services administration, my college Dean, and the university president nearly a year ago. I don't know whether anything came of that exchange in terms of actual preparedness, but the gist was that the university needed to at least think about how to respond.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

8. We've had trouble with pertussis outbreaks here, so we have a

pretty effective system in place for managing potentially problematic respiratory illnesses in our clinic.

I guess when A.F. becomes human to human, we'll have to put that system on hyperdrive.

MKJ

[MuseRider]

2. We talked about it here at

the feed store last week. They knew something about it. Mostly they just rolled their eyes. Something tells me they are on to GeeDubya and his scare tactics. I told them to get their regular flu shots and try to get some Tamiflu if they could (I am an old, non practicing nurse) and not to worry too much until we hear that it really is something to worry about.

[unrepuke]

3. As an average Joe Lunchbox and vet, though a DUer, I wanna know

what about a flu shot? The V.A. people just shrug - same as last year.

[mike_c]

17. if avian flu goes pandemic, vaccine won't be available for several...

...months after the start of the pandemic-- but that could last over a year-- so the initial mortality will be unrelieved except by anti-virals. Even at full capacity, world vaccine production cannot immunize more than 5 percent of the world's population. Oh, and we don't manufacture flu vaccine in this country. None. The current plan is to buy it from European suppliers when it becomes available, some months after the start of the pandemic. Now imagine how people in the producing countries will react to exports of already insufficient quanitities of vaccine if their own public health systems are overwhelmed. Starting domestic production is technically possible, but would dramatically increase the delivery time at best, and big pharma is reluctant to invest in the infrastructure beforehand. It is a VERY BAD situation.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. "those poor avies." (then again, I live in freeper central)

No, actually, in every public facility I have visited around here, EVERY single guy now washes hands carefully. Not a bad idea, and the more frequent the washing, even between urinary trails, the better all humans are able to avoid transmission.

Lots of people here are speaking of the ineffectiveness of flu shots, their cost and their side-effects.

[Fleshdancer]

5. I had a conversation with my mom about it yesterday

the subject came up when yet another news segment on it came on. She told me she was starting to get nervous about it because of all the coverage. I told her I researched it on the CDC website and I've come to the conclusion that the fear is blown way out of proportion right now. If it suddenly mutates and becomes easily contagious, then I'll start to worry but for now I think the hype is ridiculous. I have a bigger chance of dying from the usual flu virus than this.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

6. Here's an interesting conversation with my mom...she is very

nervous, but not about the Avian flu. She is very nervous about the possibility of using the military for quarantining the population, as gwb stated last week.

That has really bothered her. She told me that she lived through polio and smallpox outbreaks, and the military was never used to quarantine those affected.

MKJ

edited for spelling.

[screembloodymurder]

10. The troops will quarantine the population, but

it's our currency that is sick.

[Fleshdancer]

12. I'm VERY concerned about that too

The virus hasn't yet mutated and Bush is talking about using the military to quarantine us? WTF?

[Deb]

7. At a recent large family gathering

The one common concern was the lack of information about the virus.

How long would it live on a nonporous surface, the incubation period, first signs to indicate it is not the "common flu", most common methods of transmission, should we have bird feeders or stay away from wild birds... many questions.

Everyone expressed frustration that spreading fear seems more important than sharing real info on the virus.

[kestrel91316]

14. Information about avian flu and "regular" flu is readily available

on the internet, but it is important to go to LEGITIMATE web sites and not the rumor mill. CDC has a great web site with helpful info.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Where I work people have talked about the possibility of pandemic

but are not overly concerned about it. Of course, I work at a natural science museum and my co-workers take care of bats and poisonous reptiles and keep black widows and cockroach colonies on their desks - they're not ones to scare easily.

[Egalitariat]

11. Everyday, average folks are saying that Katie Holmes is pregnant

with Tom Cruise's baby.

Avian flu won't be on their radar until somebody in their neighborhood dies or the media goes berserk.

[BiggJawn]

13. "We're fucked...And hey, who got kicked off the Island last week?"

Almost business as usual....

[gulfcoastliberal]

15. Local NPR today said that they were investigating chicken coops HERE

in our local piece of Florida. Stated it can't be spread human to human but only bird to human. I found this slightly disturbing.

[crispini]

16. Coworkers aren't saying much about it at my office.

But for some reason the subject of the food supply did come up the other day. I was surprised to find out how many of my not-very-granola, regular-folks coworkers now are buying only organic and/or farm-raised meat and milk because they are pretty grossed out by what they've heard about the slaughterhouses and the factory farms. And mad cow. Many of them are also buying organic veggies too. And these are NOT politically aware lefty types by any means -- they're very middle-American types.