Iowa probably has H1N1 now...

[CoffeeCat]

I live in Iowa, and our local news just reported that we likely have a few cases of the H1N1 virus.

A few days ago, a few people who had visited Mexico--but remained in Iowa--became ill. So, they were
tested for the virus. Now, we find out it's likely that they do have H1N1, as reported on our news
tonight.

Our local news is also reporting that Iowa health officials expect that H1N1 will "spread across the state".

A few days ago, no one outside of Iowa really knew what was going on here. We weren't reported as one of
the states in which H1N1 was reported. There was some lag time.

I'm more concerned about H1N1 now. Not because it's my state, but because I think other states are not reporting
cases due to this lag time as well. It appears that it takes a few days to get H1N1 confirmation, because it's
taken a few days here in Iowa.

I wonder if others have stories like this in their states--where your state has no confirmed reports that the national
media knows about--but suspected cases that are only known about on a local basis. If that's the case, and that's
a likely scenario--we could see a dramatic increase in cases within the next few days.

I'm just a bit more concerned now because of these events.

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. Oh great. How long before Pat Robertson responds to this one

"Well of course it's in Iowa.
God is punishing them for legalizing homosexual marriage."

[Muttocracy]

2. NY Times map is picking up a lot more states every time they update it:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/27/us/20090427-flu-update-graphic.html

[MUAD_DIB]

3. A case was reported at Harvard U. Not much info yet.

[uppityperson]

4. I've been compiling them in a thread, here are links. Looks like it is showing up all over

There are more and more reports as more and more people are getting tested from all over. So far though there have not been deaths associated with it beyond those in Mexico and the 1 kid who came to the USA. I'm not sure why that is, but things are changing hourly, it is a very fluid situation and yes, I expect there to be more positives coming up in the next few weeks.

I hope it stays as benign as it has been, also. Not saying "oh only mexicans have died" at all, as I grieve ach who have died. But wondering if it has changed recently, or what is going on with it.

I must say that reading about it being local last night gave me pause and I had to remind myself of what I've been telling everyone else. The tracking system is tracking it, and deaths, so far, have been low. Don't panic, wash your hands.

Today's
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5568345&mesg_id=5568345

Yesterday's
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5561804&mesg_id=5561804

[CoffeeCat]

6. I hear you about panicking...

We shouldn't panic. It's just a little unnerving to see the cases spread like that.

Like you, I'm mystified by the deaths in Mexico, but no deaths here. Usually, a virus becomes
stronger, the longer it exists--is that not correct?

It could be just percentages at this point. If this flu kills 5 percent, then possibly it's just a matter
of not enough people in the US being sick with it for long enough.

I'm concerned about my children. They're in elementary school--and my daughter told me that half of their class is
coughing and is sick. I don't think these children have H1N1, but her account of so many sick kids reminded me that
children that age do not wipe noses or cough into their arm or always have good hygiene. They're little, so sneezes
go all over and they don't wash their hands as efficiently as older kids or adults.

I'm definitely more concerned today, than I was a couple of days ago.

[uppityperson]

8. I think back to 84 when I went to a conference about HTLV3

It was a new virus, recently isolated by a guy in France and one in the USA. It caused some really odd diseases, which they were figuring out were related and went back to this virus. Which we now call HIV.

It took a while for the public health people to figure out there WAS a problem, then they started researching it, tracking potential cases, trying to figure out a decent test that didn't cost a huge amount but had some degree of accuracy.

Yrs later I think they traced back cases of HIV, at least kaposi's sarcoma in unusual cases, to I think back to 1950s.

It all takes time, which is scary when life and death may be the issue. And thinking about it in a clinical way, a research way, an objective manner is much different than having it be here, now.

I will be watching to see if it had spread further than it could have if it just came into the country recently. Wondering if there are or have been many other people with not "regular" flu but this type this spring. It wouldn't surprise me, either way. Having just gotten the tests out to test for this, beyond Type A (as we have at the nursing home I work at), and having many people having the flu or flu type symptoms but not bothering to be tested because, after all, you just treat the symptoms, maybe it is more widespread, HAS been around for a while.

Does that make sense?

Still, having it be close to home makes it different.

Hopefully this will give the epidemic public health care system a good run, like a fire drill, to test it and see how it works, where it doesn't, what to change next time. Hopefully this will remain relatively innocuous and people will get a good reminder to wash their hands, etc. Hopefully this will get employers to notice that having employees come in sick may be good for business right now, but in the long run not.

[CoffeeCat]

10. It makes you wonder about things...

In our local junior high---half of the 7th grade class was sick and at home. Half! Tests and
projects were cancelled because students were not there. No one looked into this or did tests
or anything--everyone just assumed a virus or *something* was going around.

Now, you wonder...what was going on?

My daughters and I have every symptom of H1N1--except the fever. We have raging sore throats, a nagging cough,
extreme fatigue (I took a 5 hour nap yesterday) and we all feel like crap! I called our doctor and she said
fever is one of the tell-tale signs, we were ok.

Again...kinda makes you wonder...

[Political Tiger]

5. It's God's revenge for letting the gays get married!

Of course that's nonsense, but I bet that will be on the right-wingers talking points sooner than later.

[CoffeeCat]

7. They can't ignore Texas then...

If they bring up Iowa--which will probably end up being 12th on the list of infected states, then they
can't ignore that Texas was one of the first states to have flu cases.

And we all know what infantile, former-failed President lives in that state, now don't we?

[Muttocracy]

9. MSNBC has a map too:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30435064

new improved map -http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30485593/

[CoffeeCat]

11. Oh noes!!

Please tell me that Chuckie Todd won't be running the map!!

I still have flashbacks from the election!

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo.....

[Muttocracy]

12. this one seems to stay still - no nausea-induction! nt

[Muttocracy]

13. It's in NYS now, not just the city... there are so many colleges in upstate NY

I'm expecting a bunch of little outbreaks from spring break travel, researchers traveling, people traveling to other places that are now infected and back...

(Monroe Co = Rochester, Chautauqua = western NY, Cortland = central NY)

http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20090430/NEWS10/90430018

Five more probable swine flu cases in NY

The Associated Press • April 30, 2009

New York health officials say five more probable cases of swine flu have been identified outside New York City. Health Commissioner Richard Daines says that brings to eight the total being tested at federal labs to confirm they’re caused by the same virus sickening people worldwide.

He says Thursday that two cases on Long Island — in Suffolk and Nassau counties — have connections to the St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, where hundreds were sickened.

Daines says the three other cases — in Orange, Monroe and Chautauqua counties — are connected to travel in Mexico. Probable cases in Orange, Suffolk and Cortland counties were identified Wednesday.

Federal officials previously confirmed 51 cases in New York City, most at St. Francis.

There have been no reported deaths in New York.

[uppityperson]

14. maps have it in 40 states

ND,ID,MT,AK,NM,OK,AR,MS,WY,VT. 10 states with no probables yet
http://healthmap.org/swineflu