Swine Flu

[Stan_Lite]

When I arrived at Cairo airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning, I was handed a card to fill in (as was everyone entering the country) with questions regarding my state of health e.g. did I have cold/flu symptoms, had I come in contact with anyone who had cold/flu symptoms etc. I had to hand it to someone wearing a white coat and a face mask who glanced briefly at it and waved me through - not much point really

When I got on the rig later that day, we had a lecture from the rig doctor as soon as we got off the chopper regarding hygiene. He took our temperature and told us to see him straight away if we developed any symptoms and he would give us some sort of flu drug. He said they were waiting for vaccine but it would be three months before they got it but when they did, everyone coming to the rig would be required to have it.

Looks like the hysteria is widespread. Of course, the Muslims are a bit touchy about it with it being associated with swine - apparently, all the pig farmers in Egypt who supply pork products to the Christian population and visitors have been ordered to slaughter and burn all their stock - there have apparently been riots and stuff in protest.

Hope LMF gets better soon Feek

[BBx]

Useful info, thanks Sam. Hope LMF gets better Mr Feek.

BB x

[Lomster]

seems my kids may have had it, can't be 100% but they all had flu symtoms, Isabella was bad for 2weeks, Josh and Georgina was ill for about a week with aches, high temp, head ache and a croup sounding cough. they all had poops too which seems to be a common symtom too.
Isabella temp would be so high she would be sick, I had to constantly keep fluids up and dose her up with meds to bring it down, she had a fan on her too.
My friend's son has had it and they didn't give hinm tamiflu his dad didn't want him having it unless it got too bad, he was ill for a week with it.
My kids slept loads, especially Isabella slept pretty much all day everyday for a week

[iCraig]

The thing is though, if people wasn't aware that swine flu was even going around, they'd atrribute all this to just regular flu, or a nasty cold. They wouldn't be panicking and going "What the hell is this? What's going on?!" I think the numbers are greatly innaccurate because people appear to be diagnosing based on symptoms that are attributable to other things, rather than direct blood tests to confirm H1N1. Doctors are clever, but they're not perfect, out of the thousands that come to them, they can't all be right saying "Swine flu" at those with headaches, runny nose, aches and pains etc.

Mild is perhaps an insensitive word to use, considering some have died from it. However generally, this appears to be just like regular flu apart from it affecting "healthy" age groups. The vast vast vast majority recover, and most of those don't even need to see a GP, they just take lemsip and go to bed? Am I missing where the big deal is?

[divine]

Originally Posted by iCraig

Mild is perhaps an insensitive word to use, considering some have died from it. However generally, this appears to be just like regular flu apart from it affecting "healthy" age groups. The vast vast vast majority recover, and most of those don't even need to see a GP, they just take lemsip and go to bed? Am I missing where the big deal is?

I think what kicked it off was the initial deaths in Mexico of 'fit healthy' people of normal age being attributed to swine flu. There was an air of 'omfg, regular flu only kills old people, wtf is this?'

What was subsequently not publicised as much was the fact those original deaths bar one or two were all down to other complications or underlying illness and these were far from fit healthy people in the first place.

[Glaucus]

Thing is we have no idea how infectious it is, or how lethal it is. They have stopped doing tests and anyone with even just a mild cough is "confirmed" swine flu. It is totally ridiculous.

they even think some people will only react with a mild cold symptoms to it. All these numbers and predictions flying around are no more than numbers pulled out of a hat. Without widespread testing then we won't know anything.

[Lomster]

I had completely forgotten about swine flu tbh and just thought they had a normal nasty cold it wasn't until they got better that I thought hang on they are flu symtoms and the kids have never been that ill before (apart from Josh when in hospital) but at the time I went into robot mode and just focused on getting them well.
It was awful looking back on it but it was mild as flu goes I think.
Shame I never got them tested as I would be interested in knowing if it was or not.
I am not worried at all about it, my children are healthy and so are we so nothing to panic about.

[Haly]

My aunt suggested me and my Mum might have it earlier on the phone as we've both been ill all week. Seems we do both match the symptoms near perfectly. Tbh though, I'm not really fussed what it's called as long as it buggers off soon, getting sick of feeling like crap The name doesn't really make a difference to me, not like it's bubonic plague!

[vix]

We've had a big breifing about it at work (in ahotel, which nearly got wiped out by the Norovirus a few years ago). Since then quite a few people have rung in with 'high temperature' or 'cough' which they'd probably had come in with before. Myself and the other accounts lady have had sore throats all week but still gone in, of course we could have infected everyone else by now! :/

[kaiowas]

Originally Posted by Bigstan

Of course, the Muslims are a bit touchy about it with it being associated with swine - apparently, all the pig farmers in Egypt who supply pork products to the Christian population and visitors have been ordered to slaughter and burn all their stock - there have apparently been riots and stuff in protest.

Bloke at work who has just come back from Malaysia was saying they won't call it swine flu over there and just refer to it as H1N1