back to article US declares 'public health emergency' over swine flu

Britain's medical system has started gearing up for a flu pandemic and the US has declared a "public health emergency", after it became clear that an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico had worked its way into the human population. The outbreak in Mexico has been blamed for over 100 deaths. While the disease has now surfaced in …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    close mexico border

    Seems good reason to shut the Mexico to US border, other wise we will have a real mess in the US. Because, others will do the same to the US if it starts to spread.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Routes of infection

    I wonder if screening at the airports is enough. I remember with avian flu people were the look out for migratory birds showing signs of infection. I wonder if we need to be wary of wild boar we spot flying over the Atlantic?

  3. Cucumber C Face
    Joke

    Flu - schmoo

    Where's the Windows 7 or mySQL angle? This is the first Reg article which hasn't been about one or the other for weeks.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    *cough sniff splutter*

    Time to go home!

    Although I'm betting I just have the standard cold... which is traditionally correct for British summer time...

  5. Eddie
    Stop

    Oh bloody hell

    Yet another thing after SARS, Bird Flu, H5N1, foot and mouth, anthrax, mythical terrorists, global warming, peak oil, water wars, dirty bombs, and god knows what else that the government and media team up for to scare the crap out of the public.

    In the story, the boy who cried wolf got eaten 'cos no-one believed him - in this version we keep swallowing the hysterical shit.

    Of course, given my usual level of success in commenting on these things, this one is going to actually go somewhere.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    facemasks

    Facemasks = cheap, simple, and very effective solution. It works both ways reducing the chance of both contracting cold and flu type infections and spreading them.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Bird Flu 2.0

    Over-hyped pandemics make me mad.

    I want my zombie apocalypse already...

    Black heli. It would be my mode of transport.

  8. Wize
    Joke

    Time to get out the office

    and go wee wee wee all the way home.

  9. Anonymous John
    Coat

    Oh well

    The more deaths, the more money there is for the survivors.

    Mine's the bio hazard suit.

  10. Cucumber C Face
    Alert

    Forget border contols

    Cancelling your forthcoming holiday in Mexico? In a month's time it will be the last place in the World your will catch it - everyone there will have had it.

    To get infected with the strain involved in the avian flu scare you had to get down and dirty with a live infected bird. With SARS you had to get down and dirty with a civet.

    To get a fully human adapted flu virus you have to not be barricaded in a room at the South Pole.

    One person coughs in the plane/subway/room - everyone gets it and you're maximally infectious as or just before symptoms start.

    Border containment measures are just political postures.

  11. richard
    Stop

    total and utter bollox

    the bbc are loving the scaremonger factor for this one!

    almost as if gordon clown has persuaded them to forget about the recession and panic us about getting infected from an over-spicy mexican.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Not as bad as man flu

    Imagine if that spread, productivity would plummet!

  13. Les Matthew
    Boffin

    Re: *cough sniff splutter*

    I've had Influenza twice in my 55 years and no way could I ever mistake it for the common cold.

  14. Tony

    @AC 11:26

    "Facemasks" + "Facemasks = cheap, simple, and very effective solution"

    Partly true - however, only whilst they remain dry. If they get wet, then they are of no protection. If you watch, hospitals use them, but they get replaced very frequently. I suppose that you could wet them down in advance with some anti-bacterial solution, but that may not work all the time either.

    The issuing of facemasks to the general population is mostly about making people feel that they are protected so they will carry on working - otherwise the economy goes down the pan when they all stay at home. (No comments about being where we are at the present)

    In most western countries, people make very few preparartions for any sustained period of threat - I understand that on average, people have less than 5 days food in the house.

    http://www.doorsofperception.com/archives/2009/03/london_yield.php

    The article in the link is based upon an item that first appeared in the Daily Mail; they treated it in a sensationalist way, but it is actually quite a genuine issue.

  15. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    I thought I had swine flu...

    ... turned out I was just hogging my food.

    (What? Too soon?!)

  16. Tee
    Stop

    yup

    Well said Eddie.

    Great excuse to market new Pharmaceutical rubbish and slip us some cancer to nip the population in the bud too.

    Chances are the CIA sent it to Mexico anyhow, just like they did with Cuba!

  17. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

    Re: I thought I had swine flu...

    No, just too crap.

    :D

  18. Codge
    Coat

    Re: Not as bad as "Man flu"

    What's worse, is it has crossed species.....

    http://newsbiscuit.com/2008/11/09/pandemic-fear-after-woman-catches-man-flu-401/

    Runs for cover as Ms Bee reaches for her 12 bore.

    The one with pellet holes.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    @Eddie re:Oh bloody hell

    Of all the potential doom scenarios for humanity, by far the most likely. which could occur at any time at all is a lethal viral pandemic.

    20 million people died in the 1918-1919 European flu pandemic, and that was without the assistance of tube trains, endemic air travel and open plan offices.

    How many people do you know who come in to work drizzling snot and sneezing over their monitors. Of course they sat in a crowded commuter train doing the same for an hour to get there.

    I suggest you might want to think on the subject a little further before spouting ignorant missives.

  20. Andrew Fraser
    Paris Hilton

    @Wize

    Bastard ! Thats another keyboard destroyed !! Red Bull is so hard on them

    Paris, because she loves a good pork sausage

  21. DR

    Just last week

    just last week the pigs were in trouble for beating protestors, This week the pigs are in trouble for having flu.

    perhaps this will urge some politicians to get their snouts out the trough.

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