Health officials concerned about swine flu outbreak

[Q Classic]

Interesting tidbit I came across today:

Iron can also increase disease risk by functioning as a readily available essential nutrient for invading microbial and neoplastic cells. To survive and replicate in hosts, microbial pathogens must acquire host iron. Highly virulent strains possess exceptionally powerful mechanisms for obtaining host iron from healthy hosts (7). In persons whose tissues and cells contain excessive iron, pathogens can much more readily procure iron from molecules of transferrin that are elevated in iron saturation. In such cases, even microbial strains that are not ordinarily dangerous can cause illness. Markedly invasive neoplastic cell strains can glean host iron more easily than less malignant strains or normal host cells (3). Moreover, iron-loaded tissues are especially susceptible to growth of malignant cells (Table 1).

In the past, healthy adult men were at greater risk than anyone else- children and the elderly tended to be malnourished, with corresponding iron deficiencies, and adult women are regularly iron-depleted by menstruation, pregnancy, and breast-feeding...A study of plague in St. Botolph's Parish in 1625 indicates that men between 15 and 44 killed by the disease outnumbered women of the same age by a factor of 2 to 1.

So lay off the steak and iron supplements for a while.

**** no. I'm eating steak, and chomping on iron ingots. I'll just chelate myself later.

[Docfeelgood]

Wanna talk flu or talk about me?

[Q Classic]

Every ****ing flu season has a virus we've never seen before.

This is pretty true, actually, otherwise we wouldn't need to get new, different flu vaccines every year.

That said, what the guy's saying is more that this was not one that they forecast, and it's different enough that we don't have a very good picture of it--something that hasn't happened too frequently.

[DaShi]

We want to talk about flu without you.

[KrazyHorse]

I want to talk about WHY you constantly feel the need to post multiple threads on a single subject in a short period of time. Especially a subject like swine flu or Texas secession which dominates the news cycle for a day or two and then disappears.

[Q Classic]

Wanna talk flu or talk about me?

I'm trying to have a reasoned discussion, but I'm pointing out that the way you're posting is not conducive to a reasoned discussion.

By posting sensationalistic headlines and making these things bigger than they are, you're only prompting a reaction like KH's.

[Docfeelgood]

we want to talk about flu without you.

ok.

[KrazyHorse]

This is pretty true, actually, otherwise we wouldn't need to get new, different flu vaccines every year.

That said, what the guy's saying is more that this was not one that they forecast, and it's different enough that we don't have a very good picture of it--something that hasn't happened too frequently.

IIRC there was a flu season 4-5 years ago when the exact same thing happened (it was prior to bird flu).

And it was a 1-day story. Not the ****fest this has turned into.

Honestly, the chances of this becoming an epidemic are remote. Certainly if you mean "epidemic" like the 1918 one.

[KrazyHorse]

Should health officials be worrying about this? Sure. But nobody whose work is NOT public health should have any more than vague curiosity. I've gotten 5 emails from my university in the last 24 hours about swine flu. What a ****ing joke.

[DinoDoc]

In Doc's defense, the WHO and news media certainly aren't helping his blood pressure and seem to be feeding his fear.

[Q Classic]

The WHO is doing its job. It's the news media that's misunderstanding what the WHO is doing, and reporting it, and making mountains out of molehills.

[KrazyHorse]

I have no sympathy for people who swallow the koolaid.

They're the same people who thought Iraq had WMDs.

[Theben]

The WHO is overreacting b/c they don't want to be accused of not reacting quickly enough, and the media is... the media.

[DaShi]

They and other health organzations are also hoping to profit from this.

[Theben]

**** no. I'm eating steak, and chomping on iron ingots. I'll just chelate myself later.

I will pray over your corpse.