CE Week #8: “Obama declares swine flu a national emergency” Oct. 24th
by Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency and empowered his health secretary to suspend federal requirements and speed treatment for thousands of infected people.
The declaration that Obama signed late Friday authorized Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to bypass federal rules so health officials can respond more quickly to the outbreak, which has killed more than 1,000 people in the United States.
The goal is to remove bureaucratic roadblocks and make it easier for sick people to seek treatment and medical providers to provide it immediately. That could mean fewer hurdles involving Medicare, Medicaid or health privacy regulations.
“As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic,” Obama wrote in the declaration, which the White House announced Saturday.
He said the pandemic keeps evolving, the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many areas and there’s a potential “to overburden health care resources.”
Because of vaccine production delays, the government has backed off initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses would be available by mid-October. As of Wednesday, only 11 million doses had been shipped to health departments, doctor’s offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said.
The government now hopes to have about 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine out by mid-November and 150 million in December.
The flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs, and the yield hasn’t been as high as was initially hoped, officials explained.
Swine flu is more widespread now than it’s ever been. Health authorities say almost 100 children have died from the flu, known as H1N1, and 46 states now have widespread flu activity.
Worldwide, more than 5,000 people have reportedly died from swine flu since it emerged this year and developed into a global epidemic, the World Health Organization said Friday. Since most countries have stopped counting individual swine flu cases, the figure is considered an underestimate.
Well, I am probably just as informed on the swine flu (H1N1) epidemic as anyone else, or maybe less. I first heard about it probably a year or so ago, and at the time I heard there wasn’t a cure quite yet, but it was a rapidly spreading flu. The most susceptible and weak were the ones who were most likely to die from it due to their weak immune system, but it could spread to everyone and anyone worldwide.
I didn’t quite know about the severeness of it now. The swine flu seems like such a common cold, I never hear of anyone dying from it lately. To know that 5000 people at the least have died from this worldwide is crazy, and 1000 of those deaths are here in America. No wonder Obama declared it a national emergency.
What I would like to know is how fast exactly is this virus spreading. I know it’s quick, but how many people are being increasingly affected? Also, how are the shots that have been used to avoid the virus working? Is it effective?
I found an article in the Spokesman Review regarding swine flu reports here in Spokane. It’s really interesting, stating facts about this deathly epidemic in our city such as just last Wednesday 200 people went to the Emergency Room because of swine flu symptoms.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/oct/22/swine-flu-spreads/
A.From this article I learned that Obama has signed a declaration to speed the treatment of the swine flu pandemic. I also learned that the vaccine has to be grown in chicken eggs which I though was a really interesting fact.
B.I think it is good that Obama is taking this issue seriously and is trying to make treatment more accessible for our country. I was unaware that so many people have already died from the swine flu this year alone. I had heard that a couple people had recently died in Spokane but I have not been paying as much attention to the issue as a nationwide crisis. Though I am glad the government is trying to help as many people as they can, it seems to me there is only so much they can do. People can still decide to not take the vaccine. Perhaps now that Obama has declared this pandemic a national emergency more people will take it seriously and stop joking about it. Hopefully with this declaration our country can begin the process of making people well again. I’m crossing my fingers in the hopes that this makes things better.
C.What “federal rules” are now being bypassed in order to give people treatment?
D.Extension: I had never before heard of the World Health Organization so I decided to look up some information on it. WHO is an agency of the United Nations that was established on April 7th, 1948. WHO’s main objective “is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” They monitor outbreaks of infectious diseases including Swine Flu. WHO also carries out health-related campaigns and conducts health related research.
A. I learned president Obama has declared a national emergency from the swine flu outbreak. This surprised me how quickly he has made this decision. Also, it shocked me that one thousand people have died from this virus in the United States, and one hundred children have died. I now understand the goal is to remove “road blocks” and provide an easier opportunity for the sick to seek medical attention.
B. I am still unsure if it was a good idea for a national emergency to be declared so quickly. It makes sense though, that the rates of illness keep increasing making an “overburden on health care resources.” But isn’t their job to help those with an illness? The swine flu vaccine will not be effective in the long run, since the virus will keep changing overtime. People die every day from all kinds of illnesses, or other things, and people need to stay aware of the H1N1. But to declare a national emergency already, is too early.
C. Is there a certain number of people that have to be diagnosed or have died from the H1N1 to declare a national emergency?
Connection: I found a video link of Mr. Obama declaring the national emergency, by signing a proclamation on October 25th. News reporter, Mike Viquiera states, “it’s relatively rare for this to be declared in a health situation…”He also says there is no need to panic, and this decision is simply a preparation.
http://www.theweek.com/article/index/102047/Video_Obama_declares_swine_flu_an_emergency
1. What I learned from this article is that about 5,000 people have died around the world because of the swine flu. Also, by December there should be about 150 million vaccinations out for the public.
2. I think that this whole swine flu vaccine is a way for the government to make more money. Vaccines are not always safe and they’re not always effective. The only people who are dying from the virus are young children, old people, and people with certain problems; like being diabetic or having asthma. It is just like the regular flu but with worse symptoms. I’ve heard of people having all the symptoms of the swine flu but they have gotten over it in a day. People have left and come back to school and they’re not dead yet. I don’t know why everyone makes the H1N1 virus such a big deal, because it’s really not.
3. Why is there a regular shot and a thing that goes up your nose to get the vaccine? Why would they put the live virus in your nose where it is warm and wet and the virus could just mutate?
Extension:
Vaccines must be licensed by the FDA before they can be used in the United States. Researchers test them and then ask the FDA for a license. The licensing process can take 10 years or longer. How can they come out with a swine flu vaccine in just 2 months? How effective can it really be?
This website lists the ingredients of the swine flu vaccine.. its disgusting
http://remixxworld.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-ingredients-are-in-h1n1-swine-flu.html
A. I honestly did not learn much from this article. Mostly what I got from it is that Swine Flu is way overrated, and since it’s so hyped up the President is going to allow someone to break — I mean “bypass” — the federal rules. I also learned that Kathleen Sebelius is our Health and Human Service Secretary, and that she controls the distribution of vaccines. The most interesting part was that the H1N1 virus can only be grown in chicken eggs.
B. As stated above, I think that this so-called “emerging pandemic” is excessively hyped up, and is not as big of deal as people make it out to be. Seeing as about 36,000 deaths occur each year from the normal flu in the US (as stated by CNN) while this piece says that about 5000 people have died INTERNATIONALLY; thereby concluding my point that Swine Flu is basically ridiculous. Deaths from the flu sadly happen, but the difference between deaths from the normal Flu and Swine Flu is that the Swine Flu gets media attention. On another note, if this was an absolutely devastating epidemic then having only 11 million vaccinations when promised 120 million is horrific and unacceptable.
C. Why is the Swine Flu virus only able to grow in chicken eggs? I’m also curious how this federal law was bypass.
NO CREDIT: MISSING CONNECTION/EXTENSION
A. What I learned
I was unaware of this announcement, even though my mother and father work in a hospital and (normally) discuss said issues with me. Along with the official announcement by the White House that this is indeed a pandemic, so further government intervention and funding can be applied to the situation in the United States.
B. My thoughts
In this case I wish that the government could have stepped in sooner instead of the increase of deaths being the cause. Because with faster intervention newer treatments and ‘cures’ could have been applied to sick children, mothers, fathers and grandparents. But that would just be hind sight, so I’m just thankful that the government stepped in at all.
C. Question’s
What was the last world wide pandemic? And what was the death rate? Because it’d be interesting to compare and see if the H1N1 flu is as bad as it actually sounds.
D. Connection/Expansion
Because of my lack of knowledge of the swine flu I went and researched it a bit, here are some facts:
-Yes it does come from pigs
-June 2009 H1N1 was declared pandemic by the World Health Organization
-very helpful website as to every other question, http://patients.about.com/od/patientempowermentissues/a/swindflu2009.htm
Learned: I learned that Barrack Obama has declared the swine flu virus n emergency. He set up a way, so that people can get into the hospital and clinics to be treated faster. The people will not have to jump hurdles and deal with the problems brought about by medical insurance companies and more. The H1N1 virus has killed over 1000 people in the United States. 100 of these were children. 5000 people have died from this flu throughout the world. I didn’t realize how significant a shortage on flu shots the U.S. had. By mid-October the government has reported that there will be around 120 million doses available. I never knew that the flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs. Now, 46 states have been reported to have flu activity in their areas.
Think: I believe this is not just a national emergency, but also a global emergency. We need to help these people quickly, before we have any more tragedies. I believe it was a smart move to make sure that the infected receive quick and easy to get help, without having to run into problems. People are terribly sick and dying, and if we were to make these people have to wait, instead of receiving immediate help, who knows what would happen. We also need to find a way to cause this flu to die down a little bit, before it mutates and gets worse. I also think it is kind of cool how they grow the virus in the chicken egg, which is weird.
Questions:
How do they use chicken eggs to grow viruses?
Why is the swine flu killing people?
Extension: Viruses require a host cell to grow or replicate. Using live laboratory animals to grow the influenza vaccine costs a lot of money to do so. It also raises ethical issues. Since the 1930s scientists have used fertilized chicken eggs to grow viruses. The fertilized eggs are considered relatively inexpensive and are readily available. First a hole is drilled into the eggshell and the virus is injected into a preselected section of the egg; in the case of the influenza virus, the virus is injected into the chicken egg’s amniotic cavity. The amniotic cavity is able to provide sterile and nutrient rich environment for the influenza virus to replicate. The viruses in the vaccine are then recovered by removing the amniotic fluid from the egg. Viruses can also be grown in cell cultures. The cells are cultured in a sterile nutrient rich environment. This method is however limited by the amount of cell culture available for virus growth. Some doctors are reporting that the swine flu is killing because it is so new, that people are not use to it. People have no defense built up, so there is nothing to help fight off the virus. What happens with young and healthy patients is that their immune systems react so strongly that they can triggers something known as a “cytokine storm”. When this happens the person’s immune system overreacts to the totally new flu virus and actually attacks the body’s healthy organs and systems.
Read more: http://pharmacology.suite101.com/article.cfm/creating_the_flu_vaccine#ixzz0VBqfDmVn
A) What I learned…
I learned that Obama has now declared Swine Flu a national emergency. This means that health officials can respond more quickly to the outbreak. I also learned that there is a delay in vaccine production and that 120 million doses were supposed to be available by mid-October. However, as of Wednesday, only eleven million doses had been shipped to health departments and doctors.
B) What I think…
I think that more people are having symptoms or are getting Swine Flu as the year goes on. However, it seems to me that the people who are dying are people who already have medical conditions or are children. To me, Swine Flu doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. It just sounds like a more intense flu. I think that the people who should be getting the injections should be the elderly, children, and people with medical conditions. I’m not saying that those people should be the only ones to get the vaccine but I think that they are the ones who need to get it. I think that the government should still continue to get more of the vaccines so that if people want to be protected then they can.
C) What I want to know…
Which is better, the vaccine or the nasal spray? Who is most affected by the Swine Flu? Which country has been most impacted by the Swine Flu? Who should receive the nasal spray?
D) Extension…
I went to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) site and I found out some information on who should not receive the nasal spray. Here is a list of people who should not receive it:
•People younger than 2 years of age;
•Pregnant women;
•People 50 years of age and older;
•People with a medical condition that places
them at higher risk for complications from
influenza, including those with chronic heart
or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive
airways disease; people with medical
conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure;
or people with illnesses that weaken the
immune system, or who take medications that
can weaken the immune system;
•Children younger than 5 years old with a
history of recurrent wheezing;
•Children or adolescents receiving aspirin
therapy;
•People who have had Guillain-Barré syndrome
(GBS), a rare disorder of the nervous system,
within 6 weeks of getting a flu vaccine,
•People who have a severe allergy to chicken
eggs or who are allergic to any of the nasal
spray vaccine components.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/nasalspray_qa.htm
What I learned:
President Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency and empowered his health secretary to suspend federal requirements and rapid treatment for thousands of infected people. The flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs. Health authorities say that about 100 children have died from the flu and 46 states now have widespread flu symptoms. Worldwide, more than 5,000 people have reportedly died from swine flu since it appeared this year and developed into a global epidemic, the World Health Organization said Friday.
What I think:
I think that this swine flu epidemic is getting really serious. Luckily not a lot of cases have reached Spokane yet. I was disturbed on how many people have died nation wide and how many children have died because of this flu. Why hasn’t anyone found the vaccine for it until now when thousands have died. We should have acted faster to stop the flu before it turned into an epidemic.
Extension:
I wondered why they created the swine flu vaccination from an egg. More than 30 farms in the eastern United States are under long-term contract to provide eggs for vaccines, tending 9 million to 12 million chickens. Once the fertilized eggs arrive at the vaccine plant, the flu virus is injected into them and allowed to multiply for several days. Then the eggshells are cracked; the virus-laden fluid is extracted, the flu virus is killed and the substance is purified. The inactivated strain is tested to determine purity, potency and yield.
(Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33420826 )
Questions:
Where did the swine flu originate? Why didn’t they start working on the vaccine sooner before it got to 5,000 deaths?
A. Obama has asked the Human Services secretary to bypass regulations to recieve the Swine Flu vaccines because he as deemed it a “national emergency”. The article also said that the number of available vaccinations by October was overestimated and the number of deaths was underestimated globally. The flu is killing thousands of people and Obama says we need to work together to stop the deadly disease.
B. Is bypassing regulations to get the Swine Flu vaccine a smart idea? Probably not considering those regulations were put in for a purpose and if we start bypassing regulations for one thing who’s to say we won’t start doing it for other things. I understand that probably sounds a little exaggerated but think about it? Once the government does something once they seem to think it’s okay to do it over and over. I understand the need to speed up vaccinating citizens is crucial but we can’t start cutting corners in order to do so. Those regulations, whatever they may be, are important for some reason. I also think that, while the deaths are horrible, the media has heightened the fear of American’s by only putting forth negative information. I haven’t really heard any positive things about the flu, not that there are many, but the media definitely doesn’t focus on them when they are present. In comparison to the number of people who have been diagnosed with the Swine Flu, is the death rate as significant as it seems? While death is tragic, that might be something to consider when reading the statistics.
C. The article implied the regulations being bypassed were for Medicare and Medicaid. I was wondering what were those regulaions and did Obama’s declaration say?
Extension: I did some research on the number of reported Swin Flu cases and found some information that seemed intersting. The number of Swine Flu cases has been exaggerated says CBS stating “If you’ve been diagnosed ‘probable’ or ‘presumed’ 2009 H1N1 or swine flu in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn’t have H1N1 flu.” The CDC website says states are no longer differentiating between the Swine Flu and the ordinary flu. The website also said that on average 5 to 20% of population (15 to 60 million people) gets the seasonal flu and 36,000 people die from it.
What i know:
I know that swine flu is a very real illness that causes high fever and projectile vomiting,and i also know that people can die from it and people have died from h1n1. But what i also know is when the first case of swine flu was first diagnosed it was thought to be must worse then it was, as it turns out from what i hear is that the swine flu really isn’t as bad as it has been previously thought.
I’ve seen some poster about free swine flue shots around the school.
That’s about as far as i know about swine flu.
What i Learned:
I first learned what Obama is doing about the swine flu virus through this article. I never realized that the regulations to get a flu could be bypassed, I’ve always seen the requirements to get a flu shot. But with Obama dropping those requirements shows just how seriously he is taking the swine flue virus.
I also learned that the health department plans to release 120 million doses of the vaccine and that swine flu has killed 5000 people world wide. I still don’t think that it as a big of a deal as people thought it out to be.
What i want to know:
I want to know when the first documented case of swine flu was recorded and where. Also why people thought it to be so serious.
Connection:
I love all the hand sanitizers around the school, and the posters about how to stay healthy and the free vaccine dates. The h1n1 virus has really taken off and I’m wondering if it will be one of those viruses that has it’s 3 months of fame and then dies out never to be heard of again like Mad Cow.
A. What I learned:
From the Associated Press article on President Obama’s declaration that the swine flu is a national emergency, that over 1,000 people have been killed by the swine flu. In the article I learned that a large number of roadblocks were removed for the health and human services in order to care for ill people quickly. The large number of vaccines promised by the middle of October is not prepared as promised, but a number of vaccines is promised by the middle of November and 150 million in December. The swine flu vaccine is grown in chicken eggs.
B. What I Know: I know that different hospitals are preparing for a large number of swine flu cases over the next few weeks. The number of people killed by the swine flu is not accurate because other nations do not count every case of swine flu, thus not counting death.
C. What I want to know: How is the vaccine grown in a chicken egg? And what precautions are being taken to reduce the number of swine flu outbreaks?
D. Connection: The swine flu makes me think of the avian flu pandemic we had from 2004 to 2006. The avian flu killed about 262 people, this is a small number compared to the swine flu, but the large amount of media-hype seems similar.
1. I know:
I know Mr. Swine flu hates Mead more than Mt. Spokane, and I say that without any intentional implications, but derive what you will (God loves Mo Spo). More importantly, I know what I don’t know like what the virus is actually called. Is it swine flu? Pig virus? H1N1? Hiney? I’ve heard it all. I DO know, however, that the virus is most detrimental to individuals with a low immune defense and who are pregnant and who are young. Because I am neither immune system handicapped or a wee lad, and because as of now baby-popping is not an option for me, I know I’m pretty much in the clear.
2. I learn:
I now know, much gratitude to the article, that the government is taking a very pro-active stance on the situation. It was interesting to me that the United States has undergone 20% of H1N1’s casualties. That seemed like an alarming amount of individuals, 1000 of 5000, to die just in our country which makes me wonder if the disease has been as disastrous elsewhere.
3. I question:
The article touched briefly on how many people died overall, 5,000, but I want to know more. Statistically, how and where are the deaths allotted? Where has the flu hit the hardest?
4. I extend:
Although I know my question concerned the larger impact Swine Flu has had, I wanted to know it’s local influence. Thus, I checked out a site that reported what’s going on in WA state. What I found was quite startling. There have been 714 hospitalizations due to swine flu and 29 deaths. I found this information on the Washington State Department of Health website. Here’s a link: http://www.doh.wa.gov/h1n1/h1n1_newsroom.htm
A. I Know: The swine flu is officially a pandemic, and it has killed a thousand of Americans since its outbreak. It mostly affects susceptible people like pregnant women, babies, and the elderly or already sick. It started to become a scary topic for Americans after it broke out in Mexico and people started to die there, it was only a matter of time before it crossed the border. Once it did reach the U.S. it affected tightly populated cities most severely to start with.
B. I Think: I agree that we should be spending the same amount of time and money on this pandemic because, really, there is no other choice. From a logical point of view we must have vaccines in order to help people and at the moment, even though there are other diseases out there that it is the government’s domain to fight, H1N1 is the one that is spreading the quickest. It does annoy me how some of this crazy swine flu containment by the government is sort of like a show being put on. They know that this is one of those scary things that have gotten way out of hand but because they also know that Americans are panic prone they are compelled to continue with this charade. They continue to prove to the citizens that they can take care of us and that they will make the scary flu go bye-bye by putting all their energy and resources towards it, but I promise you that for the woman with inoperable ovarian cancer or the child with full-blown AIDS this is the scariest time for them too.
C. I Want to Know: How is the vaccine produced? Via chicken egg? More information please.
D. Connection: Basically everyone can relate to swine flu because it seems like everyone has had it, or been accused of having it. My first big flu of the year was not only complete with body aches and vomit, but the constant accusation of “SWINE!” at every cough I made. Even now that my flu/swine flu has gone and has been replaced with a less severe cold I still get grossed out looks from my friends and ‘swine’ comments here and there. Just jokes of course, but at this moment in the United States you cannot go anywhere without the obvious knowledge that a pandemic is occurring and could strike at you any time.
A. What you learned?
I learned that the swine flu has the potential to be even more threatening to us than I thought it was to be. I also learned that the president has the ability to direct certain powers into certain directions (Is that right? Because that is how I interpreted it). I am also pleased to be informed that lowering a number of the bureaucratic roadblocks could mean fewer hurdles involving Medicare, Medicaid or health privacy regulations. If this is going to go through like the article states, I am sure many will be pleased with it. I mean, who doesn`t like being healthy without complication?
B. What you think?
I have never thought the swine flu virus was that big of a deal. Even now, I still do not think it is as dramatic as most people are saying it is. Within this article, it states; “…the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many areas and there’s a potential to overburden health care resources.” This seems to scare me a little bit. I would have never guessed that there would be a time in my life where a singular virus has the potential to overburden our health care system. I mean, just reading that one statement makes me feel like the fuse to a bomb is getting closer and closer to the end. Overall, I think it is a good thing that Barack Obama has empowered his secretary of health to suspend federal requirements and speed treatment for thousands of these infected people.
C. What you would like to know?
What exactly makes this flu virus more susceptible to spreading more easily rather than other flu viruses? I mean, I am sure there is a certain difference, but what is it? Thanks.
Extension: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33519953/ns/health-cold_and_flu/
In this article from “MSN.com,” it sheds light upon this change and how the 23 million doses of flu shot vaccine has arrived for patient use. It also sheds light onto how the supply is growing slowly but surely.
From this article, I learned…
How big a problem the swine flu has become, a national emergency. It is troublesome to think that over 1,000 have died in the United States already. I also learned the action President Obama hopes to take to fight this pandemic; breaking down the federal rules. I also learned how few vaccinations have been shipped to distributors.
My reaction and opinion…
Most of us can claim we know at least one person who had/has “the swine.” It seems to be a very real thing, and I believe the President is taking necessary measures to insure the country’s best interest. But what puzzles me is what I hear from those who were/are diagnosed. They said that the symptoms are the same as the common flu and that it is treated only if it is life threatening. How do we know that this H1N1 outbreak is not just a regular flu outbreak? I mean, if the symptoms are the same as the regular flu, how do we tell without advanced testing?
I would like to know…
Has any other outbreaks of the swine flu ever occurred in the past here, or in another country? Is this a totally new disease or is it possibly another branch of a “discovered” disease? If it is, then has any large-scale outbreaks occurred in the past?
Extension
Well my friends, I decided to play doctor and learn the diagnostics for the swine flu. It is transmitted through coughing, sneezing, kissing, and touching infected objects with infected hands. (Obviously this didn’t require a medical degree to understand) If you have a fever, muscle aches, lethargy, coughing, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or lack or appetite you MIGHT HAVE THE SWINE—my apologies to all the hypochondriacs. Those at risk are the elderly (65 and older), young children, the chronically ill, and pregnant women. It is treated by “taking it easy”, or through vaccination.
A. I didn’t realize so many people had died from the swine flu. I suppose this is because everyone I’ve heard of having it has said it’s just like a regular old flu, and not nearly as extreme as the outbreak last winter when we were notified every time someone died. I also didn’t come to the realization that it would make it easier for people to receive medical assistance if Obama made an official announcement that we were in a pandemic. Or that he had to sign something saying we were. This was a very enlightening article.
B. I think that yes it was a good move for Obama to announce this pandemic if it helped more people. But on the other hand, this kind of supports his “free medicare for those who can’t afford it” plan. I’m not sure that I have a real solid opinion on this issue because it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference to me right now. (Watch now I’ll get deathly ill from swine flu (knock on wood)). So I guess its fine that President Obama made this move.
C. Extention: We have talked quite a bit about reforming the healthcare system of America in class, and we’ve read several article over the past few weeks on this topic.
D. I would like to know what exactly goes into the making of these vaccines. There was a mention of chicken eggs but I’d like to know the whole process.
A)I learned that the swine flu is a much bigger deal than I had thought it was. I had no idea that worldwide, more than 5,000 people have died. I also did not know that the flu virus to make the vaccine is grown in chicken eggs.
B)I think that it is actually rather crazy that all this is happening. The fact that it is so hard to get the vaccines out is a big deal. If so many people are dying we should be doing everything possible to fix this. We need to make sure that others are not getting infected, because I have heard it is very contagious. It seems like the government has noticed that this is an emerging pandemic and something needs to happen. I feel like this should be our main focus right now because it is affecting people everywhere.
C)I would like to know what else the government is doing to help prevent more spreading of this. Also what actions are they taking in order to produce more vaccines? The flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs but is there any other way? Or other vaccines?
D)The other day when I was at work there was a notice on the board and it said that if you or anyone in your family had swine flu or flu like symptoms you were not able to come to work for at least five days even if you don’t present any of these symptoms. I thought that was kind of crazy but now after reading all that I think it is smart.
A.I had no idea that one thousand people in the United States have died from swine flu. I knew people were dying, but that’s a lot of people. Well, compared to the whole population in the United States, it’s not that many people, but those people who did die had families and friends that loved them. By mid-October, 150 million doses of vaccine will be available. As of Wednesday, October 28, only 11 million had been shipped. The government is hoping to have 50 million doses by mid-November and 150 million in December.
B.When people were first talking about swine flu, I didn’t really think it was that big, because people died from swine flu and the regular flu. But, it seems that a lot of people are dying from the swine flu. It seems to be worse than the regular flu and we should all take the vaccine if given the opportunity.
C.I would like to know what the statics of people dying with swine flu verses regular flu.
D.My cousin has swine flu, but she calls it pig flu and everyone corrects her. I don’t know is that’s a connection, so I looked up how many people die from regular flu every year. About 39,000 people die from flu related complications and about 225,000 are hospitalized.
A: What I Learned
It is shocking to hear the number of people who have died from this virus, especially because of the 100 children who are included in this number; 5,000 people! We have heard on the news, ever since early September, that the swine flu was spreading and it was deadly, but after a while it got old and people forgot about it. Now that the numbers have grown, I realize that while we were shouting “swine!” at every cough, there were people who actually had it, dying in their hospital beds. It is also very interesting to learn that the virus has to be made in a chicken egg. I’d never heard that before.
B: What I Know
It wasn’t until the first couple of cases where people were dying from the swine flu that we started to pay attention to how serious it was. But again, this was back in September. Now, that there is a vaccine, this is the bulk of what we are hearing about. On a personal note, my Mom called my doctors office a couple of days ago to see if I could get scheduled to get the vaccine, and they said that they did not and were not going to get the vaccine. So, I will have to go somewhere outside of my own doctor’s office, as I suspect many others will have to do too. I think it’s great that Obama has made this the health department’s priority. This is a quickly spreading, deadly epidemic and it needs attention.
C: What I Want to Know
I would like to know why the predicted number of vaccines to be available by mid-October is so much higher than the actual vaccines that were shipped. Also, because of this focus by the health department, will other health-related issues suffer?
Connection:
Now I know why my doctors office isn’t carrying the vaccine :]
I learned about Obama’s declaration that swine flu is now a national emergency. I also learned that 5,000 people worldwide have died of the H1N1 virus; therefore it becomes a worldwide pandemic. It’s interesting to me to see the numbers of people that died from the swine flu because honestly I thought the numbers were higher.
I don’t know how I feel about the swine flu outbreak being declared a national emergency. I’m torn because I feel that for the majority of people that the swine flu infects it does not lead to death. Many people have had swine flu and survived. In fact some people that have just say it is like the regular flu and if I got it I would not know the difference. I understand the importance of getting out the vaccines to those who are extremely young or in poor health, but I do not see the necessity in the average person. I am not one who supports vaccines or immunizations usually just because I think sometimes they do more harm than good. I don’t always feel you need an extra boost for your body to heal itself.
I would like to know how many people are still infected and if the swine flu outbreak has already peaked? Is what Obama’s doing stopping the outbreak or cleaning up the pieces?
My connection to this piece would be all the news reports, school incidents, and school posters that deal with how not to get swine flu. I think by now we all know the importance of hand sanitizer and hand soap.
A. Honestly I found this article with very little in it. I learned a little but most was what I already knew. I learned that it is now a national emergency and that is mostly just a formality. I also learned that there have been over a 1000 deaths in the US.
B. I think that the swine flu is a little bit of a joke. It is the flu, just a different strange strain of it. Yes it has the potential to kill but only for those that have damaged or weak immune systems. If you have a bacterial infection at the time or if you have something that depresses your system. I know this from personal experience because my family went through a case of it. If you are healthy then you get sick and get over it. Pretty simple. It is just going through everybody. Yes some people have died but that happens with the normal flu too. When our family got it we called the hospital and they asked us if we had any conditions that suppress our health and if we didn’t then we should just isolate ourselves and if something got worse then we should go in. People are just clogging up the system because they are freaking out because of misinformation.
C. I would like to know more about the swine flu in general. Also I would like to know why he had to declare it a national emergency. Just would like to know more whys in general.
NO CREDIT: MISSING EXTENSION/CONNECTION
A. I did not know that the swine flu virus was grown in chicken eggs. That seems really strange to me, but then again I don’t know much about medical science.
B. The reaction that has been occurring as a result of the swine flu seems like an overreaction to me. There have been 5,000 reported worldwide deaths from swine flu so far and though that is 5,000 lives that have been lost, I don’t see how that number differs from the amount of people who are killed by the regular flu every year. I don’t think it’s time to panic yet and fact that President Obama has declared the swine flu a national emergency is just going to bring more panic among people.
C. My question is what qualifies a situation as a national emergency? Can the president declare anything an emergency or does it have to meet certain standards? Also, what is the purpose of declaring this? Are there actions that can be taken after a national emergency is announced?
Extension: After re-reading the article, I found that one of my questions was answered in the article. Declaring the swine flu a national emergency allowed the Health Services to “bypass federal rules” and make it easier to get this taken care of.
A. What I already knew was that the swine flu was bad, and a lot of people were getting it. All of the classrooms have hand sanitizer and adults constantly remind everyone to use it. Yes, it causes people to die, but so does the regular flu. I have heard that the swine flu actually goes away faster than the normal flu. This is a new virus and no one knows for sure how to cure or react to it. There is a vaccine, but who knows if it will actually work.
B. What I think of this article is it has some good points, such as over 1,000 kids have died from swine since the pandemic started, but its not looking at the big picture. How many children die in the same amount of time from the regular flu? It is widely spreading, but so has the regular flu. I don’t think everyone should race to the hospital to get a vaccine because it is so new. Just like the normal flu, a person will probably be fine and get over it soon if they keep their bodies hydrated and well rested.
C. As I stated earlier, how many people die from the regular flu in the same amount of time that 1,000 people died from the swine flu?
Relations~
The bird flu. The whole world was worried about it. In china everyone wore masks and thought everyone that would come in contact with the bird flu would die. Now the world knows it is like every other flu, and should treat it with a lot of rest and hydrate the body.
A. What did you learn about this topic?
Wait, there have only been 5,000 recorded deaths worldwide? That is barely even a blip on the global level. I realize that this statistic is an underestimate, but how much can we really be underestimating? I should probably stop before I make myself sound any more like Stalin.
B. What is your opinion on this particular topic or issue?
I am not particularly worried about the swine flu. Then, again, I’m young and healthy and not at as much of a risk as others. Still, Keiji Fukuda, former head of the influenza branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and currently of the World Health Organization, has said that H1N1 is not an epidemic because of its deadliness, but rather because of “how fast it is spreading”. H1N1 is not a particularly harmful virus, but it spreads like wildfire. If someone has a pre-existing medical condition, that is when swine flu can become deadly. But for normally healthy people, it is only that: a flu.
C. What more do you want to know about the topic?
What are the “federal rules” and “bureaucratic roadblocks” the author mentions that would slow down the process of getting vaccinations to people?
D. Connection:
Last year, I read the book Flu by Gina Kolata which goes into the history of the 1918 flu epidemic. One section of the book, though, was devoted to discussing the swine flu “outbreak” in 1976. I couldn’t help but notice similarities in how our government handled this in 1976 and how they are handling it now. In both instances, the government wanted to launch a nation wide vaccination campaign. In both instances, the vaccine took longer to make than was expected, and the government had to rush the vaccines out. In 1976, the whole ordeal ended in disaster with the federal government losing what would equal millions – maybe billions – of dollars. I wonder how the vaccines will work out.
What I know?
I knew N1H1 was a big deal. I know it can jump from organism to organism with ease. I know kids in our school have caught it. I heard that the Swine Flu was a more aggressive form of the Flu, and that if can go from person to person as fast as a cough.
What did I learn?
I didn’t know N1H1 has killed over 1,000 people in the U.S. alone. I had no idea the chicken eggs were one of the greater causes of N1H1. I learned that the President is doing more for the sick than any other has done before him. To make this such a big deal, which it is, means that it’s worth knowing about, and we don’t know enough. If the President has to get involved something else might be happening too.
What do I want to know?
What is the likelihood of dying from it now that we have a cure for it? Is the Swine Flu (N1H1) worth all the effort being put into it, or is this new found effort a cover-up? Covering something bigger to come, or turning the political views of the people to an old subject?
NO CREDIT: MISSING EXTENSION/CONNECTION
A. In this article, I learned that more than 5,000 people have died from the H1N1 virus worldwide. Obama has taken immediate action and has declared the virus a national emergency. I learned that 11 million shots have been flown out to treatment centers, and 150 million flu shots are estimated to be available by December. The virus has to be grown in chicken eggs, and the yield isn’t as much as was hoped for.
B. This entire situation has been blown out of proportion. My family and I have often discussed that the usual bout of influenza has had more of a deadly influence than the swine flu has had. If the virus is spreading, and there are no vaccines available, it’s going to spread where it may, most severely affecting pregnant women (http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/28/swine.flu.pregnant/index.html). While the sanitary methods that are being put in place among schools and in public, even around the common household, are timely, I feel that this entire issue has been blown way too far out of proportion.
C. At what point can the President declare a national emergency? How many other pandemics have been declared as national emergencies? How can it be estimated that only 46 states are widely infected, if not the whole country?
NO CREDIT: MISSING EXTENSION/CONNECTION
A. Swine Flu, N1H1 has killed 1,000 people in the United States and 5,000 worldwide. Obama has declared the outbreak a national emergency. He aims to make it easier for treatment to be provided immediately. Vaccine production has been significantly under the estimated 120 million doses that were to be ready in October. Only 11 million have been shipped out. The government now estimates that 150 million doses will be ready in December. Apparently the virus grows in chicken eggs and isn’t thriving like predicted.
B. I think that it’s relatively interesting that swine flu has become a problem just because of the similarities between pigs and humans. Our skins have similar qualities as do our digestive tracks and thoracic organs (I learned this on Mythbusters). I also have no idea if this is in anyway relevant.
Whenever anyone coughs or has a fever everyone screams “Ahh swine flu”. I used to think it was annoying, and not funny but it’s really not that farfetched. We are suffering through this epidemic so we might as well take advantage of all jokes we can.
C. Information on Swine flu
What makes the swine flu an epidemic and not a pandemic?
Pandemic- far higher number of people infected, larger region
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-an-epidemic-and-a-pandemic.htm
Surprisingly the world wide the death toll for the normal flu is 250,000-500,000 compared to the swine flu’s meager 5,000.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/28/regular.flu/index.html
The vaccine will take four to six months total to become available. The virus is grown in fertilized chicken eggs. It is injected into the embryo where it multiplies. The egg is opened and the virus is harvested, purified, inactivated, and used to make a vaccine.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/10/flu_vaccines_eggfree_future.html
I have also heard about a cheerleader who received a seasonal flu shot. It triggered a one in a million neurological disorder. She can walk backward and run but once she walks forward her muscles begin to twitch. Doctors say that this story shouldn’t dissuade people from getting the vaccine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mScGC7nFDxM
What I learned: I didn’t know exactly which day Obama had called for the H1N1 disease as a state of emergency. It’s scary to think that it is even being considered that in the first place! I can’t believe the disease has gotten this out of hand either but I’m glad to hear that more vaccinations are coming in for hopefully everybody. I also learned that the vaccination is made from raw chicken eggs. That seems kind of gross but if it works then hey, why not get the darn vaccination over with. Better safe than sorry my mom always says.
What I thought: Since Swine Flu is being declared a state of emergency, it makes me wonder if any other pandemics or epidemics have been deemed that in history before. I mean what about AIDS in the 1980’s? I’m sure that was a big thing because not only of all the celebrities that have the disease but also because of how “popular” it had become in that decade. The swine flu vaccination, in my opinion, is phony. My brother, sister, and mother all went down to the arena Saturday to get their vaccinations and have all been seriously ill this past week from the vaccination. My dad has since contracted this illness from them and they are all recovering pretty well from it. I was fortunate enough to not get sick (knock on wood). Maybe that is just my family but I don’t like how this shot is supposedly “working”.
What I would like to know: How many more people are estimated to die from Swine Flu as of now?
Connection/Extension: On the voter ballot for mock election one of the questions asked if healthcare should solely focus on just Swine Flu issues and what not. The question was something along that line and I voted “Nay” because there are other important diseases that need just as much attention as Swine Flu if not more.
a. What I learned from this article is that Obama deemed the swine flu dangerous enough to declare it a national emergency. While I did know that the health department was behind on vaccinations, I did not know they were behind by over 100 million doses.
b. What I know is that everyone is going crazy over the swine flu. It is a nightly feature on the news and everyone is talking about it. I’m sure Purell is throwing parties every week because of record-breaking sales. What I also know is that so far, it is less deadly than the common seasonal flu. The World Health Organization said that there have been 5,000 deaths from swine flu worldwide, yet up to 500,000 people die worldwide every year from a mild seasonal flu. I’m surprised that the government is not only making a big deal out of it but spending so much money on it, considering the panics over bird flu and SARS over the last couple years that also turned out to be over hyped.
C. What I would like to know is what it requires to make something a national emergency, or for something to qualify as an official “pandemic.”
Extension/Connection: I looked up some statistics comparing swine flu to the common seasonal flu. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the common flu kills about 20,000 in the US every year and up to 500,000 people annually worldwide. The swine flu, since it was identified in April of 2009 (7 months ago) has killed 5,000 worldwide. I’m all for being safe and preventing disease, but it seems like the $1.5 billion spent by the government on vaccinations so far could be spent on something more important… like the normal flu?
A. What I learned: I thought it would be good to get some information on the swine flu because it’s such a personal issue (and it was super short). I learned that over 1000 people have died from it in the U.S. I also learned that the government hopes to have about 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine out by mid-November and 150 million in December. I learned that the flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs and that is the reason that it’s taking a long time for them to mass produce the swine flu vaccine.
B. What I think: I’m not altogether certain that the number of vaccines projected to arrive in the coming months is going to be a reality. Because the estimates were way off for the month of October. 120 million (the estimate for mid-October) and 11 million (how many have been shipped thus far) are not close numbers. I liked reading this article because it’s so close to home. We’re not often presented with issues that potentially could affect us right now. It seems strange that that kind of a topic is a political issue but healthcare and health finance is in fact included in the realm of politics. 5000 people doesn’t really seem like a lot in comparison to the number of people there are in the world but I guess that’s enough for it to be considered a global epidemic. I hope that swine doesn’t continue to be an issue in the future and that the vaccines will get it under control and prevent future deaths.
C. What I want to know: What are the bureaucratic roadblocks? At what rate is the swine flu spreading and how long is this “pandemic” projected to continue?
D. Connection: This topic hits close to home for me because my Grandma has several auto-immune diseases and so has almost no immune system. If she were to get swine flu, which is definitely a possibility, she could die. I also know a few other people that are currently in the hospital in ICU units with swine flu. I hope that the vaccines will arrive in time to curb the issue before it spirals out of control.
A)What I Know:
Swine flu has had the media in a frenzy for the last couple of months. I remember when I first heard stories about it They were making it out to be the next apocalypse.
B) What I Think:
I don’t understand what all the uproar is about. Is there a significant difference between the common flu and swine flu? Various sources have had different numbers however most websites I have checked have said that around 20,000 people are killed by the common flu each year. One thousand is a lot of people, but it is rather insignificant compared to the common flu’s twenty thousand. Swine flu has been spreading now for a couple months and granted that it will have taken more lives by the end of the year, it still won’t be as high as the common flu. Would one not be better off getting their seasonal flu shot as opposed to the H1N1 vaccine?
C) Question:
My question, if it is not apparent through what I have said above is what is all the fuss about swine flu? I honestly want to know, it’s not as though I hold some strong opinion that it is over-blown, I just have not seen any evidence to prove otherwise.
D) Connection:
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/f/flu/deaths.htm This is one of the websites that estimated around 20,000 deaths annually and has many other interesting stats as well.