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Swine Flu

S

Steveg4iwr

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Why are organisations apparently fixated on the phrase "swine Flu" surely we should be applying similar concerns to swine flu as we would seasonal flu. Does the treatment of a patient who has diabetes who then catches swine flu differ from that of a patient with seasonal flu.
I always understood that patients with underlying medical conditions were at a higher risk of developing complications and ultimately dying from seasonal flu. If this is the case why are we harping on about swine flu. The main issue as I see it is that swine flu is a pandemic so there are likely to be more people who will become infected whereas seasonal flu does not infect as many people. From information on the WHO site the mortality rate for seasonal flu is 0.5 to 1.0% which is similar to swine flu.
Can someone clarify this apparent fixation or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

My job is health and safety management in an organisations with a high percentage of diabietics and young people with other underlying medical conditions.

Steve
 
Pandemic doesn't mean that more people will get the infection, It means that it's present in many countries simultaneously.
Swine flu, so far has proven to be a less severe illness than seasonal flu.
Underlying conditions do make patients more vulnerable to complications, so all the more incentive to keep non-diabtic level numbers.
 
You're right about the morbidity rate, at the moment.

Thr reson everyone panics is that it mutates faster in the winter, and it is already capable of killing perfectly healthy young adults.
One bad mutation, and it could be extremely dangerous.
Apply exactly the same precautions as you would for normal flu, that's all you can do really.
 
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