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The issue with the H1N1 virus is that it has been for the most part out of action for the majority of the population and therefore have a generation of people w

The issue with the H1N1 virus is that it has been for the most part out of action for the majority of the population and therefore have a generation of people with no resistance to the virus at all. The typical versions of the influenza that has been going around (usually the antigens are in the the flu shots) have similar proteins that we have some level of defense to, but when we encounter (in this case) a new virus that we have no defense, our bodies just go way overboard on the defense response and if not properly treated - basically die of asphyxiation.

ars 17y ago
EVERY single person who gets the flu (any and every flu) at some point in his life gets one they have no resistance/immunity to! There is nothing magical about this one, it's not more infectious, it's doesn't kill more people (at least in the US). It's just a regular flu. Except that normally only a small number of people get sick, and this time a large number of people will get sick. But the individual sicknesses are going to be regular flu. It could mutate to a version that kills (your overboard on defense theory), but right now it's not, and every flu can mutate to a version that kills. The best case scenario is it goes global now, before it has a chance to mutate. Or that it waits till an immunization is available. And since in my opinion it's not going to mutate to a killer version before we manage to make a vaccine (4-6 months) this is going to turn out to be a big nothing!
- flipbrad 17y ago
  "EVERY single person who gets the flu (any and every flu) at some point in his life gets one they have no resistance/immunity to!" But thatericguy's point still stands, if he was talking about there being no herd immunity and the crucial difference that makes in the disease's potential to spread
  - ars 17y ago
    It has potential to spread, yes - but once spread it is no different than any other flu. Unlike the GP post of "you get it you are dead". It doesn't matter that no one has been exposed to it before - people will get sick, sure. But that happens all the time that someone gets sick from a flu that for them is new. It is only the spreading potential that is a problem, as a disease it is the same as regular flu once you get it.
gojomo 17y ago
the H1N1 virus... [has been] out of action for the majority of the population and therefore have a generation of people with no resistance to the virus at all Actually, an H1N1 virus was included in the 2008/2009 FDA-approved seasonal flu vaccination formula: http://www.fda.gov/cber/flu/flu2008.htm http://www.fda.gov/cber/flu/flu2008.htm As of March, the 2008-2009 flu season was considered especially mild, perhaps because "this year's flu shot closely matched the strains of flu virus prevalent in the general population". See: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-flu14-2009mar14,0,5845156.story http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-flu14-2009mar14,0,58... So it's not like an H1N1 virus is all-new; it's just this mexico-originated '09 flu that's new. (And that's why "H1N1" alone is a poor name for the new '09 flu virus, as bad in a different way than "swine flu".)

ars 17y ago

EVERY single person who gets the flu (any and every flu) at some point in his life gets one they have no resistance/immunity to! There is nothing magical about this one, it's not more infectious, it's doesn't kill more people (at least in the US). It's just a regular flu. Except that normally only a small number of people get sick, and this time a large number of people will get sick. But the individual sicknesses are going to be regular flu. It could mutate to a version that kills (your overboard on defense theory), but right now it's not, and every flu can mutate to a version that kills. The best case scenario is it goes global now, before it has a chance to mutate. Or that it waits till an immunization is available. And since in my opinion it's not going to mutate to a killer version before we manage to make a vaccine (4-6 months) this is going to turn out to be a big nothing!

flipbrad 17y ago
"EVERY single person who gets the flu (any and every flu) at some point in his life gets one they have no resistance/immunity to!" But thatericguy's point still stands, if he was talking about there being no herd immunity and the crucial difference that makes in the disease's potential to spread
- ars 17y ago
  It has potential to spread, yes - but once spread it is no different than any other flu. Unlike the GP post of "you get it you are dead". It doesn't matter that no one has been exposed to it before - people will get sick, sure. But that happens all the time that someone gets sick from a flu that for them is new. It is only the spreading potential that is a problem, as a disease it is the same as regular flu once you get it.

gojomo 17y ago

the H1N1 virus... [has been] out of action for the majority of the population and therefore have a generation of people with no resistance to the virus at all Actually, an H1N1 virus was included in the 2008/2009 FDA-approved seasonal flu vaccination formula: http://www.fda.gov/cber/flu/flu2008.htm http://www.fda.gov/cber/flu/flu2008.htm As of March, the 2008-2009 flu season was considered especially mild, perhaps because "this year's flu shot closely matched the strains of flu virus prevalent in the general population". See: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-flu14-2009mar14,0,5845156.story http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-flu14-2009mar14,0,58... So it's not like an H1N1 virus is all-new; it's just this mexico-originated '09 flu that's new. (And that's why "H1N1" alone is a poor name for the new '09 flu virus, as bad in a different way than "swine flu".)