Swine Flu

[dtolman]

Thing is, viruses are not swingers. They do not interbreed that easily. One, to my knowledge at least, does not pick up the characteristic of another by contact, they can only evolve their own way to "greatness".

Alas, this is not the case. Influenza is a well known swinger... from the always informative wikipedia:

Antigenic shift is the process by which at least two different strains of a virus (or different viruses), especially influenza, combine to form a new subtype having a mixture of the surface antigens of the two original strains.

So the bottom line is that if this fun strain infects someone (or something) with Avian flu, there is a small but lethal chance of a super fun flu*, with characteristics of both.

*fun may vary by location. Your idea of fun may not match the flu virus's.

[Ninjahedge]

Viruses don't breed at all. They are not considered to be life forms, sometimes described "at the edge of life."

I know.

[stache]

They used to have their own soap opera!

[ZippyTheChimp]

Yeah, but it was like a flea circus. You needed to special lens to watch the show. I think that Ronco guy used to sell them.

[Ninjahedge]

Just like one.

But no jumping...

Or activity......


Or fleas......





BTW:

[scumonkey]

From The Huffington Post:
Iowa Cat Gets Swine Flu; First Reported Case In A Feline
MICHAEL J. CRUMB | 11/ 4/09 06:02 PM |

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, veterinary and federal officials said Wednesday, and it is believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a feline.

The domestic shorthaired cat was treated last week at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames and has recovered, officials said. The virus also has been confirmed in two ferrets – one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska – but they died.
"We've known certainly it's possible this could happen," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner. "This may be the first instance where we have documentation that transmission occurred involving cats or dogs."
The veterinarian who treated the cat, Dr. Brett Sponseller, said two of the three people in the cat's Iowa home had flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill. The case was confirmed at both Iowa State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Other influenza strains have been known to cross species, but Sponseller cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from the cat including whether other pets could also get the swine flu.
"It's well documented in influenza in general, but this is the first highly suspected case of H1N1 going from humans into a cat," he said.
The indoor cat was lethargic, had a loss of appetite and appeared to have trouble breathing after it became infected, Sponseller said. Its owners declined to comment.
Officials said pet owners should take the same precautions against spreading swine flu to pets as they would with humans.
Getting children vaccinated for swine flu can also help prevent the illness from spreading to pets. There is no swine flu vaccine for pets.
Dr. Ann Garvey, Iowa's state health veterinarian, said it is not yet known how sick cats or other pets could get from swine flu.
"Because we haven't seen that many cases, it's difficult to give a blanket assessment on how sick it can make an animal," she said.
Officials also stressed that there is no evidence that swine flu can be passed from pets to people.
"But it's so early in the game we don't know how it's going to behave. But that doesn't appear to be the concern. There's no sense of them passing it on to people," said Michael San Filippo, spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association.
_____
Associated Press Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in Atlanta contributed to this report.

[The Benniest]

A while back I had the swine flu. It sucked.. a lot. I feel great now (thank God), but it took about a week and a half to fully get over it. I'm just feel very blessed that it didn't get any worse than it did..

Ugh, and wonderful.. now the pets in my city are being infected by this crap.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Exterminate all cats!

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J/K


Hmmmmm. Bacon



Note the chart.

http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournew...98_042909.html

[Ninjahedge]

I guess this is just a bad year. All those people saying they would only do something when pigs fly.......

[Daquan13]

Info has recently surfaced on this one.

That the gov't has created an outrage with the country because it is now allowing big corporations such as banks and financial institutions to obtain H1N1 vaccine shots for their top-brass administration employees instead of allowing hish-risk people like infants, small and older children and the elderly to be given the vaccine.

Earlier last month, it was the prisoners in Boston's county jails who were being allowed to obtain the shots. Now these big corporations are getting first dibs because the blatenttly backwards-ass gov't is playing games with the ones who seriously need this vaccine?!

I don't get it. Since when do innocent and dying children and elderly people have to take a back seat to the gov't, who, for decades, has solidly stood behind them when it came to their health & well being?

Now, just as what has happened with the stimulus funds, these big co's who can very much afford to pay for their own medicine, have once again stepped over their boundry line and are in bed with the gov't to get stuff that should first be given to those who need it most!

[Daquan13]

Now Wall Street wants in on the act, sparking even MORE outrage among communities and states.

This is now being called Flu Shots For Fat Cats!

Washington, DC is now beginning to put its foot down, saying that all remaing flu shot supplies are being sent to hospitals & clinics across the country, so that ailing infants, small & older children and the elderly can be administered their fair share of the shots. It's about damn time!