I KNEW my excursions into amateur epidemiology were worth it!
We sent one of our subs home yesterday, despite being desperately understaffed. She dragged herself to the doctor today: definitely flu, probably swine! Oh the excitement!
So far, for those without serious pre-existing conditions, H1N1 2009 Influenza is proving less lethal than the 'normal' influenza that is doing the rounds of Australia this year, so it's actually the better option. And so far for me, my mild cold has apparently kept me a little too warm to incubate the virus, or so I am telling myself. I actually feel very good even for having another bloody cold. Ten minutes of clogged nose a day and a voice that sounds a little like a soprano Marianne Faithfull impersonator first thing in the morning, and that's IT.
NB, the above paragraph will probably come back to bite me and I will end up dragging myself to the doctor to beg for Tamiflu tomorrow morning desperately trying to get my act together before heading off to Pericles with pushdragon ...
Still, I was able to spend the day being reassuring, reminding people what the symptoms for flu actually are (as opposed to a probable case of dermatitis for one) and letting a few people know that, actually, treatments for some viruses do exist, and this is one of them. (After the 12th question asking why we weren't all being vaccinated, it is possible I may have said 'Good god, people, you are JOURNALISTS!', but that was the extent of me being snappish.)
For those keeping track, it's been about 2 months since it reached Australia, I think less than one month since the first death here, and my friend is someone who has not travelled within the period, nor been closely exposed to anyone who has. Which means that those public health officials who have pretty much given up on the quarantine make an excellent point for it no longer serving any purpose.
So far, for those without serious pre-existing conditions, H1N1 2009 Influenza is proving less lethal than the 'normal' influenza that is doing the rounds of Australia this year, so it's actually the better option. And so far for me, my mild cold has apparently kept me a little too warm to incubate the virus, or so I am telling myself. I actually feel very good even for having another bloody cold. Ten minutes of clogged nose a day and a voice that sounds a little like a soprano Marianne Faithfull impersonator first thing in the morning, and that's IT.
NB, the above paragraph will probably come back to bite me and I will end up dragging myself to the doctor to beg for Tamiflu tomorrow morning desperately trying to get my act together before heading off to Pericles with pushdragon ...
Still, I was able to spend the day being reassuring, reminding people what the symptoms for flu actually are (as opposed to a probable case of dermatitis for one) and letting a few people know that, actually, treatments for some viruses do exist, and this is one of them. (After the 12th question asking why we weren't all being vaccinated, it is possible I may have said 'Good god, people, you are JOURNALISTS!', but that was the extent of me being snappish.)
For those keeping track, it's been about 2 months since it reached Australia, I think less than one month since the first death here, and my friend is someone who has not travelled within the period, nor been closely exposed to anyone who has. Which means that those public health officials who have pretty much given up on the quarantine make an excellent point for it no longer serving any purpose.
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