Young and Healthy People Getting Very Severe Form of Swine Flu Causing Great Concern

When the temperature cools down and humidity decreases such as in Alaska and Maine, the Swine Flu is rampant. Recent studies have shown that low humidity allows the flu virus to stay in the air a longer time. I believe the seriousness of the Swine Flu results from breathing in the virus verses hand contact through the nose or eyes.

What makes this really dangerous is that unlike the seasonal flu which attaches in the upper respiratory system, this flu virus has surface chemistry that allows it to attach and grow deep in the lungs.

Because the Swine Flu does not especially target AIDS patients, I suspect their suppressed immune response may help them avoid the Cytokine Storm resulting from an Over-Reaction of their Immune System.

My out of the box thinking makes me more certain that since we cannot get Tamiflu, it seems very smart to use an immune suppressor such as Prednisone. Please consult your doctor and even give a copy of my analysis to your doctor and try to get them to prescribe Prednisone for your family, especially children and young adults to age 40 or so who have strong immune systems. I don't know the appropriate dose, but your doctors should alert you what is safe and may prevent an over-response of your immune system to Swine Flu.

Get a digital thermometer, better yet, buy a half dozen so you will always have one available anywhere your family travels. Fever is probably the best indicator. First find what your normal temperature is because people vary a lot. For me 99 degrees means I am pretty sick because my average temperature is in the 97 range. Anything over a hundred for most indicates danger and pre-arrange with your doctor what you should do.

Remember I am not a medical doctor so you should have a list of questions before you see your primary care doctor and even send a copy before you see him or her.

Go to http://www.webmd.com to see if you can get more information.

jim Kawakami, August 28, 2009, http://jimboguy.blogspot.com

Young and Healthy People Getting Very Severe Form of Swine Flu Causing Great Concern

New York Times Reuters August 28, 2009 Earlier, WHO reported that H1N1 had reached epidemic levels in Japan, signalling an early start to what may be a long influenza season this year, and that it was also worsening in tropical regions.

"Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections," WHO said.

"In these patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays."

MINORITIES AT RISK

Minority groups and indigenous populations may also have a higher risk of being severely ill with H1N1.

"In some studies, the risk in these groups is four to five times higher than in the general population," WHO said.

"Although the reasons are not fully understood, possible explanations include lower standards of living and poor overall health status, including a high prevalence of conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension." ...

"When anticipating the impact of the pandemic as more people become infected, health officials need to be aware that many of these predisposing conditions have become much more widespread in recent decades, thus increasing the pool of vulnerable people."

WHO estimates that more than 230 million people globally have asthma, and more than 220 million have diabetes. Obesity may also worsen the risk of severe infection, WHO said.

The good news -- people infected with AIDS virus do not seem to be at special risk from H1N1, WHO said. ... http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/08/28/world/international-uk-flu-pandemic.html