I certainly hope this doesn't get worse. I'm travelling to China in the summer, so any pandemics and restrictions will be a right bummer.

On a slightly ranty note:

<soapbox>

IMO you're personifying nature too much :/A virus is just doing what it does best, replicating, mutating and surviving. Nothing's "out to get the human race" because we've been too successful and so needs to be humbled. The high population density and global travel just helps transmission. If anything, the virus "wants" to kill as few infected as possible as to spread itself more.

Nor should earthquakes, floods and famine be included in this "mother nature" figure ¬_¬. Stuff happens, sometimes humans cause it, sometimes it's out of our control.

</soapbox>

To be honest, I think people will more likely see an early demise from stomach ulcers caused by stressing about random viruses, terrorist attacks or vengeance by the hand of mother nature.

Deaths have no doubt occurred in Mexico due to other factors aside from the virus alone, it appears that it can be contracted and fought off like many other flu viruses in other areas and/or with the additional use of anti-virals.

The UK and France appear to be well stocked up on anti-virals. We all die eventually, after taking whatever precautions you wish to take then there's no need worrying about it further. I mean it's not like we're going to miss our death day.

Forget fear, have a laugh instead.

My watchword: nature doesn’t care.

It's now hit the UK, apparently.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8020208.stm

Aye, but like I said earlier (not that anyone is listening), it seems to be acting differently outside of Mexico.

22 Million people in Mexico City, worlds most polluted city, worlds second most populated area, little wind to carry off pollutants in Mexico city, currently also in their dry season (NOV to JUN). Whilst there are very good hospitals there, and many Doctor's trained in the US, an abundance of cheap medicine (much manufactured there) there is no national health service of not and in general nutrition amongst a large part of the populus is very poor. Infant mortality rate is 5 times higher than the European Average and life expectancy is one of the lowest outside Africa.

All these things stand against people recovering from this flu. I think also what people don't realise is that approx, 1050 people die of 'Flu' in the UK a month, over 12500 a year, and not just the elderly or infirm. Not all those that die, die of flu that could be classified as 'common' or 'human strain'. Yet it doesn't make the news. In March this year 1099 people died of Flu in the UK. Imagine if the BBC reported '250 dead this week from Killer flu' ?

You took the words right out of my mouth.

I'm getting fed up with all this swine flu nonsense, as soon as it looks like the US or UK might see a few deaths all hell breaks loose (as in the media & politicians constantly on about it), but if we put it all into context - ''Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds'' but because it's not affecting us (US/UK/Europe) there's hardly any mention of it in the media - but 2 confirmed 'mild' cases of swine flu and they start a panic - i'm sorry but this sort of thing just infuriates me -- Ok rant over.

We had something similar today in our inboxes. Looks like my trip to the States next week could be off, then again the geekiness from having all the *NIX/HPC admins in the same place could cause some form of geek black hole and destroy the earth.

I just hope Brown comes on an emergency broadcast and tells us " We are all [LIFTED] panic"

Well, the WHO reckons it's already mutating because it's realised (in it's totally cognitive way) that if it kills its host too quickly it can't replicate so efficiently, so we're not all [LIFTED] as long as we don't go to Mexico.

Slightly cynical thought....planned and sensationalised to take our minds off the goverment {LIFTED} up of our economy?

Yea because we're the only country in serious economic trouble.

Well, the "threat" of the piggy flu isn't exactly UK based either is it?

I would guess (in a fairly educated manner) that the reason the death count is high, besides the info Frank Parker posted is that Mexico City is at a surprisingly high elevevation (distance above sea level). High altitiude will affect humidity and the respiratory system in a rather chronic manner once compromised by influenza and Pneumonia, which I feel is the cause of most of the fatalities (so its coming on after the viral flu effects the immune system) and a high distance above sea level freatly increases ones chances of Pneumonia being fatal.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15581198

http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstrac ... 0043210364

Interestingly that studies comes from here :

Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Tlalpan 4502, C.P. 14080, Mexico DF, Mexico.

Altitude, over population, pollution are the three main factors I think. I can't speculate about the health in general of individuals in Mexico, although the previous three things are enough on their own.

The only problem being that there isn't a decent vaccine for this strain, the exisiting vaccines would only prevent a secondary infection from one of the "old" strains.

Arnie has just declared a state of emergency in California