Iowa investigating two “probable” swine flu cases

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver says the state has two probable causes of swine flu.

Speaking Wednesday at a Statehouse news conference, Culver told reporters that officials would know Thursday if the cases are swine flu.

Officials say one case was from a California resident who visited Scott and Clinton counties last week. The other was a woman who returned from Mexico and traveled through Johnson, Des Moines and Muscatine counties.

State Medical Director Patricia Quinlisk says both of the people infected were now recovering.

Should know by tomorrow if they are confirmed or not.

Comments

#1 Kate
April 30, 2009

There’s something I don’t quite understand about flu pandemics – and please read my reasoning before commenting, but – why are they considered so bad?

Bog standard flu (which, granted, isn’t the most pleasant thing in the world) isn’t normally all THAT bad, because we have some ‘cross-immunity’ with strains of flu we have previously encountered.

However, we all have to have flu for the first time at some point. So whatever strain of flu we have for the first time will be novel to our immune system at that time and we will have no pre-existing protection against it. Isn’t this exactly the same situation as when we contract swine flu (for example)? Is there any reason why contracting a new strain of flu is different from contracting an old strain of flu for the first time?

Assuming there is no difference between those scenarios, why do we get worked up about a pandemic of a new strain? Is it just because so many people have flu at once and that’s “a bad thing”? Surely I’m missing something.
#2 rhozack
April 30, 2009

Is there any reason why contracting a new strain of flu is different from contracting an old strain of flu for the first time?

Yes I think so. Certain strains will invoke a much stronger immune response and this immune response is what kills young healthy people.

Is it just because so many people have flu at once and that’s “a bad thing”? Surely I’m missing something.

I live in a town with 65,000 people and somewhere around 300 hospital beds. If 20,000 people have the flu at the same time its like not having hospitals at all. Plus all the services those 20,000 people provide will be stopped at the same time and because of the nature of the thing, a large portion of your health care workers will be in that 20,000.
#3 Paul Heikkila
April 30, 2009

Hopefully anyone contracting an old strain of flu who has never had flu has been vaccinated. Infants while breast feeding will pick up their mother’s antibodies. Either way, the old flu will not be “novel to our immune system.”

There is, however, no vaccine yet available for this new strain of flu. Neither vaccines nor mother’s antibodies offer protection.
#4 Super Science Fair Projects
May 1, 2009

The swine flu incident is a great one for students to examine, especially if they are working on their science fair projects. As the world deals with this outbreak new information about the contagion is going to be published by the media giving students ample background data to work with to develop their projects.
#5 Netkomik
May 8, 2009

Thanks for informaiton.
#6 Ashton
August 21, 2009

I agree with the first comment– what is so bad about this outbreak? Isn’t it completely treatable, and most people that come in contact with it don’t ever know they had it… why is it such a big deal? I’ve never had a flu vaccine EVER, and have survived many a flu’s. What’s the big deal?
-Ash
Cigars
#7 george
October 22, 2009

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#8 Chromatic Tuner, Mel
May 31, 2011

So years after, what is the easiest and most effective way of preventing swine flu?