The Return of SWINE FLU!

[Alleycat]

Apparently it's been officially declared as a pandemic.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/un_un_swine_flu

GENEVA – The World Health Organization told its member nations it was declaring a swine flu pandemic Thursday — the first global flu epidemic in 41 years — as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere.

In a statement sent to member countries, WHO said it decided to raise the pandemic warning level from phase 5 to 6 — its highest alert — after holding an emergency meeting on swine flu with its experts.

The long-awaited pandemic decision is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly circling the globe. It will trigger drugmakers to speed up production of a swine flu vaccine and prompt governments to devote more money toward efforts to contain the virus.

"At this early stage, the pandemic can be characterized globally as being moderate in severity," WHO said in the statement, urging nations not to close borders or restrict travel and trade. "(We) remain in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers."

On Wednesday, WHO said 74 countries had reported nearly 27,737 cases of swine flu, including 141 deaths.

The agency has stressed that most cases are mild and require no treatment, but the fear is that a rash of new infections could overwhelm hospitals and health authorities — especially in poorer countries.

Still, about half of the people who have died from swine flu were previously young and healthy — people who are not usually susceptible to flu.

Swine flu is also continuing to spread during the start of summer in the northern hemisphere. Normally, flu viruses disappear with warm weather, but swine flu is proving to be resilient.

The last pandemic — the Hong Kong flu of 1968 — killed about 1 million people. Ordinary flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people each year.

Many health experts say WHO's pandemic declaration could have come weeks earlier but the agency became bogged down by politics. In May, several countries urged WHO not to declare a pandemic, fearing it would cause social and economic turmoil.

"This is WHO finally catching up with the facts," said Michael Osterholm, a flu expert at the University of Minnesota who has advised the U.S. government on pandemic preparations.

Despite WHO's hopes, raising the epidemic alert to the highest level will almost certainly spark some panic about spread of swine flu.

Fear has already gripped Argentina, where thousands of people worried about swine flu flooded into hospitals this week, bringing emergency health services in the capital of Buenos Aires to the brink of collapse. Last month, a bus arriving in Argentina from Chile was stoned by people who thought a passenger on it had swine flu. Chile has the most swine flu cases in South America.

In Hong Kong on Thursday, the government ordered all kindergartens and primary schools closed for two weeks after a dozen students tested positive for swine flu — a move that some flu experts would consider an overreaction.

In the United States, where there have been more than 13,000 cases and at least 27 deaths from swine flu, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the move would not change how the U.S. tackled swine flu.

"Our actions in the past month have been as if there was a pandemic in this country," Glen Nowak, a CDC spokesman, said Thursday.

The U.S. government has already taken steps like increasing availability of flu-fighting medicines and authorizing $1 billion for the development of a new vaccine against the novel virus. In addition, new cases seem to be declining in many parts of the country, U.S. health officials say, as North America moves out of its traditional winter flu season.

Still, Osterholm said the declaration was a wake-up call for the world.

"I think a lot of people think we're done with swine flu, but you can't fall asleep at the wheel," he said. "We don't know what's going to happen in the next 6 to 12 months."

[west]

My only concern is if the virus mutates into a more deadly form. That is when we will have a very serious problem on our hands. A repeat of the 1918 spanish flu pandemic would not be good (understatement of the year)

[Wolfx]

Swine Flu is offensive to pigs, call it H1N1...but wait, there's something wrong with that too. I have no idea what they are calling it anymore.

But anyway, I thought we were finally done with this thing. Swine Flu became the number one joke for my school once we stopped hearing about it, I didn't realize it was still some sort of a threat. Still not worried though, my immune system is bitchin.

[Vendetta]

Still not worried though, my immune system is bitchin.
Pride goeth before the fall.

It'll be intersting to see what happens this Summer as this virus thrives during the Summer months.

[UNODRAGONE]

I've heard a couple of different theories/stories but this article seems to have the jist of it:



Understanding Swine Flu’s World Spread: Questions and Answers
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By John Lauerman

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- Swine flu has sickened at least 257 people in 11 countries, including Mexico, the U.S., New Zealand, Canada and the U.K., according to the World Health Organization.

The organization raised its six-tier pandemic alert to 5 and said the world’s first influenza pandemic since 1968 may soon be declared. Hundreds of more cases are suspected, as health officials around the world check to see whether infections have occurred in their countries and ready measures to prevent its spread.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about swine flu. The information is drawn from the data released by the World Health Organization in Geneva and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Q: What is swine flu?

A: Influenza is a virus that infects people, birds, pigs and other animals such as ferrets. Swine flu, or swine influenza, is a form of the virus that normally infects pigs. There are many forms of flu, and the different varieties have the ability to exchange genes with one another. The form of flu that originated in Mexico is a genetic mixture of viruses that have been seen in pigs, birds and people. It’s being called a swine flu because the overall structure of the virus is of the type that affects pigs, said Keiji Fukuda, a WHO official.

Q: How do people catch swine flu?

A: Studies are ongoing about how this particular swine flu is transmitted. Flu is generally transmitted through the respiratory tract. Droplets of infected body fluids may carry flu when people cough or sneeze. Studies indicate that masks called N95 respirators, when properly used, filter germs from the breath and hamper the spread of flu. Neither contact with pigs nor eating pork has been linked to the spread of the flu, Fukuda said.

Q: What are the symptoms of swine flu?

A: About one to four days usually elapse between the time a person is infected and the onset of symptoms. Influenza normally causes symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, headaches and body aches, fever, chills, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. Swine flu causes the same symptoms, and may be difficult to distinguish from other strains of flu and respiratory illnesses. Severe cases of flu that lead to death are normally seen in very young and very old people whose immune systems are too weak to fight off the virus. Adults with severe illness may also have difficulty breathing, dizziness, confusion, or severe vomiting and diarrhea.

Q: Is there a vaccine against the swine flu that’s now spreading?

A: Flu vaccines generally contain a dead or weakened form of a circulating virus. The vaccine prepares the body’s immune system to fend off a true infection. For the vaccine to work, it must match the circulating, “wild-type” virus relatively closely. There is no vaccine currently that exactly matches the swine flu. The seasonal flu vaccine isn’t effective against swine flu, said Richard Besser, acting head of the CDC.

Vaccine makers have contacted the World Health Organization about obtaining samples of the virus needed to make a vaccine. Making flu vaccine can take three to six months. No decision has been made to order a vaccine against swine flu, Besser said.

Q: How can I tell if my child is sick?

A: Children who are breathing abnormally fast or slowly may have respiratory illness. Bluish skin indicates a need for quick attention. Children who are abnormally sluggish and sleepy, irritable, or have fever or rash may also need attention.

Q: Have there been outbreaks of swine flu before?

A: Yes. Health officials said in 1976 that an outbreak of swine flu in people might lead to a pandemic. Widespread vaccination was carried out in the U.S. before experts determined that the virus was not dangerous enough to cause a pandemic. Swine flu occasionally infects people in the U.S. without causing large outbreaks. From 2005 through January 2009, there were 12 reported swine flu cases in the U.S. None of them caused deaths.

Q: Why are health officials concerned about the outbreak of swine flu?

A: When flu viruses mix genes with one another, they can take on new forms. New flu viruses are harder for the human immune system to defend against. With little or no opposition from the immune resistance, the virus can grow quickly and invade many tissues and organs. They may also set off a harmful immune overreaction in the body, called a “cytokine storm,” that may be lethal in itself. The swine flu virus from Mexico may have the ability to spread quickly and kill people, possibly causing a worldwide pandemic, according to the WHO. Researchers are conducting studies to determine how easily the virus spreads in people and how dangerous it is.

Q: What’s a flu pandemic?

A: A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus spreads quickly and few people have immunity. While influenza viruses were only discovered about a century ago, researchers believe flu pandemics hit about two or three times each century. Some pandemics kill a few million people globally. The most severe flu pandemic on record was the 1918 Spanish Flu. Researchers estimate it killed about 50 million people around the world.

Q: Are there any similarities between the swine flu and earlier pandemic viruses?

A: Flu viruses are classified by two proteins on their surface, called H for hemagglutinin and N for neuraminidase. The swine flu found in Mexico and the 1918 Spanish Flu viruses are of the H1N1 subtype. Both viruses appear to have originated in animals. Researchers believe the Spanish Flu spread to people from birds. The two viruses are not identical, and there are still many genetic differences between them that researchers are studying.

Q: Do all H1N1 viruses cause pandemics?

A: No. H1N1 descendants of the Spanish Flu virus continue to circulate in people and sometimes cause outbreaks of seasonal flu.

Q: Are there drugs that treat swine flu?

A: Yes. Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu and GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Relenza both react against swine flu. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released 25 percent of its stockpile of Tamiflu and Relenza, according to Secretary Janet Napolitano. Flu viruses sometimes develop resistance to antiviral drugs. The human form of H1N1 seasonal flu that’s currently circulating is resistant to Roche’s Tamiflu (not Relenza). If the two viruses were to exchange genes, the swine flu might become resistant, too. The drugs should be administered within the first 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, according to the CDC.

Tamiflu and Relenza may also help prevent swine flu in people who have been exposed to someone who was sick.

Q: How else can I protect myself from swine flu?

A: Personal hygiene measures, such as avoiding people who are coughing or sneezing and frequent hand-washing, may prevent flu infection. Those who aren’t health professionals should avoid contact with sick people. People who get sick with flu symptoms should stay home. Studies have suggested that closing schools, theaters, and canceling gatherings in the early stages of a pandemic can limit its spread. Such measures would likely take place if health officials determine that the virus is spreading quickly enough and is deadly enough to cause a pandemic.

To contact the reporter on this story: John Lauerman in Boston at jlauerman@bloomberg.net;

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWcd0Nbgc_R4&refer=home

[Kita]

The piggy flu is avoidable like other strains: Wash your damn hands.

[LV426]

The piggy flu is avoidable like other strains: Wash your damn hands.

Washing your hands does not stave off the horde of zombies.

[Vendetta]

The piggy flu is avoidable like other strains: Wash your damn hands.
I'm pretty sure washing your hands certainly won't eliminate the flu. Especially if you inhaled the virus.

Interesting thing the WHO Director General, Dr. Chan, in a press conference said something faily insightful (and I'm paraphrasing here): while hysteria and overreaction is certainly unhelpful, complacency is a bigger threat.

[greggchamberlain]

as a journalist, what saddens and/or ticks me off most is the stupid sensationalism some of the big media outfits (with some of the network t.v. outfits getting the biggest blackeye) are pursuing when doing stories on the situation.

reminds me of 1999 and the Y2K scare...half the time when i was writing stories for the local paper in revelstoke, i was explaining what B.C. Hydro and other major outfits were doing to head off the problem and the rest of the time i was writing personal editorials or columns urging people to calm down.

didn't help when David Letterman decided one night to do his late-night schtick on Y2K when he had Gillian Anderson as a guest. the day after i had one lady call me at the office because she was scared spitless after listeing to Letterman, of all people, and taking his ill-informed, and not-very-funny opinion as gospel.

so then i had to calm her down and explain that no, she would not be left in the dark and no electricity for heat on january 1 because B.C. Hydro was upgrading all its computer setups to be Y2K impervious.

now i am seeing the same thing happen with the H1N1 situation. people getting into panic mode.

and my own tradecraft is partly to blame for this.

crap! makes me wish i worked at Tim Horton's instead, serving double-doubles and doughnuts.

:mad:

[Vendetta]

didn't help when David Letterman decided one night to do his late-night schtick on Y2K when he had Gillian Anderson as a guest. the day after i had one lady call me at the office because she was scared spitless after listeing to Letterman, of all people, and taking his ill-informed, and not-very-funny opinion as gospel.
Err, if the lady in question felt she was getting ANY "factual" information from a late-night comedy show, I would've kind of questioned her intelligence before Letterman's.

[greggchamberlain]

sorry, vendetta...forgot one bit of info with that comment.

the lady in question was a senior and while she might have been a faithful reader of the paper i worked at...unfortunately, it is a fact that the opinions and comments of big-name celebrities these days seems to count more than the findings of experts and the fact-based articles that journalists like myself write.

[Golden Howl]

Speaking of the Swine flu, isn't the vaccine suppose to come out in October? Also, I have heard from sources (Like the television & people) that they might decide to release the vaccine earlier, but there's a debate, because the vaccine hasn't been tested for safety yet, & the majority of docotors are against the very idea.

[Ulfstan]

I'm sorry, I just can't bring myself to be worried. 141 out of 27,737? This thing i no more dangerous than SARS, which the world freaked over as well. Honestly I think it's just the fact that it's FLU that freaks people out. Old wounds or something.

[Vendetta]

I'm sorry, I just can't bring myself to be worried. 141 out of 27,737? This thing i no more dangerous than SARS, which the world freaked over as well. Honestly I think it's just the fact that it's FLU that freaks people out. Old wounds or something.
Or you know, it could be that based on the speed with which an influenza virus can mutate, that there IS always a possibility of a pandemic.

Yes, the media overhypes things like this, but all you need do is check out the WHO or CDCs respective websites to see the actual science behind this virus.

[Klark]

New reports suggest that a mutated version of the swine flu is directly infecting lungs and causing severe respiratory arrest. Read it on the AP wire about an hour ago.

[LV426]

They have forecast a bleak winter in terms of the flu this year. I don't know if the government is really trying to scare people or if they know something we don't. They are projecting that hospitals can be over run by 300,000 people and that 1.2 million will suffer from H1N1 this season. Taking into account how fast the flue virus can mutate I think that pretty much any flu vaccines are going to be null and void.

I think I'm going to start working from home.

[MetaKittie]

They have forecast a bleak winter in terms of the flu this year. I don't know if the government is really trying to scare people or if they know something we don't. They are projecting that hospitals can be over run by 300,000 people and that 1.2 million will suffer from H1N1 this season. Taking into account how fast the flue virus can mutate I think that pretty much any flu vaccines are going to be null and void.

I think I'm going to start working from home.
I don't get why we've ever even relied on them. They're useless basically. even though last year I got a shot.
I didn't get the flu but I got my annual bronchitis that lasts months at a time. I don't think I've ever had a flu, really.
I feel a bit sick though right no- OINK!
Aww crap, thats the first stage. O_O

[Tempest]

I don't get why we've ever even relied on them. They're useless basically. even though last year I got a shot.
I didn't get the flu but I got my annual bronchitis that lasts months at a time. I don't think I've ever had a flu, really.
I feel a bit sick though right no- OINK!
Aww crap, thats the first stage. O_O

Yeah a flu vaccine isn't going to protect against bronchitis... They aren't useless at all, it's just that they need to make an educated guess as to which strands of the flu will hit the hardest that year. Yes, sometimes they're wrong and you end up getting the flu anyway, or you contract the flu before the vaccine takes effect (which takes 2 weeks) and you whine and say, "But I got the flu shoooot and it didn't woooork!"

Normally I don't get the flu shot because I have a history of allergies to egg whites, but I think I've grown out of it and am going to try to convince my doctor to give me the swine flu vaccine when it comes out. There's really no downside to getting the vaccine unless you have an egg white allergy. Coupled with washing your hands at frequent intervals and staying at least 5 feet from anyone who is sick, most people should be pretty safe.

[MetaKittie]

Yeah a flu vaccine isn't going to protect against bronchitis... They aren't useless at all, it's just that they need to make an educated guess as to which strands of the flu will hit the hardest that year. Yes, sometimes they're wrong and you end up getting the flu anyway, or you contract the flu before the vaccine takes effect (which takes 2 weeks) and you whine and say, "But I got the flu shoooot and it didn't woooork!"

Normally I don't get the flu shot because I have a history of allergies to egg whites, but I think I've grown out of it and am going to try to convince my doctor to give me the swine flu vaccine when it comes out. There's really no downside to getting the vaccine unless you have an egg white allergy. Coupled with washing your hands at frequent intervals and staying at least 5 feet from anyone who is sick, most people should be pretty safe.
I don't mind getting it if I become more immune, but I'm not up for missing days. The flu doesn't scare me because I'm healthy and don't have too much of a risk of complications. At least people aren't walking around at my school with masks on anymore.

[NeonLightChild]

We're long overdue for a major pandemic anyway. Bird flu didn't turn out to be the Major Thing, so I guess it's time for the Mexican flu.

Either way, I hate the way this is being sensationalized. The 1918 H1N1 pandemic was so much worse in comparison, and the illness meant almost certain death. Even though times and technology have advanced, it's still pretty difficult to cure a virus, but still, I don't think things will be that bad, much less what we saw in 1918.

[LV426]

Plague is just nature's way of cleansing out the chaff.

[Ieliv]

A little poem to lighten the mood no?
I had a little bird,
Its name was wenza.
I opened up the door,
And in-flu-Wenza.

I wonder if one will be made for the swine flu?

Anways from what I've seen and heard, the swine flu? vaccinations this year? well sometime in there will not be injections, but rather nasal squirt thingys:)

[Sinanju]

People here in China are totally panicked about h1N1. I can't take 10 steps without running into people wearing surgical masks, and I need to have my temperature taken every time I enter or leave the campus. There are electronic billboards, notices, and TV infomercials about it playing in stores.

2-3 of our group are currently in quarantine.

[CatBoxed]

People here in China are totally panicked about h1N1. I can't take 10 steps without running into people wearing surgical masks, and I need to have my temperature taken every time I enter or leave the campus. There are electronic billboards, notices, and TV infomercials about it playing in stores.

2-3 of our group are currently in quarantine.

While I'd likely call shenanigans, because I'm in Lanzhou and have have seen no such warnings, I'll give it a pass this time; but, it's a damn dirty city to begin with. Maybe all the dust in the air keeps our lungs clogged enough to keep out the viruses.

I'm still going to bring back a nice big bottle of HuangHe river water in my packed bags to offer visitors....

[MetaKittie]

People here in China are totally panicked about h1N1. I can't take 10 steps without running into people wearing surgical masks, and I need to have my temperature taken every time I enter or leave the campus. There are electronic billboards, notices, and TV infomercials about it playing in stores.

2-3 of our group are currently in quarantine.
Wow. Thats insane.
I got sent home for a fever, all I had was a cold. Then they said not to come back until I was fever free WITHOUT drugs for 24 hours.
And everyone seems to be sick.

[Sinanju]

While I'd likely call shenanigans, because I'm in Lanzhou and have have seen no such warnings, I'll give it a pass this time

Lanzhou is far inland and is not a major international hub. Take a jaunt to Beijing or Shanghai and I promise you'll see what I described.

[Tempest]

I got sent home for a fever, all I had was a cold. Then they said not to come back until I was fever free WITHOUT drugs for 24 hours.

That's what the campus here is recommending, too. They sent out an e-mail advisory that said anyone who is sick due to H1N1 will be able to make up work without penalty. Then they added on that faculty don't have to excuse absences due to people being afraid of getting H1N1 by attending class, which I thought that was pretty funny. I can picture it now, "I won't be in class for the test today because I'm afraid of getting swine flu. I'll be back when the vaccine comes out." :rolleyes:

[MetaKittie]

That's what the campus here is recommending, too. They sent out an e-mail advisory that said anyone who is sick due to H1N1 will be able to make up work without penalty. Then they added on that faculty don't have to excuse absences due to people being afraid of getting H1N1 by attending class, which I thought that was pretty funny. I can picture it now, "I won't be in class for the test today because I'm afraid of getting swine flu. I'll be back when the vaccine comes out." :rolleyes:

Its like they know something we don't. WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!
/conspiracy theory

Waaaay out of proportion. The NORMAL flu could mutate too and we're not that scared!

[Klark]

Its like they know something we don't. WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!
/conspiracy theory

Waaaay out of proportion. The NORMAL flu could mutate too and we're not that scared!

The normal seasonal flu does mutate, and we're not afraid because it's been around. This is blown out of proportion based on past experiences with new viruses. Whether you like it or not, the H1N1 swine flu bug is a new flu that has never hit humans before. The precaution of warning is being used because no one knew how it would affect people since there is little to no immunity from it at all.

Not to mention, had people listened when just a few hundred had the damn disease, we might have actually killed it because if it has no where to transmit to, then it would die within the last person to have it. Sure, that's quite a stretch toward a positive outlook, but one that was very possible.

Now what we have to look forward to is figuring out how bad this flu season will be with normal flu and H1N1 both circulating at the same time. And they are different flu's, so there is no reason why a normally healthy person couldn't come down with both influenza bugs at the same time.

Funny thing is, I remember a time when people said the AIDS thing was being blown waaaaaaay out of proportion. Certainly non-homo people wouldn't catch AIDS because they aren't homos, they said. AIDS isn't the flu, and isn't transmitted as easily as the flu, but the H1N1 flu has shown one thing: In today's world of interconnected continents and travel-happy business community, a virus can now spread around the world in a matter of months where as before it may have been strictly limited to the continent on which the disease began.

Whether or not H1N1 is a threat to human life isn't as scary as the potential next bug that could be and how fast we'll allow it to spread.

[MetaKittie]

The normal seasonal flu does mutate, and we're not afraid because it's been around. This is blown out of proportion based on past experiences with new viruses. Whether you like it or not, the H1N1 swine flu bug is a new flu that has never hit humans before. The precaution of warning is being used because no one knew how it would affect people since there is little to no immunity from it at all.

Not to mention, had people listened when just a few hundred had the damn disease, we might have actually killed it because if it has no where to transmit to, then it would die within the last person to have it. Sure, that's quite a stretch toward a positive outlook, but one that was very possible.

Now what we have to look forward to is figuring out how bad this flu season will be with normal flu and H1N1 both circulating at the same time. And they are different flu's, so there is no reason why a normally healthy person couldn't come down with both influenza bugs at the same time.

Funny thing is, I remember a time when people said the AIDS thing was being blown waaaaaaay out of proportion. Certainly non-homo people wouldn't catch AIDS because they aren't homos, they said. AIDS isn't the flu, and isn't transmitted as easily as the flu, but the H1N1 flu has shown one thing: In today's world of interconnected continents and travel-happy business community, a virus can now spread around the world in a matter of months where as before it may have been strictly limited to the continent on which the disease began.

Whether or not H1N1 is a threat to human life isn't as scary as the potential next bug that could be and how fast we'll allow it to spread.

We couldn't have killed it. With the way it travels and how bad we are at stopping it, it just wasn't going to happen. In a perfect world, maybe.

In other news all my teachers think I had swine flu. D:<
I still think if we're doomed I'm going to enjoy the rest of my life in blissful ignorance.

[Klark]

We couldn't have killed it. With the way it travels and how bad we are at stopping it, it just wasn't going to happen. In a perfect world, maybe.

In other news all my teachers think I had swine flu. D:<
I still think if we're doomed I'm going to enjoy the rest of my life in blissful ignorance.

We figure my wife and I had it because of this weird flu-like symptoms we had. I never get a fever with a cold, and U.S. docs are saying if you got the flu over the summer, it was likely swine flu.

[MetaKittie]

We figure my wife and I had it because of this weird flu-like symptoms we had. I never get a fever with a cold, and U.S. docs are saying if you got the flu over the summer, it was likely swine flu.
Cheerful. I was only sick a couple of days thankfully.
So it can't have been flu. I've never had a flu.

[Klark]

Cheerful. I was only sick a couple of days thankfully.
So it can't have been flu. I've never had a flu.

This one passed in about three days, but we had the sniffles for two freaking weeks afterward.

[Vendetta]

People here in China are totally panicked about h1N1. I can't take 10 steps without running into people wearing surgical masks, and I need to have my temperature taken every time I enter or leave the campus. There are electronic billboards, notices, and TV infomercials about it playing in stores.

2-3 of our group are currently in quarantine.
But don't a lot of folks in Asia obsess over sickness/germs quite a bit? Don't even get me started on the Korean "fan death" BS.

[Sinanju]

But don't a lot of folks in Asia obsess over sickness/germs quite a bit? Don't even get me started on the Korean "fan death" BS.

Probably. Makes sense to me. Let me tell you guys the bullshit I've been through the last few days. I think I'm going to take some pictures of the dozens of "HOLY FUCKING CHRIST, SWINE FLU" posters they have plastered around here.

One of us got quarantined for fever On friday. Within 30 minutes, our internet and phones die for 4 days straight and new "keycard padlocks" appear on the doors to every floor "for student safety". Padlocks exist on both sides of the door with a key reader on each side. New procedure is if your temperature is abnormal upon entry to campus or building, you arent even allowed in and you go right to the hospital.

[Jweller777]

I dont buy it. I think the swine flu kills less then regular people. Dont get the vaccine, you dont need it, and their is preservatives in it that are really terrible for the body. It should be illegal.