Run For Your Lives. It's The Flu.

Isn't this how Station Eleven begins?

The flu season is just beginning in the US. It will begin to increase in severity by early Feb. Most of the DL readers in the US have not been exposed to it as of yet. H3N2. Brace yourselves.

Got a flu shot, and my doc was recommending pneumonia shots for all his patients as well — pneumonia is a real danger if you get the flu.

God I love that book R2!

I don’t think this strain is anywhere near as virulent as the doomsday version in the book tho.

I’m in Australia - I’ve only heard recently that this was a bad flu season - but only very recently. And the other day one an acquaintance mentioned they’d been pretty sick with influenza A - but he’s the only person I’ve encountered who seems to have had it.

Media is beating it up quite bit I’m sure.

R5, who takes care of your pet kangaroo whenever you're sick? Do you board him/ her?

it Seems like I keep getting reinfected. The past month I get a horrible cough with body aches for a week then I feel fine 2 weeks later — all over again

R7 that sounds like malaria, not the flu. The malaria parasites go through a maturation process while hiding out in your liver - hence that is why you keep feeling ill, as each new generation of baby parasites are released into the bloodstream.

I haven’t had a morning erection in years. Is it because of the flu?

Shouldn't someone warn Meghan Markle?

the day after christmas my sister went in to the clinic feeling terrible was swabbed and has the BETA version of this season's flu. sure enough I HAVE it now. it's like a ton of bricks dropped on you, I slept 14 hours and feel like going right back to bed.

I caught it while in LA for family Christmas. The worst of it hit after I got back to NYC on the 27th. It's winding down, but the last three days were brutal, esp because I still went to work in low-key mode.

Got a flu jab back in October. But I've already had H3N2 (Hong Kong) flu when i was a younger and the Brisbane strain is closely related so I probably have a high level of immunity anyway.

I also did the full 4 jab course of Pandremix and Celvapan in 2009 for H1N1 Swine Flu.

Don't think I can really do any more to avoid getting it.

R13, did it feel like the regular flu or was it worse? I don't want to catch it.

what is this? i woke up sick but not too bad. it's so cold in nyc, most people have their scarfs around their mouths and nose...

but lots of people here cough without covering their mouths. i hate those cunts.

SLAP THEIR FACES, SLAP THEIR FACES VICIOUSLY!

My PCP said the flu shot this year is about 10% effective for this year's flu strain. I got the flu right before Thanksgiving and still have a stuffy nose, cough and low level fatigue. Hope I don't have pneumonia!

[quote] I still went to work in low-key mode.

Firing squad or electric chair? Your choice.

R5 - outta memory - we’re not supposed to keep Roos as pets. They’re wild creatures. Not meant for captivity. But thanks for asking...?

Eait, I'm confused.

H3N2 flu virus variants were prevalent between 1957 to 1969. Most people aged 49 or older have some form of immunity anyway. They are not reliant on the current composition of the 2017 vaccine. I will receive a repeat Vaccine & Pneumonia jab on Wednesday (apparently some kind of new trial?)

Hong Kong Flu (the nearest match to Brisbane A) which was around in 1968/1969 killed over one million people. These days we have drugs that can defeat most of the viruses (If you can get them soon enough) with Relenza, Tamiflu and Rapivab

I also get a stock of Tamiflu from my GP (Primary Care Physician) every September to use as required as I have heart problems and am immunocompromised.

I would doubt that I am particularly a candidate for either of the two current variations (See post R14 )

My life is a mess, but my cat and I are healthy. Thank you for asking, OP.

This town needs an enema.

they always start in fucking china! fuck those cunts!

Lol! R21 - maybe if you’re living somewhere in rural Oz and you find yourself in a situation where you raise an orphaned joey (baby roo) and are a vet - or vet assistant - or registered wildlife rescuer or career - or work at zoo or wildlife reserve - or something along those lines! - then you might find yourself with a pet kangaroo. But it’s not a typical thing. And it’s unlikely there are many tamed/domesticated Roos living in the cities or suburbs where most aussies live. But let’s focus on the flu here rather than derail the thread with the pros and conditions me of domesticating marsupials... (cute tho they may be!)

So yeah: flu! Doom & gloom! End of days!

When I get sick it will be something a lot more serious than the flu, that sounds like something those dreadful hillbillies next door would get

You can die from the flu, well YOU could anyway

Not the flu but there's also a real nasty cold virus going around - worse is over but still coughing for a third week.

Conor McGregor has the Aussie flu! And he's never even been to Australia!

Also how long does flu season last? Do they sell portable force fields yet?

until spring

i have a nasty cold too. didn't get much sleep over the holidays. hopefully it will pass. just been drinking lots of liquids. they even ran out of chicken soup at my whole foods, so many shelves were empty, guess nobody worked during the holidays.

I had post-nasal drip and was coughing last week, then Monday morning the worst hit --fever, body aches, chills, cough, etc. And I had to drive 400 miles in that condition to get home. When I got home, I didn't even unpack the car -- just went directly upstairs to bed. I have no appetite. My fever today was 101.7.

Just got sick today and here I am unable to sleep at 1 am. Too hot then too cold, constant coughing, wheezing from asthma, massive headache, weak/trembling legs. Happy New Year!

Why is your body giving you the flu when it could be mining bitcoin???

R35, hang tough! get well soon! chicken soup helps!

Chicken Soup, Saltines, Toast, Coca Cola, Cereal, Jello, Pudding, and whatever else might sound appealing to you.

No Rx Necessary!

I slept for fourteen hours one day

I tried eating some soup and couldn't even finish 1/4 of the can. I have zero appetite.

my mouth feels like tar

Think of the weight loss girls!

I do, it's disgusting

Thanks r35! I got a good night's sleep and I did indeed have some chicken soup. Not feeling nearly as dreadful as yesterday :)

^^^oops, that was meant for r37!

There are several strains of URIs going around right now that are not influenza but are very hard to kick

From early December

A wave of viral activity — not all of it influenza — is sweeping across the region, posing early winter threats to just about everyone, and particularly those with weakened immunity.

“We’re seeing some of everything: rhinovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, influenza A and B — a whole pool of respiratory viruses,” said Dr. Gary Leonardi, a virologist at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, began appearing on Long Island around the first week of November, Leonardi said, and there is evidence it already has reached epidemic proportions in New York City.

That virus commonly spreads among children during winter months and can be a menace in nursing homes.

Been sick since Christmas. Nothing helps. I am prone to pneumonia and hoping it doesn't get outta hand and develop into that vicious slutty cunt. No offense Melania.

Winter is when respiratory viruses flourish, Leonardi noted, although some — such as rhinoviruses and adenoviruses, causes of the common cold — can trigger infections year-round. They become more prevalent when temperatures dip, he said.

“Right now, we’re seeing respiratory viruses circulating with increasing intensity, and when it comes to rhinoviruses there are 30 or 40 strains,” Leonardi said. “So when people get sick, it’s not always the flu.”

Parainfluenza virus — despite its name — isn’t the flu, either.

It has four distinct viral strains and generally begins its activity in autumn. One strain tends to produce more cases in odd-numbered years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The infection causes a loud, barking cough, often referred to as croup.

iruses are infectious agents that are neither living nor dead and propagate themselves by hijacking their host’s DNA. Among those in circulation now, influenza viruses are the ones with reputations for outbreaks in schools and workplaces. They also are noteworthy causes of hospitalizations, usually for pneumonia.

During the 2015-16 flu season, the most recent for complete statistical data, an estimated 310,000 people were admitted to hospitals nationwide because of the infection, according to data from the CDC.

Leonardi’s lab both examines NUMC patient samples for viruses that cause respiratory symptoms, and uses those samples to identify seasonal viruses circulating on Long Island for the National Respiratory Enteric Viral Surveillance System, a program of the CDC.

The national surveillance system monitors the geographic circulation patterns of numerous human viral pathogens, including RSV, human parainfluenza viruses and human metapneumovirus, a relative newcomer that was first identified in 2001.

Viral agents isolated among patients at NUMC, a large institution with a diverse patient population, are illustrative of the types of viruses causing infections in the region, Leonardi said.

He added that it is important to monitor circulating viruses at both the local and national levels because it keeps health officials apprised of trends in infectious respiratory diseases.

Viruses circulate through populations in countless chains of coughing, sneezing, touching contaminated objects, and even shaking hands. Aside from inoculations against the flu, there are no vaccines or medications for many of the bugs on the move in winter.

“That’s why it’s so important to wash your hands, because you inadvertently touch your nose or mouth and many of these viruses are spread through droplets,” he said of secretions that can taint unwashed hands and surfaces.

Door knobs, keyboards, telephones, public restroom faucets and a wide range of commonly touched items can serve as vectors of infection. Simple modes of transmission, he said, can result in waves of viral spread.

Although Leonardi has seen an uptick in RSV in recent weeks, he is not calling the trend an epidemic.

“Epidemic is a scary word,” Leonardi said.

The word, however, doesn’t frighten Dr. Deborah Friedman, a specialist in pediatric intensive care and a professor of pediatrics at New York Medical College in Westchester County.

Friedman also is a spokeswoman for a consortium of hospital labs that monitor RSV statewide. She said the viral infection has reached epidemic levels elsewhere in New York, and because viruses are unpredictable, it is anyone’s guess where the infectious agent will next cause outbreaks.

“The epidemic at the current time is in New York City. Of course, these things change quickly. So we can assume that the epidemic will be spreading,” said Friedman, who is part of RSVAlert. The service relies on information from 23 laboratories throughout the state known as the Core Based Statistical Group. No Long Island hospitals are in the consortium.

“RSV is a very common infection and very contagious,” Friedman said. “It’s not unusual to catch it. In fact, almost all children have had an RSV infection by the time they are 2.” Federal scientists are working on a vaccine.

In its early stages, the infection is not easily distinguished from the common cold, but usually causes an infection deeper in the lungs than the common cold’s adeno- and rhinoviruses. Clogged nasal passages, congested cough and other upper respiratory symptoms are hallmarks of those pathogens.

RSV symptoms include a dry cough and low-grade fever, but more serious, occasionally life-threatening RSV infections have affected children born prematurely, or those whose health was compromised by other medical conditions.

“Babies who have serious heart disease or serious lung conditions are the ones who are hospitalized,” Friedman said.

Dr. Roy Steigbigel, an infectious disease specialist who holds the title of Distinguished Service Professor at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, said without molecular tests to reveal a pathogen’s biological signature, it’s not easy to say which wintertime virus is infecting a patient.

“Clinically it is not that easy to differentiate them,” Steigbigel said, because they all produce similar symptoms, at least initially. “We need the [laboratory] data, and without it, there’s no way to be certain. That’s why so many people get a diagnosis of a flu-like infection.”

RSV is not common in healthy adults in the US. If you are a baby or elderly have bad asthma or liver disease, or immunocompromised, then it is a real concern.

[quote] RSV is not common in healthy adults in the US.

They just said it was. And it reached epidemic levels in New York in early December

[quote] Friedman also is a spokeswoman for a consortium of hospital labs that monitor RSV statewide. She said the viral infection has reached epidemic levels elsewhere in New York, and because viruses are unpredictable, it is anyone’s guess where the infectious agent will next cause outbreaks.

[quote] “The epidemic at the current time is in New York City. Of course, these things change quickly. So we can assume that the epidemic will be spreading,” said Friedman, who is part of RSVAlert.

Is flu season over in Australia?

did it start?

Most of my worst symptoms are over, but I'm still wheezing and coughing, and I have no energy or appetite.