Stay Away From Me!

Pandemic (from Greek πᾶν pan “all” and δῆμος demos “people”) is an epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic.

Further, flu pandemics generally exclude recurrences of seasonal flu.

One of the most devastating pandemics was the Black Death, which killed an estimated 75 - 200 million people in the 14th century.

Some recent pandemics include: HIV, Spanish flu, 2009 flu pandemic and H1N1.

Pandemics are invisible. People can walk around looking healthy with an occasional cough or sneeze.

To stop a pandemic is to isolate those who are infected from the rest of the population. Force the sick into detention camps and quarantine.

The propaganda will warn the public of the horrible effects of the pandemic. The results are fear and panic.

 Who is that person? Are they sick? They look unhealthy. They don’t look like me.

Keep them away.

The people who are put into a restricted area without the freedom to talk to another or walk down the block or leave the room may understand the situation, but after awhile.

Even dying people want family around.

When barriers don’t restrain those inside physical force will be used to maintain a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed.

If the people are not like me, if they come from someplace else, if they don’t speak my language, if they look different from me should they also be quarantined?

Did it work for the Jews in Germany? Did it work for Indigenous People in the Wild West? Did it work for the Blacks in America?

What better way to invade another country?

Find a diverse community, bring in some new people (suicide bombers without a dynamite vest) who blend into everyday life, give those new people a highly toxic communal virus and let them wander into office buildings, schools, restaurants, sports events, festivals, army bases or anywhere people gather and spread the life threatening disease through a cough or a sneeze. How long would it take for the medical experts to diagnosis the symptoms and create a cure?

Once the fear starts, people will want to isolate themselves from others to stay healthy. Socialization could still be done online but when the cupboards go bare, who will bravely venture out to the grocery? What if the schools are locked down or the DMV is locked down or the grocery store is locked down to keep from getting contaminated? What if your job is locked down? Is it worth the risk to go fill up your car?

  Influenza, commonly known as “the flu”, is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus. Symptoms can be mild to severe. The most common symptoms include: high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle and joint pain, headache, coughing, and feeling tired. These symptoms typically begin two days after exposure to the virus and most last less than a week. The cough, however, may last for more than two weeks. In children, there may be diarrhea and vomiting, but these are not common in adults. Diarrhea and vomiting occur more commonly in gastroenteritis, which is an unrelated disease and sometimes inaccurately referred to as “stomach flu” or the “24-hour flu”. Complications of influenza may include viral pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumonia, sinus infections, and worsening of previous health problems such as asthma or heart failure.

  Three of the four types of influenza viruses affect humans: Type A, Type B, and Type C. Type D has not been known to infect humans, but is believed to have the potential to do so. Usually, the virus is spread through the air from coughs or sneezes. This is believed to occur mostly over relatively short distances. It can also be spread by touching surfaces contaminated by the virus and then touching the eyes, nose, or mouth. A person may be infectious to others both before and during the time they are showing symptoms. The infection may be confirmed by testing the throat, sputum, or nose for the virus. A number of rapid tests are available; however, people may still have the infection even if the results are negative. A type of polymerase chain reaction that detects the virus’s RNA is more accurate.

  Frequent hand washing reduces the risk of viral spread. Wearing a surgical mask is also useful. Yearly vaccinations against influenza are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for those at high risk, and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for those six months of age and older. The vaccine is usually effective against three or four types of influenza. It is usually well tolerated. A vaccine made for one year may not be useful in the following year, since the virus evolves rapidly. Antiviral drugs such as the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir, among others, have been used to treat influenza. The benefits of antiviral drugs in those who are otherwise healthy do not appear to be greater than their risks. No benefit has been found in those with other health problems.

  Influenza spreads around the world in yearly outbreaks, resulting in about three to five million cases of severe illness and about 290,000 to 650,000 deaths. About 20% of unvaccinated children and 10% of unvaccinated adults are infected each year. In the northern and southern parts of the world, outbreaks occur mainly in the winter, while around the equator, outbreaks may occur at any time of the year. Death occurs mostly in high-risk groups—the young, the old, and those with other health problems. Larger outbreaks known as pandemics are less frequent. In the 20th century, three influenza pandemics occurred: Spanish influenza in 1918 (17–100 million deaths), Asian influenza in 1957 (two million deaths), and Hong Kong influenza in 1968 (one million deaths). The World Health Organization declared an outbreak of a new type of influenza A/H1N1 to be a pandemic in June 2009. Influenza may also affect other animals, including pigs, horses, and birds.

Flu can directly lead to death when the virus triggers severe inflammation in the lungs. When this happens, it can cause rapid respiratory failure because your lungs can't transport enough oxygen into the rest of your body.

The bacteria from that infection can get into your bloodstream and cause sepsis, as well

Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency.

Sepsis happens when an infection you already have —in your skin, lungs, urinary tract, or somewhere else—triggers a chain reaction throughout your body.

Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.

While the impact of flu varies, it places a substantial burden on the health of people in the United States each year. CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.

Many illnesses spread through contact transmission. Examples are chicken pox, common cold, conjunctivitis (Pink Eye), Hepatitis A and B, herpes simplex (cold sores), influenza, measles, mononucleosis, Fifth disease, pertussis, adeno/rhino viruses, Neisseria meningitidis and mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Don’t forget to wash your hands. You might catch something.