Like they weren't having a bad enough week already???
A strong earthquake struck central Mexico on Monday, swaying tall buildings in the capital and sending office workers into the streets.

The 6.0-magnitude quake was centered near Chilpancingo, about 130 miles southwest of Mexico City or 50 miles from the resort of Acapulco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

TheTelevisa television network quoted Mexico City officials as saying there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake rattled nerves in a city already nervous about a swine flu outbreak suspected of killing as many as 149 people nationwide.

"I'm scared," said Sarai Luna Pajas, a 22-year-old social services worker standing outside her office building moments after it hit. "We Mexicans are not used to living with so much fear, but all that is happening - the economic crisis, the illnesses and now this - it feels like the Apocalypse."

Coworker Harold Gutierrez, 21, said the country was taking comfort from its religious faith, but he too was gripped by the sensation that the world might be coming to an end.

"If it is, it is God's plan," Gutierrez said, speaking over a green mask he wore to ward off swine flu.

 USGS earthquake analyst Don Blakeman said the quake was felt strongly in Mexico City because the epicenter was relatively shallow and the ground under the capital - which is built on a former lake bed - tends to intensify shock waves.

Televisa television network quoted Mexico City officials as saying there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

 dionysius wrote: 

Geesh, if only I'd had a couple more minutes to be serious.

Wasn't it pneumonia that was Warhol's undoing?

So let me see if I can round it up for us.

It is treatable if not ignored.

It is possibly preventable with existing and special vaccines. (It has been proposed that the reason elderly and younger people are less effected is that they are more likely to have gotten the general flue vaccine.) But the jury is out on that one.

It responds well to antivirals if treated in a timely manner.

It does not come from pigs or pork although it does have swine DNA along with bird and human DNA, indicating that it has already successfully jumped more than once species.

But the jump is done. It spreads between humans quickly and with facility, even late in the season.

It is following patterns and speeds that are reminiscent of infamous flue epidemics of generations past.

It is the sort of thing we have been concerned about coming out of Asia for some years now.

Resultantly, the CDC is somewhat prepared.

The CDC has been activated.

Mexico is taking good measures but maybe to late.

WHO is still catching up with the extent of what is happening. So we don't fully know the extent of the situation or the danger.

It is the kind of thing that will drive TV news into a frenzy.

It would be foolish, in the U.S. to either fear or be unprepared for this.

Corrections, additions?  

 melissab wrote: 
Useless without a can-opener!

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 

 oldviolin wrote: 

 samiyam wrote: 

Fear the Noodlers...

 dionysius wrote: 
Great minds think alike? 

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
  Andy Warhol as flu treatment? 

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
Warhol fights disease?

 oldviolin wrote: 

 oldviolin wrote: 
Well, no vaccine, I should have said.

From HuffPost:

A single sneeze propels 100,000 droplets into the air at around 90 mph, landing on door knobs, ATM keypads, elevator buttons, escalator railings, and grocery cart handles. In a subway station at rush hour, according to British researchers, as many as 10 percent of all commuters can come in contact with the spray and residue from just one sneeze (or sternutation). That means as many as 150 commuters can be sickened by one uncovered achoo.

No wonder health officials are extremely concerned about the new strain of swine flu that has infected at least 20 Americans in five states, killed some 80 people in Mexico, and has traveled to the other side of the world in New Zealand. Understandably, US authorities - following the lead of the World Health Organization (WHO) - have declared a "public health emergency."

"This virus has, clearly, a pandemic potential," says Margaret Chan, director general of WHO. Why? The virulent new H1N1 swine flu strain spreads quickly and efficiently from human to human. It's "a completely novel virus," says the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This latest variant is a mixture of human virus, bird virus, and pig viruses from all over the world. Experts say it's particularly worrisome because people are getting sick without any encounters with pigs. Even worse, young, healthy people (ages 20-40) are dying at a striking rate, a telltale sign of the worst flu epidemics.

 hippiechick wrote: 

Fully treatable if caught early.

 mzpro5 wrote: 
The Spanish flu of 1918 started the same way and spread very rapidly, so the CDC is giving warning about it now, to prevent a large outbreak. It's currently untreatable.

According to Wikipedia:
The global mortality rate from the 1918/1919 pandemic is not known, but is estimated at 2.5 to 5% of the human population, with 20% or more of the world population suffering from the disease to some extent. Influenza may have killed as many as 25 million in its first 25 weeks. Older estimates say it killed 40–50 million people^<3> while current estimates say 50 million to 100 million people worldwide were killed.^<14> This pandemic has been described as "the greatest medical holocaust in history" and may have killed more people than the Black Death.<15>

That's pretty serious, and it's worth our attention to try to stop its spread.

 hippiechick wrote: 
Sorry hippiechick but I think it is nothing more than 24 news sensationalism.  They found something they think will scare the shit out of people and are running with it. 

No one in this country that I am aware of has been hospitalized and if it was not the "Terrifying Headline of the Week" people would have just figured they had a "bug", they'd be sick for a couple days and that would be it.

I'm all for keeping the public aware of health concerns but in this instance it is just BS, something to keep our minds off the real problems.

 rosedraws wrote: 
No, but it is serious and can turn into a pandemic.

Drs. are suggesting to use sanitizing hand cleaner when you are out and about.

 rosedraws wrote: 
Absolutely. 
 
Until something else comes along.

Swine flu?  Does it REALLY deserve melodramatic 24/7 coverage??

 hippiechick wrote: 
and when it calls, answer the phone and say,