Hi forum, as a biology noob I wonder if anyone can explain, With of about 10,000 confirmed cases of swine flu worldwide and about 100 deaths it has about a 1% mortality rate. As I understand it much of the concern is that it could mutate into an easier spreading or even more potent strain. So, if I had no access to antiviral drugs or immunisation would taking my chances and catching the current form of the virus, allowing my body to recognise it, form antibodies and (hopefully Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!) overcome it, confer on me any resistance to a more potent strain, assuming the new strain is not too different from the current ones? When confronted by a new strain of the virus would my existing antibodies then say "Ah, we've seen something like this before and we know just where to hit it!" (antibodies speaking English and all)?
Most of those who died had other medical problems and were in bad health to begin with or were very oil or very young. The biggest problem is again the MEDIA always telling you crap without anything to show more details about those who died. All the MEDIA says is that they died but no other details about their age, health or any other fact that could reduce fears in people.
I'm pretty sure it wouldn't make any difference, there are thousands of strains of regular flu and the antibodies only apply to the strains you catch, which is why we can repeatedly get sick with flu. I think swine flu would be the same.
Yes, that is a primary concern. Hmmm, that’s an interesting question! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I’m no immunologist, but I would assume that you would receive at least some transient immunity to the strain even if it acquired an increased virulence. Is that true? Do you have a reference for that statement? There have been a number of animal pandemic flu strains that have rapidly caused 10,000s to 100,000s of deaths during the 20th century. The biggest, of course, was the H1N1 avian flu of 1919 (aka the Spanish Flu) which killed tens of millions. (Note that this is the same HN type as the current swine flu.) These instances of animal flu strains that have caused pandemics were unlike standard human flu viruses which are only a serious danger to the very old and very young. These swine/avian pandemic flu viruses are most lethal to middle aged healthy people. This is because they use they immune response against the person. The healthier the immune system of the infected person, the more lethal they are. I don’t think that’s entirely correct. Whilst the yearly (human) flu vax is a changing cocktail of antigens that represent the most prevalent strains for that season, the immunity it stimulates does extend to strains that are not represented, indicating that there is some cross-reactivity of the immune response to similar strains. The level of transient immunity to the related strains is not as great as those represented in the vaccine. No, we don’t. Influenza is a serious infection, much worse than a cold. The average person would only suffer from several (at the most) genuine flu infections in their lifetime. All those other viral respiratory infections that we repeatedly suffer throughout our life are variations on the common cold.
That could be true, but I would have thought it depended on the makeup of the virus, and if anything a stronger strain immunity would protect against a weaker one, but not the other way around. Several is not a repeat? :shrug:
No I do not but then again the MEDIA doesn't provide us with that information as well, do you also question them ? Or do you just accept what they tell you as facts as well? I only bring up my viewpoint because we do not know much about the people who died of the flu and I wanted that to be understood. When the MEDIA begins to tell us the ENTIRE story about the deaths will we then know the truth won't we. So why don't they tell us EVERYTHING instead of only a PART of whatever it is they are spreading around.:shrug:
It is also possible for the strain to get weaker. It is to the advantage of the virus not to incapacitate or kill its host.
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