When I was tested, they took a swab from my nose, and came back ten minutes later to say I had some strain of influenza A (which was probably H1N1). Does that sound consistent?
Yeah, they probably did the rapid test just to see if you needed antivirals and will probably use that sample to follow up with the RT-PCR. PCR can take a while, depending on how it's optimized. Also, Pete brings up a good point. In the Northern Hemisphere influenza season hasn't really started yet, so most of the cases that test positive now will be the H1N1 pandemic flu in the rapid test. Come December, I wouldn't trust the rapid test to tell us someone had pandemic influenza.
This question is actually a lot more complicated than you would think. Mr. Bayes has a lot to say on the subject. I think someone on Science Based Medicine has written about it, too.
Virus culture? I was under the impression that viruses were non-culturable in the traditional sense. How does that work?
Influenza virus is easily cultured in a variety of cell lines: MDCK, 293T, HeLa, etc. As long as you add trypsin to the media, you'll get usable virus out of it (you can get 1-5x10^5 pfu/ml of media).
@Lisa - I knew the re-emergence of this thread would get you to say something. :]
I've given three talks in the past month on influenza, one of them was on swine flu. It was only a matter of time before I'd get to use my talk materials here. ^_^
@Lisa - I knew the re-emergence of this thread would get you to say something. :]
I've given three talks in the past month on influenza, one of them was on swine flu. It was only a matter of time before I'd get to use my talk materials here. ^_^
Might there be video of these talks? If not, there should be. All of your posts are so interesting.
Virus culture? I was under the impression that viruses were non-culturable in the traditional sense. How does that work?
Influenza virus is easily cultured in a variety of cell lines: MDCK, 293T, HeLa, etc. As long as you add trypsin to the media, you'll get usable virus out of it (you can get 1-5x10^5 pfu/ml of media).
Oh, I thought that "virus culture" would have referred to something else. I figured that was the only way to get viruses to "grow."
I wonder what animal will unleash the next deadly outbreak. I can accept anything but the elephant shits. That would be immediate justification for euthanasia.
So...one of my close friends just lost one of his sisters to h1n1 on Friday. Apparently she got it while pregnant and it destroyed her lungs. I would like to remind anyone who is in an at-risk group to please get vaccinated if you haven't already.
D'oh! My sister is being difficult about this, she's pregnant and won't get vaccinated (just because she's stubborn not because she is against vaccines).
D'oh! My sister is being difficult about this, she's pregnant and won't get vaccinated (just because she's stubborn not because she is against vaccines).
Is she just afraid of shots?
It's situations like this where I think holding someone down and forcing them should be ok.
D'oh! My sister is being difficult about this, she's pregnant and won't get vaccinated (just because she's stubborn not because she is against vaccines).
Is she just afraid of shots?
It's situations like this where I think holding someone down and forcing them should be ok.
If they choose not to save their own life or their baby's life, then that is their decision. It is a stupid choice, but it is their choice to make.
I'm not even sure how to go about getting the vaccine.
EDIT: Nevermind, just got an email saying that they're bring the vaccine to my company's campus, I don't have to go anywhere. Next Monday I'll be all H1N1 anti-bodied up.
So...one of my close friends just lost one of his sisters to h1n1 on Friday. Apparently she got it while pregnant and it destroyed her lungs. I would like to remind anyone who is in an at-risk group to please get vaccinated if you haven't already.
That's terrible. This shows why people are a little nervous about Swine Flu. I am glad I got it over with, but if you can avoid it by getting the shot, by all means, it is the much more comfortable/safe option. Talk to your sis, ScoJo.
Seems like we'll be getting like 100K doses, so unless you are on the risk-group and the government gives you the stuff for free, it's going to be way to expensive. On the bright side, the air here is humid and its nice and tropical, so I guess it's easier to cope with it.
So...one of my close friends just lost one of his sisters to h1n1 on Friday. Apparently she got it while pregnant and it destroyed her lungs. I would like to remind anyone who is in an at-risk group to please get vaccinated if you haven't already.
That's terrible. This shows why people are a little nervous about Swine Flu. I am glad I got it over with, but if you can avoid it by getting the shot, by all means, it is the much more comfortable/safe option. Talk to your sis, ScoJo.
Yeah, Evan is pretty broken up, but they've had really supportive friends. If you're in good health, it's much less likely to have those kinds of complications...I don't know the details, but I know she had 3 kids already, so I'm sure she knew the drill with being high-risk and getting vaccines. Plus, getting the vaccine doesn't 100% guarantee you won't get the full-blown virus; it just helps your chances. I hate this because she was such a sweetheart, and now her kids don't have their mom anymore.
EDIT: The regular flu can also be deadly to pregnant women and other high-risk groups, so that vaccine shouldn't be ignored either!
I'm a little squeamish around needles. In that perspective, how bad is the needle that gives the vaccine?
It's intramuscular (long needle to the bicep of your choice), but a good nurse or doc is so proficient that you shouldn't feel it at all. Plus, t's either that, or you lower herd immunity and risk getting a really bad flu yourself.
Think about it this way: when you get a vaccine, you're not just vaccinating yourself, you're helping to vaccinate humanity.
Comments
*ducks and covers*
It's situations like this where I think holding someone down and forcing them should be ok.
EDIT: Nevermind, just got an email saying that they're bring the vaccine to my company's campus, I don't have to go anywhere. Next Monday I'll be all H1N1 anti-bodied up.
EDIT: The regular flu can also be deadly to pregnant women and other high-risk groups, so that vaccine shouldn't be ignored either!
Think about it this way: when you get a vaccine, you're not just vaccinating yourself, you're helping to vaccinate humanity.