Flu party

[salammasri]

I heard todaythat the doctors in europe advise the population to do inflenza parties
and they claim that this will provide the community with some sort of immunity and the virus doesnot gain his all virulence yet

what is your opinins

[Dr Bassam Hozien]

i think this is wrong ...

as this may give a big chance to virus to be more dangerous throught its mutations .. and resistance

[salammasri]

I think deliberately self-infecting yourself or your
family is a very bad idea, something I also expressed strongly in the aforementioned comment thread. I understand completely why this would be an attractive idea, and I have been asked about it by reporters and at least two colleagues, both of them smart and well informed. Given how this is being portrayed in the media and occasionally by public health officials the logic seems ironclad: the virus might return with a vengeance next flu season in a more severe form, it currently is a mild disease, and there is no protective vaccine for it at the moment and uncertainty as to when there might be or its availability. So why not take advantage of a naturally circulating "live virus vaccine"?



I can think of a number of reasons

While clinically the virus seems to be resulting in a "mild" flu, even a mild flu is not most people's idea of a mild illness. Even mild cases of the flu can be very uncomfortable: high fever, wracking muscles aches and pains and a hacking cough that goes on for weeks after other symptoms subside, not to mention easy fatigue and tiredness. This version also has an unusual prevalence of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea





Of course you could get a milder or even asymptomatic case, too. On the other hand, you could get seriously ill. Last I looked (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5817a1.htm?s_cid=mm5817a1_x) there were 35 people hospitalized in the US and as the disease spreads there will be more. The hospitalization rate is somewhat higher than for seasonal flu, especially the relative number of healthy young adults and children. The hospitalized cases seem to have roughly the same age distribution as the cases in general, that is, half of them are 15 years old and younger. Few parents would consider something that sent their child to the hospital a mild illness





All this is predicated on the virus continuing to act as it does now -- or as we think it is acting now. As we pointed out in this post (http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/05/swine_flu_what_does_so_far_so.php), we still are not confident we know how severe it is



It may not continue to act as it does now. Flu viruses are notoriously unpredictable. It could just disappear, it could become more severe or it could change in ways that make a subsequent infection possible, as with the changes we see from year to year in seasonal flu



Given all this, you may still choose to voluntarily and knowlingly infect yourself or your family. But unless you and all your fellow party-goers are also willing to isolate yourselves for 14 days, you also may infect others. You could be spreading the disease in your community to others who have not consented to take the risks you have


At the moment this is likely moot, as confirmed cases are being isolated. But as the disease spreads more widely, some people may decide to do this with friends or family
So let me be crystal clear. We think it would be a very foolish and irresponsible thing to do



copied from scienceblog

[life]

حفلة انفلونزا

هي ممكن تكون من وجهة نظرهم صح

بس انا شايفة انها غلط خالص

لان كده مش بيقللوا لا بيزودوها

شكرا ليكي علي المقال الجميل

[dr_amro]

I think that may be against the medical concept
the medical concept which act in doing two things :
the first is to treat existing disease
and the second is to prevent non occurable one
or in other words to decrease the risk of the disease

here in what they called it as swine flu party
they put every one at risk of being infected by influenza virus
which is in it's nature one of the viri having many genotypes
and also have acycle of being reformed or mutated every now and then

i think that's not good medical act
away from being wrong idea also


that's just an opinion


thx alot dr salam for that discussion

[DrNour/Nour]

Alsalam Alikom


I am Fully agree with all of you
Dr Bassam , Dr salam , Life , Dr amro


I against this Party of course،،،

As they look to this party as it is a simple disease , easily treated
But it is in fact dangerous even if with mild symptoms

It is not useful to hurt people with a fatal disease like that to prevent them ،،،، HOW???

I think people them selfes will not agree ,, even if they are doctors



I know a Veterinarian Dr.

one day , I asked her about avian flu vaccination for humans not birds (that is already present)

she said , that is a good vaccine

i asked her agin about her taking to this vaccine,,,

she responded negatively , as she and her collageS were afried about success of this vaccine.


I tell you this story
to say that

Doctores themselfes afried of avaccine that is under test
SO,
WHAT ABOUT THE VIRUS ITSELF ????


This experement party is deadly and fatal ,,
Insted of one or two or ten stay in hospital
all people will be sick


NOT PRACTICAL ,, especialy as Dr Amro show
which is in it's nature one of the viri having many genotypes
and also have acycle of being reformed or mutated every now and then



thanx dr salam for this nice topic


salam

[dr_amro]

you know i also think that is like live attenuated vacccines

you put the infective agent into body
so immunity is gained

so here we may see the same complications
and although we decide to have a vaccine to induce immunity
we gain an accidental infection

that's just an example



Dr nour ... nice post

[salammasri]

thank you all for being here and for your answers

i think you all are right
this idea like measles party and it stopped after awhile because its complications

thank allah for the great progress in science
as it stopped amajor problem before its beginning

thank you all for this nice discussion

[collateral damage]

whatever we can do , virus is still and always will be smarter