New Study Finds Flu Virus "Paralyzes" Immune System 84
mmmscience writes with this excerpt from Examiner.com: "A study coming out of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has found that the influenza virus manages to dysregulate the immune system, allowing other infections to thrive in the body. This discovery, coming at an opportune time as the world battles the new H1N1 flu outbreak, may be the first step in understanding why the flu can cause such high mortality rates in normally healthy individuals."
So the question becomes (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Mortality rates and the flu (Score:5, Interesting)
Was it really the flu? (Score:2, Interesting)
I've never had a doctor specifically tell me I had the flu but being the average Joe that I am I'll believe just about anything someone tells me. As long as they do it with authority! So it always seemed strange to me that my "flus" have had ranges of the sniffles to constant vomiting and other such disgusting bodily functions. Maybe it's because the flu caused something else lurking about to gain a foothold and attack with the vigor of a cracked out wookie.
Re:Mortality rates and the flu (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually the problem with the 1918 flu virus was that it had unusually high mortality rates for people with strong immune systems.
The reasoning was that a lot of people died not from the infection itself, but from an *excessive immune response* (cytokine storm).
The whole swine flu paranoia is getting out of hand, especially since so far the actual severity of the swine flu is nowhere near what people are making it out to be. I now have to eat offsite at work because all of the food that I like to eat has been pulled from the cafeteria (all self-serve foods have been pulled except prepackaged items, I almost always eat a build-your-own sandwich and a cookie).
Funny thing is, as a Type I diabetic, who is at unusually high risk for problems if I catch influenza, I'm far more worried about the health effects of this damn menu change than the possibility I might catch H1N1.
Re:So the question becomes (Score:3, Interesting)
I would guess that it's more coincidence than symbiosis. Most of the things that an influenza virus would find helpful would also be helpful to, say, Streptococcus pneumoniae. Since most infectious organisms are vulnerable to similar immune system defenses, shutting them down just sort of accidentally helps out everyone.
But you could make the argument that these organisms evolved similarities to take advantage of just such strategies. Chicken or egg and all that.
Re:Swine Flu BS (Score:0, Interesting)
You are correct of course, hence the "flamebait" rating on your comment. The TamiFlu stocks have an expiration date of 3 years and the date was coming up quickly for their current stocks (note: Obama is a stock holder). The gov't want to justify forced vaccinations and have been trying for many years now. Vaccination is one of the tools for their eugenics goals.
Re:Was it really the flu? (Score:1, Interesting)
Or he meant what he wrote.
"Incite:
motivate: give an incentive for action"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3A+incite&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq= [google.com]
As in: "This motivates me, especially with my powers of wild speculation!"
Vitamin D seems rather important for fighting flu (Score:4, Interesting)