Originally Posted by Libertine (Post 16439596)

What's a long time? Hmm, let's see... perhaps the several days that an infected individual carries and spreads mucus carrying the virus to numerous other individuals and objects? You know, the thing we use vaccinations against?

Also, great job on not understanding that it's not an on/off switch, not understanding that lifetime depends on circumstances, and not understanding that the carrier liquid is not infinite.

One last attempt at making you understand that bit: we're not talking about a surface being "infected" for a specific amount of time. Rather, there is some liquid (mucus, most likely) containing viral particles on a surface. The moment that liquid leaves the body, environmental circumstances for the virus start changing up to the eventual point where no viral particles are left alive.

The longer it takes, the more that die off and the lower chances of infection being spread get. Moreover, every touch of the surface will actually remove some carrier liquid, thus transferring it to the person who touched it (and potentially infecting that person if he transfers it to his mucus membranes). This, however, leaves less to infect others. Because the mucus in question does not mysteriously multiply.

That's why you want to avoid having infected people working around the hospital: they go everywhere and leave a constant trail of fresh airborne droplets and smudged out mucus containing viral particles. If another one picks it up, the cycle starts over again, ensuring another few days of the virus being spread. Etc.

On the other hand, if all workers are vaccinated, the spread is somewhat contained. The waiting room is not a good place to be, but since workers wash their hands between patients (or should wash them, anyway) and probably won't get infected themselves, the virus has far less chance to be spread. Surfaces carrying infected mucus become safe again within a few hours, hands carrying infected mucus become safe again even quicker - basically, the virus dies off pretty quickly if it doesn't get the chance to infect workers going around the hospital.

Rather than functioning as a source of further infection for several days, workers at most function as passive superficial carriers for a very limited amount of time. If you cannot see how that is vastly preferable to having infected people everywhere... ugh.



Yeah, because the flu definitely doesn't kill many thousands of people a year, and it's never happened before that a strain of H1N1 killed tens of millions of people... OH WAIT.

Fucking idiot :disgust

Originally Posted by stickyfingerz (Post 16439631)

Ill make sure to bump this next year when it turns out that AGAIN it was all bs, and not much more, and WAY less of a problem than any other flu strain. Who can name 5 things that were supposed to be a population killer that turned out to be bullshit? :1orglaugh

Originally Posted by stickyfingerz (Post 16439631)

Ill make sure to bump this next year when it turns out that AGAIN it was all bs, and not much more, and WAY less of a problem than any other flu strain. Who can name 5 things that were supposed to be a population killer that turned out to be bullshit? :1orglaugh

Originally Posted by marketsmart (Post 16439786)

i can get the vaccine this week if i want, but i am torn.. i spoke to a dr friend of mine and he said the highest risk right now seems to be pregnant and very obese women as well as the immune surpressed.. they seem to get the sickest in his hospital... however, they have not had one death and although some of his patients have had to be heavily sedated and on a respirator for 10-14 days, they have all come out ok..

that seems to be worst case scenario outside of death of course which i am really not in the age group for that and i have a pretty strong immune system.

my concern with the vaccine is that this particular strain hasnt been tested for a long period of time.. although i think the majority of people will have no ill effects, i have to determine if the risk outweighs the benefit..

i will say this though, the medical community is worried about how this is multiplying and also about how thins virus will mutate..

maybe i will just flip a coin and let fate decide...

Originally Posted by stickyfingerz (Post 16438931)

Maybe they should force every patient to have the vaccine when they come through the door then? After all when they enter the hospital they could be infecting other patients. In order to have the right to be treated at a hospital it should be a mandatory vaccine injection. What do you think comrade?