In Orange county CA and LA there is currently an outbreak of the flu. Are you having large numbers of people comming down with the flu in your area. This is an informal survey. If you are please post what area of the country. thanks y2k aware mike.

-- y2k aware mike (y2k aware mike @ conservation . com), December 15, 1999

Answers

Nothing out of the ordinary in Lower Peninsula Michigan

-- Andy Brown (Andypbrown@hotmail.xom), December 15, 1999.

Big outbreak in Central Fl. Its hell too. I ran a fever of 102 to 104 for 4 days. I have not been this sick since I had the Hong Kong flu in 1968. This I my first day out of bed. Taz

-- Taz (Tassi123@aol.com), December 15, 1999.

Is it winter?

-- (...@.......), December 15, 1999.

Just thought I'd throw in a quick note. My wife is a lab technician for a hospital in mid Oklahoma. They are currently at capacity due to flu problems. Particularly with elderly and young.

-- Dan (jango@netzero.net), December 15, 1999.

Flu levels are normal for this time of year here, but we have 92 reported cases of whooping cough in Franklin Co., (Central Ohio) and the health department has declared it an epidemic because we normally only get about 42 cases. If I can find the link to the exact Dispatch article, I'll post it if you care. The general Dispatch url: www.dispatch.com ... For what it's worth: there was a MASSIVE flu shot effort that started in early September and continued thorough the elections. Voters could even get flu shots for $10 at the polls! I personally know of at least 50 people who got shots, and the Dispatch reported that close to 20k were vaccinated.

-- (ladybuckeye_59@yahoo.com), December 15, 1999.

NE Wisconsin just entering flu season. Seeing both type A and B in my ER, not there's much I can do for them....

-- kozak (kozak@formerusaf.guv), December 15, 1999.

I don't know about others, but I currently have some kind of illness that has raised my temperature to about 102, even though I got a flu shot this season.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 15, 1999.

Oops, I forgot to mention where I am: NE Texas.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 15, 1999.

Why don't you just call the CDC in Atlanta?

-- Spidey (free@last.Amen), December 15, 1999.

Nothing out of the ordinary here in IOWA. Sorry. Must remember that it is flu season, eh?

-- jerry (---@yahoo.com), December 15, 1999.

Riverside County...Corona, yep, I came down with something yesterday and it is kicking my a$$...

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@AOL.COM), December 15, 1999.

Definitely here in the Portland, OR area (just ask leska and ashton) our family and my husband's work all down- hearing lots of stories of others. High fevers- long recovery- sinus and lung inflammation.

We were about to go through round 3 seemed to have headed off with collodial silver (although I'm not a big believer just desparate)

-- EC (jhnck1776@aol.com), December 15, 1999.

Arizona -- above average cases of both strep throat and pneumonia. Plenty of folks getting the flu that have had the flu shot. Just go ask for Levaquin, seems to be the new wonder antiobiotic for your strep and pneumonia. Instead of waiting 72 h for Penicillin to kick in, has been reported by patients that this kicks in in less than 12 h. There's also a new nasal spray for the flu called Relenza, not sure that reports back from the patients are as positive as w/the Levaquin.

-- claurann (claurann@aol.com), December 15, 1999.

We are seeing bouts of the flu in Northern Indiana but the symptoms are varied. We've had 3 cases in our immediate family and we've had half of our employees out sick a day or two over the past couple of months.

Some people experience really bad headaches, really bad neck stiffness and pain and spinal pain and burning. Myself and an employee broke out in patches of red rash. Some people vomit, some do not. I was put on muscle relaxers and an anti-inflammatory for the spinal problems.

-- Riven (RivenMaster@aol.com), December 15, 1999.

There is a lot of nasty flu going around here in Edmonton Alberta Canada. So far I don't have it but hospitals are full of cases that turn into pneumonia.

-- Edmonton (Edmonton@alberta.canada), December 15, 1999.

Mother, husband, brother, sister-in-law & me all have flu/sinus infection/bad cold. 3 work colleagues at home sick with same thing. It's been hard to shake too. (DC & suburban MD).

-- sniffly (feeling yucky@phlegm.com), December 15, 1999.

Ditto on the outbreak (flu) in oklahoma! Family and friends came down with it and I went to doctors yesterday feeling great, last night, after sitting in the waiting room with many sick people, I have a fever and very sore throat!

-- Oakie (imfeeling@mighty.puny), December 15, 1999.

Central NJ seen five cases of flu this week in my town. Each person also was able to say who "gave it to them". I personally used it as an excuse to not go to work today...had major Christmas shopping to catch up on. (was still in y2k mode..hard to make transition) Now I'll probably get the flu, as a God Smack.

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), December 15, 1999.

Ladybuckeye,

I'm from the Columbus area too. From what I remember, the Whooping Cough cases were mainly from elementary and junior high school aged children...

I've a co-worker who took her grandchild to the hospital, she thinks he may also have it.

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), December 15, 1999.

Nothing out of the ordinary in Lower Peninsula Michigan

-- Andy Brown (Andypbrown@hotmail.xom), December 15, 1999.

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Can't say the same thing for Western Michigan.

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), December 15, 1999.

Now you aren't going to suggest we look back to the last week or so's chemtrail posts and corellate todays flu outbreak are you?

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), December 15, 1999.

Silicon Valley, CA -- in second day of flu.

*Bummer*

Time to rest again... soon.

Diane

(Thank goodness for the Kleenex prep supplies!)

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 15, 1999.

Hi EC! Yeah this one's pretty miserable. Keeps coming back, keep waking up with sore throats. High fever comes 'n goes. Get chills easily. Glad we're already in hibernation mode. Would go into great detail but will spare y'all ;^)

Lotsa folks around here got it. Goes into lungs around 5th day, makes breathing a chore.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 15, 1999.

OM MY GAWD Y2K IS MAKING EVERYONE SICK!!!!! cmon...it's flu season =)

-- zelda (zelda@sea.hag), December 15, 1999.

Mike:

I've got it bad and everyone around me is either getting it or getting over it. Haven't seen a dose this bad since I don't know when.

I've been "down" for about 4 days now--still recovering...

PRINCE GEORGE, BC, CANADA

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), December 16, 1999.

Flu went through here last month (far northern CA).

-- marsh (armstrng@sisqtel.net), December 16, 1999.

Yes.....started end of last week (Dec 10-11) for most of those who "got it."

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 16, 1999.

12/18/99 -- 7:50 PM

Virulent Flu Strain Taxing Southern California Hospitals

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A nasty strain of the flu is flooding Southern California hospitals with haggard patients, straining emergency rooms and forcing some medical centers to send the sick elsewhere.

Hospitals from Los Angeles and San Diego inland reported scores of patients suffering from the flu, pneumonia and respiratory ailments Saturday.

The crush of flu-suffering patients forced dozens of hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties to close their emergency rooms temporarily Friday and route patients elsewhere.

``It's a big one,'' said Joan Keller, a nursing supervisor with San Bernardino County's Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, where the critical care units were full Saturday. ``It's been heavy everywhere, from what I'm hearing.''

Nurses at Arrowhead and many other hospitals are working extra shifts to cover for colleagues who caught the bug and to care for the additional patients seeking treatment.

``I don't think anybody really knows what's causing it. Maybe it's a new strain,'' said Silvia Mieure, nursing supervisor at Northridge Hospital Medical Center northwest of Los Angeles.

``Typically people are sicker around the holidays because it gets colder, but the flu-type symptoms seem to be higher than last year.''

Admissions for flu and cold symptoms have bumped the daily patient count at the hospital by 30 to 40 since the first of December, she said.

One culprit may be a summer virus that has lingered because of a warm fall, said Dr. Steven Larson, an infectious disease specialist at Riverside Medical Clinic. Allergies fed by Santa Ana winds also have contributed.

-- spray (spray@for.y2k), December 18, 1999.

Bay Area has it bad. Many good friends, acqaintences and co-workers have been "bitten by the bug". Our best friend and neighbor had to go to the emergency room today because of it. They were there for 4 hours. Many many cases here, the doc's/hosps are swamped. They do not have a finger on exactly what 'type' it is. The girls had it last week. So far Chris and I have been spared.

-- (karlacalif@aol.com), December 19, 1999.