While walking at the gym yesterday, Mrs ERJ and I ran into one of the regulars who we had not seen for a while.
The woman, approximately 70, and two of her three daughters had the "flu" that has been going around.
"Flu" is in quotes because the woman said all three of them were tested and came up negative for flu, Covid and RSV.
She said that she has NEVER been that sick. She said it lasts for three weeks. Coughing. Can't catch your breath. Phlegm. High fever.
She also claimed that 900 kids have been hospitalized in Michigan with whatever-it-is. I don't have a good way to verify the numbers but here is some old data from the Detroit News "According to state data, there were more than 1,400 hospital admissions associated with acute respiratory virus for the week ending Dec. 27, the latest week for which data is available. Among those, 929 admissions were for influenza..."
I replaced the battery in our thermometer and verified function when we got back home. The only way we could be more read would be if we had a current prescription for albuterol for our nebulizer.
I hate to be 'that guy', but I'm as black-pilled as the next....
ReplyDeleteIf we'd have hanged the people that perpetrated the last hoax, we wouldn't be here right now. Just saying.
Is it possible we're dealing with a normal, novel, natural flu-bug?? Yep, it's one of the possible answers with less-than-zero possibility. Not the highest probable answer, but it is one of the potential candidates.
This Clade was first captured in a swab in New York in July of 2025. Most originate in Asia.
DeleteBoth my husband and I had something back in December. I assume it was the flu, although our symptoms were slightly different. We both had coughing and overwhelming fatigue. No fever though, no chills. He had a sore throat for a day or so. I was hungry every hour or two, but also had stomach upset. Lasted about a week. It was not like any cold I’ve ever had.
ReplyDeleteSouthern NH
The battle between mankind and viruses is forever.
ReplyDeleteThe COVID hoax was a test to see how far propaganda could push Americans into obedience "tests" like the mask, arrows in the grocery store and accepting that Churches had to close "because of singing" but you could remove your safety mask to eat and chat at your table.
It's probably a normal virus but in decades of working the hospital system there ARE years of really nasty flu's.
Wash your hands folks before you touch your face! Somewhere near 99% of all virus transmissions comes from your hands.
If you doubt that you touch your face often, PLEASE take the Operating Room training test. Put tabasco on your finger tips, wash gently as not to blast your eyes when you DO touch them.
We do it because there is NO POINT in wearing sterile gloves for a procedure and touching our dirty mask.
Repeat that lesson until you learn how often your fingers and face touch.
Thanks for the Flu reminder Joe. Not here in NH yet but I'm going to start up a fresh 5 gallon pail of kimchee to replace my depleted stock for chicken soup-kimchee treatments.
We had a great Superflu panic in Britain some weeks back. The curve was going up, up, up. Then it started going down, down, down and the panic abated. No apologies, mind, from those who make a living by beating up these scares.
ReplyDeleteWe've been dealing with whatever 'crud' this is for weeks. Our local 'family' contracted it prior to Christmas... we missed Christmas & New Year's with the 'grandson', as we chose to avoid contact(2-3 weeks!) until we thought they were no longer infectious.
ReplyDeleteEven so, it struck us down. A week or more into it, when I had developed an ear infection and could barely draw breaths between paroxysms of coughing, I finally broke down and went to see my physician. Tested negative, at that time, for both flu and COVID, but positive for Strep. So... 6 days into a course of antibiotics, we're both better, but still hacking up our lungs, and I still can't hear out of my right ear.
A lot of people off sick in Austria as well. It is like that most years in Winter. Like somebody wrote, there are bad flu years and no so bad flu years. This does seem to be more of the first type. We even get offered now a free immunisation for flu now, which mostly works, but not always. Since the take-up rate is around 13 % that is pretty academic.
ReplyDelete*Touches nose*
ReplyDeleteMy daughter doesn't think I should hang onto all those 10-15 year-old nebules of albuterol from her childhood.
But, Momma knows!