There's a new illness going around

[thewayne]

And they don't really know what it is. Doesn't test positive for flu or covid, symptoms similar to both and can turn into pneumonia. Seems to have a low mortality rate at the moment, which is not uncommon with pneumonia. It's shutting down schools and school districts in ten states from losing teachers, students, and bus drivers. Currently it's in Texas and east/north of there, but that means it has probably established itself well in the west, but the numbers haven't blown up yet.

I have no idea if it's spreading in Europe yet. If it's not yet identified, it's not easy to track. But with international air travel, with numbers like these, it's probably already around the world and possibly the next pandemic.

Time to start masking up again, which I'm starting today. Of course the big problem is that the Center for Disease Control is no longer trustworthy, and we're withdrawing from the World Health Organization - at least that process takes a year.

This write-up has a good summary of some of the symptoms and what it's doing in schools. She's a good follower of outbreaks and has a medical background.

https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1867959.html

Comments

[armiphlage]

We track unplanned absences daily at our factory as one of our key process indicators. We normally have 2-3 absences each day. We've been 15-20 every day this year.

Only one data point, of course.

[graydon]

And if there's anything SARS-CoV-2 ought to have taught us, prompt lethality in the acute phase is surely enough something to worry about, but it is not the only thing to worry about.

[kaishin108]

Good idea to start masking up!

Our new regime will not handle another pandemic now.

And bird flu is spreading...

[acelightning73]

Could it be RSV (Respiratory Syncytal Virus). They make a big deal that people with infants and young children should be vaccinated against it, and so should the kids. And Senior Citizens like me can become seriously ill from the virus, so I got vaccinated against it. I also got the pneumonia vaccine. Apparently it isn't the human manifestation of chicken flu. (I worry that one of the feral cats who live in my yard will eat a random tweety bird and get the bird flu, which is especially lethal to felines - several zoos have lost lions and tigers and other big cats to the bird flu. And egg producers have had to euthanize entire flocks to prevent the spread of the disease, leading to ridiculously high egg prices.

[disneydream06]

Dear MAGA,
Just ignore this information, like you always do. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugs, Jon

[gingeriana]

Oh well, looks like i am on my second day with this thing
A bit exhausting, but definitely easier than covid

[pondhopper]

Yes, we have that or similar here. There are lots of no-name untestable viruses now. My daughter Vicki has been sick several times the last few months ths. Her immune system is weak.
:/

[silveradept]

I'm more inclined to the "we are suffering the consequences of multiple infections of an immune-destroying virus" than the "novel strain of pathogen," but as is noted, the answer could be "why not both?"

I certainly haven't stopped using my masks in any interim, but that whole "food" thing means I might still have a decent exposure issue, should something come through a workplace. Keeping my fingers crossed that by luck continues to hold as much as possible.