Could the Swine Flu scotch the NBA playoffs?

by EngineerScotty on Apr 29, 2009 3:18 PM PDT

I'd say the answer is definitely, "yes, it could"--and I'm not sure there is anything that us fans could do about it.

On Monday, when it was announced that Brandon Roy was suffering from "flu-like symptoms", the swine-flu jokes started cracking--whatever Roy had, it wasn't swine flu--but today, the World Health Organization elevated the pandemic alert level to Level 5 (out of 6). Level 6 means a pandemic is in progress (it DOESN'T mean we're all gonna die, but it does mean watch out). Level 6 conditions haven't been met since the Hong Kong Flu pandemic about 40 years ago.

Ordinarily, the flu kills a half million or so people every year--most of them very old, very young, or very sick. HK flu killed about a million worldwide, including some healthy adults. Spanish flu, the most serious flu pandemic in history, killed millions; including tons of healthy adults.

So far, one death in the US has been attributed to Swine Flu--in Houston, of all places. The victim was a Mexican baby brought to the US for treatment; there hasn't been any widespread outbreak in Houston. There are 90 other confirmed cases in the US; but most have been minor--unlike the numerous deaths (of healthy adults) that have occurred in Mexico City.

But be prepared--if this thing does spread and become a major public healthy problem; one thing that might well get scrapped are large gatherings of people--such as basketball games. It would be a shame to see that happen.

Tweet Comment 51 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

B Roy may have gotten the flue from swine...

but in Game 6, he will be singeing twine.

by tominrehab on Apr 29, 2009 3:22 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Poetic

+ 1 – Elgin

Brandon Roy: strengths-remarkably efficient player who appears to effortlessly score and facilitate weakness-he’s just a figment of your imagination. - Canis Hoopus

by 22baylor on Apr 29, 2009 4:37 PM PDT up reply actions

In Mexico City--

important soccer matches are still being played—-in empty arenas. They show em on tv, but nobody is there except the teams and minimal staff. All schools are closed til at least May 5th, restaurants are only serving food to go, etc.

Hopefully this is winding down, but you can’t tell with flu epidemics; they have been known to bloom up again. If it gets crazy, we may see cancelled events, or tv-only events.

Also, surprisingly, props to Mexican officials for taking an aggressive stand in trying to stop this.

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 29, 2009 3:24 PM PDT reply actions

You all stay home

That way when I go to the game, no one will get me sick!

by Zaig on Apr 29, 2009 3:27 PM PDT reply actions

And its easier to get tickets!

Proud member of Duck nation!

by skywaker9 on Apr 29, 2009 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Kinda reminds me of a blazer game about 4-5 years ago:

Big ice storm in Portland on game day, and only about 4000 people showed up…I had cheapo seats, and they let everyone move down to the lower bowl at halftime. I was in the 2nd row for the 2nd half. To this day, still the best seats I have ever had an NBA game.

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 29, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions

That is a good story.

good memory too, I am sure.

I heart taxes.

by everett on Apr 29, 2009 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions

I have 2 friends surfing in Acapulco

And 2 friends on vacation in Cancun who are trying to get out of Mexico and Im sure they will at some point.It came under discussion yesterday are we going to have to treat them like lepers when they get home,if so for how long?

by southern oregon on Apr 29, 2009 3:29 PM PDT reply actions

All they need to do

Is go see a doctor immediately on their return. They should be able to test if they are okay…. Chances are they are…

Proud member of Duck nation!

by skywaker9 on Apr 29, 2009 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions

My Dad is a retired Pathologist and I sure he would say the same thing

But it was actually a pretty rational discussion about senseable precautions

by southern oregon on Apr 29, 2009 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions

5-7 days

"Knowledge will get you from A to B. Creativity will get you anywhere." Einstein

by Garden of ODEN on Apr 29, 2009 8:17 PM PDT up reply actions

Not really more likely than a terrorist attack

Yes, it’s hard to plan for highly unpredictable negative events (black swan). I doubt this flu will become such an event. I asked my mother about the Hong Kong Flu, and she confirmed that even back then the panic in Europe and the US was overstated. She remembered a teacher at her school being declared affected by it, when in reality she was pregnant.

Don’t call me a cynic since I do have compassion for everyone stricken by such a disease, but it does fit several much more profane needs:

Organizations like the CDC need to justify their big budgets (or still too small budgets, however you want to see it) every once in a while. “Hey look, we are useful”
The news networks are happy that there are new bad news not associated with the wars or the economy
I have gone through the same with BSE/CJD and SARS before while living in the affected areas. Problematic, but not a huge drama.

Basic precautions like washing your hands thoroughly and regularly (about five times per day) have shown to be effective even against the regular flu in experiments with the Navy. Start with something like that, maybe wear a mask when going to affected areas, but don’t panic.

by Norsktroll on Apr 29, 2009 3:33 PM PDT reply actions

Do you think this is being overstated by the media and the CDC?

The good news, it seems pretty easily controlled and prevented, but the general population in Mexico is pretty freaked out.

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 29, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm not a public health expert by any means, but several of these earlier infectious disease "epidemics" were overstated and then disappeared out of the news without a real solution found

At some time a very mean flu epidemic/pandemic will likely strike again. Like with other natural disasters, it’s more a question of when than if. The big question is, is it this one. I somehow doubt that since while it’s pretty contagious it seems treatable, but I understand why health officials need to be cautious even though they have also materialistic reasons. The news media follows trends, and this is one, so they are not a terribly good indicator of real danger.

by Norsktroll on Apr 29, 2009 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree--I am no catastrophist (I think I just made up that word)

but we have been lucky. With global mobility like never before, the wrong virus could be real bad. 30+million people died in 1918 due to the Spanish flu, and most people didn’t have cars, let alone regular air travel then.

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 29, 2009 4:47 PM PDT up reply actions

sure but they did have World War I

that got some people moving around.

by Section323 on Apr 29, 2009 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions

You didnt just make it up

Some old school Geologists still use that term in a"so stupid"tone of voice

by southern oregon on Apr 29, 2009 5:07 PM PDT up reply actions

Look how the media treats ebola break outs in Africa...

Its one or two people and its international news. I think the worst outbreak in decades came to a total of maybe 14 people and you’d think entire population centers were melting into puddles of goo in the streets the way the media drones on and on about pandemics and disease.

They’ll more than likely come out with a useless vaccine and tell everyone to take it, waste hundreds of billions of dollars on that and I’d be willing to bet that the stupid vaccine will be deadlier than the disease it is meant to cure.

“We’re from the government and we’re here to help.” Oh crap, just shoot me now.

"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."

by Seijeff on Apr 29, 2009 7:05 PM PDT up reply actions

The reason are so concerned is legit

If Ebola was to become like Influenza easily spreadable in a high death rate type of way could cause millions of deaths if unchecked luckily we will most likely be able to confront this threat CDC would come up with treatment and fight the battle before it could over whelm us but there was the plague that killed off a large percentage of the European Population it killed 30% to 60% of Europe’s population. It may have reduced the world’s population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in 1400. That is something to keeps you ears perked up about, this out break is not too scary until thousands start dying if left unchecked.

"Knowledge will get you from A to B. Creativity will get you anywhere." Einstein

by Garden of ODEN on Apr 29, 2009 8:28 PM PDT up reply actions

An interesting factoid about the black plague

Is that the social impact made the rich people poorer and the poor folks who survived got a 2 or 300% pay raise

by southern oregon on Apr 29, 2009 8:46 PM PDT up reply actions

I was in Hong Kong right before SARS broke out

a few friends back here avoided me when I came back. :) Needless to say, I was fine.

I’d be careful with flames against the CDC and others. A common pattern I’ve seen when faced with an Impeding Crisis is this:

Resources are mobilized against said crisis.
Said crisis turns out to be less nasty than feared
Folks come out of the woodwork claiming that the crisis was overblown to begin with, and the entire mobilization effort against it was just a big scam.

Many crises are indeed real, and successfully defused by an effective mobilization. Those of us on the outside often can’t tell the difference. But I remember lots of folks prior to Katrina, claiming that the corps of engineers and other authorities were wasting money on prevention—with said budgets being cut. And we know how that turned out.

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on Apr 29, 2009 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions

I have no doubt that parts of the emergency infrastructure and public health system in the US and elsewhere are in a sorry state and can need much better (allocation of) funding

by Norsktroll on Apr 29, 2009 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions

No

Its not going to effect the playoffs, there’s too much $ at stake and I just don’t see it..

Proud member of Duck nation!

by skywaker9 on Apr 29, 2009 3:36 PM PDT reply actions

YES I AGREE COMPLETELY

therefore there should be no games held in states that have confirmed cases of swine flu, meaning that game 6 and 7 will both be played here at the Rose Garden, (aka swine flu free zone arena.)

The following series (assuming that the Blazers win) vs the l*kers will also be held here in the RG as California is ripe with swine flu also.

We need to contact the CDC and get them to quarantine the Toyota Center and Staples ASAP to halt the further spread of this disease.

Lastly all passengers from Texas or California will be halted from coming into the state of Oregon, having mandatory checkpoints on I-84 and I-5 and all highways into the state. Any persons from Ca or Tx (or found in posession of Rockets or l*akers paraphernalia) must be put under quarantine for the next month for observation. Compounds will be set up in Burns away from any highly populated places until this swine flu thing dies down.

"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." - Bill Simmons 6/26/08

by SpyderRyder on Apr 29, 2009 3:37 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs

Isn't that out of Space Jam?

by Norsktroll on Apr 29, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions

I dont know

hold on I’m on hold with the CDC and they may pick up anytime………..

"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." - Bill Simmons 6/26/08

by SpyderRyder on Apr 29, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions

rec

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 29, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Thank you for thinking of the players safety

That is all I am thinking of.

Little Nicky, going off into the big bad NBA only to have a promising career cut down in his prime with so much more to give, all because game 6 was played in Swine Flu Infested Hovel, (aka Houston) and he caught The Fever.

Tragic.

"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." - Bill Simmons 6/26/08

by SpyderRyder on Apr 29, 2009 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm pretty sure the Swine Flu has turned up in Colorado, too.

by MiledAnimal on Apr 29, 2009 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions

This is a very responsible thing to suggest.

I think someone should email the league regarding this. ;)

"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."

by Seijeff on Apr 29, 2009 7:09 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't know if anyone remembers

But during the Rodney King riots, we had playoff games that were supposed to be in LA against the Fakers moved to Vegas…

Proud member of Duck nation!

by skywaker9 on Apr 29, 2009 3:47 PM PDT reply actions

I remember that...

…and we won.

Speaking of political correctness—the Deputy Health minister of Israel, one Yakov Litzman, objects to the name “swine flu”, as apparently the mere mention of piggies is offensive to Jews and Muslims. (I would have thought that those who agree with Jules Winfield on the subject of pork would be engaging in a grand game of “I told you so”, but I guess that’s just my obnoxious nature). In the spirit of cultural sensitivity, Dr. Litzman instead suggests the disease be called “Mexican flu”.

Some. Folks. Just. Don’t. Get. It.

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on Apr 29, 2009 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Oye Vey.................

- Neil

by Blazin'aTrail on Apr 29, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Because the Mexicans will be soooooo proud

"You're welcome friend
I love you."
- Tom "Dragline" inHawaii

by 92wastheyear on Apr 29, 2009 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions

A military advisor for the Israelis

Has also equated it to a bio-weapon, saying that how this is spreading is exactly in line with their predition models and is confirming their theories on the spread of biological warfare.

I know I’ll be labled as some nut with a tin-foil hat in a lead-roofed cabin somewhere deep in the forest, but did anyone else see the History Channel show on Avian Flu a year or so ago and how the CDC was actually trying to combine two strains of flu virus together? They were taking Avian and the flue that wiped out a bunch of people early in the last century and were trying to combine it so that they could model or predict some mutations, however a key thing they mentioned is that Avian Flu would never naturally be a pandemic because it isn’t naturally adaptable to human DNA. So they were genetically modifying it to combine with a flu virus that humans are susceptible to in the name of research of course.

In relation, I find it rather odd that this swine flu is a combo-virus of several different kinds including Avian Flu, Swine Flu and a couple flu strains that humans are susceptible to. Considering that the documentary claimed that avian flu wasn’t adapting to human dna on its own and generally speaking most viruses don’t readily adapt to different genomes easily, I have to conclude one of two things depending on how this “pandemic” goes:

1. It was naturally occuring because there was basically only a couple generations of the disease and it didn’t spread on its own efficiently and thus dies out within a couple of weeks,

2. It was genetically engineered if it does spread rapidly, is highly infectious and lasts more than a couple of generations thus doing what no other instance or derivative of Avian flu has yet been able to accomplish because of its genetic incompatibility with human flu strains and humans in general.

Pardon me, but why research the solution to a problem that doesn’t exist until you create it?

"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."

by Seijeff on Apr 29, 2009 7:22 PM PDT up reply actions

It's Project Blue

"Kobe you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" - Nicolas Batum

by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Apr 29, 2009 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Kind of a bad joke and I can pronounce Spanish better than I can spell it,but

Did you know that Rodney King was eventually charged with impersonating a pinata

by southern oregon on Apr 29, 2009 4:11 PM PDT up reply actions

ohhhhhh.....

It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla

by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 29, 2009 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Meant to diss the legal system,not Rodney

by southern oregon on Apr 29, 2009 5:00 PM PDT up reply actions

You, sir, are a bounder and a cad.

Good-bye!

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

by EngineerScotty on Apr 29, 2009 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Hope nobody took that as racist

As it was told to me by a Black Guy who was playing in a band with one of my part Mexican kids but way OT,didnt mean to derail the discussion

by southern oregon on Apr 29, 2009 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions

No I just took you as an idiot

"Kobe you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" - Nicolas Batum

by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Apr 29, 2009 9:57 PM PDT up reply actions

The night the riots started was during game 3 of our playoff game against Fakers

I remember they were rerouting traffic out of Inglewood after the game. We only needed to play game 4 in Las Vegas.

"Kobe you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" - Nicolas Batum

by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Apr 29, 2009 9:57 PM PDT up reply actions

OK, maybe I'm a bad person

But I have to admit: one of my first reactions to the swine flu frenzy was to look into the price of imprinting NBA logos on face masks. I think it’d be hysterical to have an arena full of Laker fans with face masks covering their surgically altered noses.

Yeah, I think there’s a possibility that swine flu impacts the playoffs. But I think it’ll be a lot of hype. If swine flu has a true impact on our lives, it’ll be in the fall when it’s had a chance to mutate (slightly) and strengthen.

by Corvid on Apr 29, 2009 10:07 PM PDT reply actions

not time to panic yet

not till Obama sends the black helicopters after all of us regglar americans.

The only good things happening on Wall Street are the dogs that piss on it daily.

by vavoom on Apr 29, 2009 11:32 PM PDT reply actions

Now it invades pop culture

Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt: Masked Newlyweds

Is this weird, or is this weird?

by Norsktroll on Apr 30, 2009 2:00 AM PDT reply actions

Fans can take it

I was sick from last Sunday through Sunday with some sort of flu or food poisoning, and I flew through Houston and about half the folks on my flight from Houston to New Orleans were Mexicans or Mexican Americans. I could have had the swine flu and once I got some pills for my tummy and my butt, everything was fine. Everyone is going to be fine.

by tominhawaii on Apr 30, 2009 5:53 AM PDT reply actions