Andy wrote:
> wow
>
> <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124606298371663817.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>

Yes, it's figured that I had it early this month. I'm of an old enough
age that I've had earlier exposures so it was not particularly bad for
me, really, because I probably had some resistance. I had one nasty
lung day but the others in those 10 days or so were easier. The aches
were typical flu aches. The fevers I had weren't bad. The headache some
get with it didn't hit me, and like most people who get it the GI
component was barely existent, just really minor stomach discomfort but
nothing more in my case. So, for me it was mostly easy except for being
achy and hence a bit grumpy.

I read some human stats last week or the week before. The most
typical age to get it for a human is 12. The most typical age for
hospitalization is 20. The most typical age for death is 37. The age
group most likely to die of it IF they catch it (many have immunity)
is over 65. The death rate is actually pretty low in much of the world,
but it does spread easily among humans who lack previous exposure.
People in the U.S. who were born before 1957 are more likely to have
had previous exposures. The World Health Organization is worried that
it may recombine with a high morbidity but low contagion Avian Flu
in some locations and then the result could be anything from mild to
incredibly dangerous depending on which of the genetic characteristics
are in a successful recombination. (Diseases which don't kill are
actually the most successful since they need live hosts, but spreading
rapidly is useful to a micro-organism. The most successful spread
easily and are mild, like head colds, but sometimes one will spread
easily enough that it replaces hosts rapidly and then death of hosts is
less limiting to the disease in the short term unless people also limit
socializing so that it is not encountered -- a good reason to keep a
pantry at home beyond saving money in food sales, and a good reason for
telecommuting and internet conferences beyond not wasting energy and
money.)

Only one of our ferrets broke with it and she actually had a pretty
easy time of it though definitely ouchy for about 4 days and coughing
for part of one of those. None of the others caught it, and they did
have exposures. Steve also didn't break with it. It did not seem to
be wildly contagious in our household -- there is an understatement.
Steve is of an age where he's likely to have had earlier exposure so
resistance. The ferrets have not had earlier exposures but just didn't
seem to catch it with that one mild exception, which is consistent with
what the article you found said in the penultimate line below and
consistent with the low ferret infection rate in the Iowa State
University report with another swine flu.

>In their study of ferrets, which have respiratory systems similar to
>humans, CDC scientists found the new H1N1 virus could produce slightly
>more severe illness than a seasonal H1N1 virus, Dr. Cox said at the
>ACIP meeting. But the new virus didn't spread as easily from one
>ferret to another through respiratory droplets, suggesting it isn't
>as transmissible as the seasonal H1N1 strain, she said.

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL8814

and

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL8818

and

http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/04/ferreting-out-t.html
>No studies have ever tested swine flu viruses on ferrets...
>Iowa State University reported ... that an outbreak of
>influenza in a ferret colony on an Iowa farm infected 8%
>of about 1000...

As with most influenza types that ferrets can get it is the humans who
pose a health risk to the ferrets for the most part since the disease
usually travels in that direction rather than from ferrets to humans
which is possible but a lot less likely (just look at the differences
in sneeze sizes for one thing). So, use the same precautions as with
any influenza, especially loads and loads of hand washing.
---

Re:
The weird toes post:

That sounds like you are describing the type of keratoses ferrets can
get. I've never heard of a successful treatment for those.

Get a check-up since they often accompany underlying serious diseases
that are strongly undermining health.

Yes, the ones they get can look rather like extra digits or extra but
malformed forming.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html

[Posted in FML 6379]