“GENEVA, Switzerland (CNN) – The World Health Organization on Wednesday raised its pandemic alert to 5, its second-highest level, warning of widespread human infection from the swine flu outbreak that originated in Mexico.” Wondering what could happen if things get a little worse, we are one step from level 6. Some countries are taking some measures as closing colleges, universities, restaurants, recomending avoid any class of public congregation (specially in closed spaces, like test rooms¡¡) I would not be surprised if CFA institute takes some measures or even cancel the test in some countries…or maybe could delay the test…This is only a personal speculation
They’ll probably just offer the exam online. 
Is anybody else starting to get worried about this stuff? I’m having a real hard time studying tonight with all the bullsh!t going on… With people starting to get sick in my city, school closings etc, questions keep popping into my head like… “how do I keep my two year old from sharing germs at day-care?” … wtf.
Regarding the test… I suspect that there may be some kind of “exam date subject to change due to global pandemic” language in the email when exam tickets are sent out (which should have been this week).
This thing will blow over by the time exam comes around…guaranteed…I think this is being blown out of proportion at the moment ON the other hand I heard if you get the flue, you automatically get a sympathy PASS
I am going to crush the exam if it’s given on June 6; if it’s postponed I’ll just crush it on a later date. The exam can run, but it can’t hide.
Chill. This is a non-issue.
Matter of fact, I dreamt about it last night LOL. I would be devastated.
Captain Windjammer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am going to crush the exam if it’s given on June > 6; if it’s postponed I’ll just crush it on a later > date. The exam can run, but it can’t hide. I enjoy your posts Windjammer. How many pushups have you done this week?
plyon Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Chill. This is a non-issue. Really?
Yes… (at least in the US - where I’m pretty sure that the odds of dying from swine flu contracted at a CFA test center will be an infintessimal fraction of the odds of dying from a car accident while traveling to the test center). I suppose if I were taking the exam in Mexico I’d be a little concerned, I guess.
Spoke to a doctor about it. At first I thought it may have an impact. However, hundreds of thousands of people die every year from normal strains of influenza. A pandemic actually sounds scarier than it actually is. All a pandemic means is that its not controllable. It has no implications with respect to its death rate. Typically, the flu attacks the very young and the very old. Most of the deaths in Mexico - which is a totally different ballgame due to the level of poverty / poor health care. In the US I believe a 23 month old infant contracted it and died. The other cases, typically flu like symptoms with full recovery in healthy individuals. The only issue is that we don’t have a vaccine and it can’t be produced on a mass scale in the time frame required.
The issue isn’t the swine flu killing you. Its what happens if it becomes rampant. My wife is an infection control specialist. IN cases of a flu like this, it is easy to contract pnuemonia (sp?) and other problems that effect your breathing. If it spreads enough, there are not enough ventilators to go around in the hospitals. You do the math. The flu is a lot less scary than the fallout if it really starts making the rounds. And its a lot bigger deal than most people are making it out to be. Blowing it off would be the wrong thing to do.
Your wife should scream at the top of her lungs that this is a global crisis. I can think of no better way to ensure job security. However, even the last flu – back when we had no ventiliators, no internet, no way for globally communicate with health officials around the globe and cooridinate our response, the death rate was only 2.5% and the infection rate was about 28% in the US. That would give me .007 chance of dying if we re-played that flu. Which is highly unlikely. I don’t see how the death rate wouldn’t be a mere fraction of what it was then, bringing my odds of death from the flu somewhere below my odds of dying in a car accident.
The arguments against the probability of the swine flu being a big deal sound eerily similar to the arguments from a couple of years ago against the subprime meltdown being a big deal.
I was looking at the timeline of the 1918 flu…that flu first struck in March…and it took until the fall-October to REALLY become a pandemic. I’m wondering if the virus might tame in the summer and then strike with a vengence this fall. For those who know anything about viruses-is the virus more likely to mutate to a more or less severe strain? Or is it a toss up?
plyon Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Your wife should scream at the top of her lungs > that this is a global crisis. I can think of no > better way to ensure job security. > > However, even the last flu – back when we had no > ventiliators, no internet, no way for globally > communicate with health officials around the globe > and cooridinate our response, the death rate was > only 2.5% and the infection rate was about 28% in > the US. That would give me .007 chance of dying > if we re-played that flu. Which is highly > unlikely. I don’t see how the death rate > wouldn’t be a mere fraction of what it was then, > bringing my odds of death from the flu somewhere > below my odds of dying in a car accident. thats pretty sh—y. she doesnt need job security and would be more apt to be fired for something like that. its called “knowing what she is talking about”.
Thought about it, and from the reports of its (relatively) low severity I’m not worried about dying, or even being hospitalized. I DO worry about being laid up at home for 4-5 days of vomiting and diarrhea followed by a week or two of tiredness and aches. If that happens any time in the next month, I’d be screwed for this year. Don’t even want the REGULAR flu!!