Ben Hannant has Swine Flu

[Kaz]

Rugby League's State of Origin has been thrown into turmoil, with revelations that one of Queensland's star players has contracted swine flu.

A source close to the Maroons camp has told Sky News that Bulldogs prop Ben Hannant came down with the symptoms last week just after the first Origin game.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/article.aspx?id=339766

Hope he is ruled out for Fridays game.

 

[Foordy]

NSW will be praying that he has passed it on to the rest of the QLD squad so they actually have a chance to win the series. [icon_razz1

 

[Kaz]

Well you are only quarantined for a week & next Origin is 2 weeks away.

 

[Twiztid]

Doesn't mean someone else hasn't had it passed onto them from him and are still within the incubation period.

 

[Kimlo]

How serious is swine flu? (I don't bother reading it in the media much) it's not life threatening is it????

 

[Kimlo]

You seem to have an opinion on everything yet you don't listen to the media much? Odd.

Anyway swine can potentially turn severe but at this stage it's not much worse than your average flu.

The only media I read is sports, If i buy a newspaper I look at the back pages and then chuck it and I rarely visit news websites unless I hear about something that interests me : icon_thumbs_u

 

[Twiztid]

Probably a good thing really because the media has been whipping the swine flu thing as it is like the plague.

Ok, so a few poor people in Mexico died. What was their condition before contracting swine flu? Was it just the first nail and hit like a machine gun or just the final bullet after a long list of health problems?

One of the guys I work with went to Mexico 3 weeks before the whole Swine flu thing blew up and he said it is just 3rd world basically. Terrible conditions.

 

[schmix]

The reason there was such a frenzy to begin with was because those who died in Mexico were otherwise completely healthy. Not old, or young, or frail.

It seems that whatever strain has made its way to Australia is far less severe though. Like Rocky said, just your average flu.

 

[The Brizz]

We don't lose much of anything if he isn't fit for game 2, Shilington or Costigan will do a good job in his absence.

 

[Twiztid]

The reason there was such a frenzy to begin with was because those who died in Mexico were otherwise completely healthy. Not old, or young, or frail.

It seems that whatever strain has made its way to Australia is far less severe though. Like Rocky said, just your average flu.

They original said over 100's died from it, so I find it hard to believe that they were all healthy to begin with.

Doing a few Google searches it seems the common trend with not Mexicans(couldn't be bothered searching too hard) but the Americans that have died so far have all had asthma. So obviously already weakened lungs and excess coughing = failure, even though asthma isn't really "declared" unhealthy, it is something that seriously can impact when the body comes to fighting the flu.

I myself get terrible chest coughs when I get the flu and it gets to the point when I can't breath and I can't stop coughing and my body pretty much wants to throw up, my eyes go blood shot because of the coughing and lack of air and the straining of everything that goes with it and it is scary, to think that my body might just give up. This is going back a year ago now, since I have had it last, but still it was just the flu, some meds, rest and 6 days later good as gold.

 

[Fozz]

Hope he is ruled out for Fridays game.

Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore last night confirmed Hannant had tested positive to swine flu but said he expected him to play against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25 ... 88,00.html

 

[QUEENSLANDER]

Cool, he can spread it round

 

[Jeba]

Tonight's game could be called off.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,25603111-5018866,00.html

Twelve Origin players quarantined and Dragons-Titans clash is in doubt
By Steve Ricketts and Josh Massoud
June 08, 2009
A total of 12 State of Origin players have been quarantined from their club teammates, plunging tonight's clash between St George Illawarra and Gold Coast Titans into doubt.

 

[Coxy]

It's all a storm in a tea cup. The death rate from this swine flu is much lower than the death rate from the normal type a flu. And apparently over 65s are exhibiting natural resistance because it's similar to an older now extinct strain apparently.

That they were considering postponing the game last night is laughable. But then the nrl aren't known for bowing to media hysteria are they?.......

 

[dukey]

About 1500 Australians die every year from seasonal flu. So far only 100 people worldwide have been killed by swine flu. But it sells papers, so we'll keep hearing about it, just like sharks, bikies, glassings...

 

[broncosil]

Sick of hearing about Swine flu. The common cold kills more each year. Even the whole quarantine thing is getting out of hand, especially when more people get the normal flu each year.

This will turn out like Bird flu, and SARS.

 

[Flutterby]

The thing with Swine Flu is that whilst at the moment in Australia it is less 'dangerous' than the regular 'flu it is much more highly contagious, so if it does happen to mutate into something more severe (possible) then there is going to be a very serious problem. Though I think quarentining the origin players (and what about the coaches?) at this stage is a bit late - if they had it they would have spread it around by now.

At the moment I think all the measures being taken is over-kill but on the other hand better this than they don't take anywhere near enough precautions and it is more dangerous than people thought and a lot of people get really really really sick or die because they haven't been careful enough.

I heard on the radio today that they are considering cancelling all the NRL matches this weekend. Very unlikely to happen but more hysteria.

 

[Kimlo]

About 1500 Australians die every year from seasonal flu. So far only 100 people worldwide have been killed by swine flu. But it sells papers, so we'll keep hearing about it, just like sharks, bikies, glassings...

I would start a rant about the media if I could be bothered but tis' nothing new for them to completley blow something out of proportion and ultimately influence the public by fear, selective coverage and amazingly biased coverage to support an agenda.