Cold and Flu

Because this is in the categories of Cold and Flu and Conditions and Diseases instead of agriculture, gardening or plant viruses, first the answer for viral infectious diseases in humans:

Influenza and other infectious human viral diseases:

In most cases, the primary economic loss would come from lost work time. This impacts both the employer and the employee who has the flu or other infection and can't work, from lost production and lost wages, respectively. There can also be economic loss due to things such as these examples:

• Lost income for parents staying home with sick children or the added costs of alternative child care when the regular child care operation cannot accept a sick child.
• Costs to create and distribute a new vaccine if the virus is a new one (as occurred in the 2009 pandemic), usually impacting government spending.
• School closings due to local outbreaks of viral infections can mean lost wages for school employees and teachers, lost parental wages or added costs from alternate child care.
• Costs of medical diagnostics, medication and care.

Viral infections in crops and plantings:

These plant infections can cause huge economic loss when they affect important economic crops like fruits, wheat, corn/maize, or tobacco plants. The plant viruses can destroy whole crops and impair the ability to produce the normal sized yields.

There is no information on this available since the new H1N1/09 has not had studies for all the situations yet. Based upon what is known about the seasonal influenza, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have drawn these conclusions about the likely low risk of transmission of Novel H1N1 in treated water recreational facilities, but no information has been released about rivers, lakes, shores, or beaches. From the CDC information updated 8/5/09 (see link to CDC web pages in the related links section below):

Can novel H1N1 flu virus be spread through water in swimming pools, spas, water parks, interactive fountains, and other treated recreational water venues?

Influenza viruses infect the human upper respiratory tract. There has never been a documented case of influenza virus infection associated with water exposure. Recreational water that has been treated at CDC recommended disinfectant levels does not likely pose a risk for transmission of influenza viruses. No research has been completed on the susceptibility of novel H1N1 influenza virus to chlorine and other disinfectants used in swimming pools, spas, water parks, interactive fountains, and other treated recreational venues. However, recent studies have demonstrated that free chlorine levels recommended by CDC (1-3 parts per million [ppm or mg/L] for pools and 2-5 ppm for spas) are adequate to disinfect avian influenza A (H5N1) virus. It is likely that other influenza viruses such as novel H1N1 virus would also be similarly disinfected by chlorine.

Can novel H1N1 influenza virus be spread at recreational water venues outside of the water?

Yes, recreational water venues are no different than any other group setting. The spread of this novel H1N1 flu is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

Each flu season is unique, but it is estimated that, on average, approximately 5% to 20% of U.S. residents get the flu, and more than 200,000 persons are hospitalized for flu-related complications each year. About 36,000 Americans die on average per year from the complications of flu.

Flu deaths cannot be accurately counted, only estimated. Most people who die from seasonal flu-related complications are not tested for flu, and many seasonal flu-related deaths occur one to two weeks after the initial infection.

Even when people are tested, most flu tests will only detect flu in the first week, and some commonly used tests are less sensitive than that and can provide false negative results even in the first week.

A person with the flu may develop a secondary bacterial co-infection (such as bacterial pneumonia), and influenza can aggravate an existing chronic illness (such as congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), leading to the reported cause of death not mentioning flu.

States are not required to report individual seasonal flu cases or deaths of people older than 18 years of age to CDC, and seasonal influenza is infrequently listed on death certificates of people who die from flu-related complications.

No. The influenza vaccine is only for preventing respiratory influenza (flu).

The norovirus ("Norwalk Flu") is one of the viruses that cause the "stomach flu", more correctly called viral gastroenteritis, since it is actually not the flu. There is no available vaccine yet, but one is in clinical trials, so it could be licensed for use in the US in a relatively short time.

Since I answered the first part of the question I may as well weigh-in on this part as well. Hopefully we all know by now that the so called Common Cold is caused by a virus. Please see the following link for a good Wikipedia Explanation of the etiology of the Common Cold:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_virus

As for how it got its name: Here is a sniper from the above website:

The name "common cold" came into use in the 16th century, due to the similarity between its symptoms and those of exposure to cold weather.[47] Norman Moore relates in his history of the Study of Medicine that James I continually suffered from nasal colds, which were then thought to be caused by polypi, sinus trouble, or autotoxaemia.[48]

In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin considered the causes and prevention of the common cold. After several years of research he concluded: "People often catch cold from one another when shut up together in small close rooms, coaches, etc. and when sitting near and conversing so as to breathe in each other's transpiration." Although viruses had not yet been discovered, Franklin hypothesized that the common cold was passed between people through the air. He recommended exercise, bathing, and moderation in food and drink consumption to avoid the common cold.[49] Franklin's theory on the transmission of the cold was confirmed some 150 years later.[50]

The following provides some interesting background information and hypotheses on the role of Viruses and Evolution:

http://birdflubook.com/resources/Blerkom14.pdf

In 1979 I wrote a paper that was not submitted for publication on the role of viruses in primate evolution whereby I critiqued the work of Raul Benveniste and George Todaro (Father of Oncogene Theory) as pertains to their assertion that most of our ancestral Hominid Evolution occurred outside of Africa,i.e., an Asian Origin Hypothesis. They were early pioneers in DNA DNA hybridization work, and their work was very important due to not just excepting the orthodox view that most of our Evolutionary history occurred in Africa. Later, the Ancestral Eve Hypothesis combined molecular Biology and Linguistics in an attempt to to solve the problem. Due to fossil deposition conditions in East Africa we find a preponderance of the early pongid and hominid fossils. Nevertheless, absence of evidence does not necessarily mean evidence of absence. That being said, the latest finds in Africa have really strengthened the African Origin Hypothesis.

Regards,

Clark T. Clements