• Sweden edition

Four Swedes critically ill with swine flu

Published: 26 Aug 09 12:06 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/21700/20090826/

Four Swedes are described by medical authorities as having a life-threatening condition following infection with the A/H1N1 swine flu.

Three are being cared for at Karolinska University Hospital in Solna and a fourth has been sent to Åhus in Denmark for treatment.

Two of the critically ill patients are from the Stockholm region, one is from Östergötland, while the fourth is from Gästrikland.

All are described as being under 30-years-old, senior physician Stefan Engkvist told the TT news agency.

Two of the patients at Karolinska are being cared for at the ECMO unit and the third has also been put on an artificial lung apparatus but is being kept in a separate intensive care unit.

"There is nothing out of the ordinary with their condition," Stefan Engkvist said but added:

"I mean. They have no lung function. That is very serious. But as soon as they receive treatment the condition is stabilized. You feel pretty good when you are on ECMO."

Engkvist explained that it is difficult to draw any conclusion from the four cases which have emerged despite the fact that the flu has not yet become widespread in Sweden.

"No. One can not develop statistics from four people," he said and added that no one knows exactly how badly Sweden will be hit.

He explained that experience from other countries has shown a lower proportion of seriously ill patients and a lower level of fatality than a normal seasonal influenza.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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13:43 August 26, 2009 by dizzy09
????????????
13:57 August 26, 2009 by GreenJam
what this news want to tell us?

four ill but where are they living?
13:59 August 26, 2009 by mplazear
This was clearly posted on accident.
14:14 August 26, 2009 by Marc the Texan
Nothing to see here... move along.
14:23 August 26, 2009 by farnoxo
Or ... "Four Swine critically ill with Swede Flu".

Local Värmland farmer, Lars Svensson, has reported to Djurverket that four of his pigs are "critically ill with Swede flu". According to Mr. Svensson the pigs suddenly went from being happy and sociable to depressed, unsociable and self-obessed. "Just overnight my pigs started ignoring each other completely, preferring to stick in a corner with their families and mope about". They (the pigs), "no longer seem to care about the well-being of the other pigs - they seem to spend hours preening themselves". An interesting side effect, according to Mr Svensson, is that the pigs have developed an unhealthy obession with alcohol. "I just have to walk into the stye with a bottle of beers and the infected pigs all of a sudden perk up and make a bee line straight for the beer - it is the only time they seem sociable!"

Djurverket was unavaivable to comment on this potential agricultural catastrophe. An official voicemail message at the agency's office stated that the entire agency was away on holiday for 6 weeks and would not be able to respond to any agricultural matters during this period.
14:25 August 26, 2009 by peropaco
Since they make loads of writing mistakes, they are probably spell checking the article before publishing it
14:30 August 26, 2009 by rafafloripa
hahhahaha, that was hilarious farnoxo :D
14:42 August 26, 2009 by peropaco
@Farnoxo. Hahahahaha. ROFLMAO :-)))))))). Acurate description.....
15:19 August 26, 2009 by grantike
swede flu heheheh ???????
15:55 August 26, 2009 by this_aint_sparta
Mr Svensson believes from his past experience that these symptoms might prolong till friday evening and after that they might have a chance to socialize with others with the same "obession with alcohol", From Friday evening they might behave normaly for 48 hours before the spell of swede flu will hit them again for atleast five days.
17:26 August 26, 2009 by bigdudeisme
I think you need to start worrying when the pigs start to demand vodka.
18:35 August 26, 2009 by Leprehcaun
I'm so tired of you people.. you're all so ethnocentric that it disgusts me. It's cultural differences that you completely misinterpret and make into what it isn't. Don't f-ing tell me it's joke and not what you truly believe is reality, I've read statements like that a couple of times too many. Drinking is something Swedes shouldn't do though.. sigh..

I'm testing a theory. Are any of you NOT Americans or Brits?
19:35 August 26, 2009 by this_aint_sparta
@ Lep.

I am none of what you have mentioned. But do you really need to take it that seriously? Just show us the finger and thats it.

P.S I really wonder why everyone is always so pi$$ed off n frustrated here.
21:54 August 26, 2009 by Leprehcaun
Too bad, I admit.. i was hoping I could "blame" them.

It's part of the TL cultur3. Hyp0crisy sometimes. You say that someone (Swedes) is (are) 4ngry h4teful and rud3 while writing rud3, 4ngry, h4teful rud3 and h4teful things. Oh and don't forget rud3 things! Well that or that Sweden would be great if someone just k1lled us.. really flattering. I'm really into being called a naz1. And anti-semit3 and stup1d and bra1nwashed and a dr0nk and an ev1l soc1alist and su1cidal and mano depress1ve and rac1st and 1mmoral and soc1ally 1ncompetent and a coward and nationalist1c (I actually thought we were famous for not being nationalist1c.. but since I started reading on TL I read opposite things.. and horr1ble things about us, things I didn't consider possible to experience anywhere in the west... but apparently ppl see that here) and self1sh and rud3 and obl1vious and hat3d by seemingly everyone around us (or so people here claim) and hat3d by everyone everywhere except for people who are bra1nwashed and don't know what we are REALLY like behind the humanitarian mask and c0rrupt and rac1st because we donate so much money to Africa which makes us look super1or to them, instead we should give the money as permanent loans to show that they don't need our money and that we give money so that we can get on a high horse and claim to car3 about others and Musl1m l0vers and Musl1m hat3rs and a§§ rap3d by other nat1ons and 1ncapable of having normal conversations and looking d0wn on other people and hat1ng everyone, natives and foreigners and so on and on and on and on and on. Oh and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.

I don't know why or where but at some point it stops being funny. I'm so s1ck of it.

And what is making my comment disallowed?!
09:02 August 27, 2009 by casinoed
@ Lep

You could always choose not to read those things. Since they upset you so much 'n all. After all, freedom of speech right?

You wouldn't want the fact that your skin is so paper thin that nobody here can speak their mind, would you?
09:25 August 27, 2009 by this_aint_sparta
@ Lep

I didnt know swede flu is contiguous, go get the vaccine,hurry up mate. and we talk during the weekend when you will be more social :-)
09:52 August 27, 2009 by casinoed
@ Lep

You forgot b0r1ng. You're all really, really b0r1ng.
10:22 August 27, 2009 by peropaco
@Lep, I heard they are handing out free vaccine shots of vodka at your local drinking joint in Fagersta. Why dont you grab a couple of buddies and jump in your raggarbil and take advantage of this great opportunity. You know the long and boring winter days are approaching and there is more to life than playing kobingo as a social past time ;-)
17:43 August 27, 2009 by Leprehcaun
@ Peropaco

Just how do you know that Fagersta is in my local area??

@ casinoed

First of all I am mostly told those things, secondly it's hard not to read them after reading them and it is hard to know what to read and not to read unless you know what you're about to read.

Thirdly I never said anything about free speech, I have never said that they don't have the right to say it. Freedom of speech doesn't mean that you can't be offended by what someone says.

Lastly.. I don't think i understood your last sentence.. :?

Just to brake the stereotypical Swede picture you got; I rarely drink.. in fact it has been 6 weeks since I was slightly drunk (because of the "jokes" I've read I am starting to hear something that goes "god save the queen".. anyway don't make a joke about "drunk by Swedish standards", to duck the Swedish alcohol culture, have you ever seen Russians drink? Now that's impressive.. well.. actually it's a bit discomforting.. especially when some drunk Swedish idiot decides it's a good idea to play tingaliin in front of 20 rich and nationalistic pro-Putin Russians.. at least it got exciting (they didn't hear a word of what they were singing though)).

I'm gonna hate myself for this..

Sigh, what is the biggest flaw of Swedes?
15:24 August 28, 2009 by Kooritze
I,m still laughing here.......@ farnoxo.....great comment!

Even more funny is the response following it. I am glad a sense of humour still exists out there..........and at least some of us can laugh at ourselves.
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