How is the flu effecting business? I am a home baker, so I don't have that many orders anyway, but all my cakes for this weekend have been cancelled. I am trying to figure out if it is because I work in a doctors office during the day. Strictly back office, no "contact" with patients, and its a urologist. We don't handle anyone with flu like symptoms.
Is anyone else having cake cancellations this week? 
It's just got everyone running scared right now because of all the deaths in Mexico and hype about it being pandemic, I think a lot of businesses (especially in TX) will feel the effects of it for the coming weeks/months. For instance myself and my family are going to try to refrain from eating out and going out in general till it blows over or gets under control (it happened before in 1976), I know other people I work with are actually buying freezers and stock piling food in there to avoid going out, people are also leaving work, schools are shut down around here, it really sucks but I'm not surprised at all if people are canceling cake orders, especially from non-health inspected/licensed kitchens, not at all trying to be insulting, just realistic, I'm a home baker as well.
Really? Cancelled cake orders? Hmmm not here. That surprises me though. Its just a flu!!!! Like goes around every winter!!!!!
People are really taking this overboard. Just wash your hands or hang out with people sneezing and snotting all over the place....regular common sense anyway....and everything is fine.
Really? Cancelled cake orders? Hmmm not here. That surprises me though. Its just a flu!!!! Like goes around every winter!!!!!
People are really taking this overboard. Just wash your hands or hang out with people sneezing and snotting all over the place....regular common sense anyway....and everything is fine.
Thank you!....It's the flu that the media is having a field day with. If it was so dangerous, why not close the borders temporarily? Obama's words were "closing the borders is akin to closing the fence after the horse has already been let out."
Yeah, Mr. O....if there is only one horse, that makes sense.
The truth is that there is no reason to "close tha gate". Treat it like the regular flu, use common sense and please, oh please, stop believeing everything you hear on tv.
yeah it's just another strain of the flu, same symptoms, same treatment, same pharmaceutical company making bank off of it. however it seems to be spreading fast around south texas and when you have kids in daycare or school it's a little scarier, not fun for toddlers and infants to get the flu, esp this strain which is a hybrid with little to no knowledge of origin which indicates that it is a new mutation, this is more what the "hype" is about, fear of the unknown, well plus peeps supposedly dying of it but who knows what other medical conditions these patients may have had in addition to the flu. anyway it sucks that flu season was pretty much over and then surprise! here it is again! boooo to the fluuu
yeah it's just another strain of the flu, same symptoms, same treatment, same pharmaceutical company making bank off of it. however it seems to be spreading fast around south texas and when you have kids in daycare or school it's a little scarier, not fun for toddlers and infants to get the flu, esp this strain which is a hybrid with little to no knowledge of origin which indicates that it is a new mutation, this is more what the "hype" is about, fear of the unknown, well plus peeps supposedly dying of it but who knows what other medical conditions these patients may have had in addition to the flu. anyway it sucks that flu season was pretty much over and then surprise! here it is again! boooo to the fluuu
Yeah that's the only bad thing....you thought virus season was over (and this winter was a bad one for viruses!) and here comes another one, possibly.
I still think we should save the hysteria for biological warfare or something....ebola or smallpox, now there's something to freak out about and cancel cake orders. haha.
btw in texas, or at least in San Antonio, if there's so much as a drizzle of rain the whole city practically shuts down lol, it gets pretty dramatic here
It's the same in Ft Worth. It is like we forget how to drive when it rains and can not function at all when it is snowing. They shut down all of the district's schools for the flu.
I think everyone here at least is running scared right now. Hopefully this will die down soon. The economy is already so bad this could be the final straw for many businesses; cakers included!
Maybe if YOU had the flu, you shouldn't make cakes with it. But to cancel just because it's out there in the world...
I guess people here just aren't freaking out.
... Its just a flu!!!! Like goes around every winter!!!!!
People are really taking this overboard. Just wash your hands or hang out with people sneezing and snotting all over the place....regular common sense anyway....and everything is fine.
I think some of you are in serious denial about this flu. This is NOT a regular flu. It is an extremely virilent strain that has killed far more than the normal number of people than the typical flu, and it has the potential to be devastating. Flu normally kills mainly only vulnerable populations but this strain has killed people who are otherwise perfectly healthy.
I think the government is wise to take fast and extraordinary measures to slow its spread as much as it can. And the notion that the worry about it is being fueled by pharmaceutical companies is just ridiculous. I haven't seen a single ad by any pharmaceutical companies promoting their products. To the contrary, the only thing I've seen is information saying NOT to take the drugs preventively.
speaking for south tx...there has been no change what so ever here, i'm not even kidding! doctors offices have been busier than ever (as been informed by a friend of mine who is a nurse practioner), but as for schools everyone of them are still open...stratch that a school in weslaco (45 min for where i live) has been closed...but other than that things keep going like normal. i feel the same as all of you, i think the media is making this to be bigger than it its. as big as they are making this out to be you'd think it was the black plague! just wash your hands, don't cough on people, everyone keep to your own personal bubble! whatever i'm over this swine flu biz!
It hasn't killed anyone in America yet...how many people died from regular flu in America? Its killing Mexicans because they have inferior medical care as well as hygiene.
The media neglects to compare actual statistics as they continue to frighten us with the flu news.
btw in texas, or at least in San Antonio, if there's so much as a drizzle of rain the whole city practically shuts down lol, it gets pretty dramatic here
LOL - that's so true. I'm also in San Antonio and having lived in various other parts of the U.S., it's crazy how everyone here panics at the mere mention of rain.
I think there's a lot of panic for nothing (yet, anyway). 30,000 people die in the U.S. every year from the flu - one death so far in the U.S. (a toddler in Houston) from this particular one and they're acting like it's Armageddon.
I think the way the media is handling this is causing problems on both ends of the spectrum...causing a panic in some and due to the overreaction, causing a lack of interest in others. I really wish the media would properly educate instead of sensationalize.
Here's the deal, from my perspective. This is the very, very early stage of a new flu outbreak. And, it isn't a flu like the "regular flu". We have history to teach us that more virulent strains of flu, when they become a pandemic, can kill millions upon millions. Take a few moments to study the 1918 flu pandemic, often called The Spanish Flu. It isn't possible to properly quantify the number of deaths from this flu, but educated estimates range from 35 million to 100 million.
In this particular strain of flu, young, healthy people died, often in just a day or two.
More people died during this flu pandemic than in World War I.
So, when a new flu begins like this, it is important to try to nip it in the bud and prepare. What has happened many times in history is that in a very few months, the flu re-emerges and is much, much more deadly. The 1918 flu has been estimated to have spread to about 3 people for every infected person, so such disease can take off like wild fire.
No big worries now, but we must be vigilant and ready, just in case.
The US death was actually a Mexican toddler, not even sure how long she was in the states. She had been in Mexico fairly recently from what I heard. We also do not know if her family was able to get her to the dr in a proper amount of time.
Ziggy I agree we need to just have some common sense and take care of ourselves and our families. Also though the medical technology we have today in America *should* assure us that we will not have such a deadly pandemic again unless its, of course, something like ebola or whatever, biological warfare type thing. Flu deaths are caused by dehydration or complications of unknown health issues like a weak heart or lungs that maybe was not otherwise diagnosed...or people with compromised immune systems. That can also happen with any regular winter virus.
I'm just not convinced this is worthy of such panic...I think its more like "Be careful and stay clean like you usually would during winter flu season" and meanwhile you'd think they'd step down immigration for a bit at least until they can get a better handle on the germ.
I think someone mentioned earlier...since they are not worried about immigration, the germ must not be as bad as they say it is.
Keep in mind that the reason it is not spreading as fast as feared is BECAUSE it's been widely reported in the press. That's what helps people know to take extra precautions and go to the doctor if they're sick. The reason so many died in Mexico is because they waited too long to seek medical care.
I know the press can beat some news to death, but I think they're doing everyone a favor in this case. Good information doesn't hurt anyone, but lack of awareness does.
[quote="Kitagrl"
Ziggy I agree we need to just have some common sense and take care of ourselves and our families. Also though the medical technology we have today in America *should* assure us that we will not have such a deadly pandemic again unless its, of course, something like ebola or whatever, biological warfare type thing. Flu deaths are caused by dehydration or complications of unknown health issues like a weak heart or lungs that maybe was not otherwise diagnosed...or people with compromised immune systems. That can also happen with any regular winter virus.
.[/quote]
I'm honestly not worried about this and think there is a whole lot of overreaction. However, if we were only talking about a flu that attacked in ways that we are accustomed to, I would agree with you. And, if that were the case, you would be hearing routine flu precautions only.
The 1918 flu killed many (I've read MOST) of its victims by quickly filling their lungs with fluid. That's a scenario which would be difficult to deal with individually, but imagine if 10 to 20% of your local population needed immediate medical intervention in order to breathe.
This flu isn't THAT yet, at least not in our country. But these are the sorts of things that an unusual flu can cause and why we have to take more precautions than with just a typical Type A or Type B virus.
True, which is why I think the hysteria should be saved for WHEN people's lungs start filling up with fluid. haha.
I think so many things are some sort of political chess move but then this isn't a forum for politics so I refrain. 
I do hope the flu is quarantined soon though. so that the virus worries will not stretch into the summer.
I have a ticket to fly west to see a friend this summer, I sure would hate to see travel restrictions made or something. Ugh.
Just an FYI-
Key developments on swine flu outbreaks, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and government officials:
-Deaths: 15 confirmed in Mexico and one confirmed in U.S., a toddler from Mexico who died in Texas.
-Confirmed sickened worldwide, 562: 343 in Mexico; 146 in U.S.; 35 in Canada; 13 in Spain; 10 in Britain; four each in Germany and New Zealand; two in Israel; one each in Switzerland, Austria, China, Denmark and the Netherlands. Mexico is no longer releasing "suspected" numbers; the number of suspected cases was 2,498 before the tally was halted.
-U.S. confirmed sickened, by state: 50 in New York; 28 in Texas; 18 in California; 16 in South Carolina; five in New Jersey; four each in Arizona and Delaware; three each in Indiana and Illinois; two each in Kansas, Colorado, Virginia, Michigan and Massachusetts; and one each in Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska and Nevada.
-About 400 schools close nationwide, with about 300 in Texas, 62 in Alabama, plus scattered closings in New York, California, South Carolina, Connecticut, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, Ohio, Utah, Washington state, Michigan, Maine, Maryland, Tennessee and Nebraska.
-The World Health Organization increases its tally of confirmed swine flu cases around the world to 331 Friday from 257 Thursday. By country: Mexico 156; U.S. 109; Canada 34; Spain 13; United Kingdom 8; Germany 3; New Zealand 3; Israel 2; Austria 1; Switzerland 1; Netherlands 1.
-Mexico's chief epidemiologist accuses the World Health Organization of being slow to respond to the country's warning. Dr. Miguel Angel Lezana said his center told a regional branch of WHO about a spike in illnesses April 16 but no action was taken until eight days later.
-The World Health Organization says it will stop using the term "swine flu" to avoid confusion over the danger posed by pigs. It will instead refer to the virus by its scientific name, "H1N1 influenza A."
-The Obama administration comes out against closing the U.S.-Mexico border. Vice President Joe Biden says it would be "a monumental undertaking" with limited benefit.
-White House says aide to Energy Secretary Steven Chu apparently got sick helping arrange President Barack Obama's recent trip to Mexico but never posed a risk to the president.
-Public health emergency declared in U.S.; millions of doses of Tamiflu from federal stockpile being delivered to states; U.S. buying more anti-flu drugs to replenish stockpile. CDC also shipping test kits to state labs so states can do their own testing.
-Scattered cancellations or postponements of sporting events in U.S., including all high school sports competitions in Texas and Alabama state track and field championships. Also canceled: Fort Worth's annual Mayfest, which usually attracts 200,000 people over four days.
On the Net: CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
True, which is why I think the hysteria should be saved for WHEN people's lungs start filling up with fluid. haha.
I think so many things are some sort of political chess move but then this isn't a forum for politics so I refrain.
I do hope the flu is quarantined soon though. so that the virus worries will not stretch into the summer.
I have a ticket to fly west to see a friend this summer, I sure would hate to see travel restrictions made or something. Ugh.
Yeah, I'm really afraid that if this thing does manage to go somewhat dormant, mutate, and reemerge next fall that the public will think that the media/government is again crying "Wolf". 
See that's the thing, seems like the media makes such a big deal over warnings about this, that, and the other, that when the real threat arrives, people shrug and say "Just another scare tactic". I think this can be seen in various hurricanes or other disasters throughout history.
Nothing wrong with saying "Hey there is a new flu going around...we are researching it....it will make you pretty sick but shouldn't kill you if you are otherwise healthy....take common sense cleanliness procedures, stay away from those who are sick. This website will let you know the numbers in your local area.
End of story. No hysteria unless the virus takes the next step.
Guess I should step off my media soapbox before I get into trouble! 
Kitagirl, I am with you 100% on this one. I am 60 miles west of SA and think it is rediculous the way everyone is handling this flu. It isn't near as wide spread as a normal flu -not yet anyway, and for those US citizens that have gotten it, treating it like the reg. flu with meds has worked just fine without hospitalizations. The docs around here are telling everyone not to overreact, wash hands regularly, and go on about your business like you always have, get plenty of rest, and take vitamins. Same as you normally would to stay healthy.
For the schools that have shut down for the next two weeks, think about it.... Yeah, the kids are not grouped together on campuses but for parents that can't take off for 2 weeks straight, their children are in daycares now, grouped together in homes where a parent could stay home or with sitters, in the movie theaters, pools, malls, etc. Keeping the kids off campuses hasn't solved the "problem" of keeping kids away from each other, which I believe isn't a problem in the first place as long as good hygiene if followed.
kdmoffett, where are you from? Moffett is my maiden name.
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