Swine Flu Info Blog

17 comments:

Hunny Bridge said...

You can get it by skin-to-skin contact, so make sure you wash your hands frequently. It has a lower possibility for air contact, like coughing and things, but it is still possible. It has killed many people so far.
According to the Washington Post:
"MEXICO CITY, April 27 -- The suspected death toll from the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico rose Monday to 149 people as health authorities cancelled all schools across the country until May 6.
Mexican cabinet officials led by Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova gave a press conference today in Mexico City with the latest information they have gathered about the outbreak of a deadly new strain of swine flu that has halted many aspects of public life here and appears to continue to be spreading.
Since the first case of swine flu was reported, 1,995 people have been hospitalized with serious cases of pneumonia, said Cordova, and 1,070 of these people have been released. He said 20 of the deaths so far have been confirmed as swine flu, but that just two laboratories in the country, one in Mexico City and one in the state of Veracruz, are able to confirm this new strain."
(full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con…
Supposively it is more dangerous than the Bird Flu,
here is an article comparing the two:
'Swine flu more dangerous than bird flu'
Melbourne (PTI): Swine flu, which has killed more than 100 people in Mexico is more dangerous than bird flu as it "rapidly spreads", an expert has said even as Australia took series of steps including 'flight screening' for passengers coming from America to protect itself from the outbreak.
Swine flu is more worrying to humans than bird flu because it has the potential to spread to more people, Paul Kelly from Australian National University said.
Mr. Kelly said while swine flu had claimed many lives in Mexico, there had been no deaths elsewhere.
Those killed have been generally young and otherwise healthy. "It's not the typical people that are at greatest risk during a normal flu season," he was quoted as saying by media reports.
Meanwhile, Australian experts said that existing vaccines are unlikely to be effective against an outbreak of swine flu, but anti-viral drugs can help to combat it.
Health officials have given advice about the outbreak to GPs and hospital emergency departments and want any suspected cases to be reported to authorities."
To know more about this disease, click here:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_o…
orhttp://www.time.com/time/health/article/…
Remeber to stay clean and healthy and wash your hands consistintly. I hope I helped,
stay safe,
Hunny Bridge

July 29, 2009 at 5:54 PM

Breezy ツ said...

Well weak immune systems worsen the chance of you getting ANY disease, but swine flu doesn't just affect those with weakend immune system
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Fears of a global swine flu pandemic grew with new infections in the United States and Canada on Sunday, and millions of Mexicans stayed indoors to avoid a virus that has killed 103 people.
The death toll from the flu in Mexico has risen to 103 and about 400 people still are in hospitals around the country, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said late on Sunday.
While the deaths have been limited to Mexico, the flu is spreading with 20 cases in the United States and six in Canada, and possible cases as far afield as Europe, Israel and New Zealand.
There was a glimmer of hope, however, as the majority of the infected patients in Mexico have recovered from the illness, according to the government's figures.
The World Health Organization has declared the flu a "public health emergency of international concern" that could become a pandemic, or global outbreak of serious disease.
A pandemic would deal a major blow to a world economy already suffering its worst crisis in decades, and experts say it could cost trillions of dollars.
A 1968 "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people globally.
U.S. DEATHS EXPECTED
As cases of the flu spread outside Mexico, there were worries that fatalities could surface elsewhere.
"I do fear that we will have deaths," the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat said. Officials were readying for the flu's possible spread beyond the 20 cases confirmed in the United States.
Eight schoolchildren in New York were confirmed as having caught the swine flu virus, although like other cases reported outside Mexico their illness was relatively mild.
Officials said they would release a quarter of the U.S. stockpile of the antiviral drugs Tamiflu, made by Roche AG, and Relenza, from GlaxoSmithKline. Both have been shown to be effective against the new swine flu.
Flu is characterized by a sudden fever, muscle aches, sore throat and dry cough. Victims of the new strain have also suffered more vomiting and diarrhea than is usual with flu.
Although it is called "swine flu" there is no evidence any of the cases stemmed from contact with pigs.
Officials could not say why deaths have only occurred in Mexico. "I think right now it is really premature to say the disease is different in Mexico from here," Schuchat said.

July 29, 2009 at 11:27 PM

MarioAns said...

i wouldn't be worried .... i would say just be cautious and watch the news as much as you can so you know whats going on....people are dying in mexico because the medicine is not as good as it is over here... which is sad. i live like 10 mins away from st francis prep.. the school where the kids from queens caught the virus. once you start seeing America shut down then i would be worried .
its weird because swine flu is common in pigs and people that are around pigs, but this is a virus that has the swine virus, some bird flu, and human flu (which is how its spreading so fast) and they have never seen a virus like this before. however the medicine is alot better now then in 1918 .

July 30, 2009 at 2:47 AM

Violet said...

Q. What is swine flu?
A. Swine flu is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease normally found in pigs. It spreads through tiny particles in the air or by direct contact. According to WHO it tends to infect large numbers of a given pig population, killing between one and four per cent of those affected. Not every animal infected displays symptoms.
Q. Where do outbreaks occur?
A. Swine flu is considered endemic in the United States, and outbreaks in pigs have also been reported elsewhere in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of eastern Asia.
Q. How do humans contract the virus?
A. People usually become infected through contact with pigs, though some cases of LIMITED human-to-human transmission have been reported.
Q. Is it safe to eat pork products?
A. WHO says properly handled and prepared pork products are safe to eat. The swine flu virus dies when cooked at temperatures of 70C or higher.
Q. How high is the risk of a pandemic?
A. Since the swine flu outbreaks in Mexico and U.S. were identified, the risk of a pandemic has increased. Health officials worry the swine flu might develop into a form easily spread among humans. To do this, it could combine with a human flu virus or mutate on its own into a transmissible form. Experts worry that the more the virus circulates, the more likely a pandemic strain will emerge. But there is no way to predict when a pandemic strain will develop.
Q. Does a vaccine exist?
A. Pigs in North America are routinely vaccinated for swine flu, but no vaccine exists for humans. In any case, the flu virus evolves quickly, meaning that vaccines are soon obsolete. Health officials say there is no suggestion that the vaccine prepared for seasonal flu will protect against swine flu.
While people who are given the seasonal flu vaccine will probably be not protected against swine flu, it may prevent them from getting the seasonal flu. If they are then infected with swine flu, that reduces the possibility of the two flus mixing in that person to create a potential pandemic strain.
Q. What other treatment is there?
A. The swine flu virus detected in Mexico and the United States appears to respond to treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). In terms of prevention, maintaining good hygiene, for example regular hand-washing and staying a safe distance from those infected, may help.

July 30, 2009 at 7:50 AM

Cody B said...

If you think good and hard about it, Most of these Flu's and viruses originate from the dirtiest and most unhealthy countries. Down in Mexico lets just say they don't have the best health care. So far there hasn't been a death in the united states, and the symptoms are Mild. My assumption is the people who died in Mexico didn't have the money or insurance for healthcare, and weren't in a very good state of health to begin with. The people who've had this flu have said the symptoms are not much more agonizing than the Influenza Virus we all get every now and then.
The only way I see MANY people dying from this is if they act stupid, get sick and still go out to the food market or to the mall. Places like that spread diseases and infections like wildfire. Just wash your hands, avoid contact with sick people. If you wanna go the full mile just wear a breathing mask and you should be okay.

July 30, 2009 at 12:41 PM

sandra b said...

Let's not go crazy until things look dire. So far people have gotten sick but no deaths have occurred. In Mexico, the healthcare system is awful so clearly that is why there have been deaths. Remember a few years ago when everyone was going crazy about the Avian flu....well, it didn't turn into a pandemic so we shouldn't worry ourselves to death about this situation until it becomes scary. Let's hope this virus becomes contained.

July 30, 2009 at 4:55 PM

Ferne said...

The only people who have a risk of dieing are the elderly(im not talking about the 70 year old's or the 80's. i mean like the 90s or 100+)
and young babies(newborn-12 months). So if your young and fit, you may catch it but you will get over it. That is why the elderly have flu injections.

July 30, 2009 at 10:30 PM

anne said...

People with weak immune systems, or autoimmune disorders can be more at risk to illnesses such as swine flu.
You can read more about Swine Flu and Transverse myelitis (an autoimmune disorder) here:
http://transversemyelitis.net/articles/swineflu.php

July 31, 2009 at 5:24 AM

The Illusion of Progress said...

This is more than likely a virus made by people at a laboratory. It's a mix of bird, swine, and human flu, which I doubt is very likely to happen by nature. Maybe the conspiracy theorists are finally right... lol.

July 31, 2009 at 11:53 AM

Mordecai said...

Don't go crazy. Its not that bad...yet.
And yes, it is similar to the 1918 pandemic. So maybe you should be worried.
Look at the updates on Fox or CNN. Go to "www.CDC.com/swineflu" as well...

July 31, 2009 at 5:36 PM

kf said...

I read on the CDC website that people who are dying from it are in Mexico. The people in the U.S. who have had it haven't died.
California 7 cases
Kansas 2 cases
New York City 8 cases
Ohio 1 case
Texas 2 cases
TOTAL COUNT in US 20 cases

July 31, 2009 at 8:41 PM

josh o said...

i don't know where i heard it but i think people with weak immune systems r safer. i think this new hybrid swine flu takes control of your immune system and your own body starts to get attacked by its defenses.

August 1, 2009 at 1:50 AM

Ryan B said...

It has the highest morality rate in young adults.

August 1, 2009 at 5:26 AM

Rachel(: said...

i think the only people dying are the people in Mexico becuase they dont have very good medical things

August 1, 2009 at 7:00 AM

a said...

Flu like syptoms-just more severe.

August 1, 2009 at 10:52 AM

[[ERIC]] said...

dont stress 100 bucks says u or any1 u no wont get it unless u/they live in mexico

August 1, 2009 at 12:14 PM

__A_YAHO said...

idk

August 1, 2009 at 12:44 PM