Influenza A(H1N1) Flu
I’m not going to do a ‘full’ post on this, because honestly I just heard about it a few days ago, and I haven’t been keeping up with the news.
According to the World Health Organization there have been 658 human cases, as of today at 17:00 GMT, of the Swine Flu confirmed. 397 in Mexico with 16 deaths, and 160 ‘laboratory confirmed’ cases in the United States of America with one death. In Texas, if you’re curious.
It is still a little startling, I admit, but compare it with the 36,000 flu-related deaths in the United States alone, every year, with 200,000 hospitalizations. (More info)
Now the flu isn’t necessarily the primary cause of those deaths. I honestly don’t know if the Swine Flu is the primary cause of death in H1N1. But the point is that the media is being a bit alarmist.
From the site above:
WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.
There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.
Sources
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html — The World Health Organization’s Influenza A(H1N1) page
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ — The CDC’s Influenza A(H1N1) page
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ — The CDC’s (regular) Flu page
