Swine Flu
What is it?
The new strain is a combination of swine, avian (bird) and human influenza all rolled up into one deadly concoction.
The strain is named H1N1.
What is going on?
The World Health Organization has issued a "public health emergency" warning. This is because there is a worry that this strain may produce a pandemic.
Since March 2009 in Mexico over 1,000 people have been infected and up to 80 have died. It was when health authorities noticed the outbreak in the US that it became clear what was going on. So far, cases are concentrated in Mexico with cases in California and Texas and students in New York also infected. Students from New Zealand who were in Mexico were found to be carrying the virus, and have been quarantined. Montreal seems to have placed two people in isolation in a hospital after their visit to Mexico. Japan has started testing in airports .
The new strain is a combination of swine, avian (bird) and human influenza all rolled up into one deadly concoction.
The strain is named H1N1.
What is going on?
The World Health Organization has issued a "public health emergency" warning. This is because there is a worry that this strain may produce a pandemic.
Since March 2009 in Mexico over 1,000 people have been infected and up to 80 have died. It was when health authorities noticed the outbreak in the US that it became clear what was going on. So far, cases are concentrated in Mexico with cases in California and Texas and students in New York also infected. Students from New Zealand who were in Mexico were found to be carrying the virus, and have been quarantined. Montreal seems to have placed two people in isolation in a hospital after their visit to Mexico. Japan has started testing in airports .
How does it spread?
The way that other types of influenza do, through contact with those who have it. It can be transmitted from pigs to humans and from human to human. Human transmission is usually through coughing/sneezing or touching an infected person and then touching one's mouth or nose.
You cannot get it from eating pork.
What are the symptoms?
Flu like symptoms like aches, fever, lethargy and chills. Sometimes nausea and runny nose.
What to do if you fear you are in an area with an outbreak?
- Wash your hands well and often (especially before touching food or your face)
- Avoid busy public spaces.
- Go to get medical help as soon as symptoms appear, but remember there is no vaccine yet.
- The nightmare that is possible when fear and panic lead to indefinite quarantine have been fictionalized in Jose Saramago's Blindness.
- Follow the incidence of diseases worldwide on the HealthMap
- The Huffington Post has a piece about how to prepare for a possible pandemic of Swine Flu.
Books:
The Great Influenza: The story of the deadliest pandemic in history
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918
DVD:
Secrets of the Dead: Killer Flu
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment