Swine Flu
April 30, 2009 • written by Phana Yang
You’ve all probably heard it by now. Within the last week, words of the H1N1 Virus had spread faster than flies looking for rotten meat. On April 29, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to the second highest level, meaning that it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent.
So far, there have been 91 cases in the Unite States with one death and 10 US states reported to have cases. WHO has confirmed human cases of swine flu in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Britain, Israel, New Zealand and Spain. Only US and Mexico had reported deaths.
In Geneva, WHO flu chief Dr. Keiji Fukuda told reporters that there was no evidence the virus was slowing down, moving the agency closer to raising its pandemic alert to phase 5, indicating widespread human-to-human transmission. So far, all cases that had been reported evolved travelers who had recently visited Mexico.
As for precautions, there are many ways that are useful and many ways that are not. Countries in Asia have banned all pork imports into their countries. In Egypt, the government had ordered the slaughter of all pigs in the country. And in Japan, officials are greeting their travelers with medical teams.
Over all, there are many things you can do to protect yourself. Always remember to wash your hands and STAY HOME when you are sick.
Photo: Michael Appleton, New York Times
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