May 03 2009
Swine Flu - what you must know, and what you probably don’t know!
10 things you must know about Swine Flu
1. It spreads like a normal influenza virus, from an infected person to a person, from an infected pig to a person and from an infected person to a pig through sneezing and coughing
2. It cannot be contracted from eating pork
3. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, sneezing, coughing or aches and chill. If you have a fever of 102 (or more obviously) or a sever case of any of the above symptoms rush to the Emergency Room. Do not go to the Emergency Room if you have minor flu symptoms, this will only crowd the already under-staffed health care facilities.
4. The WHO has raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5, signifying that a pandemic is imminent
5. Don’t click on any emails or links which refer you to online pharmacies or celebrity swine flu news ……spammers are taking advantage of this opportunity - it’s a sure way to get a virus!
6. Symptoms have been around as early as March, onlynow are confirmed cases being found all over the world
7. 30 US states now have cases of swine flu with NY leading with 63 cases and TX a close second with 40. All in all, a total of 226 cases have been reported with 1 death in TX.
8. The Swine Flu has hit 18 countries including China and Hong Kong who just got done recovering from the SARS epidemic, needless to say, they are taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of Swine Flu
9. 787 swine flu cases have been confirmed worldwide
10. Authorities in many countries are optimistic, this new strain of swine flu does not appear to be as virulent as a 1918 influenza outbreak that may have killed up to 50 million people globally.
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10 Tidbits you probably don’t know about Swine Flu
1. The actual name of the virus is H1N1 Influenza (ok, not an important fact but oh well!!)
2. Mexico has 12 deaths and 260 confirmed cases of swine flu, this number is only increasing.
3. A herd of swine in Canada may have contracted the virus from a Canadian farmer who recently returned from Mexico - this may be the first identified case of pigs that have caught the virus from a human.
4. A Federal Agent who accompanied President Obama to Mexico last month has been said to have contracted the swine flu.
5. The US does not have enough stock of the emergency supplies of antiviral medications necessary to treat victims of swine flu. 27 states are 10 million dosages short of the levels that the federal government has determined they should have in their stockpiles for a pandemic this size.
6. What does Phase 5 pandemic alert mean - It means a global outbreak of an infection to which people have no resistance
7. The Egyptian government has ordered the slaughtering of all pigs in Egypt. You scratch your head and ask yourself - what were pigs doing in Egypt anyways?
8. Hong Kong quarantined 200 guests and 100 hotel workers at the hotel where the 25 year old Mexican tourist (first case of swine flu in Hong Kong) was staying
9. It can take 6 months to make a vaccine for the swine flu
10. After all the scary facts, I’ll end with one that will make you laugh - Joe Biden gave a completely opposite message than President Obama’s calm and eloquent urge to the country not to panic, Biden instead, in not so many words, said that people should stay off planes, subways, out of schools …..I can’t bring myself to say more, please take a minute to read the news on this one, it’s a MUST READ - you’ve got to love this guy, he was just giving the public the same advice he gave his family:-)
