Remember, the most important thing to fear is what we don’t know. There are things we don’t know about Swine Flu, so you should be very, very afraid.
That’s what I learned this morning watching NBC channel 5 in Chicago.
What else did I learn? This strain of flu is no more dangerous than any other. There are approximately 20,000 deaths worldwide from all strains of the flue annually.
What can you do to protect yourself from the swine flue? Everything you’ve been told to do in order to avoid any other type of flue.
Is there special treatment for this strain of flu? No. It’s a virus, like any other flu.
So stop the fear frenzy.
Here’s what the CDC knows:
Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the U.S. in San Diego County and Imperial County, California as well as in San Antonio, Texas. Internationally, human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in Mexico.
| U.S. Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | # of laboratory confirmed cases |
|
| California | 7 cases | |
| Texas | 2 cases | |
| Kansas | 2 cases | |
| TOTAL COUNT | 11 cases | |
| International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection See: World Health Organization  |
||
| As of April 25th, 2009 7:30 p.m. EDT | ||
Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection and whether additional people have been infected with similar swine influenza viruses.
CDC is working very closely with state and local officials in California, Texas, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. On April 24th, CDC deployed 7 epidemiologists to San Diego County, California and Imperial County, California and 1 senior medical officer to Texas to provide guidance and technical support for the ongoing epidemiologic field investigations. CDC has also deployed to Mexico 1 medical officer and 1 senior expert who are part of a global team that is responding to the outbreak of respiratory illnesses in Mexico.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. There are many things you can to do preventing getting and spreading influenza:
There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
- If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
So stop the panic. It’s a flu virus. Relax.