If you haven't been reading about this and keeping up-to-date on it, you really should. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 only killed 3% of those it infected. So far, the current strain of Swine Flu is killing close to 10% of people reported infected with it.
What is particularly worrisome about the current strain of Swine Flu is that it's a combination of hog, avian, and human virii never seen before.
It's fast acting, too. On April 16th, President Barack Obama visited a museum in Mexico. The archaeologist who hosted him died the next day from a pneumonia-like illness now suspected to be the flu.
As of 2:30 AM, April 26, the flu is spreading throughout Mexico, and has been identified in the United States in four states: California, Kansas, New York, and Texas. It has also been identified in New Zealand and the UK.
World Health Officials believe it could reach pandemic status, and they also say that there's no way to contain it, because it's already spread so far. At least one author is saying that the outbreak is related to bioterrorism. That seems unlikely though, until proven othewise.
Fortunately, the flu responds well to Tamiflu and Relenza.
The map below shows the locations of current or suspected Swine Flu cases. This blog will have at least one update daily on this topic.
View Swine Flu 2009 in a larger map
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1 comment:
Unfortunatly I turned on the news tonight and there has been a positive confirmed case of the swine flu in Ohio now. Getting closer, they need to do something quick.
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