Wash your hands – please!
Good hygiene habits are always important, even more so when you are around others with contagious illnesses. Whether you are at home, school, work or out in public, the opportunities to contract a communicable disease are many. This is particularly true with the recent outbreak of swine flu the CDC (Center For Disease Control at cdc.gov) has taken action against. It has been classified as a public health emergency, so wash your hands regularly and, if you know you’re going to be around people you have been exposed, make sure they’re wearing a face mask. It’s common courtesy and it’s safe.
Steven Reinberg reports for Healthfinder that the swine flu site at cdc.gov states that not only have they declared a public health emergency, but that the European Union has advised its citizens against “nonessential travel to the United States or Mexico.” That has caused fuel, transportation and other tourism-related stocks to plummet on Wall Street, but drug stocks like those of Novavax (NVAX) are up as treatments are sought. Remember, personal loans and installment loans are there if your wallet needs help between paychecks and medical bills.
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Swine flu is a pig’s respiratory disease caused by type A influenza. It doesn’t typically hit humans, but can if a person is exposed to an infected pig. Infants and those over 65 years are most susceptible. Nationwide as of this writing, there are 20 confirmed cases of swine flu. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims the health emergency was issued more as a precautionary measure than anything else. Doing so allows federal and state governments easier access to flu tests and medications.
Napolitano wants Americans to be cautious, but also wants it to be clear that her organization sees no reason to panic.
It’s gone global
According to Reinberg, Napolitano has admitted that the federal government has “50 million doses of the antiviral flu medication Tamiflu, and a quarter of those doses were being released to states, if needed, particularly prioritizing the states where we already have confirmed incidence of the flu.”
All 20 U.S. swine flu patients documented so far — in New York, California, Texas, Kansas and Ohio — have recovered, says Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A recent report from the BBC documents at least 100 deaths in Mexico and 17 cases in the United Kingdom and more in Canada and Spain.
Viva Mexico, por favor
The documented death toll has been highest in Mexico. Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC has said that it’s “too early” to say if the flu will be as dangerous in the United States. For their part, Mexican authorities have suspended public gatherings and shut down schools. It is estimated that over 1,600 people in Mexico have been infected. And not surprisingly, some of the cases in the U.S. are in people who recently returned from Mexico.
Most of the U.S. cases of swine flu thus far have been mild.
More vaccine in the works
The CDC is advising that the best way to avoid contracting the swine flu, apart from avoiding those exposed, is indeed frequent hand-washing. If you find that you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, play it safe and stay home. Don’t get on an airplane or any other public transportation. Sick children should not be sent to school. Such simple steps will reduce the spread and impact of the disease.
As the virus is currently “beyond containment,” work is underway to produce more medication. “We are taking the initial steps in terms of preparing the seed virus to hand off to the industry partners, to produce large quantities. But you know it takes months to produce a vaccine,” said Schuchat.
Here’s a recent history of global flu pandemics (courtesy of the BBC)
1918: The Spanish flu pandemic remains the most devastating outbreak of modern times – infecting up to 40% of the world’s population and killing more than 50m people, with young adults particularly badly affected
1957: Asian flu killed two million people. Caused by a human form of the virus, H2N2, combining with a mutated strain found in wild ducks. The elderly were particularly vulnerable1968: An outbreak first detected in Hong Kong, and caused by a strain known as H3N2, killed up to one million people globally, with those over 65 most likely to die
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