Egypt is busy slaughtering pigs, Vice President Joe Biden warned his family not to fly or take the subway or be in any “confined” place, and Sen. John McCain said we must keep open the option of closing the Mexican-American border.
OK, just as long as we’re not panicking over the swine flu. Which is now being called influenza A or H1N1 flu, in a belated attempt to save pigs from being killed and the hog industry and “pork belly futures” from completely collapsing. You do not catch this flu, or any flu for that matter, from eating pork. It is spread from person to person.
Experts suspect the flu, a strange new mix of pig, bird and human flu virus, originated wi th pigs then jumped to humans and is now spreading through human-to-human contact.
Unlike some elected officials, our global, federal, state and local health agencies, which have long-established plans for such possible emergencies, are responding appropriately — with calm, perspective and practical advice.
Speaking of perspective — a point to remember: About 36,000 people in the United States die every year from other, familiar strains of flu.
As of Thursday afternoon, The World Health Organization has confirmed a total of 445 cases in 11 countries. Twelve people were believed to have died in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak. In the U.S., the total of confirmed H1N1 swine flu cases had risen to 131, with one death. Washington had 13 probable cases of the flu, including a 37-year-old pediatrician working for The Everett Clinic in Mill Creek, and the parent of a student at Odyssey Elementary School in the Mukilteo School District. Officials announced that school will be closed today.
Despite this, and the fact that there will be more cases before it’s all over — the odds are overwhelming that you do not have swine flu.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC’s interim director for public health, told a congressional hearing that no one knows what the never-before-seen virus ultimately will do, but so far in most U.S. cases people are recovering without even needing a doctor’s care, the Associated Press reported. The big message is to try not to spread the infection.
“This is a time when we don’t want the worried well flooding the emergency rooms,” Schuchat said. “At no time in our nation’s history have we been more prepared to face this kind of challenge.”
Call your doctor’s office with questions or if you have symptoms of flu — a fever over 100 degrees, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. They will advise you on whether you should come in for testing.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
