Since this is all I seem to be able to think of in recent days, I thought I would scare everyone else too!
Swine flu is not a new disease. It was first identified in 1930, and the most recent outbreak was in the 1970's, when soldiers from Fort Dix were infected. A Swine flu vaccine was added to the general seasonal flu shot in the 70's, but each year the shot uses a different cocktail of flu strains. Many people are asking the question why don't the pharmaceutical companies just re- release the old vaccine. Unfortunately, this year's Swine flu is not the same as the one from the 70's. Flu viruses mutate and change, and this strain is especially different because it is part avian, pig, and human. The proper name for this moments flu is called H1N1 virus, which though shares the same nomenclature as the strain from the 1918 pandemic, is not the same.
The World Health Organization's decision to raise the threat of Swine flu to a five on a six point scale, has created media sensationalism. The threat of a global pandemic is serious, but simple measure can be taken by each of us to prevent the disease's spread: wash your hand with soap and hot water, avoid contact with potentially infected people, and do not travel to Mexico. It is comforting to know that two medicines continue to be effective against the virus, Tamiflu and Relenza.
The only scary thing about this flu strain is that those who have died have been healthy, young-adults (though this was in Mexico), which is not the typically affected age group.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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2 comments:
Swine Flu may be a serious worldwide threat but it may be misnamed. While it definitely is H1N1 the virus that is causing so much fear did not actually originate in pigs according to some media reports but may have come from a sick cow. While the media and WHO has been quick to raise the specter of the 1918 "Spanish Flu" Pandemic I believe this may be premature. There have only been several hundred confirmed cases in the entire world and, given the ease at which a virus can spread in a globalized and interconnected world this is unimpressive (its bad to characterize inanimate organisms but this is what I think). In addition the fatality rate does not (fortunately) appear to be very high. Its difficult to predict the course of a virus but I hope I am right.
This recent panic about Swine flu is interesting to me. I personally have not been freaking out about it, mostly because I feel like it has been blown way out of proportion. Yes, this does pose a dangerous threat, but at this point I don't feel that it's necessary to freak out as much as many people have. The suggestions written here are good though--a summer trip to Mexico may be a bad call and it's important to wash your hand--maybe even both! Anyways, at this point I am not the most concerned person on the planet about this potential apocalypse.
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