"Swine Flu"
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged that the current, on-hand pandemic stop being called "swine flu" since danger is not posed by pigs. The swine flu virus, although having originated in pigs, has genes from human, bird, and pig viruses, and is being spread from human to human, not from contact with pigs.
This shift in policy came after the Egyptian government ordered the slaughter of its 300,000 pigs nationwide in an effort to prevent the spread of the "swine flu" virus. Agricultural industries and the U.N. food agency expressed concerns that dubbing the pandemic "swine flu" was misleading and caused unnecessary actions. Various countries have baned pork products, ordered the slaughter of pigs, and China, Russia, Ukraine, and others have banned pork exports from Mexico and parts of the U.S., all of which have been blamed on swine flu fears.
The flu is now being referred to as its technical scientific name, H1N1 influenza A. WHO has confirmed 257 worldwide cases of the virus, with cases in Mexico rising from 26 to 97 & resulting in 7 deaths & 109 cases and 1 death in the United States. Other confirmed cases include 34 in Canada, 13 in Spain, eight in Britain, three each in Germany and New Zealand, two in Israel and one each in Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
WHO has raised the pandemic flu alert to phase 5, only one step away from the highest level indicating a global outbreak, with no indications to raise it further. WHO feels that the jump in confirmed cases from Mexico was probably the result of scientists working their way through a backlog of untested samples from suspected cases. Most cases within the United States have been mild and patients have recovered quickly.
WHO has started distributing its stockpile of 2 million treatments of the antiviral drug Tamiflu to regional offices. Many of those drugs will go to developing countries that don't have stockpiles of their own and others sent to Mexico. As far as other preventative and precautionary measures, one should avoid unnecessary and non-essential travel, employ additional custodial procedures in high-traffic areas, wash hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, cover mouth when sneezing or coughing, keep hands away from mouth, nose, eyes, avoid contact with sick people, follow public health advice regarding crowds and other social happenings, and if experiencing any flu-like symptoms, avoid personal contact and consult a physician.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/un_who_swine_flu
Matthew Heintschel
VTPP 435-501
This shift in policy came after the Egyptian government ordered the slaughter of its 300,000 pigs nationwide in an effort to prevent the spread of the "swine flu" virus. Agricultural industries and the U.N. food agency expressed concerns that dubbing the pandemic "swine flu" was misleading and caused unnecessary actions. Various countries have baned pork products, ordered the slaughter of pigs, and China, Russia, Ukraine, and others have banned pork exports from Mexico and parts of the U.S., all of which have been blamed on swine flu fears.
The flu is now being referred to as its technical scientific name, H1N1 influenza A. WHO has confirmed 257 worldwide cases of the virus, with cases in Mexico rising from 26 to 97 & resulting in 7 deaths & 109 cases and 1 death in the United States. Other confirmed cases include 34 in Canada, 13 in Spain, eight in Britain, three each in Germany and New Zealand, two in Israel and one each in Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
WHO has raised the pandemic flu alert to phase 5, only one step away from the highest level indicating a global outbreak, with no indications to raise it further. WHO feels that the jump in confirmed cases from Mexico was probably the result of scientists working their way through a backlog of untested samples from suspected cases. Most cases within the United States have been mild and patients have recovered quickly.
WHO has started distributing its stockpile of 2 million treatments of the antiviral drug Tamiflu to regional offices. Many of those drugs will go to developing countries that don't have stockpiles of their own and others sent to Mexico. As far as other preventative and precautionary measures, one should avoid unnecessary and non-essential travel, employ additional custodial procedures in high-traffic areas, wash hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, cover mouth when sneezing or coughing, keep hands away from mouth, nose, eyes, avoid contact with sick people, follow public health advice regarding crowds and other social happenings, and if experiencing any flu-like symptoms, avoid personal contact and consult a physician.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/un_who_swine_flu
Matthew Heintschel
VTPP 435-501
posted by Matthew Heintschel at 5:18 PM
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