Arnold Declares State of Emergency for Swine Flu

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency Tuesday due to the swine flu outbreak, hoping to cut red tape and speed up attempts to respond to the new strain, which has been confirmed in at least 13 California cases.

“While there is no need for alarm, it is the governor’s top priority to limit swine flu’s spread as quickly and effectively as possible ,” the governor’s press office said in a prepared statement.

Swine Flu Hits Ernst & Young In Times Square (NYC)

Swine Flu has officially hit NYC with a confirmed case of swine flu at the Ernst & Young headquarters in Times Square.  The company believes that, because of the virus’ twenty-four hour incubation period, no one else at the office was infected.  They released the following statement -

“An employee in our offices at 5 Times Square was diagnosed on Sunday with swine flu, which she contracted from a family member. The individual had not been in offices since last Thursday. According to the Center for Disease Control, the disease has a 24-hour incubation period. Given the timeframe, we believe that it is unlikely that any other of our people have been infected.

“The health of our people is our foremost priority. Since learning of the diagnosis, we have followed the procedures outlined by the Center for Disease Control, including closing the offices on the floor where she worked and retaining a skilled sanitation service to clean the area. We have alerted our people and have told them to feel free to work from home if they would be more comfortable doing so. We have also notified the appropriate authorities.”

Swine Flu: What An ‘Informed Parent’ Needs to Know

The reported death toll has risen to 152 in Mexico and there are now over 50 confirmed cases in the US, but the prevailing wisdom is that there is no reason to get too worried about it.  According to Dr. Jay Tureen, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist from San Fransisco, CA, “Parent’s shouldn’t panic. They should be aware and concerned, but not panicked.”

Here are some highlights of Dr. Tureen’s comments for parents concerning swine flu -

Should my children be washing their hands more than usual?
Yes, this is the best way to prevent the spread of a flu virus.

If my child didn’t get a flu shot this year, should I take her in for one at the last-minute?
No. This year’s flu shot doesn’t offer protection against this virus.

Can I feed my child pork?
Absolutely. You don’t catch the virus by eating swine. It’s spread by human-to-human contact only.

If my child contracts the virus can she be treated?
This particular virus can be treated with antiviral drugs. You can also take medication prophylatically, so if one child contracts it others in the family can take drugs so they won’t catch the flu.

WHO Raises Pandemic Flu Alert Level to Phase 4

Mexico says the World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert for swine flu by one level, two steps short of declaring a full-blown pandemic.

Mexico health department spokesman Carlos Olmos confirms the move.

WHO says the phase 4 alert means sustained human to human transmission causing outbreaks in at least one country. It signals a significant increase in the risk of a global epidemic, but doesn’t mean a pandemic is inevitable.

Obama on Swine Flu | A Reason for Concern but not yet “A Cause for Alarm”

After a confirmed forty cases of swine flu in US, the Obama administration said today that it was going to respond as if the outbreak was developing into a full pandemic, but that it was not yet a cause for real alarm.  Officials urged against travel to Mexico as that was where the virus began.  President Barack Obama urged calm, saying there was reason for concern but not yet “a cause for alarm.”

Administration officials said they were already waging a vigorous campaign of prevention, unsure of the outbreak’s severity or where it would show up next.  

Recommendations for Facemask and Respirator Use in Swine Flu Infected Communities

In areas with confirmed human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection, the risk for infection can be reduced through a combination of actions. No single action will provide complete protection, but an approach combining the following steps can help decrease the likelihood of transmission.  Wearing a facemask can be a great way to avoid infection.

Some other actions you can take to avoid infection include frequent handwashing, covering coughs, and having ill persons stay home, except to seek medical care, and minimize contact with others in the household.  Additional measures that can limit transmission of a new influenza strain include voluntary home quarantine of members of households with confirmed or probable swine influenza cases, reduction of unnecessary social contacts, and avoidance whenever possible of crowded settings.

Rising death count from Swine Flu Outbreak in Mexico

New Vaccine Protects Against Multiple Flu Strains

Pre-clinical studies conducted by the CDC  in Atlanta, GA report that the H1N1 virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine protects against both the Spanish flu and a highly infective H5N1 Bird Flu strain.  The H1N1 (swine flu) virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine differs from traditional vaccines in several ways. The scientists at Novavax have engineered H1N1 as a live influenza vaccine.

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention Mark Toll at 11

The CDC in not reporting any wide spread infections of Swine Flu in the US.  However to ensure that this remains the case they have offered a number of tips to prevent the spread of Swine Flu -

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

World Health Officials (WHO) make a statement on the International concern over the Swine Flu

The World Health Organization acknowledged today that Swine Flu has ‘pandemic potential’.  WHO Director-General Margaret Chan (pictured) announced on Saturday that the outbreaks in Mexico and the United States should be considered a ”public health emergency of international concern.”  62 people have already died in Mexico.

For more information see the following article from AOL news - http://worldhealth.swinefluoutbreaknews.com

Recent posts

India Swine Flu Death toll: 558
November 26, 2009

Federal Agencies Make Plans For Swine Flu This Fall
August 26, 2009

Bill Maher on Swine Flu
May 8, 2009

Swine Flu Explained : Video
May 6, 2009

Recent Comments

Sierra Skye: I read your blog in a regular manner, and I really like your...

sally: I forgot to say the micromask was on www.nanomask.co.uk and ...

sally: I found lots of places that say dont bother with a face mask...

oldmev: Too bad that as usual fear and over-reaction was spread by...

Blogroll