SWINE FLU INFO

[iJenny]

Hey gals. I saw the other thread about swine flu and thought I'd share a few things with you. First, all of my information is as of today, April 28th 2009 and straight from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). As a school nurse, I recieve twice-daily updates on this situation straight from the CDC. Here's information from the final update this afternoon.






First, here are the states in the U.S. that have confirmed cases of swine flu... California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, and New York.

Second, everyone should know that there have been no U.S. deaths related to swine flu. Of all the U.S. cases, only one has resulted in hospitalization and ALL of them have recovered.

Third, as it stands as of today, 4/28/09, swine flu in the U.S. acts just like seasonal influenza (fever, body aches, etc.) with symptom onset within seven days of exposure. It is treated and cured with the same medications (TamiFlu, etc.) as seasonal influenza.

Fourth, swine flu is transmitted through DIRECT contact with an infected person. Anyone who has travelled to Mexico (namely, Mexico City) within seven days prior to onset of symptoms should contact their healthcare professional.









So, there ya go, ladies. I hate to say it, but the media is sensationalizing this into a bigger deal than it is at this time. Yes, it may become more of a problem. The situation changes every day. But panic is not going to fix anything and I wish the media would stop using words like "pandemic" and "the big one" when describing swine flu.

Just be smart, ladies. Wash hands, limit exposure, and stay safe.