Swine Flu Breakdown

Here is some things you need to know about the current swine flu. Here are some quick facts for you.

The earliest confirmed case of the illness was in the town of La Gloria, Veracruz, Mexico, where a boy fell ill on April 2.

La Gloria is located near a pig farming operation that raises nearly one million pigs per year.

The owner of the pig farm is Smithfield Foods.

The first two cases identified (and confirmed) as swine flu were two children living in the United States, in San Diego County and Imperial County, California, who became ill on March 28 and 30.

This new strain was promptly confirmed in Mexico, connecting the new strain to the ongoing outbreak of ILI.

The strain appears to be unusually lethal in Mexico, causing 159 deaths (26 confirmed) so far, mostly in Mexico City.

The Mexican fatalities are mainly young adults of 25 to 45, a common trait of pandemic flu.

Mexican Health Minister José Ángel Córdova on April 24, said "We’re dealing with a new flu virus that constitutes a respiratory epidemic that so far is controllable.

The first death from swine flu occurred on April 13, when a diabetic woman from Oaxaca died from respiratory complications.

In March and April 2009, over 1000 cases of suspected swine flu in humans were detected in Mexico and the southwestern United States.

At a press briefing on April 27, acting CDC director Dr. Richard Besser stated that out of 40 confirmed cases in the United States at that point, only one individual was hospitalized. He also revealed that the median age was 16 years "with a range in age of 7 to 54 years."

Unlike what usually happens in cases of influenza, which inflict a greater number of deaths between the elderly and the children, this strain has, so far, resulted in deaths in people between the ages of 25 and 50.[99] One reason why this might be is that the virus is thought to produce a damaging cytokine storm in young people with an active and healthy immune system.

Swine Flu Symptoms

How can you tell if you might have swine flu and should see a doctor? Here's a checklist of symptoms linked to the disease, which is suspected of killing more than 150 people in Mexico and sickening hundreds more around the globe:

# Fever

# Cough

# Sore throat

# Body aches

# Headache

# Chills

# Fatigue

Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting.

The symptoms are similar to those experienced by people infected by other flu strains. In the past,

pneumonia and respiratory failure and deaths have been reported with swine-flu infection. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause chronic medical conditions to worsen.

Avoidance Tactics

- frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers after being out in public

- avoid touching mouth, nose or eyes with hands unless washed hands recently

- There is no risk of flu transmission from consumption of pork.

To Keep track of where it is, check out: Map of outbreak in the U.S.

and now some humor on the subject from some anonymous guy

Eat right! Make sure you get your daily dose of fruits and veggies. Take your vitamins and bump up your vitamin C. Get plenty of exercise because exercise helps build your immune system. Walk for at least hour a day, go for a swim, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.

Wash your hands often. If you can’t wash them, keep a bottle of antibacterial
stuff around. Wear a mask when out in public places and avoid going out in public as much as possible while the swine flu is spreading. Get lots of fresh air. Open windows whenever possible. Get plenty of rest. Try to eliminate as much stress from your life as you can.

OR …. You can take the doctor’s office approach. Think about it, when you go
for a shot, what do they do first? Clean your arm with alcohol.. Why? Because
alcohol kills germs. So…… I put on my mask, walk to the liquor store (exercise), I put lime in my Corona (fruit), celery in my Bloody Mary (veggies), drink on the bar patio (fresh air), get drunk, tell jokes, and laugh (eliminate stress) and then pass out (rest). The way I see it, if you keep your alcohol levels up flu germs can’t get you!!!!