Governments working to contain swine flu and allay fears

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Governments working to contain swine flu and allay fears

By Jaime L. Hartman Apr 25 2009, 09:16 AM

News that over 1000 people in Mexico City have fallen ill to swine flu and at least 68 have died – most of them young and otherwise healthy – has prompted global health officials to scramble to contain the virus and keep the outbreak from spreading globally.

Mexican officials have closed schools, museums, and libraries in Mexico City and begun screening air traveler for symptoms of the disease. They are also warning residents to take precautions like avoiding public places and spurning handshakes or kisses. U.S. officials are responding to at least eight cases of swine flu have been detected in California, near the Mexican border.

While the media is quick to throw around words like "pandemic" and invoke images of the devastating 1918 Spanish flu which claimed the lives of more than 50 million people worldwide, global health organizations and government officials appear to be taking a more deliberate approach to allay fears and contain the potential outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and their counterparts in Canada are determined to utilize detection and prevention methods not available in 1918 to avoid a repeat of history. The CDC has sent investigators to California and is planning to send a team to Texas. They have also begun work on creating a vaccine and issued an “outbreak notice” alerting U.S. citizens traveling to Mexico to take steps to protect themselves.

"We do not know whether this swine flu virus or some other influenza virus will lead to the next pandemic. However, scientists around the world continue to monitor the virus and take its threat seriously," Richard E. Besser, acting director of the CDC, said in a telephone briefing.

Besser directed concerned individuals to the CDC’s web page as well as one devoted specifically to pandemic flu for updates on the investigation and directions on how to prevent the spread of flu virus. The CDC is also utilizing its CDC Emergency Twitter feed to communicate the latest news.

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Read More: Health And Human Services (HHS), Public Health, Others, California, Texas

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jumpy_monkey
April 25, 2009 2:26 PM

Well thanks for the warning, I'll tread carefully around your fragile "don't question me" psyche. However, given that there have been

panek
April 25, 2009 2:27 PM

I wrote about this before but...

What you're missing is that there are ~60-80 suspected dead in the last two weeks, and by no means has this been contained. Today the number of suspected infected in Mexico is 1000, it was 800 yesterday. www.jg-tc.com/.../d97pgub80.txt

There are only 60 dead as of now. This number will rise. A pandemic is just an epidemic (a localized outbreak occurring at a rate above the background or normal rate of infection) occurring in multiple international jurisdictions. Until this moves definitively beyond Mexico, and right now it doesn't seem that the outbreak in the U.S. is spreading, then this remains an epidemic.

There were 20 dead just 3 days ago. The fact that a city of 20 million has shut down all schools is a pretty big indication of just how serious this is. That's 6.1 million students. Major events like concerts and particularly soccer games are now being played in empty stadiums.

Canada has already reported several sick travelers returning from Mexico. While it's unclear whether they are infected with the same virus, at least one case has been confirmed (in Ontario). Meanwhile, Texas and California have confirmed cases as well. www.time.com/.../0,8599,1893939,00.html

There is also question whether an outbreak of flu at an NYC school is linked to the same virus. wcbstv.com/.../swine.flu.nyc.2.994071.html There are now reports that the NYC students had recently been to Mexico (still no swine virus confirmed though) www.nasdaq.com/.../stock-market-news-story.aspx

The CDC seems to suggest that, as far as in the United States, it's too late to contain the outbreak. in.reuters.com/.../idINTRE53N64X20090424

Some comments at BBC from medical personnel in Mexico City also indicate the gravity of the situation on the ground (vaccines do not seem to be working). news.bbc.co.uk/.../8018428.stm

When it comes to outbreaks of influenza, you should be happy at the hype, as it is definitely warranted.

EDIT: If there are any questions, fire away. I'll keep a rolling FAQ.

1. Why is this flu killing mostly younger adults?

New and virulent strains of flu have the potential to cause a cytokine storm (an overreaction of the body's immune system). Younger adults have stronger immune systems and thus this overreaction can be deadly.

2. Will the seasonal vaccine protect against this strain of swine flu?

It is unlikely, if likely at all, that the seasonal vaccine will confer any protection. Despite that the seasonal vaccine has an H1N1 component, it appears that this strain is far too distant from that targeted by the seasonal vaccine. It will be a minimum of 3 months before a vaccine against this strain is widely available.

3. Is there treatment for this strain of swine flu?

Right now both Tamiflu (tablet) and Relenza (inhaled powder) are effective; however, there is a chance that the swine flu virus will mutate and become resistant.

4. Why is this called swine flu?

The particular virus normally infects pigs; however, if the pig virus and a human strain of influenza infect the same human cell, they can recombine making a virus capable of transmitting from human-to-human. It is very clear that human-to-human transmission is occurring now.

Nomad
April 26, 2009 3:49 AM

I've heard from a few different sources that there would be no vaccination for such a rare virus as the Swine Flu, I hope this isn't the case

Maggie
April 26, 2009 1:23 PM

I wonder if this will prompt our government in the US to finally protect us against illegal entry into the US. In addition to the free birthing service they come here for and citizenship provisions for their children so the adults can anchor in, I wonder if we will see a swell of people entering illegally for health services for this deadly virus. Think our government cares?