This recently swine flu outbreak isn’t the first time that there has been concern over a version of swine flu. In 1976, there was a public health scare that also focused around the potential spread of swine flu. The US government implemented a swine flu vaccination program in an attempt to stop the potential spread. These are a series of public service commercials that ran in the United States in 1976 which urged people to get the swine flu shot and also talked about the danger of spreading the germs to other people.
The spread of the swine flu outbreak continues. The latest confirmed case of swine flu in the United States had surfaced in Indiana. A student at Notre Dame reported swine flu symptoms earlier in the week. The results confirming the swine flu infection have been returned which forced the Indiana government to make a public statement. At the moment, the main advice from Indiana regarding swine flu is for people in the state to stop shaking hands. Officials are worried that people will be helping to spread swine flu if they shake hands with somebody that doesn’t practice the best personal hygiene. The student at the center of the Notre Dame swine flu case has not traveled to Mexico. Which, once again, confirms that swine flu is spreading on its own.
The world moved a step closer to a global swine flu pandemic as the World Health Organization confirms that they are aware of 73 official cases of swine flu around the world. They spokesperson for the WHO conceded that there are likely more cases but could only discuss those which have been properly confirmed to be swine flu. In this highly informative press conference, the WHO spokesperson also expresses doubt that airport screening will do much to prevent spread of swine flu. He says that a person carrying swine flu may not show any symptoms at the stage in which they are the most infectious. However, he stated he understood the need for nations to put on any protections they could muster while so much is still unknown about the nature of the Mexican swine flu.
Behind every swine flu statistic is a real person. This Texas family is showing swine flu syptoms and so they have been put into quarantine as a precaution. In this interview with Larry King the family put a human face on swine flu quarantine. The mother of the Texas swine flu family discusses the symptoms that her children have displayed. They also talk about the process of having been put into home quarantine. The family say that nobody in their family has recently been to Mexico. Which suggests that Mexican swine flu may very well be spreading on its own which takes the world a step closer to a swine flu pandemic.
India has become the latest country to issue a swine flu related travel advisory. The country, along with many across the globe, are working to prevent the swine flu outbreak spreading. India is advising citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to countries which have confirmed cases of swine flu. According to this news broadcast, that includes Mexico, United States and the United Kingdom amongst others. This vide also explains the Indian government’s plan for screening passengers coming into the country from parts of the world infected with swine flu.
In some ways, Asia has been through this all before. Prior to this recent swine flu scare, Asia had to deal with the fear of Sars. Still, that doesn’t mean that Asian governments aren’t worried about the possibility of Mexican swine flu spreading to their own countries. In an attempt to prevent a swine flu pandemic, airports throughout Asia have introduced thermal scanning which will help to identify passengers which may be running temperatures in align with known swine flu symptoms. Immigration officials at many Asian airports are also now requiring passengers to inform them if they have recently been in countries with confirmed cases of swine flu. These countries include Mexico, New Zealand, Israel, Canada and the United States. The list is likely to grow as swine flu symptoms continue to be reported across the globe.
All of this buzz about swine flu can mean that the actual swine flu facts get buried amongst rumor. If you are looking for nothing but swine flu facts then check out this video from Dr. Mona. She goes through a series of the most commonly asked swine flu questions and gives a very clear answer to each. The swine flu questions range from explaining the origins of swine flu to if it is safe to eat pork. She is very up to date with her swine flu facts in relation to the spread of the swine flu outbreak and advice on how to best prevent catching Mexican swine flu.
Everybody is talking about swine flu but what is swine flu anyway? This is an excellent video put together by the Boston Public Health commission that very clearly explains swine flu. The doctor puts swine flu into everyday terms and explains swine flu symptoms and what to do if you think you have swine flu. This is explained in both how to take care of your own health and also how to minimize the risk of you spreading swine flu to the greater public.
The doctor also talks about swine flu masks. She talks about if they work and how to properly wear a swine flu mask if you do decide to wear one. Possibly the most important swine flu information that is expressed in this video is the need to call your doctor first prior to visiting if you think you are displaying swine flu symptoms. This is so that they can prepare to treat any swine flu symptoms without putting other members of the public at risk.
It turns out that the United Kingdom was correct to be concerned about the possibility of swine flu spreading to the UK. British health secretary, Alan Johnson, took to the dispatch box today to confirm the first verified cases of Mexican swine flu in the United Kingdom. The first two cases of swine flu in the UK have appeared in Scotland in individuals who had recently returned from Mexico. At the moment, they are showing mild swine flu symptoms. However, they are being kept in isolation as a public health precaution.
In his statement to the House, Alan Johnson gave advice for both swine flu prevention and on recognizing swine flu symptoms. He also stated that the UK has enough stockpiled anti-viral medication to administer to roughly half of the British population should recent cases spread into a swine flu pandemic.
Probably the most striking image of the swine flu outbreak in Mexico has been the many people that have been shown wearing swine flu masks. People coming off flights from Mexico are nearly all wearing these swine flu masks in an attempt to protect both themselves and anybody else that may come in contact with them. The question is - do these masks actual work to protect anybody from catching swine flu?
This video is one view on if the masks will prevent transmission of swine flu and also discusses alternative ways of naturally shortening your risk of catching this or any other airborne germs.
