What you need to know about swine flu
Health officials have confirmed today that the number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S. has reached sixty eight, and public health officials are recommending Americans not travel to Mexico unless necessary.
The CDC said the country has 68 confirmed cases across six states, with 45 in New York, 13 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one each in Indiana and Ohio, according to the CDC and states. Of the seven hospitalized, two are in New York, three are in California and two are in Texas.
It's important to note for our readers that no known cases of swine flu exist in Washington. Governor Gregoire has requested federal resources (antibiotics anti-viral medication) on standby, should they be necessary, but Washington is not currently experiencing an outbreak.
You can find information about swine flu and how to take precautions to avoid it on the Department of Health's website. Most importantly:
Although this new virus is called “swine flu,” it is not transmitted from pigs to humans, or from eating pork products. Like other respiratory diseases, it is spread from person to person through coughs and sneezes. When people cough or sneeze, they spread germs through the air or onto surfaces that other people may touch. [emphasis mine]
# Posted by Ken Camp : 7:58 PM
Comments:
I was surprised at the mention that Gregoire is stocking up on antibiotics because I was told that these do not work on viruses, but only on bacteria. I did a quick search and sure enough, this is true:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-illness/treatment/medicine/medications/question88.htm
So... What are the antibiotics for?
Ah. Just went to your link. They are stocking up on antiviral medication such as tamiflu, not antibiotics.
These days there's more articles about it in the news
than people who have actually contracted swine flu
more people gonna die driving in their cars
but that don't make news like new flus or SARS
35,000 deaths occur every flu season
we weren't concerned last year, what's the reason?
i'm not saying that you shouldn't be worried
but worry on the news gets bigger in a hurry
to hear me rap my full opinion, watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uSXwbOMV3E
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