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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

World Health Organization warns of imminent flu pandemic

Earlier today, the Secretary-General of the World Health Organization raised the level of the pandemic flu alert from level 4 to level 5, warning that the spread of swine flu (H1N1) could lead to widespread human infection.


This is not a time to panic. We should all be getting educated and becoming aware of what public health authorities are saying in our communities. Phase 5 is characterized by the WHO as follows:
Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.
If you live in Washington State, the Department of Health website is your best resource for information, in addition to local public health authorities. Washington has no reported cases of swine flue as of today.

If you live in Oregon, visit the Oregon Public Health Division website. No cases of swine flu have been reported in Oregon.

Idaho residents should go to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare website, which is reporting:
The Idaho State Laboratory has tested 26 samples from people for swine flu infections, with all testing negative. The State and District Health Departments are investigating 12 additional reports of flu-like illnesses in Idaho.
In Alaska, please go to the Alaska Division of Public Health for information in your area. There are no reported cases of swine flu in Alaska, as of today.

And if you're in British Columbia, swine flu has been confirmed in your area and you can go to the Ministry of Health Services website for more information. Cases are reported to have been mild.

Here are the symptoms associated with swine flu:
Symptoms are similar to seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, with some reports of diarrhea and vomiting.
It is important to note again that you cannot contract this strain of the flu by eating pork or pork products.

While there is not yet a vaccine for this strain of the flu, you can take these common-sense measures to protect yourself and your family.
  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
  • Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
  • Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
If you get sick, it is recommended that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

We'll continue to monitor this public health threat and bring you the latest information from the experts as the situation warrants.

Once again, we highly recommend that you visit your state/province's public health authority website and get educated.

UPDATE, 9:35 PM: Six probable cases of swine flu have been reported in King County.
Three cases were reported from the Seattle area -- a high school student, a 27-year-old male and a 33-year-old woman who is a primary care physician.

The other cases are in Snohomish County, where a 6-year-old male and a 34-year-old female were reported infected, and in Spokane, where an adult male was reported stricken.

Officials said samples have been sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for formal confirmation.
We'll post further updates if we hear anything more tonight.

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