A five-year-old boy who lives in a small village in Mexico is said to be the first human patient to have contracted the swine flu virus. In his home village of La Gloria, the young child named Edgar Hernandez has survived his bout with the new influenza strain known as H1N1 and is now fully recovered.
The village has a population of around 3,000 people and is located near several pig farms. The outbreak was first reported on April 2nd, 2009 and prompted the arrival of health officials, who took several biological samples from sufferers in the village. Edgar's case was found to be the only swine flu virus infection at the time, and the rest of the samples taken from individuals were found to be only normal human influenza strains.
People across Mexico and the United States, the two countries so far who have been impacted most by the swine flu virus, are running scared for their lives! Not really, but President Obama says the outbreak is not cause for alarm, only for concern. People should remain watchful for swine flu symptoms in others they come in contact with. Mexico City public venues were ordered to be closed, and several other countries throughout the world saw governments and municipal authorities issuing precautions to their citizens regarding safe and proper care of themselves and others they come in contact with, including the exercise of caution and proper hygiene. So far it is not believed that pork which has been properly handled is able to spread viral infection of the swine flu from pigs to humans.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
First Confirmed Swine Flu Death in U.S.
The first fatality in the United States due to the swine flu has now been reported as of this morning. Today it is confirmed that a child has been the first casualty of death by swine flu in this late breaking pandemic scare. This first of the swine flu deaths in the U.S. has occurred in Texas, reports the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
While over 2,500 cases of the swine flu have now been suspected around the world, only just over 100 (112, to be exact) have actually been confirmed. The worldwide swine flu scare has people wearing surgical masks and being extra cautious when entering public places. Hundreds of public venues were ordered to be closed by Mexican officials until early May.
A disease outbreak that occurs on a large scale often has many individuals becoming afraid due to the media craze that inevitably surrounds it. While mass media such as television, radio, and the internet are often the best media through which to communicate the seriousness of an outbreak like the swine flu virus, the methods by which media outlets report the news is also very important for staving off the knee-jerk reactions that many people have and maintaining a calm atmosphere in the midst of a stressful time. The media at large, however, does not often do this job efficiently, and we have seen a repeat of historical methods in this latest swine flu outbreak.
While over 2,500 cases of the swine flu have now been suspected around the world, only just over 100 (112, to be exact) have actually been confirmed. The worldwide swine flu scare has people wearing surgical masks and being extra cautious when entering public places. Hundreds of public venues were ordered to be closed by Mexican officials until early May.
A disease outbreak that occurs on a large scale often has many individuals becoming afraid due to the media craze that inevitably surrounds it. While mass media such as television, radio, and the internet are often the best media through which to communicate the seriousness of an outbreak like the swine flu virus, the methods by which media outlets report the news is also very important for staving off the knee-jerk reactions that many people have and maintaining a calm atmosphere in the midst of a stressful time. The media at large, however, does not often do this job efficiently, and we have seen a repeat of historical methods in this latest swine flu outbreak.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Swine Flu And The World Markets
The stock market in the U.S. as well as many financial markets across the globe are normally affected by such things as disease outbreaks, but in our current world financial situation the markets are already on shaky footing as it is. The swine flu scare comes at a time when markets seem to be making slight headway in terms of mounting a recovery effort and retracing some of the losses that have plagued them in recent months.
With the threat of a new disease pandemic, the swine flu symptoms everyone is so afraid about are having somewhat of an effect on the performance of the day-to-day market trading in the New York Stock Exchange, as well as other markets in countries of Asia and Europe, who trade at different times of day. The negative movement in the markets is sure to pass eventually, but for now it is becoming a nuisance as people seek to educate themselves as to the symptoms of the swine flu and what effect health organizations believe it will have on the world's population over time.
With the threat of a new disease pandemic, the swine flu symptoms everyone is so afraid about are having somewhat of an effect on the performance of the day-to-day market trading in the New York Stock Exchange, as well as other markets in countries of Asia and Europe, who trade at different times of day. The negative movement in the markets is sure to pass eventually, but for now it is becoming a nuisance as people seek to educate themselves as to the symptoms of the swine flu and what effect health organizations believe it will have on the world's population over time.
Swine Flu Scare
The swine flu scare is just one of many pandemic or epidemic scares in recent years involving a dangerous and communicable disease that health officials believe has the capability to spread to a large number of people at a very rapid pace, thereby rendering hundreds or thousands of people extremely sick across a geographical area. This has caused widespread panic in many locations as people struggle to identify and quarantine individuals who begin to show swine flu symptoms.
Other disease scares that have taken place during the last few decades have been the West Nile Virus scare, which was brought and carried by mosquitos, and the Avian Flu (or the Bird Flu, as it was commonly referred to or called). The new strain of the swine flu is said to include genetic material from several strains of flu, including the more common human influenza, the avian/bird flu, and another type of swine flu strain more commonly found in the eastern hemisphere throughout parts of Europe and Asia.
For this reason, its existence and spread throughout the western world is largely a surprise to many health organizations and the swine flu outbreak scare has caused quite a stir in many places throughout the U.S. The swine flu is not life-threatening unless it goes untreated, but it can cause death if this is the case.
Other disease scares that have taken place during the last few decades have been the West Nile Virus scare, which was brought and carried by mosquitos, and the Avian Flu (or the Bird Flu, as it was commonly referred to or called). The new strain of the swine flu is said to include genetic material from several strains of flu, including the more common human influenza, the avian/bird flu, and another type of swine flu strain more commonly found in the eastern hemisphere throughout parts of Europe and Asia.
For this reason, its existence and spread throughout the western world is largely a surprise to many health organizations and the swine flu outbreak scare has caused quite a stir in many places throughout the U.S. The swine flu is not life-threatening unless it goes untreated, but it can cause death if this is the case.
Swine Flu Symptoms
The symptoms of swine flu are known to be very much like the typical symptoms you would experience when coming down with the common influenza. However, swine flu symptoms manifest themselves in many ways and in areas which seem to have originated in Mexico and spread to the United States.
So far there have been several thousand possible cases of swine flu in Mexico and the U.S., but very few of these flu-like symptoms have actually been confirmed as being swine flu and not the normal seasonal influenza virus. The Center For Disease Control in the United States is now in the process of attempting to contain this disease, as continued outbreaks have been occurring in small doses and isolated areas throughout the country.
Most of these outbreaks involve individuals who took a recent trip to Mexico and came back to their respective homes in the states feeling sick with influenza-like symptoms. Swine flu symptoms can occur just as suddenly, and what has been more puzzling to authorities is how the swine flu has killed young adults, who are supposed to be the most healthy, resistant to disease, and most likely to overcome an illness, whereas the swine flu has not been fatal in other people.
So far there have been several thousand possible cases of swine flu in Mexico and the U.S., but very few of these flu-like symptoms have actually been confirmed as being swine flu and not the normal seasonal influenza virus. The Center For Disease Control in the United States is now in the process of attempting to contain this disease, as continued outbreaks have been occurring in small doses and isolated areas throughout the country.
Most of these outbreaks involve individuals who took a recent trip to Mexico and came back to their respective homes in the states feeling sick with influenza-like symptoms. Swine flu symptoms can occur just as suddenly, and what has been more puzzling to authorities is how the swine flu has killed young adults, who are supposed to be the most healthy, resistant to disease, and most likely to overcome an illness, whereas the swine flu has not been fatal in other people.
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