Swine flu has taken over the news lately, so this week I decided to write a little bit about it. Just when I thought flu season was coming to an end, I now have to worry about catching a disease form a pig. The way it sounds, Mexico and the United States, as well as the World Health Organization are working to prevent and find a source of this flu, which they fear may become a pandemic. It's scary to think about, but there aren't any cases in ND.
This article states that Mexicans are warned not to shake hands and keep a safe distance from others. The article also states that some feel there's no need to take precautionary measures yet. Let's think about that... Valley City residents and businesses said the night before the sewer collapse that there wasn't need to be so cautious yet. Yeah.
I certainly don't want swine flu in my area, so why can't the WHO do something to keep those infected out of human contact? One thing I hope health officials do is prevent this disease from spreading further. Reading about this kind of stuff is all very, very confusing. I am well aware of diseases in animals that humans can catch (bird flu, Mad Cow, etc.), but I always thought that was rare. Does my dog catch a cold when I have one?! :) Anyway, apparently swine flu is being spread by human-to-human contact. This makes it much easier to spread.
To add to the confusion, this is an interesting little blog I found about the swine flu. It talks about the possibility that this flu was produced in a lab because it has genes from human flu, bird flu, and swine flu. I'm not sure how credible this is, but I thought I'd share. After doing a quick Google search, I realized that this doctor isn't the only one who has conspiracy theories in his head about the outbreak.
Do you have any thoughts on the swine flu? Do you think it will become a pandemic?
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This does appear serious as yesterday Texas canceled all high school athletic events until May 11. I was talking to my sister the other day when she brought up this conspiracy theory about it being man-made. I'm no expert on infectious diseases, but according to many doctors it does sound a little suspicious. Thankfully, for now it appears that the flu drugs Relenza and Tamiflu are effectively treating it. I'm sure we have not heard the last about swine flu, but hopefully we can avoid the pandemic stage.
ReplyDeleteConspiracy theorists exist when any event happens. Whether or not they are credible is another issue. Sometimes these conspiracies actually end up being false while others prove to be incorrect. Either way, they are a great way to form a set of checks and balances for many powerful organizations. The swine flu is a scary thing as there is no vaccine for it. People just need to use common sense and do what they can to prevent it.
ReplyDeleteI also blogged about Swine flu, and something I plan to do after I respond to your blog is look up the definition of pandemic and epidemic. I do not know the difference!
ReplyDeleteThis past week my mother made a ham for dinner when my family came to visit. I noticed my sister did not eat ANY and she usually has a fair amount because she loves it! It is funny how the name of this type of flu has affected the way people view pigs. Just because you eat ham or touch a pig does not mean you are more likely to get "swine flu". Good post!
Heidi,
ReplyDeleteI too wrote about swine flu for week 14. First off, I must say thank you for putting the blog numbers in with your titles. It makes things so much easier to respond too!! I must say I am freaking out a little bit over this. I don’t know why I just have this feeling that people aren’t taking things seriously enough. I found the man-made virus theory really interesting to read about. Stranger things have happened I suppose.