Tag: swine flu

Hospitals around the country are beginning to restrict visitors due to concerns they may bring swine flu with them.

Many people, even those who get flu shots for other forms of flu, seem resistant to the idea of taking the swine flu vaccine.

Yesterday, stuck on a plane that sat on the runway for over an hour, I couldn't help but wonder if I was being subjected to someone else's flu germs. I wondered what measures airlines would take during the next few months to protect passengers from each other. Will we all be flying with facemasks? Or will airlines require certification that passengers are free of flu symptoms before allowing them to board?

I pretty much stopped flying in early 2008, due to the time and hassle involved with security. I'm just not willing to arrive at an airport two hours before departure, stand in line and then sit cramped among strangers for hours, unless there's a really good reason.

I have more concerns about catching something on an airplane than I do visitng a jail. I've already gotten a flu shot and will also get the swine flu shot. But what about those who resist? Is it fair to put restrictions on their public movements? Or is it necessary for the greater good?

The evening news reports the number of swine flu cases in the U.S. is now at 45. The U.S. is officially warning against travel to Mexico. The World Health Organization has upped the pandemic alert level.

More cases are expected. On NBC's Nightly News, expert Robert Bazell said those masks you see people wearing do very little. And it's okay to eat pork.

The swine flu outbreak in Mexico may have killed 60 people so far.

Mexico City has closed universities and schools until further notice, suspended all major public events and advised people feeling flu-like symptoms to stay home from work. Mexico City's busiest subway stations are handing out face masks to passengers to use on crowded train carriages. The city government has closed museums, including the popular Anthropology Museum.

It is believed to have spread to the U.S. where 8 cases have been reported (Thankfully, no deaths among them.) This is a strain of flu that is quite dangerous and never been seen before.

The virus is an influenza A virus, carrying the designation H1N1 and is spreading from person to person. It contains DNA from avian, swine and human viruses, including elements from European and Asian swine viruses, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.

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