Swine Flu Pandemic?

I just gave a mini-lecture in class about swine flu so I should write about it too!

Everytime I click refresh, new swine cases are popping out (http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu) NOTE: The 6 cases of swine flu from Washington this morning are not even up on CDC website yet (4/30/09; 3:00pm). 

Apparently my friend was working up @ Everett Clinic so I had to call her about the pediatrician confirmed case.  The pediatrician originally thought her symptoms were from allergies and so lab samples were sent into CDC on Monday(CDC is one of the four places in the WORLD that could confirm swine H1N1 subtype, but reagents are being sent to various states now).  She described the flu to be worse than when she got malaria before.

Some info on Swine:

• Swine flu (H1N1) is thought to be passed on from pig to human and then mutanted to transmit from humans-to-humans.  It’s not transmitted from pigs to humans. Pork is safe to eat “so far”.
• Swine flu is thought to be more viralent because infected healthy adults who normall recover from normal flu are dying (from swelling of the lungs that leads to difficult in breathing).
• Tamiflu and Relenza are tested to be sensitive to swine N1H1 and are being used as treatments to swine flu.

Swine flu is treatable but contagious.  The World Health Organization has increased alert level to 5 of 6 levels, indicating “pandemic is iminent”.  The WHO, CDC, and Washington State Department of Health have excellent real-time information about the swine flu!

Why is the world dying?

Where else can we go?

*Prays*