Swine Flu Update: July 10, 2009

New information about the Swine Flu (H1N1) has raised eyebrows recently. Some hedge funds and airports are preparing for the flu – not as preparation for an anticipated natural disaster, but focusing mainly on how to keep their operations going if some of their staff is out sick. Just innocent planning, updating plans already in place… but the fact that they are doing it now should cause a small alarm bell to go off in your head. Scott McPherson says that the worst is yet to come and he presents some pretty alarming numbers along with his prediction.

An illness with flu-like symptoms popped up at Wimbledon during the recent Championships; all four of those affected were told to stay home. “They haven’t been tested for swine flu and they’re not going to be,” a spokesman said. Not very bright on their part. Or perhaps they didn’t test because the Treasury’s empty.

While the number of H1N1 cases is going up, the severity of H1N1 is still mild… unless you happen to have an “underlying medical condition.” The United States is planning a vaccination campaign for the fall, (in addition to the “regular” flu vaccine) and at the moment, it looks as if the H1N1 vaccine will be delivered in two doses. You could protect yourself with a facemask, but there are doubts that they are that effective. BioMask may be the best mask available, and is now available over the counter… in Hong Kong! If you’re not jetting off to Hong Kong for a while, here’s the CDC’s recommendation.

There is still no predicting exactly what is going to happen here – use the internet and your flu resources to keep tracking this illness. Stay informed. You will have to do this on your own, the national media in the United States is not paying attention.

UPDATE: I’ve found more resources for you in my morning search of my sources. Nine more have died from H1N1 in New York City. That’s correct – nine more people have died from H1N1 in an American city. Unless you live in the Northeast, you probably haven’t heard about it. BUT… Michael Jackson is still dead, and that is what is important!

Here’s a report from Johns Hopkins on what we need to be doing now to combat H1N1. Here’s a page from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about what to do if you get flu-like symptoms. CHDers and others with chronic illnesses need to review this link; there are special guidelines for those “at high rick for flu complications” and a list of emergency warning signs.  Here’s another CDC page, about their recommendations to state and local officials for vaccination policies. Again, there is a section that applies to the chronically ill.

And for some first person timely advice, here’s a New York Times article about the school nurse in the center of the worst school outbreak so far.

Tags: CDC, Centers for Disease Control, Flu, H1N1, Pandemic, Swine Flu, Vaccine