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Important Pandemic Flu Links ——Article Continues Below——
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A third of the world’s population could be infected with swine flu if it goes global in the next six to nine months, according to researchers. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 5,251 swine flu cases in 30 countries around the world, resulting in 61 confirmed deaths.
More than 3,000 of those cases have been in the U.S. alone and include three deaths – two in Texas and one in Washington. Illinois currently has the most confirmed cases at 554, with Wisconsin trailing behind at 437. New York and California, which had the most confirmed cases at the beginning of the outbreak, now have 192 and 193 confirmed cases, respectfully.
A pregnant Texas schoolteacher was the first U.S. resident to die from the H1N1 flu virus. According to reports, the woman already had underlying health conditions before contracting the virus. Her baby was delivered by Caesarean section.
U.S. health officials continue to predict that the swine flu will kill some people, much like a seasonal flu does. U.S. officials are recommending schools refrain from closing its doors when a case of swine flu has been confirmed at the school.
A Queens, N.Y., school has reopened its doors after speculations of nearly 1,000 people associated with the school became ill with the swine flu. However, the school only had 45 confirmed cases. Students were welcomed back to class after a many became ill with the virus. New York has been hit the hardest with swine flu illnesses (90 cases), followed closely by Illinois with 82 confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, 16 schools in southern California and 10 schools in Arizona canceled classes last week to reduce the risk of spreading H1N1 Influenza. Several other states have also announced plans to close schools if students are tested positive for influenza.
There are currently 3,009 confirmed cases of the virus in 45 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions’ (CDC) Web site. According to reports, the jump in confirmed cases is due to a backlog of lab tests, not a sudden spur of new infections.
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell is urging schools and childcare agencies to redouble their efforts to teach flu prevention strategies, and to review and update their school safety plans in light of the current swine flu outbreak.
Click here to view five tips to prevent the spread of germs.
Texas officials have canceled several events including its Special Olympics Texas spring games over fears of spreading the swine flu virus. All high school sports competitions in Texas were suspended until May 11 because of fears about the illness – resulting in the baseball season being suspended.
Texas has 206 confirmed cases of the H1N1. Several schools remain close after students in fifth Houston-based school were found to potentially have the virus. More than 172,000 students in the San Antonio region were told to stay home the week of May 4.
The World Health Organization raised the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5 in the first week of May. Dr Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general stated that all countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. According to the organization, at this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities.
Click here to read Dr. Chan’s statement. For WHO updates on this topic, click here.
A toddler from Mexico was the first reported death from H1N1 in the United States. The 2-year-old boy contracted the virus when he traveled from Mexico to a bordering Texas city to visit relatives. According to reports, the boy had other health complications before contracting the virus. The toddler died of pneumonia caused by the flu virus in late April, according to reports.
A pregnant Texas schoolteacher was the first U.S. resident to die from the H1N1 flu virus. According to reports, the woman already had underlying health conditions before contracting the virus. Her baby was delivered by Caesarean section.
U.S. health officials continue to predict that the swine flu will kill some people, much like a seasonal flu does. U.S. officials are recommending schools refrain from closing its doors when a case of swine flu has been confirmed at the school.
A Queens, N.Y., school has reopened its doors after speculations of nearly 1,000 people associated with the school became ill with the swine flu. However, the school only had 45 confirmed cases. Students were welcomed back to
class after a many became ill with the virus. New York has been hit the hardest with swine flu illnesses (90 cases), followed closely by Illinois with 82 confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, 16 schools in southern California and 10 schools in Arizona canceled classes last week to reduce the risk of spreading H1N1 Influenza. Several other states have also announced plans to close schools if students are tested positive for influenza.
There are currently 3,009 confirmed cases of the virus in 45 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions’ (CDC) Web site. According to reports, the jump in confirmed cases is due to a backlog of lab tests, not a sudden spur of new infections.
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell is urging schools and childcare agencies to redouble their efforts to teach flu prevention strategies, and to review and update their school safety plans in light of the current swine flu outbreak.
Click here to view five tips to prevent the spread of germs.
Texas officials have canceled several events including its Special Olympics Texas spring games over fears of spreading the swine flu virus. All high school sports competitions in Texas were suspended until May 11 because of fears about the illness – resulting in the baseball season being suspended.
Texas has 206 confirmed cases of the H1N1. Several schools remain close after students in fifth Houston-based school were found to potentially have the virus. More than 172,000 students in the San Antonio region were told to stay home the week of May 4.
The World Health Organization raised the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5 in the first week of May. Dr Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general stated that all countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. According to the organization, at this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities.
Click here to read Dr. Chan’s statement. For WHO updates on this topic, click here.
A toddler from Mexico was the first reported death from H1N1 in the United States. The 2-year-old boy contracted the virus when he traveled from Mexico to a bordering Texas city to visit relatives. According to reports, the boy had other health complications before contracting the virus. The toddler died of pneumonia caused by the flu virus in late April, according to reports.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed person-to-person transmission of the swine flu virus in the United States.
To view a H1N1 Influenza Tracking Map for Higher Education, provided by the International Association of Emergency Managers – Universities and Colleges Committee (IAEM-UCC), click here.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency on April 28 to respond to the swine flu outbreak. California currently has 49 confirmed cases of H1N1 as two fatalities in Los Angeles were being investigated for possible links to the virus. California was the first U.S. state to confirm a case of the H1N1 virus, according to Fox News.
The Health Department is investigating a cluster of respiratory illness in a non-public school in New York City and has determined that at least 8 students have probable human swine influenza, reported Fox News. More than 100 of the school’s students were absent several days this week due to fever, sore throats and other flu-like symptoms. Reports speculate that “several hundreds” of school children in New York have been infected by the flu virus.
Further north of New York, University of Vermont officials also took precautions. Emergency managers at the school said they are following news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO, Campus Safety magazine has learned.
In the Washington D.C. area, the Children’s National Medical Center is monitoring flu reports and posted a fact sheet about the illness on its Web site. At nearby Howard University Hospital, the chief of infectious diseases asked hospital administrators to discuss swine flu and procedures for caring for patients who arrive with flu-like symptoms, the Washington Post has reported.
Hospitals have developed protocols for treating people from Mexico and would distribute masks in the Metro subway if the illness becomes more prevalent in the D.C. area, the newspaper reported.
“Those involved in emergency management at the University of Vermont are following carefully the developments regarding the swine flu outbreak in Mexico that has now spread to southern California and Texas,” says William Ballard, the school’s associate vice president of administrative and facilities services. “Although we are far from the action in northern Vermont, it isn’t hard for us to envision a worse case scenario.”
The university has posted a short blurb about swine flu on the emergency management page of its Web site.
The CDC is posting regular updates at its Web site, as well as a video podcast on the topic. The agency also posted a report for health-care professionals that offers recommendations about caring for patients who may be infected with the virus.
See More Related News on Swine Flu:
- Swine Flu Could Hit one in Three
- Despite 2nd U.S. Death, CDC Says Don’t Close Schools for Swine Flu
- VIDEO: How to Prevent the Spread of Swine Flu
- Officials Tell Schools Not To Close for Swine Flu
- U.S. No Longer Advising Schools Close For Swine Flu
- Sixth Md. School Closes Due To Probable Swine Flu Case
- Bay Area Schools Reconsider Swine Flu Closures
- Swine Flu Outbreak One Step Closer to Full Pandemic
- ‘Patient Zero’ in Swine Flu Outbreak Identified as 5-Year-Old Mexican Boy
- Mexican Child Dies From Swine
Flu in Texas - Mexico Criticized For Slow Response To Swine Flu
- Swine Flu Has D.C. Region Preparing
- New York Swine FluOutbreak
