Swine Flu - CATCH IT. BIN IT. KILL IT.

April 30th, 2009

Swine Flu is spreading across the world and there seems to be very little that we can do to stop it, at the moment.

There are now 166 confirmed cases of Swine Flu in countries speading across the world, including Mexico (where it is believed to have originated), Canada, UK, Israel, South Africa and Australia. Sadly there have also been 9 confirmed deaths, 1 in the US and 8 in Mexico.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the outbreak as a major concern and has raised the official global alert level to phase five out of six.

But what actually is Swine Flu? In its simplest term, Swine Flu is a respiratory disease which infects pigs. It does not usually infect humans but there have been cases in the past where it has been passed from pig to human. Usually with someone who has had close contact with pigs. However, The Telegraph report that there have previously been

‘rare documented cases of humans passing the infection to other humans”.

Apparently the current swine flu outbreak in Mexico contains DNA usually found in avian and human viruses. It can pass from human to human and there are concerns that it could become a pandemic.

So what can we do?

The first thing to do is NOT TO PANIC! Chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson said today that the UK would see many more cases of swine flu but most people would make a good recovery, reported by The Guardian. As with any flu there will be some deaths particularly to the more susceptible, often the very old and the very frail.

The second thing is CATCH IT. BIN IT. KILL IT. Sneeze and cough directly into a tissue, then throw the tissue into a bin and wash your hands immediately to stop any germs from spreading.

Entry Filed under: health