"Swine Flu Rumors" Often Just Another Norovirus Outbreak
We are certain we could greatly up the number of hits on this blog if we re-named it "Swine Flu Rumors," but that would be wrong.
However, we have seen and for a time will continue to see national reporters asking federal health officials about rumors of Swine Flu that are in fact nothing more than our old friend, the Norovirus.
Take UOP in Des Plaines, IL for example. Its a manufacturing technology company and 46 of its workers were suddenly out with flu-like symptoms.
A Cook County Department of Public Health investigation found all were down with Norovirus and it was traced to an ill food worker.
So it was food-borne illness, and rumors of Swine Flu were proved to be unfounded.
Still we have brought it up, here are the latest Swine Flu numbers for the United States along with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) statement from this morning:
Swine Influenza (Flu)
Swine Flu website last updated April 30, 2009, 10:30 AM ET In response to an intensifying outbreak in the United States and internationally caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5 The United States Government has declared a public health emergency in the United States. CDC’s response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency. CDC is issuing and updating interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against this new virus.
(As of April 30, 2009, 10:30 AM ET)
Arizona
1
California
14
Indiana
1
Kansas
2
Massachusetts
2
Michigan
1
Nevada
1
New York
50
Ohio
1
South Carolina
Texas
1
TOTAL COUNTS
109 cases
1 death
International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection
See: World Health Organization
on April 29, 2009. A Phase 5 alert is a “strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.”
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