Should we start wearing masks in public now?
Today, the swine flu is causing significant pain on financial markets, having reportedly spread to Korea, Israel, Germany, and China. Officials with the WHO say it is too early to tell if the swine flu is a pandemic, but it does have the potential to be one. In the next few days and weeks, health experts expect us to get a better understanding of just how serious this strain of swine flu is and how quickly it is spreading. The deadly new strain of swine flu is threatening to spread into a global pandemic as cases appear in the United States, Canada and as far afield as Israel and New Zealand. The outbreak of swine flu is hurting global stock markets for a second day as investors mull the potential damage to the economy.
The World Health Organization raised its global alarm level to 4 signifying that the world is one step closer to a pandemic (level 6).
The probable death toll in Mexico from the outbreak has risen to 103 people, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova has told Mexican television. The worrisome new virus — which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before — also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the U. ? Suspected swine flu deaths in Mexico rises to 159, with 26 confirmed. Severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection outside the US.
Hand-washing, mask-wearing and other measures will help prevent the spread, Napolitano said explaining how the public can help slow potential contaminations.
Posted: April 30th, 2009 under Health Treatments.