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H1N1 flu facts
The Advocate
With 1,516 confirmed cases of H1N1 in 22 countries as of Thursday, the nations of the world have had a broad variety of responses to the threat of a pandemic.
Egypt is slaughtering every pig in their country; Afghanistan has quarantined the only pig within its borders; an Israeli health official has called for the illness to be renamed “Mexican Flu;” and the U.N. World Health Organization refuses to recognize any other official name for the illness besides Swine Flu.
Although the virus may have originated from exposure to infected pigs — suspected “patient zero” is a 5-year-old Mexican boy living in a village in close proximity to a number of pig farms in Veracruz — the CDC says there is no risk of the virus spreading through the consumption of pork or pork products.
The H1N1 Flu was originally called the swine flu due to the fact that laboratory testing showed that a number of the genes in the virus were similar to those found in viruses that normally occur in pigs in North America. After further study, it was revealed that the virus contains not only two genes found in normal pig influenzas but also a gene found in avian flu and a gene found in the human flu.
The most likely means of infection is, in fact, exposure to other infected humans. Exposure to the sneezes or coughs of someone with the virus, as well as touching an object exposed to H1N1 germs and then touching the mouth or nose, are the most likely forms of exposure.
The CDC has also advised that people cancel all non-essential travel to Mexico.
Heath officials have identified 45 cases of H1N1 in Oregon: 16 in Polk County, 11 in Multnomah, eight in Lane, four in Marion, three in Washington, two in Umatilla and one in Clackamas.
Although H1N1 has only claimed two lives in the United States, both in Texas, the CDC advises that people take extra care now and in the upcoming flu season to prevent the spread of the virus.
The response to the influenza outbreak in Oregon and the rest of the United States has been one of education and preparedness. It is advised that people take preventative measures normally used during the regular flu season due to the similarities of how the standard flu and the H1N1 flu are spread.
With 642 laboratory confirmed cases of the H1N1 influenza in the United States in such a short period of time, and more than 1,600 cases confirmed in Mexico, it may be expected that the U.S. would have one of the most panicked and hasty responses to the sudden outbreak. However this is not the first time the United States has had to deal with a lethal influenza outbreak.
In 1918, as the first World War was coming to its end, a deadly strain of influenza was spreading worldwide. The virus would infect one-fifth of the world’s population and claim an estimated 50 million lives before its end. The total casualties were more than triple that of World War I.
Response to this new plague was stern and effective. All non-essential gatherings were prohibited, resulting in the closure of theaters, saloons and dance halls. While these regulations were in place, scientific and medical experts formulated new techniques for dealing with the illness. The calm, decisive response of America’s leaders combined with the cooperation of the populous is greatly credited with ending the pandemic