Results tagged “swineflu”

Gosh. Everybody seems to be getting a flu shot, getting the flu, or freaking out about something flu-related. So, who are we not to throw fat on fire? We came across Google's new flu features, and we couldn't be more delighted/scared. See, Google will help you get a flu shot and help you find out more where the flu is attacking.

While the rest of the world frets over long vaccine lines, or lack of vaccine doses, we have pressing news for you today: transmitting H1N1 to your cat or dog. Up until last week, veterinarians claimed that "it was a myth that house cats could catch the deadly H1N1 flu from their owners."

There were plenty of predictions this past spring that the H1N1 virus was going to come back to bite us in the ass this winter, and last week a White House advisory panel made some dire predictions of a "worst case scenario" in which half the country could get infected, 1.8 million could end up hospitalized, and 90,000 could die -- which would be more than twice the average for a normal flu season. And as we've seen, this flu has been striking many in the 30- to 45-year-old range who may have a pre-existing condition such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, or obesity -- some scientists believe the virus hasn't affected older people in greater numbers due to some pre-existing immunity from an earlier strain of the flu, perhaps from the early 1960s or before. Hopefully if you have any of these pre-existing conditions, if you're preggers, or if you have school-aged kids, you'll run out and get flu shots in October, and the rest of you will wash your goddamn hands twenty times a day and STAY HOME FROM WORK if you show any symptoms. This ain't no SARS! (Perhaps try one of the stylish animal masks above from Samiraboon.)

In a truly sad note this morning, Doug Murphy, co-owner of Moby Dick and, most recently, Blackbird, died Friday due to complications from the H1N1 virus, better known as swine flu. He was 41 years old, and was in Palm Springs at the time of his infection, and he had not been traveling abroad, according to business partner Shawn Vergara.

A quarantine has been "expanded" at San Quentin due to a probable outbreak of the swine flu epidemic. KTVU reports that "Luis Patino, a spokesman for the federal receiver who oversees medical care at the state's prisons, said Monday that 35 San Quentin prisoners have shown symptoms consistent with the H1N1 virus." What's more, "officials now have isolated 2,100 of the prison's 5,200 inmates. Last week, when the potential cases were limited to one cell block, 800 prisoners were quarantined." All of this, of course, is just precautionary as prison officials are still waiting for test results for confirmation. In related news, Ron Weasley also caught the virus.

CBS5 reports that at least five Bay Area pregnant women in their early third trimesters have been admitted to intensive care units due to complications with the H1N1 swine flu. Two of the women are no longer in ICU, and all of the fetuses appear to be fine. Some of the women were apparently in perfect health before contracting the virus, and others had unnamed underlying conditions.

Following on the heels of yesterday's East Bay flu fatality, making it the third reported H1N1-related casualty in the Bay Area, the World Health Organization upgraded the swine flu to pandemic status today. "The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, MD, warned at a news conference, going on to say, "Countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection."

There are multiple stories from multiple news sources this gray Monday morning concerning all the Bay Area school closures that have been announced due to swine flu fears, and a few scattered cases. It appears that the cases that have cropped up have all been mild, and all the panic stems from the idea that this virus is both new and unpredictable, even though it is not especially widespread nor is it deadly when treated.

Our Gmail account efficiently filters out all undesirable emails, but we hear there's been an onslaught of swine flu "miracle cure" email scams seeking to victimize Grandma's AOL account.

Probably not the best marketing tool at the moment.

Cabo San Lucas turns into a ghost town, more schools close in the East Bay, WHO raises pandemic threat level to 5, hand sanitizer flying off shelves -- Swine Flu Watch 2K9 is in full effect. As of Wednesday evening, there were "12 confirmed or probable cases" of the piggie flu in Contra Costa, Marin, and Santa Clara counties. However, according to public health officials, keeping track of flu case numbers will be "futile" since it's "spreading too fast to count accurately." (Gulp.) What's more, with so many people afraid that they might have caught the swine flu, hospitals are setting up special flu processing centers. That it to say, triage tents and makeshift screening center are being setup, such as the one in the parking lot of Sutter Delta in Antioch.

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 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.

Continue reading "WHO Raises Influenza Pandemic Threat Level To 5"

Swine flu-fearing travelers exit from the international terminal with their faces covered with masks at the SFO on Tuesday.

After one confirmed case of swine flu and thee other possible cases, two Bay Area schools have closed. First, San Jose's Branham High School will be shut down for a week after a student tested positive. The school will reopen May 6. Then, in Pittsburg, Highlands Elementary School was closed down after three fourth-graders have "probable cases" of the rapidly spreading flu. Thirteen other students "either called in sick or were sent home Tuesday with flu-like symptoms" as well. In related news, the first confirmed death in the U.S. from swine flu was reported, a 23-month-old in Houston, Texas

What with the swine flu breaking out in Sacramento, Marin County, and "the possibility that a California man may have died from the disease" (which, actually, wasn't the case) California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency today. According to Sacto Bee, "Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to work together in their responses, allowed some departments to enter into contracts for services and materials and waived some certification requirements at public health labs to expand California's ability to test for the virus." ABC News goes on to report that the U.S. should expect more people in different states to be affected by the swine flu outbreak.

The first two cases of swine flu were just discovered last night. Two Marin residents, an unidentified 60-year-old woman and her 20-month-old granddaughter, just tested positive for swine flu. Both of them, it seems, had just returned from a trip to Mexico. According to SFGate, "The woman and child were described as having had a 'moderate' flu illness after their return from Mexico; the child has already recovered and her grandmother is now experiencing only mild symptoms, according to the Marin County officials. Other family members were tested and were receiving medication as a precaution." To find out more information on swine flu hitting the Bay Area, visit www.marinflu.org. (Swine flu fun fact: In Israel, the government officially renamed it "Mexico flu" because pigs aren't kosher.)

While the Feds want you to nix your travel plans to Mexico and Governor Schwarzenegger says California is (allegedly) prepared for Influenza Watch 2K9, Mayor Gavin Newsom's team says there's no need to panic, folks, even though the swine flu will make its way to SF. "Eventually, someone will come forward. No question, you're going to see a lot more cases. That's the nature of any kind of flu," said Newsom. Dr. Mitch Katz, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, also asked for the public to remain calm, saying, "Were this to become a more serious epidemic, we could dispense [enough medication] rapidly." In the meantime, watch as the swine flu map grows rapidly.

The insane worldwide panic preceding a potential (though unlikely?) worldwide pandemic of swine flu reached new heights today, with Australian flights from California being screened before deplaning and a woman in Hong Kong hospitalized after visiting (gasp!) San Francisco.

In case you can't get enough swine flu information, be sure to follow the Centers for Disease Control's Twitter accounts. CNET has the scoop: "@CDCemergency... is posting new recommendations, bulletins on confirmed cases, and information on antiviral drugs and other ways to deal with or prevent the disease" and "@CDC-eHealth, is updated less often but has some good advice including this link to a CDC site where you can send family and friends a 'handwashing eCard.'" And, naturally, outside of the CDC, there's the all purpose #swineflu—example "My grandpa says he did his part to combat #swineflu by having a pork sandwich today."

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had a press conference to reassure California residents that the state is ready to deal with the swine flu, "I can assure you that at this time there is no reason for alarm, but we want to go and do everything that we can to make sure that we prevent an outbreak here." (Outbreak? But he wasn't in movie.) With the confirmation that a student in Fair Oaks (just outside of Sacramento) has swine flu, there are now eight cases in California. You can watch his press conference here, but the press release also outlines the steps the state is taking ("Ordered increased surveillance statewide for patients with flu-like illness"), as well as some important advice: "Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it." and "Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective."

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map

Now that swine flu hysteria is taking root, Sacramento County may have uncovered a case of swine flu, according to the Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet. This would make it Northern California's first case, with 40 cases already being reported throughout the U.S. "We do have a possible case of a student at St. Mel school in Fair Oaks," claimed Trochet. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have recommended that the school close until we can identify if this virus is indeed the swine flu virus," she said. In related news, the U.S. will begin monitoring the Mexico border, "asking people about fever and illness, looking for people who are ill." Also, the U.S. is asking residents not to travel to Mexico while the public health emergency is underway, even though Obama claims there is not a cause for alarm. (Note: You cannot catch swine flu by eating pork.)

"Much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes," reports AP, the U.S. government officially declared a public health emergency today due to the swine flu. So far, conformed outbreaks are as follows: four (4) people affected in Canada, sickened at least (20) in the U.S. (or 11, depending on which report you want to believe), and "killed dozens" in Mexico.