Today, the World Health Organization claims that the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, more widely known as the swine flu, has killed 1,154 deaths around the world. Of all the deaths, 1,008 occurred in the Americas, 65 in Southeast Asia, 41 in Europe, 39 in the Western Pacific region and one in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Health officials from the CDC are claiming that the swine flu could affect 40% of Americans this year. If this is true, the swine flu will be a major global pandemic in 2009 and 2010. Many countries are in the process of planning major vaccination campaigns. A vaccine is being worked on and is expected to be available in the fall.

While in essence, the swine flu is just like the regular flu, it is still very important for people to watch for any symptoms. The swine flu is especially dangerous for people 65 years and older, children younger than five years old, pregnant women, and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions. So far, the largest number of cases have occurred in people between the ages of 5 and 24 years old. At this time, there are few cases and no deaths reported in people older than 64 years old, which is unusual when compared with the regular flu. However, people ages 65 and older still need to take caution.

The symptoms of swine flu are just like the symptoms of the regular flu, which are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. If you have these symptoms, you could possibly be sick for a week or longer. You should avoid contact with people so you don’t spread the virus. If your illness persists or your symptoms become much more severe and you have difficulty breathing, it is urgent to seek medical care.

It is important to be cautious to protect yourself, your family, and your community. And most importantly, stay informed so you can be aware of what is going on.

The CDC has great information on their website about the swine flu.

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