There are a lot of reasons to be afraid these days with terrorism, war, and domesitc crimes. So, when there's a "new" disease looming to infect and kill the masses it can be somewhat unnerving. Such is the case with the swine flu.
Here's what we think we know: The swine flu came from Mexico and spread around the world in what seemed to be a matter of days. Health officials were so alarmed that they closed schools in some American cities, and quarantined tourists in China. FAST FORWARD... now, President Obama is strongly suggesting Americans wash their hands and cover their mouths to avoid spreading the disease. Thousands of human guinea pigs have volunteered across the country to test the swine flu vaccine, which is expected to prevent spreading the disease among those most at risk. But by the time those tests are complete, it may be too late by some estimates.
Right now, the disease might be out of control. No longer a pandemic, but an EPIDEMIC. Already, college campuses are breeding grounds for the disease to spread. Health departments are no longer counting cases in localities; only hospitalized patients are documented. The good news, at least from my observation point, is most of those who are displaying the so-called flu-like symptoms are far from being deathly ill. Let's hope it stays that way.
The federal government announced this week it is prepared to handle a swine flu outbreak. Let's hope so, or else it could be a situation similar to the response of Hurricane Katrina with much more dire consequences.
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