Swine flu less severe, but still around

A Severna Park school got big headlines and a thorough cleaning after a family fell ill. Drug companies scrambled to create a vaccine, and health workers rushed to give people the shot.

Before all but disappearing this spring, swine flu claimed 45 lives in Maryland, and accounted for 1,100 hospitalizations.

But now, swine flu is practically a distant memory.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared an end to the global pandemic of the virus, which officially is called H1N1.

"The new H1N1 virus has largely run its course," Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general, said in making the announcement on Aug. 10.

But, she warned, that doesn't mean H1N1 is gone for good.

It turns out that H1N1 may be turning into yet another strain of flu that circulates during flu season.

"It's kind of run its course. Since we have some immunity in the population, it turns into any other seasonal influenza," said Dr. Kelly Russo, acting deputy county health officer.

The flu vaccine for the upcoming flu season combats three strains of flu, one of which is H1N1, said Frances B. Phillips, deputy secretary for the state Department of Health and Human Services.

H1N1 is one of the strains making people sick right now in the Southern Hemisphere, which is currently in its flu season, Phillips said.

The H1N1 strain is still worrisome for the same reasons it freaked out so many people when it showed up last year: It hits young children the hardest.

"This is a virus that affects young people more severely," Phillips said.

That's why it's important for children and adults alike to get vaccinated against the flu, either through a shot or the nasal spray, she said.

For the first time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that every American - of all ages, whether healthy or with medical problems - should get the flu vaccine.

Also, children ages 6 months to 8 years should get two flu shots the first year they're vaccinated. Kids who got only one shot last year and didn't get the H1N1 vaccine should get two shots this year, according to the CDC.

Parents unsure of their child's previous shot status should go ahead and get two shots this year, Russo said.

Flu Chart

We saw this cool Flu Chart, released by Stroller Traffic, and thought our readers would find it useful! It is a very straight forward comparison symptoms of colds, seasonal flu and h1n1. Definitely worth checking.

Click here to access the chart.

Three cases of swine flu has confirmed in Baltimore

Baltimore has its first three confirmed cases of H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, the city health department said Sunday.

All of the three people infected with the virus are adults, but not elderly, according to health officials. One of the people who fell ill is in a local hospital.

Health officials have released few details about the infected individuals, citing confidentiality.

The three cases are still under investigation, according to Dr. Anne Bailowitz, medical director for Environmental Health and Emergency Programs at the City Health Department.

To date, there have been 46 confirmed cases reported in Maryland, according to the health department. There have been no deaths resulting from the virus in the state.

"We continue to closely monitor these cases and the spread of H1N1 flu here in the city," Interim Commissioner Olivia Farrow said in a news release. "The outbreak of H1N1 in Maryland continues to involve generally mild symptoms similar to ordinary seasonal flu."

Initially, the virus caused widespread panic. But health officials now believe that cases have been mostly mild. Health officials have even backed off on closing schools at which students are sick.

In a statement, Mayor Sheila Dixon said: "I urge city residents to do their part to stop the spread of this illness by washing their hands frequently, practicing good cough hygiene and staying home if flu-like symptoms do develop."

source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.swineflu25may25,0,1036062.story

Family Of Woman Who Died While Sick With Swine Flu

HARLINGEN, Texas - The family of a woman from Harlingen, who died of the swine flu, is exploring the possibility of filing a wrongful death lawsuit.

Steven Trunnell, husband of Judy Trunnell, who died May 5, has filed a discovery petition in court against Smithfield Foods, Inc. and its subsidiary Granjas Carroll de Mexico.

The widower Trunnell says in the petition that Smithfield Foods, Inc. has a pig farm in Mexico, where the swine flu is believed to have originated. He says the pigs are kept in deplorable conditions on the farm in La Gloria.

Judy Trunnell, 33, had given birth to a baby by emergency caesarian section approximately two weeks before her death. She worked as a special education teacher in the Mercedes Independent School District.

Trunnell's death was the first reported swine flu death in the U.S.

source: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/health/090513_swine_flu_victim_husband_lawsuit

General Instructions for Disposable Respirators

This podcast, intended for the general public, demonstrates how to put on and take off disposable respirators that are to be used in areas affected by the influenza outbreak.