Swine Flu

This is the latest outbreak to hit the states.  Please, if you have flu like symptoms do not carry your ass to work to contaminate the rest of your co-workers.  If I catch and live through the alleged Chitlin Virus… I am whooping your ass for spreading your germs, lolll.  Again, your co-workers do not want your cooties!  Also, wash your damn hands!!!!

Thank you that is all….

Swine Flu Facts- Associated Press

Deaths: 168 in Mexico, eight confirmed as swine flu and the rest suspected. One confirmed in the United States.

Sickened: 2,498 suspected and 91 confirmed in Mexico; 19 in Canada; 13 in New Zealand; five in Britain; four in Germany; 10 in Spain; two in Israel, and one in Austria.

U.S. cases: 93 confirmed: 51 in New York; 14 in California; 16 in Texas; three in Maine; two in Kansas; two in Massachusetts; and one each in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Arizona and Nevada.

What’s being done in U.S.

Federal government: President Barack Obama said at his Wednesday night news conference that health officials weren’t recommending closing the border with Mexico. From their standpoint, “it would be akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out, because we already have cases here in the United States,” Obama said.

Instead, he said his administration had ramped up screening efforts and made sure needed medical supplies were on hand.

Schools closed: Some schools closed in Illinois, New York City, Texas, California, South Carolina, Connecticut, Minnesota and Ohio. Mexico has suspended all schools until Wednesday.

Masks: Two leading U.S. makers of respiratory masks are ramping up production to keep up with heavy demand from pharmacies.

Victims

A child dies: A Mexico City toddler who traveled to Texas with family to visit relatives has become the first confirmed death in the United States. The boy was nearly 2. He died Monday. Texas officials said the child most likely contracted the illness in Mexico.

Marines hit, too: The Pentagon said a Marine based in southern California has the illness and is under quarantine, along with his roommate.

What to call this

The World Health Organization’s Director-General Margaret Chan said the planet should prepare for a pandemic — and the organization raised its alert level to stage 5, one position shy of pandemic.

“We have been preparing all along as if this is going to stage 6,” Janet Napolitano, U.S. Homeland Security secretary, said in Washington. “Our preparations are for a situation in which this does become a full-fledged pandemic.”

• Egyptian officials ordered all 300,000 pigs in the country slaughtered even though there hasn’t been a single case of swine flu there and there is no evidence that pigs have spread the disease.

• Britain, with only five cases, is trying to buy 32 million masks.

• Airports from Japan to South Korea to Greece and Turkey trained thermal cameras on passengers to see if any were feverish.

• Lebanon discouraged traditional Arab peck-on-the-cheek greetings, even though no one has come down with the virus there.

• In Germany, Lufthansa airlines announced that starting Thursday it will put a doctor aboard all flights to Mexico.

• France’s health minister said she would ask the European Union today to suspend all flights to Mexico.

• Officials in Hong Kong, which has no confirmed cases, said workers were scrubbing public toilets every 2 hours. Experts, however, said it’s debatable how much good disinfecting public places will do. It probably helps to cut down on bacteria and kill viruses lurking on surfaces, but it’s unclear whether it would stop person-to-person transmission.

Searching the web

Internet users have ramped up their searching, chatting and blogging of up-to-the-minute news on the symptoms and spread of swine flu.

It’s technology that wasn’t available during past deadly, worldwide flu outbreaks.