Deaths in the U.S. since January 2009 Swine Flu: 0 Regular Flu: 13,000 There is nothing that cannot be overreacted to. Fear and hysteria allow politicians to control the population and the media to get higher ratings. Update 1: Saturday, May 2, 2009 — A 23-month-old boy visiting from Mexico has died in the U.S. from the A/H1N1 flu (swine flu). So now the score in the U.S. is: Swine Flu: 1 Regular Flu: 13,000 Update 2: This photo was used to accompany an article, Swine Flue And School Closings, by Max Kalehoff, on May 20, 2009. ———————————————————————————————————————— Regular Flu Has Killed Thouands Since January By Doug Gross Tuesday, April 28, 2009 There had been no confirmed deaths in the United States related to swine flu as of Tuesday afternoon. But another virus had killed thousands of people since January and is expected to keep killing hundreds of people every week for the rest of the year. That one? The regular flu. An outbreak of swine flu that is suspected in more than 150 deaths in Mexico and has sickened dozens of people in the United States and elsewhere has grabbed the attention of a nervous public and of medical officials worried the strain will continue to mutate and spread. Experts are nervous that, as a new strain, the swine flu will be harder to stop because there aren't any vaccines to fight it. But even if there are swine-flu deaths outside Mexico — and medical experts say there very well may be — the virus would have a long way to go to match the roughly 36,000 deaths that seasonal influenza causes in the United States each year. "That happens on an annual basis," Dr. Brian Currie said Tuesday. Currie is vice president and medical director at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. Since January, more than 13,000 people have died of complications from seasonal flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report on the causes of death in the nation. No fewer than 800 flu-related deaths were reported in any week between January 1 and April 18, the most recent week for which figures were available. The report looks at deaths in the 122 largest cities in the United States. Worldwide, the annual death toll from the flu is estimated to be between 250,000 and 500,000. About 9 out of 10 of those deaths are among people older than 65, Currie said. Most times, they already have health problems that the flu makes worse, he said. "Regular influenza can be taxing," he said. "It causes their underlying disease to decompensate and then they don't have the reserves to get through it. "While it may not be the direct cause listed on the death certificate, it certainly contributed." One of the reasons medical experts are nervous about the swine flu outbreak is that many of the people who have died in Mexico have been young and otherwise healthy. The strains found in the United States have so far been weaker. But even the regular flu is sometimes fatal for younger victims. "It's not unheard of. It happens, either directly from influenza or they get a bacterial superinfection" like staph, said Currie. While researchers haven't developed a vaccine to fight the new swine flu, it can be treated with antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, the same drugs used on the regular flu. Many times, seasonal flu itself is tough to prevent because it has mutated to a form different than it was when the vaccine was made. Seeking to put the swine flu outbreak in perspective Tuesday, Los Angeles County public health officer Dr. Jonathan Fielding echoed other public officials calling it "cause for concern, but not for alarm." "Given the size of L.A. County, given the traffic between here and Mexico, it would be very surprising if we didn't have any cases," Fielding said. He said the county, where the CDC had confirmed 10 cases of swine flu by Tuesday, sees more than 1,000 flu-related deaths every year. "So it would also not be surprising if there were deaths with swine flu — even if it had the pattern of seasonal flu," he said. "Thus far, the pattern we see in the United States is very similar to that of seasonal flu — relatively mild to moderate cases." Gross, Doug. "Regular Flu Has Killed Thousands Since January." CNN. 28 Apr. 2009. <www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/28/regular.flu/index.html> ———————————————————————————————————————— Note: I did not take the photo here. This sculpture is titled The Young Family. It was made by artist/sculptor Patricia Piccinini as part of her We Are Family exhibition in 2003 at The Australian Venice Biennale Pavilion. There is a We Are Family website that features a lot of her work. You can find an essay, We Are Family, in PDF format on the Internet. patricia-piccinini_the-young-family_a1_1067x800
CDC H1N1 Flu CDC H1N1 Flu Website. Stay informed and learn what you can do to ... Background on Swine Flu. Info for Specific Groups. Parents & Caregivers. Pregnant Women ...
Influenza A (H1N1) - World Health Organization (WHO) Tracking the 2009 swine flu outbreak. WHO is coordinating the global response to human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) and monitoring the corresponding threat of ...
Swine Flu Outbreak - Yahoo! News Provides ongoing, in-depth coverage of the global 2009 outbreak of H1N1 influenza (swine flu), with articles, audio, video, and photographs.
H1N1 (Swine) Flu Questions Briefly explains what swine flu is, where there have been cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) in the U.S., the symptoms of swine flu in people, ...
2009 Swine Flu Outbreak - Wikipedia User-submitted article about the 2009 flu outbreak of a new swine flu strain of Influenza A virus subtype H1N1.
Swine Flu News - The New York Times News about swine flu. Commentary and archival information about swine flu from The New York Times. ... News about swine flu, including commentary and archival ...
Swine Flu FAQ WebMD provides answers to your questions about swine flu. ... Flu Symptoms: What You Might Feel. Sore Throat in Pictures. Gallery: 17 Natural Cold Remedies ...
Information on the Swine Flu Outbreak - The Washington Post News and information on the 2009 H1N1 (swine flue) outbreak. Includes a map tracking the distribution of swine flu -- influenza A (H1N1) -- cases around the world.
In this video, Dr. Joe Bresee, with CDC's Influenza Division, describes the symptoms of swine flu and warning signs to look for that indicate the need for urgent medical attention.This video can also be viewed at http://www.cdc.gov/cdctv/
Q & A: Key Facts About Swine Influenza (Swine Flu) Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates among pigs. ... Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly.
Swine flu: FAQ An outbreak affecting more than 900 people in Mexico, including at least 16 who died, was caused by a new strain of swine influenza that can attack anyone, Mexico's ...
