If It's Tuesday, It's Swine Flu

by Natasha Chart · 2009-05-26 20:24:00 UTC
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Hog confinement system; by friendsoffamilyfarmersIsn't that how the saying goes? No? Terrible abuse of the English language? Sorry. But still, we continue keeping an eye on our factory-farmed viral friend ...

- A third of people over 60 seem to have some immunity to this strain of flu, perhaps explaining why it's hitting younger people harder. Disease organism populations are long-lived, go figure.

- Massachussetts has found 66 new cases, Chicago reports the 12th death in the nation, the first soldiers in Kuwait have been officially diagnosed, there are at least 74 cases in Kansas, Puerto Rico reports its first case and there are 31 new cases in New Jersey

- Yet overall, the rate of new cases is slowing in the U.S. and in New York, schools are reopening after 20 of them closed following the H1N1-caused death of an assistant principal.

- Elsewhere, there are now 135 cases in Spain, 289 in Japan (where flu masks are flying off drugstore shelves) and there are two more in the UK for a total of 122.

- As is noted repeatedly in the reporting of these flu stories (with good reason) maintaining personal hygiene in public is important, especially for those with weakened immune systems. We may be relying on a lot of public sanitation and good behavior if this strain comes back during its usual season, as our public health infrastructure is underfunded compared to last year for the same reason that everything's underfunded compared to last year.

- If you get sick, please stay home from work and/or school. If you employ people, please be a mensch about this, you stand to benefit, too. This strain is spreading slowly, but it's in 41 countries and health officials say it might take two years to see what it'll really do - there's no need to help it along with new hosts.

(Aerial photography of a typical confinement hog farm with attendant lagoons of pig manure courtesy of friendsoffamilyfarmers on Flickr.)

Natasha Chart
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