Editor's note: A compilation of information on the spread of the swine flu.
-- First: A selection of links to provide context.
-- Second: A news release from the City of El Paso Department of Public Health.
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-- World now at the start of 2009 influenza pandemic, statement by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization: The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries. ... No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning. The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness. ... We know, too, that this early, patchy picture can change very quickly. The virus writes the rules and this one, like all influenza viruses, can change the rules, without rhyme or reason, at any time.
-- A commercial opportunity, from the Associated Press: With swine flu now an official pandemic, the race is on among drugmakers to produce a vaccine. GlaxoSmithKline said Thursday after the World Health Organization declared a global flu epidemic that it would be ready within weeks to begin large-scale vaccine production. Sanofi-Aventis also said it had started working on its own version. On Friday, Swiss pharma giant Novartis announced it had created an experimental vaccine that has not been tested in people. Novartis' vaccine was made via a cell-based technology that may prove faster than the traditional way of making vaccines, which relies on chicken eggs.
-- Preparation was for 'avian flu,' now for 'swine flu', Nature Magazine: Most nations had prepared for a pandemic sparked by the deadly A(H5N1) avian influenza virus, which kills up to 60% of those infected, but the A(H1N1) swine flu virus epidemic has been much less severe so far.
-- Swine flu spread may be almost a year old, Associated Press: Through genetic analysis, researchers came up with several possibilities for when the virus might have first spread to humans. This past January is their best estimate. It's also possible it jumped as early as last August — or maybe even before then, said Oliver Pybus of Oxford University, a co-author of the study.
-- Centers for Disease Control Website
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June 9, 2009 – Epidemiological investigations show three El Paso County residents died from what appeared to be complications of the novel influenza A (H1N1), the City of El Paso Department of Public Health announced today.
The fatalities include: a 43-year-old El Paso County man who died on June 4, a 24-year-old woman who died on May 24, and a 42-year-old man who died on May 19.
El Paso County has 171 confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza to date. Another 70 probable cases are being investigated. Most of these cases have been mild and did not require hospitalization.
The Department of Public Health would like reassure the public that it is continuing its surveillance of influenza-like illnesses in El Paso County, and is working in close partnership with health care providers, hospitals, and other health organizations to monitor the spread of the virus. The new influenza strain spreads much like the seasonal flu can result in serious illness and death. On average, about 36,000 people die from flu-associated illness in the United States each year.
Citizens can protect themselves from getting and spreading the flu by:
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Stay home if you are sick for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.
For more information about H1N1 Flu the public may call 2-1-1.
