And This Little Piggy Got the Flu...

Swine Flu is NOT sweeping the nation. Hundreds of thousands of people die of influenza worldwide each year, and yet we are not up in arms. Here's the facts, courtesy of Tulsa Health Department.

-Swine Flu is a respiratory disease of pigs. There are regular outbreaks in pigs. Human infections do not happen often. Person-to-person spreading of swine flu was not sustained beyond 3 people in the past.

-There has been limited reporting of H1N1 (swine influenza A) in the U.S. A case count for confirmed infections in humans in the U.S. is available at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm.

-Symptoms are similar to regular influenza. Fever, cough, sore throat, aching, headache, chills, fatigue, possibly diarrhea and vomiting. Pneumonia and respiratory failure and deaths have been reported. This is likely because, like seasonal flu, swine flu can cause worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

-If you get sick, stay home. Thanks.

-12 cases of swine flu were detected in the U.S. between 2005 and 2009, and no deaths occurred.

-There were over 200 cases with serious illness in 1976 in New Jersey. There was only one death.

-Swine flu is not spread by eating pork.

The moral of the story is not to lick each other and to continue to use soap and warm water and scrub for at least as long as it takes to sing "This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands. This is the way we wash our hands, with soap and water."

If children or adults seem like they need emergency medical care due to breathing problems, bluish skin color, lack of fluids, inability to interact, fever with a rash, dizziness, confusion, persistent vomiting, etc., go to the ER or an Urgent Care facility. (Stating the obvious.) Swine flu or not!

(If you would like to be mailed a two-page handout with more information on Swine Influenza, please send me your address at ston_bran@yahoo.com. You may also visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website, or www.tulsa-health.com.