Swine Flu has been the top story in the news for the last four days or so, and with good reason. It has caused illness and death in Mexico , has spread to several nations, and has caused a great deal of fear. People in Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Saratoga need to make sure that they’re informed about this rapidly changing situation, take it very seriously, yet do so without needless alarm. The goal here is to promote serious awareness and disease prevention, while assuring all of you that this is a containable emergency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have stated that the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of other strains of flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
What do we know at the moment?
Three nations have confirmed cases of swine flu: Mexico , Canada , and the United States . Nations from New Zealand to Spain have also reported suspected cases. The numbers being reported for the situation in Mexico range from 943 to 1,300 swine flu cases, with anywhere from 20 possible deaths due to swine flu to 71 possible deaths.
There are now 91 confirmed cases of swine flu in the Unites States: 14 in California (including one in San Jose), two in Kansas, 28 in New York City, one in Ohio, and two in Texas.
Although the situation in Mexico is severe, it appears that the virus is less virulent here in the United States . Furthermore, people with the virus in the USA have acquired medical care early in their illness, which thus far has caused all who have become sick to recover.
Recommendations to prevent infection by the virus consist of the standard personal precautions against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in-public. People should avoid touching their mouth, nose or eyes with their hands unless they’ve washed their hands. When coughing or sneezing, proper etiquette is to cough or sneeze into the elbow.
PLEASE DO NOT GO TO WORK OR SCHOOL if you are sick. This is always the case anyway, but this situation gives us good reason to remind staff to stay home when sick.
We can count on this situation changing frequently over the days to come, and the following websites will have the best and most up to date information. For local information visit the Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s website at http://www.sccphd.org, and for additional swine flu information visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website at http://www.cdc.gov.
Please, do take this virus seriously, but don’t listen to fear or hysteria about it. Continue to be diligent in the prevention efforts listed above and as with any illness, this will decrease your odds of catching an illness.
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