WHO to world: Lay off the Tamiflu, we need that jank. Despite the fact that the outbreak has proven relatively minor so far, WHO’s insistence that WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE OMG has caused a few people to overreact and use resources needed for severe outbreaks for any minor ailment. As the Tamiflu supply is limited, WHO has asked that you back off. Only use it if you actually have H1N1. source
Apparently the rate of infection is not as widespread as we might have thought.
Mexico health minister José Ángel Córdova • On the swine flu (OK, H1N1) outbreak in Mexico. Despite claims that the virus affected over 900 people in Mexico, just 397 of them actually happened to have the virus. As noted previously, Mexican officials remain cautiously optimistic that the outbreak is slowing in their country. • source
Modern journalists need to help people navigate information overload, sift through the garbage, and identify great information.
Jaclyn Schiff • Discussing the swine flu outbreak in general, Twitter’s role in the disseminating information the outbreak, and journalists’ role in informing the public of the outbreak. Ms. Schiff, you’re awesome. We both live in D.C. Wanna go grab a cup of coffee sometime so we can nod our heads in agreement on this particular key fact? I’ll treat. • source
Residents long complained about the smell. The root of the current swine flu outbreak has its roots in Veracruz state, Mexico, where a 4-year-old boy got sick from what was later found to be swine flu. The boy lived near a massive pig farm with a large pool of manure nearby. Sound like a lot of fun? It’s not. The important part to take from this: The farm is partly owned by a U.S.-based company, Smithfield Foods, who will almost assuredly face scrutiny for starting the outbreak. source
We are all Catholic, so this is a big step. I guess I’ll have to come back later.
Johana Chavez • A 22-year-old who went to Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral to get confirmed, only to get turned away by federal police in blue masks. The policemen were there to prevent further spread of the swine flu that’s killed dozens and sickened over a thousand. Most other public places were closed in response to the outbreak, by the way. So, point to take from this: If swine flu hits, not even religion is there for you. • source
The World Health Organization called an emergency meeting in response to the outbreak of swine flu that has gone from minor concern to major danger in a just couple of days. The disease has killed dozens in Mexico and sickened scores of others. source
WHO is debating raising the flu pandemic alert level from three (no/limited risk) to four or five (new flu virus in the wild and spreading) “This is a very high concern for us as the world’s global health organization,” said WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl. source
Can the virus be stopped? While traditional flu vaccines designed to stem the flow of viruses are ineffective against swine flu, it appears that Tamiflu, a common drug well-stocked by Mexico and the U.S., fully remedies the virus. *Whew.* source