The World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to the second highest level Wednesday, meaning that it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent.Also, relax. Really, there's not a heck of a lot you can do. Wash your hands. Carry Germ-X. Do not pick up your neighbor's snot-ridden babies and cuddle them, that kind of thing.
WHO Director General Margaret Chan declared the phase 5 alert after consulting with flu experts from around the world. The decision could lead the global body to recommend additional measures to combat the outbreak, including for vaccine manufacturers to switch production from seasonal flu vaccines to a pandemic vaccine.
"All countries should immediately now activate their pandemic preparedness plans," Chan told reporters in Geneva. "It really is all of humanity that is under threat in a pandemic."
It's like the flu, only it's more likely you'll get sick from it because it's a new strain. That's all. You've gotten the flu before, people. Deal with it like a grownup. Lie on the couch, watch Mythbusters, and drink Gatorade.
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I know this sounds horrible, but I'm really, really hoping that at least one person in Madagascar gets this flu.
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That said... I'd be very very careful anyways. Influenza is still potentially fatal, and according to Wikipedia, three previous pandemics account for... well, okay. Less than the populace of some US states, but "tens of millions" is nothing to sneeze at. Statistically, it means that your average person won't die, but still, being sick sucks and causes problems.
Mind you, the average person who can afford to "lie on the couch, watch Mythbusters, and drink Gatorade" should (theoretically) have the resources to deal with the flu, and maybe complications arising from it. Not everybody can afford to take the time to rest properly and treat symptoms beyond OTC stuff, and many may not even have emergency services. And I'm not talking about solely the US either.
So yeah, don't blame people for being worried, but this is a time for cool heads.
Yeah, I know. This thing gets loose in Africa, South America, etc it's going to be a nightmare.
But again, flu manages to kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, and we're acting like this is SPACE EBOLA NOW WITH FIRE or something when the only US death so far has been one incredibly unfortunate toddler.
Goddamnit, I want flaming alien Ebola viruses now.
Yeah, this is basically the norm for flu pandemics though, it's usually only the young and the elderly who die. Reading up more, the only pandemic responsible for the "tens of millions" figure also had an odd spike of fatalities among the supposedly young and healthy. The other two of the last century didn't kill more than a million or so.
So yeah, cooler heads.
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