Health Journal Entry

Global Swine Flu Total Climbs (May 23, 2009)

The number of swine flu cases kept rising this week. Worldwide, the total of confirmed cases passed 11,000 in 42 countries. Although most are in North America, the number of cases in Japan rose sharply. The flu has killed at least 86 people, with most victims in Mexico.

The virus is spreading quickly in Japan. Over 300 cases were confirmed in the country, with the first in Tokyo this week. The flu's spread to Asia brought the World Health Organization (WHO) one step closer to raising its health alert to level 6, the highest level. This level means an outbreak has become a global pandemic with a "sustained spread" outside its region of origin, North America in this case. So far, WHO has held off moving to level 6 because most cases of the flu have been mild.

In the United States, over 5,700 cases were confirmed in 47 states with nine deaths. There may be tens of thousands of other people infected that have not seen doctors or with cases not officially reported. Mexico has more than 3,900 confirmed cases.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by a type A flu virus. The version of the virus causing the outbreak appears to be a new strain that many people have no immunity to. Scientists say it contains an unusual mix of genes from pig, bird, and human flu viruses. The pig virus genes are a combination of European and North American strains.

Normally, people in regular contact with pigs are the ones most likely to get sick. That's not the case in the current outbreak, which is spreading from person to person contact. It spreads from coughing, sneezing, or touching a contaminated object. The symptoms of swine flu, like other types of flu, include fever, cough, sore throat, body and headaches, and chills. But in some cases, it can cause more serious symptoms.