Millions of Swine Flu Posts

I suppose there are over 100 million blogs in the World by now. Many of us are posting about Swine Flu today (and yesterday--and tomorrow).

One of the traits common to pandemics is also common to blogs: the viral-like spread.

The World Health Organization raised the alert level to 5 today, and within a day or so most medical experts anticipate a level 6 and full-blown pandemic of swine flu.

We mustn't be fooled by the small number of cases around the World thus far. The fact that the swine flu cases are NOT restricted to a single geographical area is part of the definition of a pandemic.

United States cases have increased each day this week. We can anticipate that many more individuals who have been exposed will soon manifest the symptoms and report themselves into hospitals and clinics. My previous post also contains hyperlinks to the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

Be advised, be alert, keep informed.

U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 20, 2009): 5710 cases (with 8 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 15, 2009): 4714 cases (with 4 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 14, 2009): 4298 cases (with 3 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 12, 2009): 3009 cases (with 3 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 10, 2009): 2532 cases (with 3 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 8, 2009): 2254 cases (with 2 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 7, 2009): 896 cases (with 2 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 6, 2009): 642 cases (with 2 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 5, 2009): 403 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 4, 2009): 279 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 3, 2009): 226 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 2, 2009): 160 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 1, 2009): 141 cases (with 1 death)

Swine Flu Pokes Up Again

Swine flu is influenza that occurs in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu but human infections can occur. The most recent cases of swine flu appear to have the ability to be passed from person to person and have resulted in a number of cases in the United States as well as widespread disease in certain parts of Mexico. It is likely that this swine flu will spread to many if not all parts of the United States.

When people catch swine flu they may have a fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue just like the regular flu. Some people may also have vomiting and diarrhea. Previously, swine flus have also caused severe illness and death. As with the regular flu, people with chronic medical conditions are at risk for more severe illness.

Most people catch swine flu the same way they catch the regular flu. You can catch swine flu by coming in contact with droplets from infected people after they sneeze or cough. This can occur by being in the path of a sneeze or cough or touching something that has those droplets on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.

There is a medicine to treat swine flu. Both Tamiflu® and Relenza® are effective against swine flu. You can get these medicines from your doctor. If you have swine flu and need treatment, treatment should start within two days after you begin to feel sick. However, the best treatment is prevention.

There are a number of ways you and your family can reduce the risk of catching swine flu:
Avoid people with the flu:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
• Wash your hands before eating or touching your face, after touching surfaces that someone might have coughed or sneezed on, after going out into the community, and after caring for someone who has the flu or touching something that someone who is sick may have touched.
• If someone in your household is sick stay home until that person no longer feels ill.

If you are sick there a number of things you can do to reduce the chances of passing swine flu to others:

• If you are sick stay home from work or school.
• Limit your contact with others.
• Cough and sneeze into disposable tissues. Throw these tissues away into a plastic bag. Limit your exposure to the dirty tissues.
• Those with flu should use separate eating utensils that are washed in hot soapy water after each meal.
• Don’t share objects like remote controls or pens.
• Disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched like door knobs, remote controls, light switches and toilet handles.

(An effective disinfectant can be made using ¼ cup of household bleach and 1 gallon of cold water.)

If someone in your house is sick you should also stay at home. Don’t go to work or school until they no longer feel sick.

If you think you have swine flu contact your health care provider. He or she will be able to determine if you need testing or treatment.

For more information go to the U.S. Government Center for Disease Control (CDC)

And, this is a link to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 20, 2009): 5710 cases (with 8 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 15, 2009): 4714 cases (with 4 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 14, 2009): 4298 cases (with 3 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 12, 2009): 3009 cases (with 3 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 10, 2009): 2532 cases (with 3 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 8, 2009): 2254 cases (with 2 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 7, 2009): 896 cases (with 2 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 6, 2009): 642 cases (with 2 deaths)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 5, 2009): 403 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 4, 2009): 279 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 3, 2009): 226 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 2, 2009): 160 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (May 1, 2009): 141 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (April 30, 2009): 109 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (April 29, 2009): 91 cases (with 1 death)
U.S. CASES UPDATE from CDC (April 28, 2009): 64 cases
U.S. Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection
(As of April 27, 2009 1:00 PM ET)
State (in USA) Number of laboratory-confirmed cases
California 7 cases
Kansas 2 cases
New York (City) 28 cases
Ohio 1 case
Texas 2 cases

TOTAL COUNT (April 27, 2009): 40 cases

Living the Good Life on Earth Day

The "Earth rising over the lunar landscape" is a spectacular photo from the Apollo 8 mission that circled around the moon and returned to Earth. This is an official NASA photograph.

The question of whether or not we are really living the good life occurs to me more and more often; most recently, upon the annual observance of Earth Day.

We have been "observing" Earth Day for 39 years. I'm not so optimistic about the Human Race on Planet Earth; the planet will survive and continue to orbit the Sun. We may not. In fact, our prospects for continuing to exist beyond the next couple of hundred years are not so bright.

We don't have any place else to go, so we'd better find the will, and the technology, to correct our many environmental errors, or we will go the way of so many other species, and become extinct.

There are some good sites to look at on this Earth Day:

Earth Day 2009 This is the Earth Day Network site.

On the right, is the "unofficial" Earth Day flag, the big blue marble.

Bloggers Unite Here is a project for bloggers to get with the Earth Day program.

Here is a link to the Wikipedia article about Earth Day

And finally, this is the link to the U.S. Government's official Earth Day site.

Biggest Losers are All Winners

The Biggest Loser television program has made us all more aware of the problems faced by overweight people. I also now understand so much more about diet and nutrition than I did before I began faithfully watching this program every week.

The people who have exposed themselves to public viewing for us to watch during their weight loss experiences are really inspiring and they are to be admired.

The shows trainers, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, as well as the host, Alison Sweeney, have become prominent spokespersons for a healthier lifestyle. Most of us will experience some unwelcomed weight fluctuations during our lives. We have to give a lot of credit to these incredible "Losers" for their amazing transformations: (Clicking on photos will open a larger sized picture.)


From Top, left to right: Suzy Preston, Matt Hoover, Pete Thomas, Bill Germanakos, Ali Vincent, Michelle Aguilar, and Eric Chopin. All but Suzy Preston and Pete Thomas were seasonal winners on the show.

ANXIETY vs FEAR

I know about FEAR. I know about ANXIETY. I am not so certain of the differences.

I did a little research and found a helpful "fact sheet" from the Mental Health Association.

Fear and Anxiety have similar emotional symptoms. With a fear, we generally know what it is that causes our symptoms; i.e., we know what we are afraid of. Healthy fear protects us from doing unsafe things or getting ourselves into potentially dangerous situations.

With Anxiety, the reasons for our emotional symptoms are not clear to us; we don't know WHY we feel a certain way, and that "unknowing," that "lack of control" can send us spiraling off into a serious "panic attack," a chest-tightening, heart-palpitating, sweating, nauseous experience that can get worse and worse over time, even becoming life-threatening.

When our normal little "anxieties" about life begin to affect our ability to function in a "normal" way, we are said to have an "anxiety disorder."

There are several identified anxiety disorders, among them are Obsessive Compulsive, Post-traumatic Stress, Agoraphobia, and many other phobias. All of these conditions merit professional assessment. There are several avenues for treatment including counseling, medication, and alternative therapies.

I know individuals who have lived with uncontrolled anxiety for DECADES! Some just thought it was normal; others knew they were "different" but thought it was just something they had to "deal with." When properly diagnosed and treated, these individuals experienced amazing improvement in the quality of their lives. More than once, I heard: "Oh, if I had only known this before!" What a shame--to have spent 30 or 40 years of their lives in fear and isolation.

Don't believe that there is nothing that can be done. Talk to your doctor; get a referral and have a professional evaluation. You might be denying yourself the wonderful life you deserve.