The article I read was called “New swine, drug-resistant flu strains tracked.” The article was written on January 7, 2012 by Erin Allday. This article was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. In this article “public health and infectious disease experts have upped their surveillance of new flu strains, and they're paying close attention to what's happening worldwide in hopes of being better prepared for the type of flu season that will hit here.”
Few cases of influenza have been reported statewide and one person has died from the flu. While these numbers are low public health and infectious disease experts must understand what it going on so they can be better prepared if something like the Swine flu were to happen again. The experts say that they “haven’t seen the emergence of, say, a new pandemic strain on influenza but we’ve been getting these worrisome trickles or reports. And these little stories are all reminders that influenza still poses a big threat, a global threat.”
In recent years the avian flu, found primarily in Asia, has been the focus. However, 12 cases of a new type of Swine flu have been recorded. This new type of Swine fly is H3N2 instead of H1N1. None of these people have died yet but experts are paying close attention to the strain just in case.
This article proves that infectious epidemic diseases are still prevalent in today’s society. In class we cover diseases from the Black Plaque to the Swine flu. There will be another global pandemic whether it is this year or 20 years from now. This article really opened my eyes because I did not know that there was a second strand of Swine flu. Being sick right now really opens my eyes that the flu is a universal threat. I do not want to be sick again and I will go get a flu shot to protect myself this flu season.
I think it is really interesting that the flu is studied so often by scientists and researchers. I have gotten the flu before but I had never really viewed it as life threatening. Regarding the vaccine for influenza, I have always wondered if it protects against the Bird Flu and/or the Swine Flu. I was also wondering if there is higher protection rate against the flu when a patient gets the flu shot versus getting the flu mist. I have heard many people debate whether the flu mist can have negative side effects or not, which ties into the inoculation debate we studied in the Smallpox unit.
ReplyDeleteThis article is reassuring that there is so much study about the flu. Researchers know that there are other strings of the flu and want to be prepared for a major outbreak. I don’t get the flu shot every year because I never really get sick, but if there was a major outbreak in the future I would begin to get a shot. Being vaccinated for the flu does not only affect you as an individual but others around you. If you happen to work in a hospital and are always around sick people you want to be more protected than a person who works in an office.
ReplyDeleteThis article shows that scientists are discovering new things everyday. I, too, did not know that there was a second strand of the swine flu. I got the swine flu shot last year, so now I'm wondering if I'd need to get another one to protect me from getting this different strand of swine. However, getting vaccinated comes with a risk. There could be side effects, which is why whenever there's a new vaccine out there, my mom is always hesitant on having me get it. Usually though, I feel like the pros of getting a shot outweigh the cons since being vaccinated protects you and prevents you from spreading the flu, like Cristina said.
ReplyDeleteThis article caught my attention because many people are affected by the flu. It is reassuring to know that experts are trying to be better prepared for another epidemic of the flu. Being protected against the flu is very important because it is prominent in our society and can spread very quickly. I agree with Jill that sometimes getting vaccinated can be risky but it may be worth taking a risk to be protected from the flu and to prevent it from spreading.
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