Swine Flu: Your Questions Answered

Update: May 22, 2009: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 6,552 confirmed and probable cases of the H1n1 virus and 9 deaths in 48 states. We will keep you updated, here at ThirdAge.

Almost 90 years ago, the Spanish influenza killed tens of millions of people worldwide (estimates range from 20 to 100 million). Well, a lot has changed in medicine since 1918, but one thing remains the same—when a new strain of virus, as this current swine flu is, spreads from human to human, as this one has, it can quickly escalate from isolated outbreak to epidemic or worse, a pandemic.

In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO)  has raised the alert level for this flu to Phase 5, "a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent." But as Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO added, “On the positive side, the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history.”

In the U.S., to date, there have been 403 confirmed cases in 38 states, with one fatality. "The more recent illnesses and the reported death suggest that a pattern of more severe illness associated with this virus may be emerging in the U.S.," warned a statement issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Most people will not have immunity to this new virus and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths are expected in the coming days and weeks."

The experts are still gathering information about this strain of flu. But here are the basics about the swine flu, what it is, how it is spread, along with preventative measures we can all take to reduce the risk of catching this--or any other--virus. We will keep you up to date as the news develops.