Swine flu updates

By: Evan Sweeney April 29th, 2009

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few days— and maybe you are starting to wish you did—you have probably been locked on to the CDC Web site or the World Health Organization (WHO) Web site for swine flu updates. However, since you’ve had such a bombardment of info over the last two days, we’ve tried to condense the relevant resources and statistics.

As of this morning:

There are twenty confirmed deaths out of Mexico and 159 deaths likely to have been caused by swine flu, according to the New York Times. The total number of people believed to be infected is 2,498.
The CDC confirmed the first death due to swine flu outside of Mexico, a 23-month-old child in Texas.
There have been 66 confirmed cases in the United States, according to the Times (although the CDC number stands at 64), including 45 in New York City and 13 in California, which has already proclaimed a state of emergency. Other confirmed states include Texas, Ohio, Kansas, and Indiana, as well as a suspected case in Michigan, according to the Times.
Other countries such as Canada, Scotland, Spain, Israel, and New Zealand have confirmed cases. Germany confirmed it’s first case early this morning.
The current WHO Pandemic Phase 4 is two levels below a full blown pandemic. WHO also just released Global Surveillance During an Influenza Pandemic, which is a lengthy document that explains how the organization detects, monitors and investigates influenza data during a pandemic.

If you looking for some quality resources for swine flu coverage, the New York Times has a great multimedia setup, tracking infections all over the world. The CDC has a good look at the basics of swine flu.

You can also follow CDC updates and coverage by bookmarking our Blog page and clicking on the CDC swine flu widget at the right of your screen.

Over the last few days the CDC has released a a number of interim guidelines for healthcare workers and patients regarding the current state of the swine flu situation. Below are a few of the most important guidelines you should pay attention to:

Also, if your facility is concerned about pandemic preparedness, visit our Tools section for multiple free downloadable planning resources.

Finally, many are approaching these warnings with caution towards media hype, while others say this is a legitimate concern. What’s your take on the current state of swine flu and what do you think will happen? Are you concerned about your facilities preparedness? We’d love to hear your opinions below.