Swine flu in Georgia now
Put on your mask and rosin up your bow…
Death of innocents is tragic. Death of the swine flu panic button would be a blessing. With each passing day, media turns the screws deep into the public imagination. It is true that people have died, but this is not out of the ordinary. According to Dr. Patrick O’Neal of the Georgia Division of Public Health, there are 36,000 influenza-related deaths in America each year. If you’re covered for occasional trips to urgent care due to heavy flu symptoms, great. If not, a cash advance in Delaware or installment loan can help pay the bill.
Reasonable precautions, common sense and personal hygiene are what this situation calls for. Not panic. Swine flu school closings are happening left and right, which I do think is a reasonable precaution. Young children, as well as the infirmed and the elderly, generally have less stamina to fight of the disease. Visit the Center For Disease Control’s Web site for more info.
Oh, by the way, why did I reference a doctor from Georgia? It’s because the swine flu in Georgia stories are appearing. And according to an AP story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, experts in the state like Dr. O’Neal have said that “the swine flu outbreak will almost certainly strike in Georgia and could likely lead to deaths.”
O’Neal told reporters that the chances of the swine flu bypassing the state are “virtually nil,” due to the chance of transmission being high. This has led to an obsessive focus on swine flu symptoms and questions like “What is the incubation period for swine flu?” It’s good information to know, but the vast majority of people in a developed, industrialized nation will NOT die from swine flu. Will many contract it? Possibly. Take care of yourself if you do and stay away from others as much as possible until you’ve recovered.
Swine flu in South Carolina, too
The Associated Press reports that federal health officials have confirmed at least 10 cases of swine flu in South Carolina. That brings the national total in America to more than 100 confirmed cases of the influenza strain across 11 states.
South Carolina State Health officials have come forward to say that the state may have as many as 17 probable cases that were linked to a school trip to Mexico. Is this what the founding fathers of NAFTA had in mind?
Even the magic kingdom can’t avoid the swine flu. After students from a South Carolina school returned from a trip to Walt Disney World with symptoms resembling those of swine flu. As a precaution, the school was closed while investigations are underway.
Were there people in Cinderella’s castle who had been to Mexico? Or were tourists from other lands visiting?
Where's your mask, Pleakley?
Swine Flu in Alabama?
About.com Huntsville, Alabama blogger Jean Brandau reports that swine flu has shut down “all public schools in Madison County, including Huntsville and Madison city schools” due to probable cases. As of Brandau’s report, the Alabama Department of Public Health had located two probable cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus.
Like any other place with suspected cases of swine flu, Alabama health care officials recommend that citizens don’t go to a doctor unless they’ve had “a temperature of 100° F or greater with cough and/or sore throat in the absence of a known cause other than influenza.” Otherwise, the best prescription is to stay home, rest and wash your hands regularly. Just don’t use antibacterial soap, because many believe it helps germs build immunities they wouldn’t normally have.
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