The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization are closely monitoring the outbreaks of a new type of swine flu in the United States and Mexico to avert a potential flu pandemic. The outbreak has killed at least 16 people in Mexico and infected eight people in the United States. All the American cases have recovered. 

The new strain of flu virus is unusual because it contains gene segments from swine, bird, and human flu virus strains. It is believed that some infections were transmitted from person to person instead of from pigs

On Friday, Mexico City health officials closed schools across the city, urged people with flu symptoms to stay home from work, and encouraged people to take precautions such as regular hand washing.

Health officials have warned for many years that new flu virus strains such as the current one could precipitate a global flu pandemic, which could kill millions of people. The pandemic of 1918-19 resulted in at least 40 million deaths worldwide.

The CDC has not yet recommended against traveling to Mexico. The current season’s flu vaccine does not protect against the new swine flu virus but the CDC is apparently working on a swine flu vaccine. People cannot catch swine flu from eating pork or pork products.

Have a question about swine flu? Ask the medical students at Healia Communities.


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