While the disease is still active in the U.S., increases are occurring in central and eastern Europe, and in parts of west, central and south Asia.

For more, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Martin Blaser, past president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the current chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Medical School of New York University.

Dr. Martin Blaser, the chair of the department of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, joins Daljit Dhaliwal to discuss the latest developments in the H1N1 pandemic. He says that as many as 100 million Americans may become infected with the flu this season and explains why the United States has lagged in vaccination distribution.

A Mexico city statue during the early days of swine flu. Photo: Flickr user olivcris

With concerns rising in the U.S. and abroad about the H1N1 virus, we want to hear your thoughts.

Do you think the U.S. government is doing enough to protect American citizens from H1N1?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Please remember to be respectful and on-point in your comments. Malicious or offensive comments will be deleted and repeat offenders will be banned.

However, WHO officials are warning that the pandemic will hit poor countries especially hard. At the United Nations meeting in New York later this week, those officials plan to ask wealthy countries to contribute to a special fund for the developing world.

Michael Novacek, the provost of science at the American Museum of Natural History, joins Daljit Dhaliwal to discuss the dangers and the production and distribution of vaccines.

In China, a massive campaign to vaccinate people against swine flu began in Beijing on Monday. It is thought to be the first nation to begin inoculating its population against the H1N1 virus.

China has been among the world’s leaders in developing a swine flu vaccine, with no fewer than five Chinese drug makers involved in the effort. Chinese officials hope to vaccine 65 million people by the end of the year — about five percent of that country’s population.

In Mexico, officials are predicting as many as five million cases of swine flu this winter, with some 2,000 deaths. Earlier this year, Mexico was ground zero for the pandemic, but was able to bring it under control by shutting schools and businesses for several weeks.

This time, Mexican officials are promising such closures will be more focused; just recently, some 1,400 schools in one northern city in Mexico were closed after a reported outbreak.

Swine flu has hit South America hard. Brazil is now reporting some 900 deaths due to the pandemic, more than any other country in the world. According to the World Health organization, there are now nearly 300,000 case of swine flu worldwide, with nearly 3,500 deaths.

Dr. Martin Blaser, the past president of the Infectious Disease Society of America and the chair of the Department of Medicine at New York University’s School of Medicine, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the flu pandemic and the risks from a global perspective.

Below, read what bloggers in India had to say about the flu and the government’s response.

Blogger “Ivan Quadras” in India mocks the hype over the H1N1 virus:

As my good friend Kanul put it, “200 people get swine flu and the whole of India wants to wear surgical masks! 20 million people have AIDS and nobody wants to wear a condom!”

It’s really funny to see masks worth Rs. 20/- being sold at Rs. 200/-. It is funny to see Indians actually taking care of hygiene. It is funny to see everyone masked around me.

Rahul Agrawal in India argues that the government has to share in the blame for the spread of the disease, describing his flight into the country:

While I agree that this virus has come to India through passengers coming from overseas, I would say that the biggest blame lies with the Indian government for its negligent attitude which has led to this situation in India.

Before landing in Mumbai, each passenger was given a declaration form in which the person had to fill in some basic information like whether they had been to a flu affected country or had been in contact with a flu infected person. I filled this form in the flight and then landed at the airport. There was utter chaos at the terminal. There were some officials who wore face masks and asked each passenger to go to a particular room to get the form attested. I duly went to that room and got the form attested. After that I cleared immigration and entered into Mumbai with that form still with me; no official had looked at that form after I got it attested. So here I was, back in India, with a useless form in which I had mentioned that I had been to a swine flu infected country. No one had bothered to read that form and test me for any possible symptoms. And now the government blames travellers!

Blogger Arindam Chaudhuri, an editor with a news magazine, criticizes India’s health care system in his personal blog:

The impending pandemic of swine flu has once again brought to the fore the hapless condition of Indian healthcare, the under preparedness of the government as well as the indifference with which the babudom tends to treat such incidents that generally plague the common man to a large extent. Incidentally, just as the news of swine flu is spreading panic like wildfire, these days there are also reports of thousands being affected by cerebral malaria in Bihar. Yet, that doesn’t make prime news; and won’t make much news even if the casualties there were to happen in multiples of those dying due to swine flu.

What is visible all across is how the public healthcare system is woefully inadequate to take care of India’s burgeoning population. In the given environment, it is not just swine flu that needs to be arrested, but even the flu that ails the entire health infrastructure, i.e. the political mindset, needs to be corrected simultaneously.

When the kids of an uninsured family start showing symptoms, they will head to the emergency room — because they can’t call their primary care doctor for an initial read. ERs could easily get overwhelmed as the pandemic spreads. That will place a huge, expensive and ultimately deadly stress on the system.

I realize that insuring the uninsured is not what average Americans care about right now given the economy — it sounds expensive and the insurance lobbyists and neocons such as George Will are trying hard to play that up. So I think it’s right for the administration to be emphasizing the virtues — that a new health care plan means that preexisting conditions will be covered and that you can never lose your insurance for good.

The last thing they want is to create a panic around H1N1. But soon, it might be the virus that sells the Obama health care plan.

- Nina Hachigian

In Britain, the number of cases is now doubling every week, and a fierce debate has erupted about how to contain the disease. In the past, flu viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as H1N1 has spread in less than six weeks.

Andrew Pekosz, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the rapid spread of H1N1 and efforts to develop a vaccine.

Is pandemic disease a national security threat?

Stephen Walt’s recent post describes one of the connections between healthcare and national security. He argues that our increasingly bleak fiscal situation, combined with the aging of the baby boomer generation, may put more pressure on dollars going to defense. He suggests that actors like the AARP might start to care just how many extra F-22s Congress will insist on purchasing above and beyond what the Pentagon says it wants and needs.

There are at least two other health and national security connections, and I’ve called healthcare a “formestic“ issue for this reason. First, pandemic disease, such as influenza, is one of only two outside threats (the other being a nuclear attack by terrorists) that could strike the U.S. at any time and that could potentially kill hundreds of thousands of Americans. It, plainly, is a national security threat. If a pandemic ever really blew up in this country, we would be much better off if everyone had health insurance. Global cooperation and the World Health Organization are critical to protecting us from this threat.

Another linkage has to do with America’s place in the world vis-a-vis rising powers. The fact is that one of the main reasons cited by businesses that decide to offshore jobs to places like China and India is the rising costs of healthcare in this country.

Moreover, an absolutely critical driver of U.S. success — particularly in a globalized economy — is our ability to innovate. I haven’t seen any real statistics, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence out there to suggest that some would-be entrepreneurs opt to stay in corporate jobs because they cant give up their health insurance. We are crazy to hobble ourselves like this.

- Nina Hachigian

Photo courtesy of Flickr user hitthatswitch under a Creative Commons license.

Lines to vote in Argentina, with masks to protect against H1N1.

I once asked a doctor how to avoid catching a cold. He said to wash my hands and keep three feet away from everyone. Problem is — that’s no fun. Matters of politics, human relations and cultural mores operate at closer quarters.

Argentina is in the grip of what seems to be a full-blown swine flu epidemic, call it what you will — H1N1 or influenza A. The country’s health minister has announced 44 deaths as a result of the epidemic.

All the heightened awareness has been publicized in the week after President Cristina Kirchner and her husband, former president Nestor Kirchner, saw their governing Peronist Party lose badly in national elections, deemed a referendum on the Kirchners’ hold to power.

Some people wondered whether the elections should have been delayed as the flu epidemic started taking hold. The Buenos Aires newspaper, La Nacion, reports that the government cited 1,587 flu cases days before the Sunday elections, and may have been undercounting.

Suddenly, this week the count of infections is running much higher — perhaps as many as 100,000 cases so far. All along, one theory was that the Kirchners, facing low polling numbers, were trying to rush the election no matter what before their popularity got even worse.

Just after the election results, the health minister resigned. Her replacement, Dr. Juan Manzur, announced a series of measures to keep down the number of flu infections.

School trips were delayed, federal and state courts sessions were in recess, and sports and cultural events are postponed around Buenos Aires and the provinces. People have taken to wearing masks, pregnant women and the infirm can take time off from work and people with symptoms are encouraged to stay out of crowds. And officials say the national drink, yerba mate, may be a healthy choice — but avoid sharing and passing it around as is usually done, in ornate gourds with silver straws.

The economic fallout has been significant. Newspapers report fewer shoppers on the streets, restaurants are less crowded and tourists, particularly those from Brazil, are staying away.

The only good word about the worldwide flu epidemic is that pharmaceutical manufacturers are preparing supplies of vaccines that should be ready in two months. Until then, vote by absentee ballot and stay three feet away from everyone — or, at least, postpone any thoughts of visiting your soulmate in Argentina until the disease runs its course a bit.

- Peter Eisner

Photo courtesy of Flickr user blmurch under a Creative Commons license.

The USG talking points seem to be “reassure, reassure, reassure.”  Their take is basically right, for now — though it has spread rapidly, H1N1 is not a particularly lethal flu.

But the virus is affecting many young people who are otherwise healthy. More troubling is that its future course is completely unpredictable. With Tamiflu-resistant influenza circulating — as well as the H5N1 avian flu pathogen out there, which IS incredibly deadly — and the potential for recombinations, I worry. Practice the elbow cough and teach it to your kids. Wash your hands for a really long time. And stockpile food.

Residents of Japan attempt to ward off swine flu with protective masks.

Japan has reported a big increase in the number of cases of H1N1 flu, with at least 191 confirmed. The government has closed more than 4,000 schools and canceled many community events.

Janne Morén is a Swedish researcher living in Osaka. He writes at his blog to weigh the government’s approach to combating the flu. 

Flu Closings Not Working As Expected

The number of infected is up to 191 people, and a lot of schools are closed for a week. Most infected people are high-school students so I guess it makes some kind of sense. Not all schools are closed, however; as the link above hints, jurisdiction over things like schools is an unholy mess of overlapping and conflicting responsibilities here. The Osaka prefecture, for instance, can order all schools in Osaka prefecture to close — except for those in Osaka city and Sakai city. They’re the biggest cities and their schools are not under prefectural control. And private schools are private and can’t just be ordered to close.

Of course, the incubation period of the virus seems to range from a day up to nine days, so a week-long break might really be too short to break the chain of transmission. Besides, it’s high-schoolstudents we’re talking about here; compulsive socializers, with a primal urge to see each other at any cost. The kind of people that would meet up during a hurricane just to show each other how cool and unimpressed they are. What are the chances that they simply meet each other out on the town instead, rendering the school closings ineffective? And true enough, the Osaka evening news featured a broadcast from Amerikamura where large numbers of middle- and high-school students have gathered today to celebrate a few days off school.

Day care centers are also closing. Which impacts young mothers that work part- or full-time. They can no longer go to work since they need to stay home with their kid. According to a television report this morning, many such young parents gather at each others home. That way the kids have friends to play with, and the parents can help each other out so some can go grocery shopping (or even go to work part time) while the others watch the children.

Great idea - except that it defeats the whole purpose of closing the day care centers in the first place. And instead of having the kids watched by trained nursery staff that knows to look for early signs of infection and knows what to do if they see it, you have parents that of course really have little clue about what to do.

To their credit, a number of people have begun speaking up about this current hysteria, and some of the media is giving them a voice. Some doctors have rightly pointed out that many of the current measures don’t really work. All they do is disrupt people’s lives and incite panic. Our Fearless Leader, Osaka Governor Hashimoto (who seems to be putting on some weight; might want to go easy on the takoyaki there) has called for a step-down on the pandemic response and start treating it more like a normal flu outbreak. The radical measures are out of proportion to the current severity and spread of the disease. 

Read more at the original post.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Foxeo under a Creative Commons license.

Delegates convene at the World Health Assembly in 2008. Photo: WHO

We live in interesting times, that’s for sure — so I am thrilled to be launching a blog with Worldfocus, an exceptional source for information about what is happening in the world beyond our shores.

A little background on me — I am a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank that John Podesta founded about five years ago. Last year, I co-authored a book called The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise. The changing nature of security and great power relationships continue to fascinate me.

These issues are playing out today as the World Health Organization (WHO) convenes public health officials from 192 countries, including U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, for its annual assembly in Geneva. The possible pandemic of swine flu makes this week’s gathering particularly timely.

The H1N1 virus is the third truly global crisis to hit Americans this year. 2009 opened with us in the throws of the largest global financial meltdown in our lifetimes. Global warming is nothing new, but its effects are becoming ever more apparent. Now the swine flu, still spreading rapidly, has taken the lives of six Americans.

This is perhaps the first time the United States faces three global disasters at once. While this trifecta is obviously brutal for Americans, it may accelerate a long-overdue shift in the American debate about how to think about national security.

Many policymakers, particularly of an older generation, are stuck on the view that the primary threat to America will come in the form of strong, rising powers bent on domination. Our historic battles with Germany and Japan in World War II and the Soviet Union during the long Cold War crystallized this premise and our whole national security infrastructure is built around it.

Technology, though, has changed national security, as it has everything else. Now, our national security policies need to focus on transnational forces like terrorists, proliferators, global warming, financial crises, poverty and viruses. These are the forces that are directly harming our population and sewing chaos around the world. Other strong powers could well pose a dire threat to America or its interests on a distant day, and we must be prepared. But at this moment, China, Russia and India — not to mention Europe and Japan — are caught along with us, and every other country, in these global tornadoes. The best way out is through collaboration and coordination with them. In this new era, strong nations will hang together or fail apart.

This paradigm shift impacts the way in which we conduct foreign policy, and we have a lot of catching up to do. Until very recently, simply the idea of treating climate change and viruses as national security threats was unusual, though they have the potential to affect the physical well-being of individual Americans today far more directly than, say, NATO expansion.

President Obama, who did not live the bulk of his professional life during the Cold War, is inclined toward this new approach, but his administration faces an uphill battle as it tries to implement it. Senator Susan Collins stripped funding for pandemic response that was in his original stimulus proposal. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’s defense budget, which eliminates several Cold War weapons systems and increases support for counterinsurgency, is meeting resistance in Congress.

Moreover, inside the beltway, there is a decided lack of appreciation for, if not hostility and suspicion towards, what is a critical element for American security today — international rules and institutions like the WHO. While nations are the ultimate actors, the nodes of networks that connect them have to be smarter and faster than ever before in the face of these globe-circling threats.

While in need of reform and resources, multilateral organizations are today playing central roles in addressing each of the three crises. The WHO has distributed information about path of the virus, dolled out anti-viral drugs to countries in need and outlined appropriate steps for countries to take (not that they all listened, and pigs paid the price). Earlier in the year, the Group of 20 leaders pledged over a billion dollars to the International Monetary Fund, to continue bailing out countries hit by the global recession. The U.N. is sponsoring negotiations over a new climate treaty, without which the world will not be able to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

These organizations and others ensure that many nations pay their fair share to tackle global threats. Further, they help to set parameters for emerging powers. Their existence creates pressure on new pivotal powers like China to contribute to the global good. (Politics was the main factor in Beijing’s decision to allow Taiwan to join the World Health Assembly for the first time this year, but international scrutiny contributed).They develop deep expertise and help nations find areas where their interests overlap.

Americans, as a people, have long been more willing to cooperate with other nations, and through global institutions, than their leaders give them credit for. A 2004 poll found that 66 percent of Americans surveyed said the U.S. should address more problems through the United Nations, even if it means not getting our way as often. Yet in that same survey, only 9 percent of congressional staffers guessed correctly that a majority of Americans would hold that view. Those representatives assume, with some justification, that Americans don’t vote based on funding for pandemic disease or U.N. dues.

Perhaps, with the relentless barrage of global threats bearing down on them and the clear need for a global response, Americans will create the political room President Obama needs to make a long-needed transformation. If 2009 marks a decisive break point with outmoded foreign policy paradigms, then at least one blessing will have come of all the pain and anxiety.

- Nina Hachigian

Mexico’s Social Democrats Party has a strong online presence.

As the confirmed number of H1N1 flu cases worldwide surpasses 2,000, Mexico is returning to normal as businesses and schools reopen.

But as a Worldfocus contributing blogger writes, the epidemic may have a lasting impact on internal Mexican politics, as the country approaches congressional elections in July.

With the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in control of Mexico’s Congress, President Felipe Calderón may try to use his handling of the flu crisis to promote his National Action Party (PAN).

At the height of the H1N1 outbreak, with public gatherings banned, many politicians turned to the Web, using Twitter, Facebook and other social networking tools to spread their message.

Richard Grabman is an American author living in Mexico. He writes at “The Mex Files“ blog to explore how “flu-fallout” will impact the country’s political scene.

Viral campaigning in a time of viruses

The official campaign season for the 2009 elections started last Sunday, and there has been concern that the Calderon Administration is using the “sanitary contingency” to control either control the opposition parties ability to reach the voters, or to surpress voter turnout — which would presumably benefit PAN.

PAN Party Chair German Martinez had floated the suggestion of delaying the election, but found little support for such an obvious ploy.  Most parties agreed to certain “temporary” restrictions — supposedly voluntary — that limit candidate meetings to small gatherings between 10 A.M. and 3 P.M. (which basically means workers wouldn’t be attending) and limiting campaigning to a media campaign.

While election and media laws require the television and radio broadcasters to run campaign material during prime time for all the parties, and even the minor parties are given equal access, it does limit the effectiveness of some campaigning, which has always been more hands-on in Mexico.

BUT… There are no restrictions on Internet advertising.

The Social Democrats (SD), a very small party and always in danger of losing their registration, seems to be “winning” the on-line campaign.  At least it’s SD advertising which pops up most regularly on my screen when I look at a site with random advertising.  The SD ads push a “progressive” social agenda (drug legalization, abortion rights, gay and lesbian equality) and pays less attention to economic policy, perhaps appealing for the geek vote — which may be enough to keep their party registration.

[...] I expect more “flu-fallout” will emerge in the next few days as the campaigns get more heated.  And, I expect that the broad support for the Calderon administration’s proactive approach to the flu will somewhat limit the expected fall in PAN support, but it may not all be to the advantage of PRI… though with a stronger left, the Administration will be forced to make more concessions to the left in legislative iniatives.

To read more, see the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

See more of Worldfocus’ coverage of the H1N1 virus and ask an expert your questions.

Ask an expert your questions on the H1N1 flu virus.

Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses how quickly the H1N1 virus is spreading, how world governments have responded to the crisis and the potential for a vaccine.

Eric Klinenberg, a professor at New York University and author of “Fighting for air: The battle to control America’s media,” discusses how U.S. and foreign media have fared in terms of covering the H1N1 outbreak.

Asia has suffered through a series of health crises in recent years — most recently the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003. Simon Tay, the chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and member of the Asia Society, discusses how the crisis is playing out in Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and China and looks at which countries are best prepared to deal with the H1N1 outbreak.

Of course, no country has been affected by the H1NI outbreak so deeply as Mexico. Mexico has also suffered a great deal of economic damage, and it has concerns about how other countries are reacting to the epidemic. Christopher Sabatini, the senior policy director of the Council of the Americas, discusses economic damage from the flu, complaints that Mexicans are being discriminated against and how Mexico’s southern neighbors view its handling of the crisis.

Stephen Morse, a professor of clinical epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, discusses how he sees the H1N1 flu epidemic playing out over the next few months in Mexico, the U.S. and the world.

Below, Professor Morse answers viewer questions. Thank you for your submissions.

Q&A:

William in New York asks: How do people become infected with the swine flu? Is it airborne, is it
contact with a person or an object an infected person has touched, or both?

Professor Morse: Probably mostly airborne. The swine flu is exactly like the regular flu we’re all familiar with in its physical properties and transmission.

It’s hard to believe, but after all these years of studying –- and experiencing — the flu, we still aren’t absolutely sure about all the mechanisms of transmission. But we can make some good estimates. I suspect that most infections are probably airborne, especially when people cough or sneeze nearby. Contact or inanimate objects are probably much less important as ways to become infected, although it’s still an open question and may account for some cases.

Because of the airborne spread, cover your coughs and sneezes (and if you can, throw away the tissue and wash your hands afterwards), and if possible stay at least several feet away from people who are coughing or sneezing. Because of the possibility of contact transmission, we also recommend good “hand hygiene” –- washing your hands (or using a hand sanitizer) regularly. We’re not sure whether or not handwashing makes a big difference with flu transmission, but it has clearly been shown to prevent many other infections and is a good simple precaution.

James in Michigan asks: The virus has three different strains of D.N.A — human, avian and pig. Can it jump from species to species, if the virus is compatible with the species? If so, shouldn’t we be concerned about that?

Professor Morse: Influenza viruses are exchanging genes all the time, often without our noticing until disease occurs. Influenza Type A — the one we usually are referring to — has its genome divided into eight segments of RNA (you can think of them as “mini-chromosomes”). The segments make it easier for the influenza viruses to exchange genes, a process we call reassortment. This is the process that usually gives us new pandemic strains. The widest variety of influenza viruses live in waterfowl, such as wild ducks or geese, and the novel gene in a pandemic usually ultimately comes from this source. However, humans are generally very resistant to infection by these avian (bird) influenza viruses. Pigs may be more easily infected and serve as a sort of “mixing vessel,” because they can also get infected with flu viruses from mammals, including pigs and humans. When two influenza viruses infect the same host (individual), they produce new descendants that may swap gene segments at random as they’re being produced, resulting in many different combinations. Some of them, as a result, just happen to have the right combination of genes to infect other species (like humans) that the parent viruses couldn’t infect.

This particular  ”triple reassortant” we’ve been hearing about as the ancestor of this virus was first identified over 10 years ago, in U.S. pigs, and has been in swine for at least the last decade.

Lynda in Texas asks: Will the pneumonia shot help with a secondary infection from H1N1?

Professor Morse: Yes. This shot protects against a type of bacterial pneumonia that used to be a major secondary infection, and a common cause of death in those elderly who had serious medical conditions. This vaccine prevents “pneumococcal pneumonia”, caused by a particular species of bacteria that is very common in the human population and has been a real killer in the past. So it will help. However, there are other causes of secondary infection that are not covered by the vaccine, so call your doctor if you get the flu and don’t start improving in a few days, or if you think you might have a secondary infection.

Spirit in New York asks: How concerned should I be about traveling on the subway, bus or train to another state? Is public transportation safe?

Professor Morse: No reason to worry at this time. There isn’t much risk from public transportation within the U.S., and that’s not likely to change until the flu becomes much more widespread. As of now, the virus is simply not widespread enough and there are not enough cases to make public transportation a major concern for infection. Public transportation, in general, is probably about the same risk as most places where people gather for similar periods of time.

Gerald in Connecticut asks: Our daughter is scheduled to leave for Mexico this Saturday on her honeymoon. Would you recommend she not go?

Professor Morse: This is really a personal choice, and I can empathize with her dilemma.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) recommends avoiding all non-essential travel to Mexico if possible. Additional information and the latest updates are on the CDC Web site.

The risk is probably very small, but the newlyweds may well enjoy their honeymoon more if they aren’t distracted by the concerns about catching the flu. If your they do decide to go, they should check on their transportation arrangements. Many U.S. airlines are still flying to Mexico, but with reduced schedules because there are fewer passengers. Most airlines appear willing to give refunds or cfredits for those who want to delay the trip.

Aside from Mexico, travel restrictions to other places are generally not warranted at this time. There is a natural tendency to want to close borders or limit travel everywhere when these disease reports come up, but restrictions are often too late, after the disease has already spread into the country. By then, travel restrictions are usually too late to really prevent spread.

Nathan in California asks: Is it possible there will be an increased spread of the H1N1 virus later this year during flu season?

Professor Morse: Yes, it is possible, although truthfully we don’t know what it will do. Flu is notoriously hard to predict, so those of us who work with the virus have a healthy respect for its variety and unpredictability. The possibility of the virus coming back in another wave (possibly even causing more severe disease) later in the year is one possible scenario. But this is unpredictable, and that’s why it’s very important for epidemiologists and public health people to watch influenza activity carefully and be prepared to act appropriately if something happens. Keep watching the media for new developments.

Vernell in Texas asks: What can be done to prepare in advance of a possible return of the
disease in the fall?

Professor Morse: First, stay well informed in case there’s a major change or sudden development in the flu situation. If the situation is unusual, there may be special recommendations.

Otherwise, basically prepare the way you usually do for the flu. The hygiene measures we’re recommending — basics such as “respiratory etiquette” (covering coughs and sneezes), regular handwashing, staying away as much as possible from people sick with the flu, and staying home if you think you have the flu — will apply whatever happens. Call your doctor or health department information line immediately if you’re having difficulty breathing, feeling a lot sicker than you think you’d normally be with the flu, or if you start getting worse instead of better. You may want to have some extra supplies of food and other basics at home in case you have to stay in for a while.

A vaccine may be available by next fall, and you should seriously consider whether you want to take it. Your doctor can help with this decision.

Many people ask about antivirals, like “Tamiflu”. In general, these drugs can be lifesaving in severe cases if we give them fairly early in the course of disease (within the first 48 hours), but have relatively little benefit in mild or moderate flu (which will get better without medication). We don’t encourage these drugs for mild cases, because we’re concerned that wide use might cause more rapid development of viral resistance to the drug.

Wishing you good health!

Disclaimer: Stephen Morse provides information and informed opinion, not medical advice.

Meanwhile in Mexico, where commerce has dropped severely because of limits on public gatherings, President Felipe Calderon told the nation that only essential businesses — such as supermarkets, hospitals and pharmacies — should stay open.

Michael Novacek, the provost of science at the American Museum of Natural History, joins Martin Savidge to discuss why swine flu is so lethal and the scientific community’s attempts to fight the virus.

‘Swine’ flu has the pork industry worried.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that it will stop using the the term “swine flu,” claiming the term was misleading consumers and causing some countries to slaughter pigs needlessly. The WHO will call the virus by its technical name, H1N1 influenza A.

As countries around the world debate over what to call “swine flu,” Worldfocus anchor Martin Savidge writes about the influenza name game.

A couple of days ago when the flu story was really beginning to move, I remember seeing a report from Israel on the wires about how many Jews wanted the name of the outbreak changed because it was offensive to their faith. Muslims, as well, wanted a different name for the same reason. I thought that was rather amusing and potentially confusing.

Then I read yesterday that the U.S. government wanted to make a name change as well — but it had nothing to do with faith; rather, the economy. Specifically, the negative impact “swine” flu was having on the pork industry. Pork farmers fear the market could take a dive, perhaps with good reason.

Even though scientists have said there is no way to catch the flu by eating pork chops or any other pork products, a number of nations have moved to ban the importation of pork from the U.S. and Mexico. They include the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Ecuador.

In Jordan they are shutting down pig farms, while Egypt has ordered every pig in the country destroyed — some 300,000 of them. In the newsroom, we were struck that Muslim countries like Egypt and Jordan would even have pigs as livestock. As our associate producer Mohammad al-Kassim pointed out, it’s for their Christian residents, who have no religious problem with ham or bacon.

So what name should replace “swine,” since it is so problematic? The U.S. suggests referring to the flu as H1N1, its scientific name. Thailand says it will start calling the disease the “Mexican flu” — a name Israel liked as well — but not one that Mexico is likely to like.

In Europe, Androulla Vassiliou, the European commissioner for health, said that the commission would refer to the disease as “novel flu.” I don’t quite get that name. Is it because this is said to be a totally new flu?

The WHO continues to refer to the virus as swine influenza. Meanwhile, the World Organization for Animal Health, which handles veterinary issues around the world, issued a statement suggesting that the new disease should be labeled “North American influenza,” in keeping with a long medical tradition of naming influenza pandemics for the regions where they were first identified, e.g. the Spanish flu of 1918 to 1919, the Asian flu of 1957 to 1958 and the Hong Kong flu of 1967 to 1968.

So what name would you call it?

It’s worth noting that this is another story, like the economic meltdown, which shows how we are all globally connected. And like the recession, the only way to combat the problem is by working together. No one is immune — regardless of where you live or what language you speak.

- Martin Savidge

Photo courtesy of Flickr user The Pug Father under a Creative Commons license.

More than 90 cases of the disease have now been reported throughout the United States, and the first U.S. death attributed to swine flu was reported. Of course, Mexico is where the disease started — or so it seems — and where it continues to do the most harm. At least 150 people there have died from the disease. 

Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the origin of the flu. She also discusses various government responses to the flu, including discouraging public gatherings in Mexico, slaughtering pigs in Egypt and shutting down pig farms in Jordan.