Swine flu is spreading faster than is being reported. So, would it be reasonable to try to catch it now (for those who are otherwise healthy)? Theoretically, exposure now would allow one’s body to develop an antibody response prior to the virus potentially becoming more virulent. Any thoughts? – Ilene
Swine Flu Is Spreading More Widely Than Official Numbers Show
By Jason Gale, Bloomberg
Swine flu is spreading more widely than official figures indicate, with outbreaks in Europe and Asia showing it’s gained a foothold in at least three regions.
One in 20 cases is being officially reported in the U.S., meaning more than 100,000 people have probably been infected nationwide with the new H1N1 flu strain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the U.K., the virus may be 300 times more widespread than health authorities have said, the Independent on Sunday reported yesterday…
Forty-three countries have confirmed 12,022 cases, including 86 deaths, according to the World Health Organization’s latest tally. Almost four of every five cases were in Mexico and the U.S., where the pig-derived strain was discovered last month. Most of those infected experience an illness similar to that of seasonal flu. The main difference is that the new H1N1 strain is persisting outside the Northern Hemisphere winter…
“While we are seeing activities decline in some areas, we should expect to see more cases, more hospitalizations and perhaps more deaths over the weeks ahead and possibly into the summer,” Anne Schuchat, CDC’s interim deputy director for science and public health program, told reporters on a May 22 conference call.
The U.S. has officially reported 6,552 probable and confirmed cases, Schuchat said. “These are just the tip of the iceberg. We are estimating more than 100,000 people probably have this virus now in the U.S.”…
Evidence of an outbreak within communities outside North America, where the outbreak started, may prompt the WHO to declare the first influenza pandemic since 1968…
Full article here.
