The Potential of Swine Flu

What are the facts and what are the half-truths and lies? Swine flu has now become global. It has spread from its epicenter in Mexico to every corner of the world. Its neighbor the United States now has the most reported cases of the disease with a total of about 11,500 probable and confirmed cases of swine flu (Reuters 4th June). The emphasis of the disease has now shifted from Mexico to the United States.
From the numbers coming out the United States we can begin to estimate the virulence of the disease.
So far 770 of those who have caught the disease have been hospitalized. That’s about 2.5 per cent of all the cases so far in the United States and there has been 21 swine flu related deaths.
Swine flu’s infection to mortality rate isn’t very high, been comparable to that of normal season flu. But this could all change if it mutates before the highly anticipated second wave hits later on in the year…

Its potential is immense. It could remain in its current mild form but just spread little faster during the colder winter months of the year. Or it could emulate the devastation caused by the Spanish flu, which incidentally was also caused by a H1N1 influenza virus. It infected approximately one third of the World’s population in 1918 and killed more than 50 million people. Its effect was more damaging because the virus seemed to target young adults, using the cytokine storm mechanism which triggers an overreaction of the immune system. It was those that had the strongest immune systems that were the most vulnerable, the most productive members of society, the most able…

The Spanish flu was the worst type of pandemic and swine flu has the potential to follow in steps.
For more information look at:
http://www.swine-flu-facts.org/
http://www.swine-flu-facts.info/