- Is this going to be something that dies out, like SARS?
- Are people making too big a deal out of this or will this pandemic be a serious global problem resulting in the death of thousands (or more)?
- Are you, personally, taking any precautions or letting this affect your life? ie: travel plans, not going to certain public places...
This is an e-mail from the UMass Chancellor. Apparently the swine flu has made its way to Amherst
To: The Campus Community
Today, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) identified two probable cases of H1N1 (swine) flu at Amherst College. While the cases have not yet been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the students involved are receiving appropriate treatment, doing well and expected to recover fully.
Because of the probability that the illness is present on the Amherst College campus, that school is taking precautions, including asking anyone with symptoms to seek medical evaluation, recommending pre-emptive care for individuals with compromised immune systems and cancelling a number of social gatherings.
Ongoing surveillance has not identified any cases of H1N1 at UMass Amherst and, based on guidance from the MDPH and the CDC, all activities on our campus are continuing as scheduled. Assessment of the situation is ongoing; if the advice of public health experts changes or circumstances warrant, the decision will be revisited.
Simple prevention measures remain important for all members of the community:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue or into your elbow instead of into your hands. Throw used tissues into the trash.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, to reduce the spread of germs.
- If you’re sick, stay home from school or work, and limit contact with others.
Symptoms of swine flu in people can include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people have also reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
If you become ill, call your healthcare provider. The UHS Triage Advice Nurse can be reached at 577-5229, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; after hours, call the UHS main number, 577-5000.
This remains a rapidly evolving situation and we will continue to update you as new information becomes available. For federal, state and campus-specific information, visit the University Health Services website, www.umass.edu.
Chancellor Robert C. Holub
So what do you think? My thoughts: the current condition of the world with all of our problems; greed leading to a global recession, the gap widening between the rich and poor (social inequity), using our natural resources at a exponential rate, global warming... maybe this is nature's way of fighting back so to speak.
ReplyDeleteI think my viewpoint is more of the way the media is handling this- once again creating an enormous amount of fear when still there is so much unknown. It seems that this flu is just what it is- a flu and like all flu virus' some lives are lost if those individuals have compromised immune systems. Let's not buy into this belief system!
ReplyDeleteI personally think that this may be the media's way of selling product. Or my very narrow mind set about the pandemic going on as we email. It may also be that we're being made more aware of diseases due to the new technology that exists in the world today. Do you think that we've had this type of problem or similar problems in the past but were kept out of the loop via government or media? Just thinking out loud.
ReplyDeleteGood points both of you. I agree wholeheartedly that the media is having a field day with swine flu and in-turn, creating an unnecessary sense of fear across the world. The media is definitely selling this... they are a business, like any. Their job is to get people watching / reading / paying attention to them; this makes them money.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that technology is a factor and that in the past, governments did cover up diseases like this. Also in the past, swine flu would have killed more people due to lack of sanitation / education. We are more intelligent now and know how diseases work, therefore the spread can be better controlled. We do have a much larger population and the world is certainly a smaller place (globalization). If/when a more serious disease than swine flu arises, lots of people are going to die very quickly. This disease is not the end of the world, but that has come close to happening in the past and it is naive to think it can't happen again.