With a total of 17 countries hit, 787 cases confirmed, 586 reported cases in Mexico and 160 right here in America, and a death toll of 20 so far, Swine Flu is at the very least a disease to be wary of.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says everyone should take caution by washing their hands and covering our mouths when coughing to reduce the spread of the Swine Flu.
Everyone in the country and around the world has heard of the outbreak of swine flu that is plaguing the world and is becoming a pandemic. While first discovered on a farm of sick pigs in Canada, one of the farm workers flew to Mexico and returned to Canada sick, supposedly “affecting” the livestock which is now under quarantine. Although the swine flu cannot be transmitted by eating pork, people are still taking necessary precautions about eating pork.
Even with HIV/AIDS cases still on the rise, we don’t hear about the disease as much as the Swine Flu. More than a half of million people have died of AIDS in the USA alone. A total of 28 children under the age of 13 have died in 2007 of AIDS.
Paolo Concepion is a 24-year-old student, majoring in Biology, and anticipating graduating in the fall of 2010, says he thinks students do not take it as serious as the media has portrayed it to be. “The Swine Flu is another fad and that pharmaceutical companies are cashing in cows. Over the next few weeks or months the Swine Flu is going to blow away.” Compared to the SARS disease, some people are scared but trust in a medical team who encourages the people to wash their hands and cover their mouths, which may help contain the spread of the disease, or “fad”, Concepcion says.
Alexandra Sanders is an 18-year-old student from Pacifica, who called the Swine Flu a “big hype”. “People are treating it like a normal flu bug and if it had came from Canada would America be as interested?” Sanders said. Compared to SARS which came and left quickly, the Swine Flu is a trend and people shouldn’t be harmed because it’s just a virus we can’t kill. “Washing our hands, not sharing drinks, and receiving good medical care would keep the virus dormant” Sanders said.
So why is the so-called “Swine Flu” so serious? The numbers are nowhere near HIV/AIDS. Will this outbreak die away soon or continue to be the top story of today’s news? Only time will tell. I believe the Swine Flu is just like the normal flu and so many people are telling themselves they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. Businesses, corporations, and organizations get the news and there goes the media right at your doorstep, looking for answers, clues, and gossip. American people live on gossip which makes headlines and breaking news stories a top priority for national and international businesses.
