I really think the U.S. government should have done a better job by introducing tougher control and screening measures, the fact that U.S. now has the most confirmed number of swine flu infections can partially be blamed on the government'd mindset that "oh this is just another flu, shouldn't worry about it too much, tougher measures will be bad for the econmy etc."

ok one question...how do you know you have swine flu vs regular flu since all symptoms are the same...just curious

Yeah I have the same question as "angelique". Because my freind had the fever and is coughing badly but she doesn't have any of the other symptoms. Should I be worried about her having Swine????

Imagine how many cases remain unreported as there are people who will not attend a doctor for these seemingly minor symptoms.

What "hysteria"? The new virus is a threat, even to some young healthy people (cytokine storm); it is not, "mild" just claimed to be by CDC, which is more about politics now than preventing or controlling panflu. This H1N1 has been impacting an entirely different age group than, "seasonal" flu; and it is Pandemic year Firstwave, that is being Recklessly downplayed, for short-sighted political and economic "reasons".(And by Chan at the WHO perhaps for strategic reasons benefitting the PRC's long-term interests. The CFR for pandemic planning was GI/GO from 2005 on.
Laurie Garrett told Sen. Committee on Foreign Relations to, "not base policy on" the numbers the WHO /CDC had 'made up', Nov. 2005. Senators Obama and Biden present. And Biden knew the US was unprepared and needed household and community and govt preparedness; read the early 2001, "Dark Winter" report.) Where's Gen. Honore? He knows we needed a "culture of preparedness" too. Why wasn't the public sold that idea?

Don't even call those, "case numbers" for this flu.
"No testee, No findee" has been in progress, as oficials have been agreeing to, "officially confirm" a smaller and smaller criteria of cases.

Panflu is all over the US; compare the ILI-activity CDC maps from this same time last year to this year!

It has also been being seeded abroad from Mexico by returned travellers since at least mid-March; mistaken for 'seasonal flu' by all other nations.

VP Biden's advice against closed spaces: "airplanes" & "classrooms" was the most honest advice you've been told -and look what happened.

Dept of Ed. Sec. Spellings wrote school districts a letter, March, 2006, the same month the school checklists, such as they were, went up on pandemic flu.gov (the fed site that went up Oct. 2005, and which has been remarkably under-advertised- public knows more about, "digital TV" than to, "lower expectations" of aid during Pandemic Alert, and what the "Individual"'s page under "Planning" said - only recently re-titled "Family" page under, "Prepare & Respond" )

School administrations were to, March, 2006, "begin those difficult conversations if you haven't already" regarding Pandemic flu Alert, and tell staff and parents the "plans"- due to not wanting to buy enough antivirals, and, lacking manufacturing capacity to make enough vaccine in the US, (vaccine which may not be effective if made) planned implementation of, "Community Mitigation Guidelines" and "Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions" -such as dismissing schools (many of which are designated sites for overflow "care" of panflu victims anyway) banning public gatherings, and closing non-essential businesses, for one, or even two semesters.

Schools were supposed to prepare distance learning in case "severe" pandemic -and H5N1 is magnitudes off the WHO/CDC/HHS pandemic severity chart (H5N1: still fatal untreated with an effective antiviral course, for H5N1 10 days or more, must be started within 48 hours of symptoms. Nations have been enroning true H5N1 case numbers for years now, thanks to Tamiflu/Containment working; "must not hurt tourism") made it necessary to use NPIs to reduce panflu infections and deaths and flatten peak of cases/demand - since our medical system had no surge capacity even pre-pandemic.

Posters, some of your questions can be answered by reading over at the,
"PFI Pandemic Flu Information Forum".
(Add your personal symptoms if you want; there's a thread for that.)

The symptoms are not identical to, 'seasonal' flu, -some of the confirmed cases, maybe a third, that one paper looked at, did Not show any fever- perhaps about 9% also have conjunctivitis-
(and, if any doctor will consent to do them anymore, rapid test for flu were not 100% accurate even for seasonal flu during peak activity- which the US seems to be back at. Manufactures admit they have not had time and samples to even see if their rapid kits can detect the new flu.)
Recovered possible cases should still be able to get tested for antibodies in the blood, too. (Health officials do not want more cases confirmed.)

See what you think about this site, (and pick one way you can get better prepared for anything this week) one county in Idaho -compare to your county's advice- hosts site as part of pandemic outreach; Nez Perce emergency mangement:
GetPandemicReady.org

So true!

Great article Jim. Thanks. Complacency is our biggest enemy. Another flu is coming and we need to be better equipped to deal with it the next time. Thanks for promoting public safety and education.

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Check this site out. We have people from all around the world tracking the progression, confirmed cases and deaths associated with the H1N1 virus. This is not going away. Be prepared.

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sorry for the double post...but I just wanted to let you know that you should scroll down past the maps to see the research going on 24-7....