As more news updates about the swine flu outbreak are coming in, sometimes contradictory, it’s easy to panic and forget common sense. Reports of the infection spreading to more countries, new travel health advisories for Mexico, and the World Health Organization revising the infection status as causing ‘community-level outbreaks’, tend to inadvertently increase our level of fear. In all this flurry of activity, it is important to keep in mind that this situation is not a pandemic and that a majority of cases have reported mild symptoms (although it is yet unclear why the strain is more virulent in Mexico). In fact, the regular seasonal flu is currently a larger threat to public health than swine flu. This outbreak ...

The recent outbreak of Swine influenza, by a new subtype of the A H1N1 virus, originated in Mexico and severe respiratory illness was first reported in March. Cases have since been confirmed in the United States and Canada. On April 25, the World Health Organization reported the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Several countries have issued non-essential travel advisories to Mexico. Check your national public health agency for updated information. The extent of the current outbreak in humans is still unknown; this new viral subtype has not been previously detected in pigs or humans. Swine flu is common in pig populations and the infection is known to be transmitted from pigs to humans. The search now, ...