Had enough of swine flu news? Maybe this will help calm things down. Officials with the CDC are now saying that after genetic analysis, the swine flu lacks the "virulence factors" that were seen in the lethal 1918 Spanish flu or the avian flu.
Not only that, fears that the virus has frequently caused deaths are probably inaccurate, given that the virus is probably more widespread in Mexico than originally thought, said Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC. Furthermore, Mexican officials say that even there, they're getting fewer and fewer new and serious cases.
Still, for the most part, the U.S. is still remaining at high alert. Public health officials are trying to avoid needless alarm, but avoid looking foolish if the virus becomes more virulent later. And that means continued floods of patients into emergency departments, closed schools and more.
To learn more about the CDC analysis:
- read this item from The Washington Post
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