Viral Flu, © 2009 Novartis AG

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – US President Barack Obama declared swine flu a national emergency late Friday 23 October, in order to relax some Medicaid and Medicare (national health insurance for the elderly and the poor) rules ahead of a potential surge in cases that could swamp the country’s medical facilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the epidemic has increased in the past weeks and is now widespread in 46 of the 50 states. Swine flu activity has reached levels that the seasonal flu variety normally reaches in late November to March, CDC reported 23  October.

People at particular risk are pregnant women, especially those in the latest stage of pregnancy, children under the age of two, and people with pre-existing pulmonary problems, like asthma. In these cases, patients can develop severe symptoms within 3-5 days. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the disease can progress rapidly, leading to respiratory collapse and the urgent need for mechanical respiration.

The good news is that prompt treatment with the antiviral drugs, oseltamivir or zanamivir, reduces the symptoms and increases the chances for survival.

Swine flu, or A/H1N1 or new flu, has claimed at least 5,000 deaths world-wide as of 17 October, according to the WHO. The WHO has 414,000 confirmed cases, but many countries no longer count individual cases because the symptoms are normally mild and affect people for a week or less. The actual number may be much higher.

Link to other site: Reuters

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