There are now reports of swine flu that have been confirmed in Kansas and possibly in New York as well. Still no deaths in the US, everyone seems to have recovered completely.
The main concern with the reports out of Mexico is that the people who have died from the swine flu (or complications from it - mostly pneumonia) are all young otherwise healthy adults. This is a troublesome sign for scientists because past flu pandemics have started this way. The young healthy people who are not usually affected by the flu are the ones who die first. The 1918 flu pandemic that killed over 30 million people worldwide began that way, as have more recent flu pandemics.
The government of Mexico has said they are doing their best to contain the outbreak and have cancelled all public events for the weekend. Unfortunately, health officials believe it may be too late.
Check back with your About.com Cold and Flu site frequently, we will stay up to date on this swine flu story. You can find plenty of information here about flu pandemics, flu symptoms, and flu prevention. Although the flu shot will not protect you from swine flu, it appears Tamiflu and Relenza are both effective against it. At least that is good news.
