|
.
Swine Flu Australia. The
course of Swine Flu Australia may predict how bad the disease is going to be in the western
hemisphere. Australia is in the southern hemisphere thus they are currently in their prime flu
season.
More than
20,000 people have been confirmed to have H1N1 and 60 or more have died as a result of the virus.
At any given point in July and August, 2009, around 400 people were in the hospital including more
than 100 in Intensive Care units.
The
Australian Department of Health and Aging has implemented the PROTECT program. They believe that
containing the outbreaks is the best policy right now and no more sweeping measures are
needed.
H1N1 is a
virus that mutated, combining four strains of influenza (human, avian, and pig) into one that can
be transmitted from humanto human. It probably originated in
Asia and was carried to North America by travelers. The disease first came into the public's
awareness when Mexico City virtually shut down in April, 2009 as a result of so many
illnesses.
|