Why The Alarm Over Swine Flu?

Lynchburg, VA - The potential for a global pandemic of Swine Flu is very real, but do you find yourself wondering what all the fuss is about? The fact is; regular influenza is responsible for more than 30,000 deaths a year in the United States. The swine flu has only one confirmed U.S. death, but health officials say the real danger is potential. First, it's a new virus. Our immune systems don't have a defense for it, and there's no vaccine yet. Swine flu can also spread from person-to-person, something the bird flu several years ago generally did not. Dr. Kerry Gateley, MD, Director/Central Virginia Health District - "Another mutation or another genetic change could occur in the virus that could make it more lethal, would make it more pathogenic. And if that happens while the virus is rapidly spreading across the world, we could have some serious trouble." Doctors point out this is the same type of virus as the Spanish flu of 1918, that killed millions, but health officials urge us not to panic, saying it's important to understand a worst-case scenario, but not fixate on one.

Source:

http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0409/618185.html