When Pigs Fly...Well Swine Flu

"Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses), that affects birds and mammals." Throughout human history, the influenza virus has plagued humans with it variety, diversity, and sustainability. Today, the influenza virus, or flu, has major health impacts on its victims. Instances are especially lethal in infants, young children, and the elderly. Furthermore, the flu takes the lives of many in underdeveloped countries where readily available vaccines and medications tend to be not so readily available.
Two and a half weeks ago, I began to develop a cough and this cough developed into fever, the cold sweats, nausea, chronic headaches, fatigue, and achiness. At first I was hoping that it was merely a cold of some sort, but upon attending the University Health Center, I was diagnosed with the H1N1, or the term coined "swine flu." This new strain of the influenza virus has grabbed the attention of many and occurances are having a worldwide affect. The virus gets it's name due to the fact that the virus originated in swine, or pigs. In weeks, the virus which was originally diagnosed in Mexico on June 11th, 2009, was headlining news all over the world. According to the New York Times, "The initial outbreak raised fears of a repeat of the 1919 swine flu epidemic that left millions dead around the world. As more cases emerged, it became clear that the H1N1 virus, as it is officially called, was "moderate" in severity, in the words of Margaret Chan, the W.H.O.'s director general, with the overwhelming majority of patients experiencing only mild symptoms and a full recovery, often in the absence of any medical treatment."
According to this article, 4,000 people in the United States alone have fallen to the H1N1 virus, despite its mildness in nature. The reason why the swine flu is proving to be so fatal is because it tends to have stronger effects on infants, pregnant women, elders, and individuals with comprimised immune symptoms. Moreover, the flu seems to bring out undetected heart conditions and other such ailments which would otherwise go undetected. "In October, federal health officials began delivering a swine flu vaccine which had been hurriedly developed. A total of 200 million doses are expected to be delivered, but the production fell significantly behind schedule when the vaccine proved to grow in eggs much more slowly than predicted. Some vaccination sites reported long lines and anxiety among parents hoping to have their children get one of the limited number of shots. A debate raged, primarily online, over whether the vaccine was safe, while many other Americans appeared to simply shrug off the flu's spread."
Simple precautions can be taken to reduce the risk of receiving this flu virus, and I do not feel as though enough people are taking these simple, but essential precautions into consideration through their everyday life. Simply washing your hands frequently, and caughing into your sleeve instead of your hand can greatly reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Concluding, I feel as though progress has been made because I am constantly hearing of opportunities to receive the vaccine for the virus. As well, I feel that the news is doing a sufficient job of make the public aware as well awakening society to be more weary when they are in public situations, especially people that live in high populated areas such as New York City, and Universities (University At Albany).

"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/influenza/swine_influenza/index.html"