HEALTH - The H1N1 virus (aka swine flu) is spreading faster than expected and part of the problem, according to health officials, is people aren't taking it seriously enough.The first case of swine flu was reported today in Toronto, a male in his early twenties who had recently traveled to Mexico, bringing Ontario's total to 8 patients of swine flu. 14 other carriers of the disease have been been confirmed in Canada, bringing Canada's total of confirmed cases to 33, up from 19 yesterday.
So far the 8 Ontario swine flu patients have mild cases, but 5 new cases in B.C. and 4 new cases in Nova Scotia suggests its just a matter of time before Canada sees more serious cases. The 4 new cases in Nova Scotia are unique because none of them recently visited Mexico, but instead got it from visiting friends in Windsor Ontario, making it the first Canadian-to-Canadian transfer of the disease.Delayed testing results are also becoming an issue, as some people tested for H1N1 are going out and shopping, handling money and going on with their daily lives, not realizing they might be carrying the disease and passing it on to others.
Health experts warn that people need to be more cautious, as they could be passing the disease on to others without realizing it. People who have recently returned from Mexico (or been in contact with someone recently in Mexico) should take more precautions and avoid going out in public until they've received their test results.There were 252 new cases reported in the United States today, bringing the U.S. total to 594. The world wide numbers have jumped almost 1,500 from yesterday, to a total of 3,972 suspected cases. Total deaths have jumped approx. 10% from yesterday's 153, to 168.
See Also:
Worldwide Influenza Pandemic Warned
Swine flu hits Mexico and western United States
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