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Light Rain Swine flu spreads worry but low risk
By Malka Eisenberg
Issue of May 1, 2009 / 7 Iyar 5769
If you haven't had the flu vaccine yet this year, don't bother on account of the Swine flu.
“It's too late to get the vaccine for the flu and the current vaccine would not give any benefit against Swine flu,” said Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America and president and CEO of New Island Hospital in Bethpage, LI..
“The good news is that it's very sensitive to the treatments that work against it. The regular influenza that came out was resistant to Tamiflu; this is not resistant to Tamiflu and there is enough available.”
Symptoms are standard for flu: fever, fatigue, aches, cough, sore throat, chills, runny nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Precautions include avoiding areas and those infected, covering one's mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, discarding used tissues, washing hands thoroughly or properly using hand sanitizers, and staying home if you do not feel well.
“There is no need to panic,” Dr. Glatt stressed. People “should be aware of the potential risk” and, if sick, stay home from work or school to avoid transmitting the disease to others. If the person is sick enough “he or she should see a physician.”
“It's not necessary to wear masks, not shake hands and avoid gathering in public places,” he said. “There is no reason not to go to shul or school.”
In Mexico more than 150 people had died in the Swine flu outbreak as of Tuesday afternoon; dozens have been sickened in the United States, more than half in New York, with several schools closed and a number of people hospitalized. Health officials confirmed Tuesday evening that there is one case of Swine flu in Nassau County.
A letter sent home to parents of students at Torah Academy of Girls said that health officials believe it is safe for schools to remain open but warned that could change if the situation worsens.
"If schools are closed, please do not make arrangements -- such as sending children to a friend's home or group childcare -- that will put them in close contact with other children. It is important to plan ahead. Have a family discussion now to consider options in advance of the event of a school closing," the letter said. [Read the entire letter here]
At least two cases were confirmed in Israel where a health official, an observant Jew, announced that the illness would be referred to there as Mexico flu, avoiding the swine reference.
Swine Influenza is caused by the type A flu virus. It manifests itself as a respiratory illness that is common, but not very deadly, in pigs, often in the fall and winter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Humans rarely contract swine flu, but those in contact with pigs, at county fairs or in the swine industry, are most likely to have it. Twelve cases have been reported in the United States between December 2005 and February 2009. “There have been no fatal cases in the US in the last three to four years,” noted Dr. Glatt, who is also assistant to the Rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere and the assistant rabbi at Congregation Anshei Chesed.
[Update: On Wednesday morning a 23-month old in Texas was reported to be the first US fatality in the current Swine flu outbreak]
