Word: viruses
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...then last week the Mexican government realized it had the more rarefied swine flu (or A/H1N1 virus) epidemic on its hands. Hernandez's husband - who like so many Mexicans suspected of contracting swine flu is of a relatively young age not usually waylaid so severely by flu viruses - was transferred to the INER. "I believe the doctors and nurses are doing the best they can," says Hernandez, 42. "This is just a very painful ordeal for all of us, and it's hard for everyone to cope." (See the Top 5 Swine...
...subway cars can be a vector for disease transmission if sick people are on board. You can catch the flu if you're within about six feet of a sick person - otherwise known as the "breathing space" - who coughs or sneezes on you, and a small amount of the virus can survive on inanimate surfaces. But with just a tiny number of cases in the U.S. right now, there's little risk that you'll encounter a sick person - certainly not enough to make it worth becoming a shut-in. (See pictures of thermal scanners hunting for swine...
...misconceptions spread quickly during the early stages of a new disease outbreak. In Egypt, authorities culled some 300,000 pigs - even though there was no evidence that the H1N1 virus was circulating in these pigs or was actively passing from pigs to people. In France, authorities have said they want to ban flights to and from Mexico, even though WHO officials and other epidemiologists say such extreme measures are likely to hurt far more than they'll help. (The E.U. rejected the French request on Thursday.) "The risk of collateral damage [on top of the flu] is very real," says...
...prepare for an imminent pandemic. "The biggest question is, 'How severe will a pandemic be?'" Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO director-general, said in Switzerland. So politicians have to make like they're doing something. Gabon and Ghana have banned the import of pork, even though the flu virus cannot be contracted through eating dead pig. Kenya, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe say they are checking arriving passengers at borders and airports and have response plans of varying sophistication should an outbreak occur. In some places, they've gone much further: Authorities in Egypt, which was affected by bird...
...weren't prepared for this. Harvard University Health Services sent out a helpful email informing the Harvard community about how to avoid contracting the virus. Insightful advice about washing hands (with soap, people!), avoiding contact with the sick, and how to cough properly (“into the crook of your elbow”) from HUHS has been much appreciated by FlyBy, who had previously thought that sneezing into people’s faces and swapping saliva with those who had hacking coughs was healthy and downright sexy. So, in order to better inform...