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ABC2 News: Maryland's First Case of Swine Flu


MattFancy

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Maryland Gets First Swine Flu Cases

Maryland officials say the state has its first probable cases of swine flu, including two among public school students.

Tests are being performed on samples from six people, with results expected Thursday. Three of the probable cases are in Anne Arundel County and three are in Baltimore County.

One involves a student at Folger McKinsey Elementary School in Severna Park, which is in Anne Arundel. The other student is a high schooler at Milford Mill Academy in Baltimore County.

Gov. Martin O'Malley says none of the six have had to be hospitalized and all are recovering.

The cases involve people who traveled to Mexico, where there are swine flu cases. Some of the sick people made those trips, while others who have fallen ill are the travelers' relatives.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Am I the only one that thinks the country is overreacting to this? :whoknows:

Nope, but it's not me who agrees with you. This thing could still fizzle out and people will forget about it soon, but right now it is spreading too fast for anything other than concern about it.

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Am I the only one that thinks the country is overreacting to this? :whoknows:

What I find odd is, almost everyone who has it in the United States has been to Mehico. I would like to know, how many people have actually gone to Mexico post outbreak and not caught it. Other than that, it seems like a normal flu bug with extra media attention.

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St. Mary's County just sent home a letter about it.

Why don't we get one for Influenza A and B?

Because this is an unknown strain. Other influenza strains we know about.

We have never seen this strain before with its specific genetic makeup. These strains are prone to mutating rapidly to develop resistance to antiviral medications.

Because of these factors, public health has to take precautionary measures in alerting people. If we don't, and this thing mutates and causes more severe infections leading to higher morbidity and mortality rates, all us in public health would be absolutely crucified.

Remember, Hurrican Katrina? No big warning there, look at that frickin catastrophe. Government authorities and emergency response officials were ripped up one side and down the other (rightly so) for not responding properly to the initial threat. Remember the hurricane last year, proper procedures were followed, they got everyone the hell out of dodge down there, and even though the hurricane made less of an impact than predicted, we still didn't have near the casualties, damage, or general cluster**** as Hurricane Katrina.

Better safe than sorry. In disaster management we have to stay ahead of the game instead of being so reactionary after the fact....something we are finally starting to get.

Anyway, that's my opinionated long story "why." :D

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