World Health Organization raises pandemic threat to Level 4
Image by Franz Patzig via Flickr
The World Health Organization has elevated the global pandemic threat to Level 4, which means there’s significant human-to-human transmission of a new virus in many parts of the world. This is the first threat-level increase since the system began a decade ago, and would be the first global influenza pandemic since the 1968 Hong Kong flu, which killed 4 million. Whoops.
✧ Travel advisories from the Centers of Disease Control will be backed up by a State Department warning against all “non essential” travel to Mexico.
✧ A seventh-grade boy from a Sacramento Catholic school is the first confirmed swine-flu case in Northern California and the state’s eighth official infection. The school has been closed down, and three other students are being tested for the virus.
✧ Thermal screening machines are being used at airports all over Asia to pluck feverish people out of the crowds. No such technology exists at U.S. airports.
✧ Scotland and Spain have the first confirmed cases in Europe.
✧ And Texas confirmed its third case, from the same high school near San Antonio as the first two.
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Woooo-eeee. San Francisco, New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Kinshasa, Karachi, Bangkok, Peking…. That’s some trip you’re taking, sir. All in one week!
Ken,
Two things of note. Those in the swine industry have asked the media to refer to this flu as the “hybrid” flu. Gee, I wonder why that is. Also, locally here in San Francisco, they are reporting that it is believed that the reason why the swine flu A/H1N1 is less severe in the U.S. is because a “cousin” of A/H1N1 has been used in other vaccines over the years possibly lessening the strength to Americans that had their vaccinations.
The jury is still out on the second one as they aren’t saying what the vaccine was that seems to have lessened the effects here.
Supposedly America has been working on a plan for a pandemic for years. Are we up for the task? I think this country needs a year break from major drama. I can’t seem to get it personally, so, don’t be looking for my childish idea for a major drama break to come to fruition. My best bet is probably to find a spiritual solution or let it find me.
Sandy
“Thermal screening machines are being used at airports all over Asia to pluck feverish people out of the crowds. No such technology exists at U.S. airports.”
Surprise, surprise. After dumping who knows how many billions hiring former Pizza Hut employees to work at TSA and instituting ridiculous, ineffective & time-consuming regulations for flyers instead of, say, doing something that might actually increase flight security, is it any wonder that American airports don’t have thermal screening machines, not to mention enough of those bag-checky machines that look for explosives in luggage?
From the start DHS has been all about looking like they are keeping us secure rather than actually doing anything reasonable and cost-effective to make it so.
Obama’s first action as president should’ve been to dismantle DHS and about a dozen other ‘national security’ agencies that either don’t talk to each other, do frivolous work or duplicate the work of other agencies. These security clowns are more concerned about guarding their turf than guarding US American people. Trusting them to keep us safe or healthy is like trusting Ed Henry to not ask a stupid question at the next Obama press conference.
a State Department warning against all “non essential” travel to Mexico
For most Americans and Canadians, is there any other kind?
This is going to cripple Mexico’s tourist industry, and probably help the cartels.