CDC Provides Swine Flu Questions and Answers
The Center for Disease Control has issued Questions and Answers in Response to the Swine Flu Epidemic. Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.
Mexico shut down schools, museums, libraries and state-run theaters across its overcrowded capital Friday in hopes of containing a swine flu outbreak that authorities say killed at least 20 people — and perhaps dozens more. World health authorities worried openly that the strange new virus could become a global epidemic.
The CDC website contains concise answers to the following questions.
- What is swine flu?
- Are there human infections with swine flu in the U.S.?
- Is this swine flu virus contagious?
What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people? - How does swine flu spread?
- How can someone with the flu infect someone else?
- What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
- Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
- What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
- How long can viruses live outside the body?
- What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
- What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?
- What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?
- What should I do if I get sick?