Health, Safety & the Environment

In the absence of any new news about swine flu, some television news programs are running stories that may be generating as yet unwarranted public concern about the health risks posed by  swine flu and the immediacy of those risks.  In confronting any potential health concern, it is vital that the public seek responsible sources of information and tune out everything (and everyone) else!  In this morning’s New York Times,  Tara Parker-Pope has authored a thoughtful health column titled “Worry? Relax? Buy Face Mask? Answers on Flu“  Perhaps the most important point she makes is that  swine flu, although it may be formally classified as a “pandemic“, is a fairly mild form of flu from which most patients make a full recovery.  Of course, any kind of flu is a significant health concern, particularly for at-risk groups, such as seniors, young children and people with weakened immune systems.  During the average flu season, Ms. Parker-Pope reports, 150 people succumb to the flu every day during flu season.  This statistic, although not comforting, offers some perspective on flu concerns in general.  This new flu bug has raised red flags among health officials, however, because it is comprised of four genetic elements, rather than the customary two, and has been shown to infect large numbers of people quickly.  Some health experts have raised a concern that this relatively mild flu strain may evolve into a more virulent flu next Fall.  However, based upon all of the scientific evidence analyzed to date, there does not appear to be any imminent risk at the present time.  If there is an even a remote likelihood of this aberrant strain of flu evolving into a more serious flu at a later date, our government should have months to prepare a response and initiate appropriate precautionary measures.  Tired of conflicting media reports about flu risk?  Check out the Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) web-site for your best up-to-date authoritative information on flu prevention and response.