Swine Flu GuamA total of 40 cases of Swine Flu have been confirmed in the United States, 20 cases more than reported yesterday. It's something the Guam Department of Public Health has been tracking for the past few days.
That agency has been meeting with the center for disease control for the last several days, receiving updates on the number of cases reported in Mexico and the United States. Public Health director J. Peter Roberto says rest assured that they're closely monitoring the situation, saying, "It is a flu. The people in the United States have not died. On Guam, there's zero confirmed cases. There are no Swine Flu cases on Guam and if the need arises, should the possibility occur that somebody come in with these types of flu-like symptoms, we do have antiviral at Public Health and we do have protocols placed not only coming into Public Health, but also out through shipments to our own laboratories in Hawaii."
Symptoms of Swine Flu is similar to the classic symptoms of influenza. Public Health family Dr. Bernard Stupski says you cannot tell the difference unless testing is done. "The only way to determine this is through laboratory testing. The Swine Flu is presented like the flu, so you'll have runny nose, cough, fever, body aches. There are some symptoms where people have gastric intestinal problems and diarrhea, but from the symptoms, you wouldn't be able to distinguish from the regular flu," he said.
Swine Flu is spread from person to person through touching, coughing, sneezing or talking while you're sick. That means, it isn't spread by pork meat. Pork that is handled properly is safe to eat. Although there is no vaccine for the disease, there are medicines that can help fight the infection. You are urged to wash your hands, cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze, avoid close contact with sick people.
Meanwhile Public Health continues to make early morning calls with CDC and local physicians. In addition, Roberto says the Guam Airport Authority and Guam Customs along with the Port Authority of Guam have been briefed on the matter as well. "With respect to this type of flu, information is evolving and changing at the moment. By tomorrow, who knows what will be changed. Everyday, not only epidemiologists but also the scientist are really looking at this matter very, very closely," he said.
For more information about the Swine Flu, check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can also contact Public Health at 735-0670.
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