Swine flu pandemic?

The CDC’s Swine Flu page

WHO’s Swine Flu page

AlertNet’s survey of worldwide reaction to outbreak

The story of a community spared in the 1919 world flu pandemic — a study by the University of Michigan. (includes links to contemporary accounts from the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner)

Here’s the latest from the Associated Press regarding the outbreak of Swine Flu and the possibility the virus could mutate into a more dangerous strain:

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The world’s governments raced to avoid both a pandemic and global hysteria Sunday as more possible swine flu cases surfaced from Canada to New Zealand and the United States declared a public health emergency. “It’s not a time to panic,” the White House said.

Mexico, the outbreak’s epicenter with up to 86 suspected deaths, closed churches, markets and restaurants. Few people ventured onto the streets, and some wore face masks. Canada became the third country to confirm cases, in six people, including some students who — like some New York City spring-breakers — got mildly ill in Mexico. Countries across Asia promised to quarantine feverish travelers returning from flu-affected areas.

The U.S. declared the health emergency so it could ship roughly 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile to states in case they eventually need them — although with 20 confirmed cases of people recovering easily, they don’t appear to for now.

Make no mistake: There is not a global pandemic — at least not yet. It’s not clear how many people truly have this particular strain, or why all countries but Mexico are seeing mild disease. Nor is it clear if the new virus spreads easily, one milestone that distinguishes a bad flu from a global crisis. But waiting to take protective steps until after a pandemic is declared would be too late.

“We do think this will continue to spread but we are taking aggressive actions to minimize the impact on people’s health,” said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

President Barack Obama’s administration sought to look both calm and in command, striking a balance between informing Americans without panicking them. Obama himself was playing golf while U.S. officials used a White House news conference to compare the emergency declaration with preparing for an approaching hurricane.

“Really that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re preparing in an environment where we really don’t know ultimately what the size or seriousness of this outbreak is going to be,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters.

Earlier, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the outbreak was serious, but that the public should know “it’s not a time to panic.” He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Obama was getting updates “every few hours” on the situation.

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This is scary — swine flu sweeps across Mexico and into US*

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There’s a meeting between the CDC and public safety officials in Los Angeles taking place right now. Essentially an outbreak of deadly swine flu has claimed as many as 61 lives in Mexico and may be sweeping into Texas and California, officials said.

Homeland security site.

The CDC’s investigation.

Case studies.

Swine Flu FAQ

*Twitter updates from Breaking News Online

*World Health Organization release on Swine Flu outbreak

*CDC Flu map

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