SWINE FLU PICTURE
ANCHOR LEAD: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS GLOBALLY ARE CLOSELY MONITORING THE SWINE FLU, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS
Swine flu has spread globally, with more infections and deaths being reported daily. Yet nationwide and worldwide, public health officials are still advocating calm. Gabor Kelen, director of the office for Critical Event Preparedness and Response at Johns Hopkins, concurs.
KELEN: So at this point the public certainly doesn’t need to panic, they don’t need to worry, and I think the federal government itself has been very cautious in the words that they’ve used and I agree that it was appropriate to call a swine flu emergency to pull all the resources together so that we’re not caught flat-footed. :18The good news is this flu is susceptible to available antiviral drugs.
KELEN: There are four antivirals generally for influenza, this is an influenza A type and two of the antivirals do appears to be effective against this so if you are diagnosed we do have some tools to fight this. :13
Kelen says appropriate public health measures should be instituted, with vigilant handwashing high on the list. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.
