Who doesn't remember the terrifying swine flu epidemic a few years ago? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now warning people to be VERY careful around pigs because there's a new strain of swine flu floating around and it seems to have affected mostly kids. The agency is especially "highlighting state and country fairs, which are common at this time of year and often feature pigs."
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The CDC has been tracking this new strain of the swine flu and their big concern is that it has the same gene from the 2009 pandemic that caused the disease to be spread more easily than usual. Luckily, though, it's not quite catching on. Fox News Latino reports the CDC's main concern:
So far, that seems to be the case for pigs to people, but it hasn't been spreading easily from person to person — which is the greater concern. It also has not been unusually dangerous. All of the recent cases were mild, as were most of the earlier illnesses.
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Luckily, though, the CDC is taking things seriously and Dr. Joseph Bresee, the CDC's chief of influenza epidemiology, told reporters that "work has begun on a vaccine for the new strain in case it ever becomes more of a threat." Although I'm slightly concerned, I'm glad to see that they're doing what they can to prevent the spread of this potential new swine flu epidemic.
What do you think about this potential new strain of the swine flu? Are you concerned for your kids? Share with us in the comments below!
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