Swine Flu H1N1 Update: Good News and Bad News

The bad news? Swine flu (H1N1) continues its spread, now having caused at least 1516 cases and 30 deaths worldwide, according to the WHO. The CDC reported that 642 cases and 2 deaths have occurred in the US. Sadly, the first American life was claimed by swine flu yesterday, when 33-year-old Judy Trunnell, a school teacher and young mother, died shortly after delivering her baby girl by C-section while in a coma, probably related to the infection.

The good news? It's hard to talk of good news, when lives have been lost. But swine flu does appear to be waning, and, after the closure of 726 public and private schools in 24 US states, the CDC has now changed their recommendation for school closures, now recommending a focus on early identification of sick kids, as well as emphasis of hand washing and other good personal hygiene practices.

Some of the CDC's recent guidance is as follows:

• School closure due to swine flu is not recommended (except in certain circumstances where there is a very high number of absent students or faculty due to swine flu); previously closed schools may reopen.
• Students, faculty, or staff who have flu-like symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, sore throat) should stay home for at a minimum of 7 days and up to at least one day after symptoms have disappeared.
• Sick kids should be kept at home, not sent to alternative childcare or other community settings.
• Faculty and staff should promote frequent hand washing with soap and water (or hand sanitizers) and coughing into tissues.

Other good news? Warmer weather could mean reduced flu transmission, which is the case with seasonal influenza. And since the current swine flu outbreak strain appears to be behaving much like seasonal influenza, let's hope that the warmer, more humid climate will help further wane the spread of swine flu. Let's also hope that the missing DNA that made the Spanish Flu virus so lethal means that this virus won't make a reappearance in the fall.