Earlier this week, President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 outbreak a national emergency, a move that gives health care officials more freedom to treat the v>irus. The National Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates millions of Americans have already had the swine flu, more specifically known as H1N1, and at least 20,000 have already been hospitalized. Since the outbreak began, there have been an estimated 1,000 deaths in the United States, including 100 children.
According to the Wisconsin’s pandemic flu resource web page, there have been 1,862 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Wisconsin in 2009 as of October 28, 2009, with an additional 591 suspected cases of H1N1. Despite the number of confirmed cases of H1N1, there have been only 70 hospitalizations and only 5 deaths attributed to H1N1, although earlier today it was reported the death of an adult in Kenosha County is likely due to the swine flu.
So here’s my question…how bad will the swine flu really be this winter in Wisconsin? I’ve heard Wisconsin could be among the states hardest-hit by the swine flu, but what do you think?
OMG…I am quietly panicking about the swine flu. Not so much because I’m worried I will get it…but because I’m worried my daughter will get it. I’m not sure I would say “only” five deaths…and besides that number sounds low. I thought there were more deaths…with five deaths being reported just this week??
Anon, I wrote “only” because that’s a really low number, given how many cases Wisconsin has had. As for the number itself, that’s the data I got from Wisconsin’s pandemic web site, as well as the CDC. Keep in mind even the CDC noted they believe the number of swine flu cases have been under-reported, so perhaps there have been more deaths that we’re not aware of.
And as you noted below, it could be that the deaths you’re thinking of occurred prior to the CDC’s reporting period.
The other deaths I’m thinking of were probably before August 2009…
Pandemic. Once we used words like this to describe mega-deaths from diseases. Now we use it because people catch the flu.
Every year some people die from the flu. No one knows except for the family and friends. Now we have scared the whole population because this flu has been advertised and promoted like it was a plague.
I am sorry that 1,000 people have died this year because of it. How many is 1,000 out of 300 million though? Highway deaths were 39,800 last year but you don’t see people wearing crash helmets when they drive.
Who put the fear in Americans (and the whole world) over this one flu? And what benefit did we get from it?
I wear a crash helmet when I drive….then again, my wife says I drive like I’m in NASCAR, so I suppose a crash helmet is fitting 😛
You’re kidding…right??