Confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu, which was detected in
Mexico earlier this month, have now been found in at least seven
other countries around the world. The World Health Organization
(WHO) says that this outbreak constitutes a “public health
emergency of international concern.” Also known as swine
influenza A or H1N1, swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs
that can be passed between humans mainly through coughing and
sneezing. In Mexico, there are over 100 deaths possibly linked
to swine flu and more than 1,600 people have been sickened with
suspected or confirmed cases of the virus. Confirmed cases of
swine flu have now also been found in the U.S. and Canada, while
New Zealand, Spain, France, Israel and Brazil all have suspected
cases. Liz Borkowski, blogging on The Pump Handle, elaborates on
why there is concern about the spread of swine flu: “Swine flu
is fairly common, but it’s usually only transmitted from pigs to
humans. This new strain appears to be capable of human-to-human
transmission