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Swine Flu has become the serious sober sensation that is currently sweeping the world. Just like any other epidemic, what began on a small scale started spreading all over the world within months and has pretty much scared every person that is aware of its existance. But as the case would be, Swine Flu is not as dangerous as it has been made out to be. Perhaps this is why they say ignorance is bliss. A United Nations agency said it was only a matter of time before the pandemic which began in March affected every country.
It all started in Mexico, where the health authorities in Mexico identified the outbreak of flu-like illness on 18th March, 2009. On 12th April 2009 the disease took the life of a 39 year old woman, in San Luis Potosi, a city in Central Mexico. On 21st April, two children in California, US were tested positive for swine flu. By 24th April, 900 people were suspected to have swine flu in Mexico and there were around 62 deaths. Ten students who traveled to Mexico were tested positive in Auckland, New Zealand. Two people who came to France from Mexico also succumbed to it by 26th April. It soon spread to Colombia, Canada, Scotland and Israel. By 28th April, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, South Korea and Republic of Ireland had cases of swine flu.
Soon it spread to Austria, Switzerland, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Iceland, Norway, Panama and Venezuela. By 29th April 33 countries were affected. Fifteen cases were confirmed in the UK. Eight hundred cases were confirmed by the WHO by May 3rd. By fifth May all households in England were sent leaflets advising how to prevent the spread of the disease. This was the biggest health campaign since the 1980's. More cases were confirmed in Portugal, France, China and US. Poland had the fist confirmed case on 7th May. In the UK, five schools and nurseries were shut down for precaution, and the number of cases in USA rose to 1,639 by 8th May. There were thirteen new cases in Canada, seven in Spain and five in both France and the UK. On 11th May, it was predicted that swine flu would affect one third of the worlds population.
The spread of this virus continues, if you see 160 out of 193 WHO member states now have cases. WHO declared swine flu a pandemic in June .It has resulted in around 800 deaths. Earlier this week, the agency had put the figure at more than 700.The WHO has found, however, from data from Canada, Chile, Japan, Britain and the United States that the majority of cases are occurring among younger people. In Britain, Europe's hardest-hit country, around 30 people have been killed and fears of the disease spreading more have led authorities in India, China, Singapore and Egypt to quarantine at least 160 Britons. Researchers in New Zealand said that up to 79 percent of the population could become infected, although only two-thirds of those may show symptoms. Meanwhile Japan's health ministry announced that its number of cases had topped 5,000.France is also struggling to cope with the crisis and has now told patients with flu symptoms not to check into hospital or call the emergency services but to contact their normal family doctor.
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