The New York State Department of Health has just released a new health update regarding the recent outbreak of swine flu in New York City. One might think that a sophisticated city such as New York would have a more developed preventative strategy for disease prevention, but apparently not; especially after a recent increase in the number of cases of this highly contagious virus. The report found that despite all the new recommendations for precautions, deaths from influenza still outnumber deaths caused by any other type of virus. Of course, this increases the challenge for public health officials to contain the spread of this novel strain of influenza.
According to the latest health report, the new strain of this novel strain was detected in early December, but there was no significant change in the number of cases until early this February. There are some similarities between this new strain and the strains that caused the original swine flu, but researchers are not certain if these strains are pathogenic or benign. If the new loss of life rate is due to a pathogen, the problem could be addressed with a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus. The goal right now is to make the public aware of the risks and the need to take precautions against the new loss of life and the possibility of an outbreak.
For children under the age of six months, the best protection against this kind of flu is protection from being exposed to anyone who has one of these novel viruses. For adults, it is important to be vaccinated if you are susceptible. If you are un immunized, it is still important to have your annual flu shot in order to reduce your risk of infection and to boost your immune system. This New York State Department of Health has released a comprehensive public information campaign to help educate the public about this and many other important issues relating to flu prevention.
