Health Update

“We are worried,” said Dr. Richard Besser, the acting head of the C.D.C. “We don’t know if this will lead to the next pandemic, but we will be monitoring it and taking it seriously.”

The new strain contains gene sequences from North American and Eurasian swine flus, North American bird flu and North American human flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mexico’s health officials have noticed a significant spike in flu cases since mid-March. The W.H.O. said there had been 800 cases in Mexico, 60 of them fatal, of a flu-like illness that appears to be more serious than the regular seasonal flu. Mexican officials said there were 943 possible cases.

The World Health Organization will convene an expert committee to consider raising the world pandemic flu alert from 3 to 4. Such a high level of alert — meaning that sustained human-to-human transmission of a new virus has been detected — has not been reached in recent years, even with the H5N1 avian flu circulating in Asia and Egypt, and would “really raise the hackles of everyone around the world,” said Dr. Robert G. Webster, a flu virus expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

So what can you do?

1. get immunized
2. avoid large gatherings
3. wash you hands frequently
4. refrain from sharing hands with other people
5. avoid kissing people (greeting)
6. avoid going into crowded places such as malls, theaters etc.

In Mexico today, for example, museums and other cultural venues have been shut, and people were advised not to attend movie theaters or other public events. Seven million students were kept from classes in Mexico City and the neighboring State of Mexico on Friday.