Ok, this is getting a bit nuts

Alright, I promise I won’t turn this into “swine flu blog” but I thought I might do a little commentary on the news as it stands worldwide.  According to the latest WHO update, swine flu has caused about 25 deaths in Mexico (out of 590 confirmed cases).  Worldwide there are a total of 985 cases that have resulted in a grand total of … 26 deaths (one was in the US).  That’s about a 2.6% death rate — before counting the extenuating circumstances that probably lead to a higher death rate in Mexico (poverty leading to poor health care and late detection).

So the new H1N1 is no where near as bad as the hype surrounding it.  So why do we have Egypt killing all pigs in the country,  China detaining Mexican citizens even if they haven’t been to Mexico in the past months, and of course, the latest in useless, unhelpful measures — this:

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Official Word

Well, it’s official, I can’t go to Mexico:

It is with regret that the Office of International Programs at West Virginia University has decided to cancel the May 9 trip to Guanajuato, Mexico.

We will be in contact within 24 hrs with further details and with suggestions for alternative programs, both in Business and Economics and in Foreign Languages.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the situation involving the swine flu outbreak in parts of Mexico.  This is the reason for this cancellation.  Our hearts are with our friends in Mexico, and we wish them all the best as they face this difficult time.

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Update on Swine Flu

I got an email from someone at la Universidad de Guanajuato.  In between various points I saw this:

6.- En el caso específico de Guanajuato, el Secretario de Salud Pública del Estado, Jorge Armando Aguirre Torres, reitero que Guanajuato esta en alerta preventiva, por lo que consideró innecesario suspender actividades laborales, educativas, eventos públicos o políticos.

6.  As for Guanajuato specifically, the State Secretary of Public Heath, Jorge Armando Auguirre Torres, reiterated that Guanajuato is under preventative alert, for which he considers it unnecessary to suspend labor activities, educational activities, and public or political events. (my translation)

Sounds promising, though I think I’ll look at what our people are saying about it.  And it’s not too late for it to spread there.

More updates below the fold …

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Swine Flu in Mexico

So, I just heard about the swine flu outbreak in Mexico (WHO notice here PRI “The World” report here).  Been watching reports on El Universal (sorry, no embeddable or linkable versions that I can see).  More to come later when I have a clearer idea what this means for travel.

UPDATE: So far no travel warnings, but it’s getting worse.  I think I’ll hop to OIP tomorrow and see about my trip.

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