tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
MADISON ? The H1N1 pandemic is officially over, but state and local health officials are not shelving concerns about the flu.
Officials continue to monitor other strains and, as the seasonal flu season approaches, are urging the public to practice good health practices and follow new vaccination recommendations.
"Historically there's anywhere between 10 and 30 years between pandemics. We're still continuing to watch the H1N5 situation, the avian influenza, to make sure that doesn't start spreading through the world. So we are always on our guard 100 percent of the time to monitor these things."
On Aug. 10, or 425 days after the World Health Organization declared that the "world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic," it declared that the world is now in a "post-pandemic period."
"The H1N1 virus has largely run its course," said a statement from the agency released that day.
So how bad was H1N1 in Wisconsin?
Haupt classifies H1N1 ? commonly referred to as swine flu ? as a "moderate" pandemic. Haupt said that while the pandemic might seem mild in comparison to the 1918 pandemic, he said that pandemic was a catastrophe, the worst pandemic in known history.
Haupt points to pediatric deaths when explaining the seriousness of H1N1.
"The fact that (with H1N1) nationwide, we had probably four times as many (pediatric deaths) and half of them didn't have any underlying illness, it's hard for me to call this a mild pandemic," Haupt said.
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http://www.postcrescent.com/article...2/Swine-flu-called-moderate-pandemic-in-state
Officials continue to monitor other strains and, as the seasonal flu season approaches, are urging the public to practice good health practices and follow new vaccination recommendations.
"Historically there's anywhere between 10 and 30 years between pandemics. We're still continuing to watch the H1N5 situation, the avian influenza, to make sure that doesn't start spreading through the world. So we are always on our guard 100 percent of the time to monitor these things."
On Aug. 10, or 425 days after the World Health Organization declared that the "world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic," it declared that the world is now in a "post-pandemic period."
"The H1N1 virus has largely run its course," said a statement from the agency released that day.
So how bad was H1N1 in Wisconsin?
Haupt classifies H1N1 ? commonly referred to as swine flu ? as a "moderate" pandemic. Haupt said that while the pandemic might seem mild in comparison to the 1918 pandemic, he said that pandemic was a catastrophe, the worst pandemic in known history.
Haupt points to pediatric deaths when explaining the seriousness of H1N1.
"The fact that (with H1N1) nationwide, we had probably four times as many (pediatric deaths) and half of them didn't have any underlying illness, it's hard for me to call this a mild pandemic," Haupt said.
...
http://www.postcrescent.com/article...2/Swine-flu-called-moderate-pandemic-in-state