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Poll Finds Americans Concerned About Swine Flu

Cases documented in 23 countries so far

May 7, 2009

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One in three Americans is worried about the swine flu (H1N1) outbreak, and more than half of the people surveyed say they are paying extra attention to good hygiene and preparedness, according to a new poll by the American Red Cross.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported today that 23 countries have officially reported 1,893 cases of the flu. There are 642 confirmed cases in the U.S., according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The death toll stands at two. Mexico has reported 942 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 29 deaths.

The poll comes as good news to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has worried in recent days that Americans are becoming complacent about the new virus.

The survey of 1,004 U.S. adults, taken May 1-4, shows that four out of five of those surveyed reported that they are following the swine flu story very or fairly closely, and 36 percent said they were either very worried (8 percent) or somewhat worried (28 percent) about this flu virus.

But the swine flu outbreak has prompted people to take more steps to prevent the spread of the virus, with 55 percent saying they are paying extra attention to proper hand washing, 48 percent covering their coughs more, and 41 percent disinfecting surfaces more. In addition, more than one in three have used hand sanitizers more and made an extra effort to avoid touching their mouth, nose and eyes.

"This swine flu virus continues to have the potential to spread throughout the U.S. Families, businesses and organizations should continue to follow good public health practices and to review and update their preparedness plans," said Scott Conner, Senior Vice President, American Red Cross Preparedness and Health and Safety Services.

"Even if this version of the swine flu virus is not as dangerous as initially feared, public health officials worry that it could come back in a more severe form later this year. The Red Cross believes that prudent preparedness steps now can help keep families healthy throughout the year," he said.

The Red Cross and public experts have recommended that common sense and basic public health practices should be followed. These include covering your cough/sneeze with a tissue, frequent hand washing, visiting a doctor for flu-like symptoms and staying home when sick.

The survey did show that 11 percent said someone in the household had gone to work or school when they had the seasonal flu, and 22 percent indicated that they have gone to school or work within five days of having flu symptoms.

Public health experts strongly advise people who are sick with the swine flu — or any other flu — to stay home from school or work in order to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Doctors at the CDC say they expect this new strain of the flu to spread to all 50 states before it has run its course, and although to date the cases of H1N1 have been mild forms of the flu, they say more deaths can be expected. More than 36,000 people die annually from regular, seasonal flu.

The official death toll in Mexico, where the virus apparently originated, stands at 42. Worldwide, as many as 1,600 cases of H1N1 have been confirmed.

Both U.S. deaths occurred in Texas. The first was a two-year old Mexican child who was visiting Houston. The second occurred this week when doctors confirmed a Texas woman died of H1N1 complications.

The U.S. Navy cancelled a deployment by USS Dubuque on a planned humanitarian mission to the South Pacific after one crew member was confirmed to have the H1N1 virus. Officials say 49 other members of the crew are displaying flu-like symptoms, but tests are pending.

Though H1N1 cases in the U.S. have been mild, officials at the CDC have remained cautious, saying it's too early to know how serious the outbreak could turn out to be. Today's jump in confirmed cases, they say, serves to illustrate the need for caution.

While some may seem to be "over-reacting" to the outbreak, David P. Fidler, the James Louis Calamaras Professor of Law at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, said health officials must err on the side of caution.

"Unlike a hurricane or tornado, where the damage is geographically limited, readily observable, and regularly experienced, certain infectious diseases, particularly influenza, can appear unexpectedly and spread rapidly and silently across a community, a nation, and the planet before scientists and policy makers fully understand the threat," Fidler said. "I will be relieved if, at the end of this outbreak, we are left debating whether public health responses were appropriate rather than counting and mourning thousands killed by an influenza virus we did not fear enough."

Find out everything you need to know about swine flu.

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