Swine+'09

The H1N1 virus, also known as "Swine Flu," broke out in mid-April 2009. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) immediately began compiling information about the disease. On July 24, 2009 individual cases of H1N1 began becoming reported to doctors. The disease began in Mexico when a young boy contracted the mutated flu virus. Between mid-April and late July, a total of 43,771 confirmed cases were reported in the United States ( CDC Novel H1N1 Flu). A whole 5,011 people were hospitalized due to the disease and 302 people died. The CDC discontinued reporting individual cases of Swine Flu because the virus was named a national pandemic because it was so widespread and continuing to spr ead rapid ly. The majority of people affected by the virus were between the ages of 5 and 24, with infants and children up to the age of 4 affected the second most. On June 11, the H1N1 virus was officially declared a pandemic.

media type="youtube" key="rT2HWdPFqMg?fs=1" height="344" width="425" align="left" The common symptoms of Swine Flu included fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, chills, and headaches. More severe cases required hospitalization and sometimes caused death. With this pandemic spreading so quickly throughout the United States, people took extra careful precautions so they wouldn't contract the illness. Many wore surgical masks so they would not inhale vapors in the air and gloves to avoid the germs. The number of deaths was most common in ages 25 to 49.