Swine Flu Update from California

As a state that borders Mexico, and with many residents coming and going across that border on a daily basis, tension is running pretty high here in CA.  Since the initial outbreaks were reported, the State has flown into high gear, culminating in Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger’s declaration of a state of emergency.

On tonight’s news (April 28), we’ve seen at least three school closures as students have been diagnosed with the virus.  At Twentynine Palms US Marine Base, a marine is recovering from Swine Flu, while 36 other troops who’ve been in touch with him are under quarantine.  At the most recent report, there are 14 confirmed cases in CA, with 17 probably cases awaiting confirmation. 

All of this sounds pretty drastic, especially in light of the spread of this thing around the world, and there’s certainly cause to pay close attention.  At the same time, it’s important to keep things in perspective.  As things develop, there may come a time when we need to be more concerned, but until then, the best thing we can do is observe hygiene practices (washing our hands regularly, covering our mouths and noses when we sneeze or cough, and use general common sense) and pay attention as it evolves. 

In the meantime, I’ll be keeping an eye on things here in CA and around the world, and will pop in from time to time with updates from my neck of the woods.  I’m also following this on the Hog Blog, as researchers attempt to determine if hogs, domestic or wild, pose any threat to our health.