Military gets involved with swine flu
As of July 6, it’s claimed the lives of more than 400 people around the world. It came as a surprise and captivated the news and health care field instantly. Not knowing what it was or what to do to stop it, we now know that the swine flu, or H1N1 virus, is here to stay.
It’s such a permanent aspect of life now that the military is planning for a possible outbreak of the flu in the fall. According to CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, the military wants to “establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities.”
In April, a vaccine for the swine flu began to be developed after discovering that the vaccine that had already been developed was for H5N1, a strain of the bird flu.
With its recent development, the U.S. is now developing guidelines for who should receive the vaccination.
Reuters suggests that health care workers, pregnant women and patients with asthma and diabetes will probably be most recommended for the H1N1 swine flu vaccine. The vaccine has been purchased by countries all over the world and will hopefully minimize any potential outbreaks in the future.
As for the military’s “plan”: it remains unknown. The proposal is waiting for approval from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
With the death toll rising, the H1N1 swine flu strain is unfortunately not a joke. We can’t predict the severity of the next flu season, but we can rest assured knowing the necessary steps for prevention are being taken.
andrea @ July 29, 2009