H1N1

Detail of a photo' of masked passengers on a train in Mexico City.

The World Health Organization has now raised H1N1 (I refuse to call it "swine flu" because you can't get it by consuming pork) from Phase 4 (community outbreaks) to Phase 5 (pandemic inevitable).

H1N1's hit ten countries and killed in two countries. WHO's already started work on a vaccine, but it can take up to six months to actually get something viable. And when they do start getting manufactured, there probably won't be enough to go around (if demand will be high), at least for a little while.

H1N1 is a relatively new disease, and also a descendent of the Spanish flu. Like Spanish flu, the victims of H1N1 are relatively young, youthful, and healthy (aside from the fact that they have the flu). The symptoms are similar to that of the common flu; lethargy, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, runny nose, coughing, bodyaches, headache, chills, and sore throat. Though there are no vaccines for H1N1 at the current time, seasonal flu vaccines can offer some protection, and there are some drugs that can help subdue H1N1.

H1N1 has the potential to mutate into something like Spanish flu. Not that it will, but...

Run-of-the-mill face masks don't offer reasonable protection. If you're looking for something useful, get something grade N99. They have 'em at hospitals, and man, are they thick...