The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert for the Swine Flu from phase 4 to phase 5 this morning - in other words, the world is but one step away from a world-wide pandemic.
The Swine Flu (technically called the 2009 H1N1), which was first detected in Mexico, is a hybrid of swine, avian, and human strains. Originally a respiratory disease for pigs, it has mutated so that it can be passed from human to human easily. No vaccine has yet been developed for it to this stage. Countries in which cases of the Swine Flu has been verified include the United States, Mexico, Canada, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, Israel, Austria, Peru, and Switzerland, with a total of 8 deaths have been caused up till now.
No better example illustrates this Flu's potential harm than WHO's urgent adjustments to its pandemic level. The WHO has raised the pandemic alert from phase 3 to phase 5 during the past 4 days - from predominantly animal infections to widespread human infection. The WHO categorizes its pandemic alerts as follows:
- Phase 1: No viruses circulating among animals have been reported to cause infections in humans.
- Phase 2: An animal influenza virus circulating among domesticated or wild animals is known to have caused infection in humans, and is therefore considered a potential pandemic threat.
- Phase 3: An animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus has cause sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks.
- Phase 4: Verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause "community-level outbreaks".
- Phase 5: Human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. Seen as a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.
- Phase 6: The pandemic phase, characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.
Reading the increasingly frightening news regarding the Swine Flu reminds me of what Hong Kong was like 6 years ago - when SARS ravaged the city and killed approximately 300 people, including patients and their doctors and nurses alike. I remember the panic - SARS was getting out of control, and supermarkets started going out of stock as people were rushing to buy food. Masks were completely sold out within the first few days, and we all spent weeks wearing masks to school before the Government ordered for the closing down of all schools in Hong Kong. During those few weeks before the less-than-welcome holiday, we had to take our own temperature every single day before going to school to make sure none of us had a fever. No one dared to go out from their houses those few weeks - if we did, we wore 3M's N95 masks, which had been designed for doctors for use during operations. Residents of an entire apartment building were moved to the countryside since traces of SARS was found to have been flushed throughout the building through the sewage pipes, and one hospital was completely sealed off due to the outbreak of SARS there, and no one was allowed in or out.
And now, with the Swine Flu as an imminent threat, masks are on demand again. I, personally - having lived through the SARS period, have been stocking up on masks and food. Due to my experiences, perhaps I can offer some points where protecting yourselves from the Flu is concerned:
- Always bring as mask with you, and wear it if possible - Depending on the stage your country is in, wearing a mask at all times might be a must. However, if the situation is not overly bad, bringing one around and wearing it when someone coughs and you can't move away from them (i.e. in the train) would be a very good idea.
- 3M's N95 masks are the safest, especially in crowded places - Although they tend to make you feel stuffy and relatively difficult to breathe, they are undoubtedly the best choice when it comes to protecting yourself from possible diseases circulating around in the air. Of course, normal masks in convenience stores will suffice in places where there aren't an overly large number of people - but in crowded places such as schools and popular districts such as Shibuya, wearing an N95 mask would be a better choice.
- Always wash your hands, and bring disinfectant swipes / gel with you at all times - In situations such as now where there is a high possibility of a pandemic threat, bringing disinfectant swipes or gel will allow you to clean your hands immediately, whether it be after you finish visiting a crowded area or before eating your food. Human-to-human infection travels largely through touch - there could be remains of the disease or germs sitting right on the handle you were holding on to in the train.
- 1-99 Bleach-Water Ratio - This was a ratio promoted by the government in Hong Kong during the SARS period: When cleaning your house, wipe everything with a 1-99 Bleach-Water ratio liquid. Bleach contains extremely strong chemicals - pure bleach is strongly discouraged, as it can be harmful to our skin and health, thus the 1-99 ratio.
- Sleep early, drink alot of water, and stay healthy - Despite the apparent trend that alot of the victims of the Swine Flu are otherwise healthy and young people, it is a good idea to keep ourselves in a fit shape, ready to fight the Flu should we encounter it.
