New Mexico saw its first confirmed case of swine flu on Saturday, but many UNM students say they aren't concerned.
"I really haven't been paying attention to it, to be honest," said freshman Elyse Jalbert.
The New Mexico Department of Health reported on May 2 that an 18-year-old male from Valencia County had the H1N1 virus, or swine flu. According to the NMDH Web site, the young man has since recovered, and six of the 14 patients with a probable diagnosis of swine flu have also recovered.
Jalbert said UNM community members don't need to be worried.
"A lot of people die from the normal flu every year," she said. "I think swine flu is more a cause for international concern."
UNM physician Peggy Spencer said the swine flu has similar symptoms to seasonal flu, but they are two different viruses.
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"Both are influenza type A viruses," she said. "However, the swine flu, which CDC is now calling H1N1, has previously been mostly a virus that affects pigs. It used to pass easily from pig to pig, and rarely from pig to human. What's different about this H1N1 flu is that it is now capable of being passed from human to human. This probably is a result of a mutation in the virus."
According to the Center for Disease Control's Web site, the United States usually sees more than 30 million cases of seasonal flu each year, with 200,000 hospitalizations and an average of 36,000 deaths.
The World Health Organization has reported 1,085 cases of swine flu worldwide.
Although the spread of swine flu has not been declared a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the influenza pandemic alert from Phase 4 to Phase 5.
According to the WHO Web site, a Phase-5 alert is characterized by human-to-human spread in at least two countries and indicates that, though not all countries will be affected, a pandemic is imminent and the affected areas should prepare for further spread of the disease. The WHO has now declared cases of swine flu in 21 countries.
According to the WHO Web site, it is still safe to eat pork products because the swine flu virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, corresponding to general guidelines for meat preparation.
Sophomore Michael Duruaku said he has heard rumors that students can catch swine flu from eating pork, but he wasn't convinced.
"I know you can't get it from eating pork," he said.
Freshman Hannah Syme said she is put at ease by the low fatality rate despite the presence of swine flu in many countries.
"I've heard people saying, 'If you get it you're going to die,' which I think is completely untrue and stupid," she said. "I don't think we should be concerned about it."
Spencer said it is critical to seek care if symptoms arise, since it is uncertain how the human body will react to swine flu.
"It is still not entirely clear how serious this flu is, which is one reason everyone is so nervous about it," she said. "Symptoms of H1N1 are (a) fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and cough or sore throat. The fever is a very important part of H1N1 flu."
Spencer said medication can treat the flu if taken early on.
"Antiviral medicines are most effective if started very early in the disease, like in the first day or two," she said. "In other flu outbreaks, antiviral medicines have been shown to shorten the disease course and lighten the symptoms."
The New Mexico Department of Health has 140,000 treatment courses of antivirals and expects 210,000 additional antiviral dosages from the CDC if necessary.
