The Pandemic - and this is just the beginning

"Authorities in Britain say there were over 100,000 infections in England alone last week, while U.S. health officials estimate the United States has passed the 1 million case mark." (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090724/ap_on_he_me/un_who_swine_flu_chief;_ylt=AltyMFiEFQ0e558VNDvdtVwEtbAF)

"U.S. health officials say swine flu could strike up to 40 percent of Americans over the next two years and as many as several hundred thousand could die if a vaccine campaign and other measures aren't successful."
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090724/ap_on_he_me/us_med_swine_flu;_ylt=AvuZk0vssD0lscwQyWfm_xkEtbAF)

We are at the beginning of a worldwide pandemic that has killed over 300 Americans and countless people over the globe. So far the majority of the infections have been mild or have been cleared with the use of the common anti-viral drug Tamiflu. Recently, four cases of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 Influenza have been reported. As viruses have a tendency of doing, this seems to have a strong chance of mutating -- vaccines will not be ready for distribution until October; meanwhile the virus itself is changing.

This version of influenza is also acting differently than normal in that teens and young-adults seem extremely susceptible to the H1N1 virus -- the average influenza bug tends to be the toughest on the elderly and young children.

We are dealing with something unique and scary during this influenza pandemic. The CDC does not believe that this will be as severe as the Spanish Influenza of 1918; however, they are concerned about a possible explosion of the virus once school resumes and the temperature begins to cool. If this occurs and more and more of the cases are Tamiflu-resistant, we will have a very difficult time controlling the problem!

The mutation of the H1N1 virus is impossible to predict; what we can conclude is that no matter the type of virus the mode of transport and infection is the same. We know that people who frequently wash their hands with soap and water or instant hand sanitizer are less likely to contract a virus such as this. We also know that people who do contract the H1N1 virus are more likely to die from complications from a previous ailment and are more likely to contract MRSA and other harmful issues. Schools need to provide their students and staff the products to protect themselves from this illness. Right now, the best chance is to offer hand wipes and sanitizer as we were previously directed by the CDC. These items and more are available in the Classroom CaddyTM. For more information on this product or anything regarding H1N1 or MRSA please visit http://www.armorhealthcare.com/ or call 888-339-2766.