June 21, 2012
Within the past 10 years, two serious pandemics have raised public health alarms around the world. The first was a respiratory infection known as SARS; the second, a virulent swine flu virus known as H1N1. Isolated cases of H1N1 continue to crop up. And as concerns grow about other potential threats, including the H5N1 or avian flu virus, international health officials are taking precautions to prevent any new pandemics.
The H1N1 influenza virus infected about 61 million people during the 2009 pandemic. Dave Cornwell was one of them. “I had a fever, I was achy, you know, flu-like symptoms," he described. "And while I was in the emergency room for several hours, someone finally came in and said it looks like piggy flu.”
H1N1 -- also known as swine flu -- claimed about 18,000 lives worldwide. What began in April 2009 in North America quickly spread around the world. Seven years earlier, it was an epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which originated in Southeast Asia.
"There were about 8,000 cases of SARS in 2002-3, although it was severe but not extensive. And H1N1 wasn’t severe but very..
The H1N1 influenza virus infected about 61 million people during the 2009 pandemic. Dave Cornwell was one of them. “I had a fever, I was achy, you know, flu-like symptoms," he described. "And while I was in the emergency room for several hours, someone finally came in and said it looks like piggy flu.”
H1N1 -- also known as swine flu -- claimed about 18,000 lives worldwide. What began in April 2009 in North America quickly spread around the world. Seven years earlier, it was an epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which originated in Southeast Asia.
"There were about 8,000 cases of SARS in 2002-3, although it was severe but not extensive. And H1N1 wasn’t severe but very..
