...but you should probably keep an eye on China, just in case. Quartz explains what's so troubling about this newest mutation, which so far has claimed seven lives:

The most worrying part is that authorities don’t know how these people were infected. There’s no evidence so far that any of the patients interacted with each other, a sign that the bird flu hasn’t mutated into a virus that can jump between humans rather than just from animal to human–the basis for a global pandemic. Yet, most of the patients were not in close contact with birds (one woman was a poultry butcher and the woman in Anhui had some contact with live chickens.) Moreover, the mysterious illnesses are being disclosed within six weeks of over 16,000 carcasses of mysteriously killed pigs and 1,000 ducks floating in waterways near Shanghai and Sichuan province.

Go read the whole thing. And, to reiterate, please don't panic. Just keep yourself informed.

(This post provided the opportunity for me to dust off the long-comatose "SNOUTBREAK" tag. The archives for that tag make for an interesting look at the last time a global pandemic struck. If this bird flu spreads, hopefully we can learn from our Snoutbreak's mistakes.)

See them here.

A five-month-old boy from Pasco:

Health officials confirmed Saturday that he was suffering from H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu.

Although Aaron was in and out of hospitals for most of his short life, his parents, Elizabeth and Benito Lopez, said Wednesday that they were surprised swine flu ultimately caused his death.

Aaron was born in May with two holes in his heart and had surgery on his heart when he was 6 weeks old. Complications from that procedure affected his kidneys and brain, his mother said. Other illnesses followed.

"There were serious underlying health conditions, but that does not make the loss any easier for the family or the child's loved ones," said Dr. Larry Jecha, Benton-Franklin Health District officer.

So very sad.

Thanks to Slog tipper Erica.

A little learning is a dangerous thing.

Some parents—ingenious, brilliant parents—are holding swine-flu parties to expose their kids early, hoping that'll work like a vaccine. Says the good Dr. Thomas Sandora of Children's Hospital in Boston:

"Intentionally exposing your child to a potentially fatal infection is never a risk worth taking."

In other afflictions, Irish prisons are preparing for Purell parties. Prisoners don't have access to alcoholic gels now, but they will if an outbreak begins:

"Prisoners here have shown ingenuity in the past—so if and when the authorities bring the raw materials in for them, they do not pass up the opportunity," said a senior officer.

"This gel is practically pure alcohol and the rumours circulating are that it can be diluted with fruit, water and sugar to give it a reasonable taste while retaining the buzz."

The Egyptian government has ordered all schools and universities to close until October in an attempt to slow the spread of swine flu...

Restrictions have already been imposed on those wanting to attend the annual Hajj pilgrimage in November. Only those between the ages of 25 and 65 will be granted the necessary visas.

Egyptian Health Minister Hatem al-Gabaly refused to rule out an all-out ban on Hajj travel if the outlook becomes worse.

Egypt has only had two deaths from swine flu. The U.S. has 593. (Brazil's leading, with 899.) But Dr. Marc Lipsitch (of Harvard University!) says it's no big deal.

After about 100 people were sicked with (possible) swine flu at the Penny Arcade Expo last weekend, the hamdemic also appears to have spread the University of Washington campus.

Early this morning, UW sent out this email to students and faculty:

While a diagnosis has not been confirmed, the first apparent cases of novel H1N1 influenza have been reported to Hall Health Center from a sorority at the University. Sorority rush is beginning and many of the houses are active with returning sorority members and new students. Two cases of probable H1N1 flu have been identified in one house. The students were advised to return home and other members who may have been exposed have been advised to take necessary precautions, which include hand washing and use of hand sanitizers. They have also been advised to watch for symptoms of the flu and report cases to Hall Health.

More information will be forthcoming in the coming week as we approach the start of the school year. This is the leading edge of what we anticipate during the fall quarter.

Sincerely,

Jean Haulman, M.D.
Medical Director
Campus Health Services

C'mon, UW! Only two cases? WSU beats you guys at everything.

It might be time to start again.

According to the King County Department of Health, only 11 patients being treated for swine flu worldwide have become resistant to the antiviral drug Tamiflu. However, two of those 11 patients with superpowered swine flu just so happen to be in King County.

From the the county:

The two patients, one a male teenager and the other a female in her 40’s, had no links to one another and these infections are not believed to be related. Both patients had compromised immune systems, a condition that has previously been shown to raise the risk for prolonged seasonal influenza virus infection and development of antiviral resistance during treatment. One patient is currently no longer ill from the influenza virus infection and the other has ongoing symptoms and is being treated with the antiviral medication zanamivir.

There is no evidence that health care workers or other contacts of these two people became infected with a Tamiflu-resistant virus. The risk of infection to the general population is very low from these cases, but as a precaution, local and state health officials are working in collaboration with the CDC to conduct enhanced monitoring for antiviral drug resistant influenza in the community.

Yeah, yeah. I'm being an alarmist. Whatever. We'll see who's still standing when the Hampocalypse arrives.

Now you can get your very own swine flu stuffed toy.*

Everyone's (maybe) going to be carrying it this fall!

*Other best-sellers include: the common cold, E. coli, mononucleosis, ulcer, black death, and ebola.

Thanks, Slog tipper emma's bee!

From the LA Times:

At least 1 million Americans have now contracted the novel H1N1 influenza, according to mathematical models prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while data from the field indicates that the virus is continuing to spread even though the normal flu season is over and that an increasing proportion of victims are being hospitalized...

The normal seasonal flu virus has virtually disappeared from this country, as would be expected. But the novel H1N1 virus is continuing to spread, and now accounts for 98% of all cases.

"So far, it doesn't look like transmission is declining at all," Finelli said.

The World Health Organization has (finally) declared swine flu to be a full on pandemic, raising the global pandemic alert to its highest level.

The World Health Organization has told its member nations it is declaring a swine flu pandemic — the first global flu epidemic in 41 years, news services reported.

The move came after an emergency meeting with flu experts here that was convened after a sharp rise in cases in Australia, which reported 1,224 cases on Wednesday, and rising numbers in Britain, Japan and elsewhere.

In a statement sent to member countries, the W.H.O. said it decided to raise the pandemic alert level from phase 5 to 6, indicating a global pandemic outbreak, The Associated Press said, attributing the information to health officials from Scotland, Indonesia and Thailand. An official announcement of the change was due at 6 p.m. Geneva time on Thursday (noon in New York).

I'll be in my bunker if anyone needs me.

The United States has surpassed Mexico as the swine-fluiest country in the world.

And this year's Pigs on Parade is going to be awkward: pigs in surgical scrubs, pigs in HAZMAT suits, snouts stuffed with tissues.

Where's your whimsy now, pigs?

Just in case there was any doubt, the Center for Disease Control has confirmed nine cases of swine flu in Washington. It's not yet clear how many samples from Washington have been tested by the CDC.

So far, the state health department lab has tested nearly 300 samples of suspected swine flu and found 45 probable cases. The state has been forwarding the suspect viral samples to the CDC in Atlanta for confirmation.

If you're still freaking out about swine flu—in spite of the fact that it appears to be a fairly mild strain—you can keep up with the state health department running case tally here.

It's starting to seem that, at least from a Seattle perspective, "yawn" might have been the most correct answer during this definitive series of online swine flu panic polling.

But when, exactly, did swine flu stop being a terrifying calamity for all of humanity and turn into a much less panic-inducing (but perhaps still Purell-selling) problem?

Did you know that it was imminently played out on Wednesday, April 29, when the World Health Organization upped the global threat level to 5, declaring an imminent pandemic? Or on Thursday, April 30, when Joe Biden started telling people to stay off planes and suspected swine flu turned up in Seattle? How about Friday, May 1, when Madrona elementary was closed because of one student with suspected swine flu and the number of confirmed U.S. cases stood at 141? Or was it on Saturday, May 2, when the number of suspected cases in the Seattle area kept rising even as the WHO said there was no sign of the flu spreading outside of North America and Mexico said its number of real cases could end up being half of what had been suspected? Perhaps it was Sunday, May 3, when it was increasingly pointed out that the vast majority of cases in the U.S. are mild? Or maybe it was yesterday, Monday, May 4, when the number of probable swine flu cases in the Seattle area continued to rise somewhat but officials announced that all nine closed schools in the region would reopen? Or was it today?

Well? When did you know? Because you knew before everyone else, right?

When, exactly, did swine flu jump the pork?

(Thanks to the awesome New York Times swine flu tracker for help with the timeline.)

Cough into your sleeves instead:

On Friday the most common swine flu reaction among the Slog mob was "Stay away, schoolkids." Thursday it was "Bring it, I got Purell." Wednesday it was "Yawn." But now that we're seeing headlines like this, it's clearly time for another check-in.

What's your swine flu alert level today?

How important are school nurses?

With the World Health Organization declaring a swine flu pandemic “imminent,” the Seattle School District is asking teachers and administrators—who receive some training—to monitor kids for possible infection at most schools, instead of relying on trained medical staff.

According to data received from the Seattle School District, about 80%—or 74 of Seattle's 95 schools—don't have full-time nurses on staff. Nurses generally work two or three days a week, leaving teachers and secretaries to take temperatures and monitor kids for behavioral shifts, which could indicate illness.

The school district, naturally, is a bit defensive about the lack of nursing staff in the district. “Parents should be [monitoring] as well,” says Seattle School District spokesman David Tucker. “It’s not just the school district’s job." When I pointed out to Tucker that some teachers aren't comfortable diagnosing their students, Tucker says the district is "not looking for teachers to make diagnoses.”

While the school district is downplaying the importance of nurses in schools, at least one swine flu case appears to have been spotted by a school nurse. New York City school nurse Mary Pappas is being is being credited with spotting a swine flu outbreak at her school and contacting the health department.

It was her call to the New York City Health Department last Thursday morning that prompted the city to send samples from sick students to Atlanta for testing, and resulted in the first eight confirmed cases of swine flu in New York State on Sunday, triggering a nationwide response.

It’s possible that the nurses really aren’t necessary, and that vigilant parents and doctors will be enough. But it seems that they could also be a helpful resource to have in place at a time when schools are closing because of the fear of widespread illness. Unfortunately, the district doesn’t see it that way.

According to district records, about 50 of Seattle’s 95 schools don’t have a nurse on staff today.

From a financial adviser:

There is not a pure fund of soapmakers, but you can definitely buy stocks that would benefit from soap and alcohol gels, and face mask, sales. I would think Netflix would get a pop in sales if there was a widespread shutdown, and probably internet porn, and airlines would be slaughtered.

Soap: Proctor & Gamble makes Ivory soap, ticker PG.

Long high-quality facemasks: Medtecs (Singapore)

Short the airline etf: FAA

Long the home adult entertainment: PRVT

"etf": I don't even know what that means. But "a pure fund of soapmakers": It is poetry!

Is it just me or... does it seem silly to close schools one at a time after a confirmed case of swine flu is found? If the threat is serious enough to close schools after a single case of swing flu is discovered, wouldn't it make more sense to close the schools—all of them, all at once—before another student population is exposed?

The King County health department has found another probable case of swine flu in Des Moines.

This latest infection was found in a nine-year-old Des Moines girl. The girl's school, Midway Elementary School in the Highline District, will be closed for a week.

This is the 14th probable case of swine flu found in the state this week.