PANDEMIC: Whats NEXT?

The Department of Health (DOH) declared the first ever community-level outbreak of Influenza A(H1N1), in a village in Jaen town, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. The declaration was made after the DOH confirmed following a two-week surveillance that 10 grade school students and a four-year-old child had infected 92 others. As of now, the Philippines has the most number of A(H1N1) cases here in Southeast Asia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier declared Pandemic Alert Level 6 and alerted all countries that the A(H1N1) virus is now widespread and that further spread is inevitable. It is so alarming and scary. In this kind of situation we should be more aware of all the precautions and information so that we will be prepared and will be able to avoid this. We should participate and do our part.


What is the A(H1N1) virus? It is a new type of influenza virus that has reportedly spread throughout the US and Canada and has now reached Asia, including the Philippines. This virus is contagious and spreads from person to person in probably the same way an ordinary influenza virus does. It was initially referred to as “swine flu” because laboratory tests showed that the virus is similar to those found in pigs. However, A(H1N1) or Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 is a mutation of strains of Influenza A virus that are found not only in swine but in birds and humans as well. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the term “swine flu” is misleading since the virus is not known to be transmissible by eating pork products.

As we live in this modern day and enjoying technological advances for the convenience of our lives we are also been threatened by this scary news about this kind of stuff. I seems that living isn't safe. The more life and the way of living of every human here on earth become more advanced and complicated we are experiencing new kinds of problems that affect us all. Seems that there is always a contradicting effect on us humans. Why all of these things happens? As we answers questions in our life new issues will arise and created a new question again. Then we seek answers: seems to be endless. We've been here before and everything is in cycle.

What will HAPPENED NEXT?