Worried about swine flu?

* Swine flu (swine influenza) is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease normally found in pigs. It spreads through tiny particles in the air or by direct contact. According to WHO(World Health Organization) it tends to infect large numbers of a given pig population, killing between 1 and 4 percent of those affected. Not every animal infected displays symptoms.

"A swine flu outbreak that appears to have caused fatalities in humans in Mexico and nonfatal cases in the United States prompted the World Health Organization this weekend to urge countries around the world to be alert for suspicious cases of influenza.

WHO chief Margaret Chan says the global body is taking the outbreak very seriously, though comparisons with the 1918 epidemic are premature.

The U.S. has declared a public health emergency after identifying 20 cases of swine flu around the country. 81 deaths in Mexico have been called "likely linked" to the virus, and officials around the world are encouraging people to take standard precautions such as frequent hand washing and avoiding work or school if ill.

Are you worried about swine flu, or do you think it’s much ado about nothing? Do you think this illness – which has affected a relatively small number of people so far – is something we should be concerned with at this point? Or is all the media coverage creating unnecessary panic?"

(CNN)

Renata, teacher at Ipanema - RJ.