A recent outbreak of swine flu in Mexico has killed over 100 people and threatens to become a global pandemic. Swine flu is usually spread from pigs to pigs and is rarely transmitted from pigs to humans. It appears that a new strain of swine flu, type A H1N1, can be spread between humans and is spreading into the United States and other countries.

The new strain of swine flu is resistant to some commonly used antiviral drugs. Not much is known about the human to human spread of swine flu, as there have not been many reported cases in the past.

The uncertainty surrounding the swine flu outbreak has caused the stock market to head lower today, as travel and commodity stocks were hard hit. Furthermore, the U.S. is advising Americans not to travel to Mexico. If the swine flu were to develop into a global pandemic, world GDP would be expected to decline sharply, making the current recessionary environment even worse.

Currently, there is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. However, there are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get sick with influenza, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Swine Flu Outbreak Map

This is probably the best Swine Flu map currently out there. Created by a user named niman, who claims to be a biomedical researcher based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the H1N1 Swine Flu map is constantly updated with new or suspected cases across the globe. Pink markers are suspected cases, purple markers are confirmed cases, yellow markers are confirmed to be something else, and deaths are marked by a pink marker without a dot. Also, in the lefthand sidebar you’ll find the latest cases in text form. You can also view the map in Google Earth.

For more information on swine flu, visit CDC.gov or follow the CDC on Twitter.

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