Daily flu thermometer ... by gimleteye

The New York Times reports tonite that the WHO may raise its pandemic alert level to the highest level, given a surge in swine flu cases in Japan. For the most part, the health consequences of the new flu are similar to other flus; except that young people are more susceptible. A group of writers called "Revere" at the science blog, Effect Measure, are another good resource to follow, if you have the flu bug. Scientists are still puzzled why this strain of flu is moving at different rates through different populations. Of the timing of the recent outbreak Canadian medical journalist Helen Branswell writes, "The virus responsible for the Spanish flu pandemic, first spotted in some places in the spring of 1918, returned with a vengeance in late August and early September of that year on the east coast of North America. That was abnormally early for influenza. Though flu activity can start to pick up in late November, transmission typically takes off around Christmas and peaks sometime in January or February." Pray that this flu stays relatively mild.