Mississippi tops U.S. obesity rankings

The state of Mississippi tops U.S. obesity rankings according to CNN. In fact, it's held this title for the 5th year in a row - for both adults and children. 32.5% are obese in Mississippi. In addition, 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are classified as overweight or obese, the study found. This is a serious public health problem and the state of Mississippi desperately needs help to control this obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, Southern style cooking is often rooted in deep fried foods, so it's going to be very difficult to change cooking patterns that are deeply ingrained in Southern culture. Obesity is linked to a variety of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Many people who are obese really struggle to lose weight and keep it off. So what's the solution? Bariatric surgery?

This is where preventive medicine needs to take a very active role. Educational efforts alone are not enough. Interventions must begin in the classroom as children learn and develop lifestyle habits. Unless things change at a fundamental level, the problem will only continue to get worse. Perhaps the government needs to channel some money into structured weight loss programs. People living below the poverty line probably can't afford to pay for Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. They also can't afford expensive gym memberships. They are often eating unhealthy foods and they often lack access to exercise facilities. To read the entire CNN story, click here.

Is Swine Flu in Your State?

Have you seen the CDC chart that's tracking swine flu? People may think that the highest number of confirmed cases are in Texas. Wrong! New York already has 50 confirmed cases (as of May 2 at 11 am ET). Texas has 28 and California has 24. H1N1 is spreading rapidly. Every state that has a major metropolitan area will be on this chart within the next several days.

To view this scary chart, go here: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
Image source: CDC

Face Masks at Home Depot

I went to my local Home Depot today because I had to do some home improvement. Out of curiosity, I walked by the isle that had face masks. Plenty in stock! I'm glad that people here aren't in panic about the swine flu. However, I wonder what stores in Texas must be going through.

CNN reports that the number of confirmed swine flu cases is now up to 658. The leaders at the WHO feel that a pandemic is eminent and I wouldn't be surprised if we reach Phase 6 soon. We're already at Phase 5, so it's only a matter of time as this virus spreads globally.

People Not Taking Swine Flu Seriously

It's incredible. People are still out in public in areas that have widespread infection of swine flu. CNN now reports that we're up to 331 confirmed cases. I suspect these numbers will grow exponentially as swine flu spreads like the common cold. I think many people aren't taking this very seriously and they don't realize the public health implications behind this spreading infection. It's scary to think what the numbers will look like next week.

Swine Flu on the Rise

Everyone's talking about swine flu. However, it's a very serious topic, especially since it's on the rise. According to CNN, there have been 236 confirmed cases worldwide. This means that there are probably many more (since you can't confirm all the cases that are out there), but if you think about how easy it is to spread the cold or the flu, then you can imagine how quickly this things is spreading. This is very alarming. How do you communicate a public health message without causing global panic? Image source: CNN

Ordered Some N95 Masks Today

Yes, I ordered some N95 face masks from Amazon.com for my relatives who live in Houston, Texas. They're all worried about swine flu and I can understand their concern. They should probably also stock up on hand soap and antibacterial wipes and gels.

Swine flu is getting very serious and even Obama is urging schools to close their doors if they suspect any illness (what type of school never has a sick child in attendance?). What will happen to summer travel? The US economy is struggling as it is and if travel is restricted or limited, then some business will not be able to survive.

WHO Raises Pandemic Alert to Phase 5

Swine flu is becoming a very serious public health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) is raising the pandemic alert to phase 5 (and phase 6 is the highest level).

"Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short."

Let's hope we don't reach phase 6:

"Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way."

First US Swine Flu Death in Texas

My heart goes out to this family. According to CNN, the first confirmed US death from swine flu has occurred. A 23-month old child in Texas died from the H1N1 virus. In the meanwhile, stores are running out of N95 face masks and the number of infected individuals continues to rise throughout the country. In Mexico, public health investigators think they may have found "patient zero" in a small village. Image source: CNN

Do Masks Really Protect You from Swine Flu?

We're going to run out of masks. You better go to Home Depot and stock up now. Do masks really protect us from swine flu or are people just being paranoid? CNN has a story about this and it captured my attention. What would your workplace look like if everyone was wearing a mask? What if you entered a bank wearing a hat and a mask? You might be on the ground pretty quickly. So what's the role of a mask during a viral epidemic? According to the WHO, it's primarily to prevent infected people from spreading their germs. So if you're wearing a mask, people may think you're infected!

Should we be carrying antibacterial wipes and gel instead? After all, handwashing is the most effective way to prevent any type of viral infection since our hands can get contaminated very easily. Before we know it, we're rubbing our eyes or eating something with our dirty hands. Image source: CNN

Infrared Heat Sensors to Detect Fever

If you're traveling, you may get scanned by infrared thermal imaging systems that are looking for signs of fever. Swine flu continues to be the hot topic all over the news. Will it turn into an epidemic? A pandemic? The fears are mounting and airports are taking precaution. Remember how travelers were screened at the airport for fevers during SARS? As technology advances and improves our ability to detect signs and symptoms of illness, let's hope that we'll be able to contain this outbreak quickly. Many people don't understand the public health implications associated with a massive epidemic and let's hope that the public won't have to experience something like this first-hand.

8 New York Students Infected with Swine Flu

Swine flu is spreading rapidly and has hit the east coast. Now, the CDC reports that 8 students in New York have swine flu. According to the story on CNN, some of these students spent spring break in Mexico. It's only a matter of time before we hear about other cases throughout the country...

Swine Flu: Public Health Emergency

Swine flu is getting really serious. If you live in Texas, you need to on alert. According to CNN, he federal government has declared a public health emergency because of the increasing number of cases in the USA. More people are wearing masks to protect themselves and people in Mexico are being told not to kiss because of the possibility of infection. Over 80 people have died in Mexico from swine flu. The H1N1 strain is usually only found in pigs, but it's somehow managed to infect humans. We heard quite a bit about bird flu and the H5N1 virus a few years ago, and now in 2009 the big fear will be swine flu. We may still hear about bird flu this year.

There are now 20 confirmed cases of swine flu in this country. Swine flu essentially mimics other viral infections that cause the flu, so it's difficult to differentiate this infection from a common cold or flu. Let's hope and pray this gets controlled quickly.

Growing Concern Over Swine Flu

There's growing concern about swine flu. CNN reports that this may become a "health emergency" and we may have a serious public health problem on our hands. People already fear that it's becoming a terrible epidemic. The deadly strain is circulating in the United States and it's already devastated Mexico. Because international travel is so common these days, this flu virus could spread globally and cause a pandemic. I really hope that doesn't happen, but I'm reminded of all the fear, turmoil, and chaos that was caused by SARS.