Fact Check

Swine Flu Resources

Resources for information about the swine flu.

Published May 1, 2009

Claim:

Many rumors and items of misinformation related to the current swine flu pandemic have been swirling about the Internet, far too many for us to address each of them individually. Instead, we present this collection of resources readers can to use to obtain reliable, up-to-date information about swine flu symptoms, precautions, and treatment.


  • The web site of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) maintains an H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) section which tracks U.S. human cases of H1N1 flu infection. The CDC site also provides the following informational "Questions & Answers" pages:


  • The web site of the World Health Organization (WHO) maintains an Influenza A(H1N1) section which tracks international human cases of swine flu infection and provides a Swine Influenza "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) list.
  • The web site PandemicFlu.gov provides "one-stop access to U.S. Government swine, avian and pandemic flu information."
  • MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offers a collection of Swine Flu information, resources, and news stories.

The following news articles may also prove of interest:


Doctor Taken to Task for Swine Flu E-mail

  • A New Braunfels emergency doctor's e-mail about the H1N1 flu outbreak has many people wondering which information is correct and has Comal County health authorities distancing themselves from the doctor's message.

    An e-mail sent by Dr. Marcus Gitterle, an employee of Christus Santa Rosa hospital, sent out an e-mail releasing information about a public health meeting he recently attended. The e-mail states that almost everybody exposed to H1N1 virus will become infected, though not necessarily sick. He also wrote that he believed the number of confirmed cases is higher than media reports indicated and that hospital would likely be overwhelmed.

  • Dr. Gitterle disclaimed the e-mail, saying:



    An email has been circulating the globe with my name on it. Unfortunately, that email is a very modified version of an email I sent to close friends and family, and it contains additions and modifications that I did not write. Many are using it in support of their own diverse agendas. If you heard my email read on the Alex Jones Show, know that it may not be what I wrote, and it was done without my knowledge or permission.

    Scientists See This Flu Strain as Relatively Mild


  • As the World Health Organization raised its infectious disease alert level and health officials confirmed the first death linked to swine flu inside U.S. borders, scientists studying the virus are coming to the consensus that this hybrid strain of influenza — at least in its current form — isn't shaping up to be as fatal as the strains that caused some previous pandemics.

  • Health Experts Answer Swine Flu Questions

  • With more outbreaks of the new strain of swine flu come outbreaks of misinformation and rumor. Below are 20 questions answered by infectious disease expert Charles Ericsson, M.D., professor of internal medicine and director of Travel Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

    Also, Robert Emery, DrPH, vice president for Safety, Health, Environment & Risk Management at UT Health Science Center and associate professor in the UT School of Public Health explain common sense preparedness and prevention of illness.


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    Last updated:   1 May 2009

    David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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