Here at Credit Unions Online, we not only care about your financial health, we also care about your physical health. Here is some information provided by the United States government about different types of flu along with useful tips to help prevent from getting the flu, now or next year. This article is being updated regularly with current information from the CDC. See the end of the article for recent updates.

CDC H1N1/Swine Flu Update: May 20, 2009

Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in April, 2009. The virus is infecting people and is spreading from person-to-person, sparking a growing outbreak of illness in the United States. An increasing number of cases are being reported internationally as well.

It’s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread; mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus.

It’s uncertain at this time how severe this novel H1N1 outbreak will be in terms of illness and death compared with other influenza viruses. Because this is a new virus, most people will not have immunity to it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against this novel H1N1 virus. CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the coming days and weeks.

Novel influenza A (H1N1) activity is now being detected through CDC’s routine influenza surveillance systems and reported weekly in FluView. CDC tracks U.S. influenza activity through multiple systems across five categories. The fact that novel H1N1 activity is now detected through seasonal surveillance systems is an indication that there are higher levels of influenza-like illness in the United States than is normal for this time of year. About half of all influenza viruses being detected are novel H1N1 viruses.

The above information will be updated as the CDC updates their information, so please bookmark this page and check back for more current information.

**U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection**
(As of May 6, 2009, 11:00 AM ET)
States	# of laboratory confirmed cases	Deaths
Alabama	61 cases	0 deaths
Arkansas	3 cases	0 deaths
Arizona	488 cases	2 deaths
California	553 cases	0 deaths
Colorado	56 cases	0 deaths
Connecticut	56 cases	0 deaths
Delaware	69 cases	0 deaths
Florida	103 cases	0 deaths
Georgia	25 cases	0 deaths
Hawaii	21 cases	0 deaths
Idaho	8 cases	0 deaths
Illinois	707 cases	0 deaths
Indiana	96 cases	0 deaths
Iowa	71 cases	0 deaths
Kansas	34 cases	0 deaths
Kentucky**	16 cases	0 deaths
Louisiana	65 cases	0 deaths
Maine	10 cases	0 deaths
Maryland	39 cases	0 deaths
Massachusetts	156 cases	0 deaths
Michigan	165 cases	0 deaths
Minnesota	38 cases	0 deaths
Mississippi	4 cases	0 deaths
Missouri	20 cases	0 deaths
Montana	9 cases	0 deaths
Nebraska	28 cases	0 deaths
Nevada	31 cases	0 deaths
New Hampshire	20 cases	0 deaths
New Jersey	18 cases	0 deaths
New Mexico	68 cases	0 deaths
New York	267 cases	0 deaths
North Carolina	12 cases	0 deaths
North Dakota	3 cases	0 deaths
Ohio	13 cases	0 deaths
Oklahoma	42 cases	0 deaths
Oregon	94 cases	0 deaths
Pennsylvania	55 cases	0 deaths
Rhode Island	8 cases	0 deaths
South Carolina	36 cases	0 deaths
South Dakota	4 cases	0 deaths
Tennessee	85 cases	0 deaths
Texas	556 cases	3 deaths
Utah	91 cases	0 deaths
Vermont	1 cases	0 deaths
Virginia	23 cases	0 deaths
Washington	362 cases	1 death
Washington, D.C.	13 cases	0 deaths
Wisconsin	766 cases	0 deaths
*TOTAL(48)**	5,469 cases	6 deaths
includes the District of Columbia one case is resident of KY but currently hospitalized in GA. This table will be updated daily Monday-Friday at around 11 AM ET. International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection See: World Health Organization. NOTE:* Because of daily reporting deadlines, the state totals reported by CDC may not always be consistent with those reported by state health departments. If there is a discrepancy between these two counts, data from the state health departments should be used as the most accurate number.

There is no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.

Types of Flu

H1N1 Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen.

Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

Bird flu is commonly used to refer to Avian flu (see below). Bird flu viruses infect birds, including chickens, other poultry and wild birds such as ducks.

Avian flu (H5N1) is caused by influenza viruses that occur naturally among wild birds. Low pathogenic AI is common in birds and causes few problems. Highly pathogenic H5N1 is deadly to domestic fowl, can be transmitted from birds to humans, and is deadly to humans. There is virtually no human immunity and human vaccine availability is very limited.

Pandemic flu is virulent human flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness. Because there is little natural immunity, the disease can spread easily from person to person. Currently, there is no pandemic flu.

Seasonal (or common) flu is a respiratory illness that can be transmitted person to person. Most people have some immunity, and a vaccine is available.

images/.png" width="200" border="0" alt="Swine Flu Information And Updates From The CDC - April 29, 2009" title="Swine Flu Information And Updates From The CDC - April 29, 2009" align="left" class="newsimage" />Here at Credit Unions Online, we not only care about your financial health, we also care about your physical health. Here is some information provided by the United States government about different types of flu along with useful tips to help prevent from getting the flu, now or next year. This article is being updated regularly with current information from the CDC. See the end of the article for recent updates.