Flu, Influenza

MEXICO CITY The slumping economy and the bloody drug war had been Mexican voters' top worries ahead of midterm elections in July. Then the mysterious A(H1N1) virus gave Mexicans the scare of their lives and made those who did not end up in a hospital bed or a grave feel fortunate. Or did it skillfully manage the crisis and keep deaths down?

The swine flu might run its course "like ordinary flus" but the government is preparing for a "worst-case scenario" as a precaution, President Obama said Friday. The president spoke to reporters after a Cabinet meeting, his second since taking office and the first for newly confirmed Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Pitching Coach Joe Kerrigan, he was pissed about not getting an extension perhaps, and as I believe, he might have had other problems. Well, maybe so, but his performance on the mound this spring (7.00ERA, 1.44WHIP, 9IP) didn't help his cause either. As the season starts, Gorzelany will not be in St.

In Sonoma County, the five elementary districts with the lowest vaccination rates are all in west county: Twin Hills Union, 55.6%; Sebastopol Union 58.93%; Harmony Union, 67.65%; West Side Union, 68.12%; and Gravenstein Union, 71.92%. Statewide, 2% of kindergartners have vaccination waivers. At five Sonoma County schools, that rate exceeds 50%: Sunridge Charter, 76%; Sebastopol Independent Charter, 75%; Orchard View, 67%; Summerfield Waldorf, 55%; and Village Charter, 53%.

CAIRO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian girl has contracted the bird flu virus, bringing the number of human cases of the avian influenza to 60, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said on Thursday. The patient is a 30-month-old girl comes from the southern governorate of Qena, some 450 km south of Cairo, local media quoted Abdel-Rahman Shahine as saying.

JAMES Wong proved a real natural when he burst on to the screen in his debut TV series seven days ago. Packing the zest of Jamie Oliver's early television appearances, the scientist and gardener was a big hit with 2.5m viewers. Since then, internet chatter has been buzzing about newcomer James, 27.

THE FLU * Sends 200,000 to hospital each year * Kills 36,000, of whom over 90% are over 64. * Costs U.S. $87.1 bil. a year. * Symptoms: Fever over 100 degrees, headaches, body aches, nasal discharge, sore throat, cough. SOURCES: Centers for Disease Control; Chicago, Cook County Departments of Public Health "The flu is peaking currently in the area," said epidemiologist Megan Patel of the Cook County Department of Public Health.