Panic over the H1N1 "swine flu" virus had ebbed and flowed with the headlines, and world leaders (Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias) have not even been immune to the spread of the disease. As the virus continues to make news around the globe, keep up to date on the illness with these resources.
This special H1N1 page set up by the WHO includes regular updates, answers to frequently asked questions, preparedness sheets for individuals and communities, and information on the pandemic divided by region.
The UN News Center pulls together links of the latest World Health Organization releases along with statements from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the disease. Includes pertinent audio clips from the WHO.
This U.S.-based site offers a comprehensive roundup of the latest swine flu information, including updates on vaccination progress, information tailored toward specific high-risk groups, and tips on how to prevent catching the virus.
This UK-based site offers various downloads of swine flu information, key reading and key courses of action in the face of the H1N1 sweeping Britain. For UK residents there is also a link to check one's symptoms and register one's flu, so to speak, with the National Pandemic Flu Service.
This swine-flu portal provided by the EU is information-heavy, chock full of links to the latest news, minutes from committee meetings, and even maps and charts documenting the spread of the virus. Also includes videos, advice, and many external links.
This site is geared toward clinicians, with tips for health workers on how to prevent contracting the disease and guides for surveillance and infection control. But there is also an FAQ section and monitoring maps that are of use to anyone.
The GHSI planned to get together in Brussels on Sept. 10-11, 2009, for a Special Ministerial Meeting on Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, hosted by the European Commission , but these documents provide insight about flu pandemic preparations that were being undertaken a few years ago.
Concerned about traveling because of the spread of the H1N1 virus? Check the State Department's special travel page that offers updates about travel alerts and quarantine measures around the globe due to the swine flu.
A comprehensive U.S. government site offering not just information about the H1N1 pandemic, but about the flu season in general as well as other strains such as avian flu. Before swine flu was even on the map or in the headlines, as many as 36,000 people in the U.S. die each year of complications of influenza and more than 200,000 are hospitalized.
And now, this PSA from the Iraqi Health Ministry: An Oscar-worthy effort that reminds Iraqis to not spit on the ground, not kiss or shake hands, wash their hands "after touching filthy things," and avoid crowded places to avoid catching the swine flu.
