Sun, 22 November 2009
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The world is facing a flu pandemic. The World Health Organisation raised the level of alert to phase 6, the highest phase. What does that mean?In general people returning from foreign countries, who develop a fever of at least 38.5 degrees within four days, should contact their doctor immediately, so that the flu variant can be diagnosed quickly.
This is the first time in 41 years that alarm phase 6 has been reached. The last flu pandemic was during the Hong Kong flu outbreak in 1968, in which around a million people died. Mexican flu is considered to be a much milder virus.
There's still a lot of uncertainty about the new flu variant that has appeared in Mexico. But people still want to know what precisely is happening and what can be done about it. Here's a selection of FAQs (frequently asked questions), and the answers.
1. What is swine flu?
Mexican flu would be a better name for this disease. The new virus is a mixture of influenza viruses from birds, pigs and humans. As a species, pigs constitute a big reserve of flu viruses. Because pigs are genetically very similar to humans, viruses are often exchanged between these two mammals. Now that the virus has spread from human-to-human, it is a “human virus”. The virus that caused the Spanish flu epidemic around the end of the First World War originated in birds and spread to humans via a swine variant. Strangely enough, the current 'swine flu virus' only affects humans.
Here’s a current guide to health insurance, doctors, dentists and pharmacies.
Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.
Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.
The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.
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