Warnings and fear about swine flu continue to span the globe as threat levels rise and countries and citizens take measures to protect themselves.

Fresno State students so far are unaffected by the epidemic that threatens to stretch across the world and into our backyard.

As of Thursday afternoon two CSU campuses are in the process of dealing with suspected cases of the swine flu, which the World Health Organization (WHO) renamed H1N1 influenza A, neither of the cases are considered life threatening.

“A student at CSU Long Beach received a ‘probable positive’ test result for swine flu on Tuesday. Final determination of the test results will not be available for another two days,â€Â a Wednesday e-mail from President John D. Welty said.

It continued to say, “Also Tuesday, a San Diego State student was treated by Student Health Services for flu-like symptoms and is considered to have a suspected case of swine flu.â€Â Two cases are also suspected in Tulare County.

The university will provide updates about the swine flu on FresnoStateNews.com and on the CSUFresno.edu home page.

In an e-mail sent Monday by President Welty “Fresno State officials in the Environmental Health and Safety office and the University Health and Psychological Services (Student Health Center) are monitoring the situation.â€Â

Dirk Ruthrauff, Associate Director of the Fresno State Student Health Center, said campus health advisers have no advice to give students outside of the official statements the university has released.

Although no immediate threats to the university and its livestock have been made, the university and President Welty are concerned about the spread of the swine flu and are carefully following information from officials.

Welty’s e-mail emphasized that “no employees or students have reported symptoms of concern at this time.â€Â

Reports released Tuesday state that a Visalia kindergarten student is the first probable swine flu case in the valley. Although the case is unconfirmed, the school district is taking extreme precautions to ensure that no other students contract the flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that, “The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human season influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.â€Â

As of Wednesday, the CDC reported that there are 109 confirmed cases of the swine flu in the United States alone. The vast majority of the cases, 50, are in New York, more specifically a preparatory school in Queens.

Nine other states have been affected by the swine flu, including 14 in California, not including the unconfirmed Visalia case, 26 in Texas, 10 in North Carolina and one to two in Kansas, Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio.

The swine flu, suspected of killing 159 people in Mexico, has struck fear in the eyes of people around the world. Reports Wednesday stated that the United States had its first swine flu death, a toddler in Houston.

Although the number of cases reported outside of Mexico is not alarming, the word “pandemicâ€Â has been tossed around.

The World Health Organization, Tuesday, raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to a Phase 5.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level to 5, signaling that the swine flu virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading between humans. That signals governments they should ready their pandemic preparedness plans and increase detection systems for potential cases,â€Â the Associated Press wrote.

On Tuesday both the United States and Britain urged their citizens to avoid all unnecessary travel to Mexico. Also on Tuesday Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency in California.

The swine flu̢۪s history may be what is alarming the nation and the world to take such vital precautions.
The swine flu, descendant of the well-known “Spanish flu,â€Â caused a devastating pandemic in humans in 1918-19, and again in 1976.

Although it only caused one death in the past, the swine flu̢۪s deadliest attribute in 1976 was the vaccine, which caused 25 deaths.

It is important to note that the swine unit at Fresno State and the campus itself are reporting no problems at this time.

In a California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) news release from Sacramento Tuesday the swine flu effect on the California pigs and food supply was explained.

“Our monitoring program is aimed at detecting the illness early in pigs. It also is important to recognize that swine flu is not a threat to the food supply. According to the Center for Disease Control, you cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe,â€Â said California State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer in the CDFA news release.

The news release continued to say, “CDFA’s top priority is to test any pigs that are linked to a human swine flu case or are showing signs of a respiratory disease. CDFA veterinarians are working closely with public health officials and to date no such human links have been established.â€Â

Students should not be alarmed about the swine flu, but if students notice any symptoms of the flu they need to take the necessary precautions.

“If you are a student experiencing these symptoms, visit the Student Health Center (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.); after hours call your private physician or visit the Student Health Center Web site at http://csufresno.edu/health to access “After Hours Careâ€Â facilities University employees should see their personal physician,â€Â President Welty’s Wednesday e-mail said.

By Christy Collet and Haisten Willis / The Collegian