Rumors as Virulent as Swine Flu Itself

Response quick, but follow-up efforts weak

(NEWSER) - After a 39-year-old woman became Mexico’s first person to die of swine flu, authorities quickly responded—but efforts were mixed, the AP finds. Medical teams interviewed 472 people who possibly had contact with the woman, a tax collector whose family runs a convenience store; they temporarily closed the ICU where she’d been. But follow-up measures seem to have been weak. More»

Excessive immune reaction may be at fault in Mexican deaths

(NEWSER) - The swine flu sweeping through Mexico is wreaking havoc among young adults in particular, reports the Washington Post, with the entire death toll as of yesterday comprised of those between 25 and 50. Some believe the trouble for young adults is an overpowering immune reaction that ravages throat and lung tissue, but epidemiologists speculate that young people are contracting the illness because they gather together more. More»

(NEWSER) - The World Health Organization believes the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and the southwestern United States could grow into a pandemic, the Washington Post reports. “It has pandemic potential,” said WHO’s director-general. “It is infecting people.” Margaret Chan cautioned that the WHO is still collecting information and that it's too early to know "whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic." More»

Please, stop falling for that Nigerian scam

(NEWSER) - The founders of Snopes.com started out investigating the origins of urban legends like the serial killer with a hook for a hand; 14 years later, their site is a major source of information for people seeking the real story behind political rumors. “When you’re looking at truth versus gossip, truth doesn’t stand a chance,” Barbara Mikkelson tells the New York Times ; husband David adds, “People keep falling for the same kind of things over and over again.” More»

(NEWSER) - The World Health Organization today instructed member nations to stop counting cases of the rapidly spreading swine flu pandemic and focus instead on the most serious, Reuters reports. “Trying to register and report every single case is a huge waste of resources,” a spokesman said. Authorities should continue to report clusters of infections, unusual cases, and “a more severe disease pattern.” More»