#Swine Flu: Mexicans initially covered it up - asked not to place the reason for dying on the death certificates

SHOOT: Apparently the flu started as early as March and was killing an average of 3-4 people every day.

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk "There is a sense of chaos in the other hospitals and we do not know what to do. Staff are starting to leave and many are opting to retire or apply for holidays. "The truth is that mortality is even higher than what is being reported by the authorities, at least in the hospital where I work. "It is killing three to four patients daily, and it has been going on for more than three weeks." Another doctor, who did not want to be named, claimed: "We are being advised not to put on the death certificate the real cause of death." "The anti-viral drugs only started to be used in the last couple of days and they are not effective if the illness is already advanced, but they are definitely making the death toll drop dramatically." In Mexico City, officials considered closing down the public transport system as masks were issued at underground stations and bus stops across the city.

#Swine Flu news sources top 5000 on April 27

SHOOT: Once again SHOOT advocates that bloggers who are collating quality data should prefix their stories with '#' to make their stories more searchable and lift it out of the noise.

Please use discretion with '#'. No hoax stories or reshovelled news should be used. On the ground, first-hand reporting in your area as well as breaking news alerts no more than 1 hour old.

Bloggers and user-generated content can make a valuable and vital difference. Let us know what is happening in your area.

#Swine Flu: Toll climbs to 103, 3 new suspected cases in second New Zealand school group, airline passengers in isolation [MAP SHOWS SPREAD IN USA]

"We still don't know if the deaths in Mexico are related to this particularly type of infection [swine flu] or not." He said only 19 tests had been carried out on the many suspected cases of swine flu in Mexico.

SHOOT: It's a concern how few tests have been completed. 19. And you've got far more people dying. Note from the map below that the states affected are all close to or neighboring Mexico with the exception of New York. Not featured on the map is Ohio, where cases have also been reported, as well as Canada. Intrernationally cases have been reported in Hong Kong, Israel, France, Spain, New Zealand with suspected cases in Scotland and England.

More: What to do if you get swine flu

clipped from www.stuff.co.nz At least four district health boards are battling a suspected swine flu outbreak, as the Prime Minister warns Kiwis to think very carefully before travelling to Mexico. Cases of Influenza A were confirmed in Auckland yesterday in 10 Rangitoto College pupils who had been staying in Mexico. Officials say it is "likely" they have contracted swine flu. The college group had originally thought they might be having a bad reaction to Mexican food, Rangitoto College principal David Hodge said. At least three students from a second school group, Northcote College - which also returned from Mexico on Saturday - have also exhibited flu-like symptoms. Officials are likely to find out today if those pupils have also contracted Influenza A. It has emerged this afternoon that a number of passengers on board Air New Zealand Los Angeles flight NZ1 - carrying the 10 influenza-infected Rangitoto College students - are now in isolation.

#Swine Flu in France: Four Possible Cases in Paris and North of Paris

France advises travelers to Mexico to avoid large gatherings of people and adhere to basic hygiene measures such as washing hands with liquid soaps or alcohol-based lotions, as well as to air out rooms in which they’re staying.

SHOOT: The worst form they're referring to here is that it manifests as a cytokine storm. The body's immunity reacts, overreacts, which causes a massive build of of puss in the lungs and vital organs and overwhelms the body. They say the symptoms are vomitting and an upset stomach - actually it's a lot nastier than that.

clipped from www.bloomberg.com April 26 (Bloomberg) -- French health officials said they’re studying four possible cases of swine flu in the north of the country. The World Health Organization yesterday called the outbreak of swine flu from Mexico a “public health emergency of international concern.” The virus is linked to 81 deaths in Mexico, and 11 flu cases in the U.S., all of them mild, have been connected as well. “We’re probably seeing the tip of the iceberg,” Weber said. The flu type looks to be “the worst form, it affects people who are young and mostly in good health,” she said.

Tracking #Swine Flu Contagion [+ Special Notice to Bloggers]

SHOOT: Please see below for useful source sites to stay informed. Please exercise discretion with information.

Advisory: Bloggers please do be as discerning as you can be with the information you're putting out there. Do not send PANIC or hoax messages. Lives may depend on the accuracy and even the tone of the messages we pass on. At the same time, comminques from government ought to be treated with a certain amount of skepticism. They've lied to us before, possibly for our own good, but there you have it.

Bloggers can provide a vital service by providing on the ground insights into what is happening in your country on the ground. To differentiate these high quality messages SHOOT suggests tagging your content as follows: #swine flu. People searching for these distinctive high quality messages can then google #swine flu. Use #swine flu with discretion, let's keep the 'non-essential noise' to a minimum.

clipped from mashable.com Step 1. Check the WHO Disease Outbreak News Center Step 2. Set up Google News Alerts Step 4. Find Where the Flu has Spread with HealthMap Stay Calm, Stay Informed While there’s likely to be much concern on social networking sites about public health incidents, it’s important to keep things in proportion, and go direct to the sources of news rather than spreading panic.