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Obama's brush with swine flu |
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It has been reported
that a famous anthropologist, Felipe Solis who met with President
Barack Obama recently, died shortly after the encounter, of a disease
that looks remarkably like swine flu. This has caused quite a sensation
around, but the White House has made it known that the health of the
president was never compromised, though he continues to take care of
the nation's swine flu concerns very seriously.
Advisers to the president are said to have been concerned when his
schedule to visit to Mexico last month coincided with the time that
swine flu first made itself known. The anthropologist is reported to
have taken the president on a tour of a Mexican museum a week before he
died. It was later announced by the Mexican government that the illness
that Mr.Solis suffered from was not swine flu.
White House announces that it should be clear by now that Mr. Obama was
never at risk, since the swine flu virus lets its presence be known not
long after it enters the body. The virus has a seven-day incubation
period; since it has been far longer than a week, since Mr. Obama
visited Mexico, it is argued that Mr. Obama was never infected. Mr.
Obama's visit to Mexico lasted for not even a day; he only stopped
there on
his way to a conference in Trinidad and Tobago. The president
took a little criticism at this time for his casual vacation-like
demeanor playing golf when faced with such worldwide anxiety over the
disease.
The White House announced recently that the government was beginning to
use its stockpile of antiviral medicines to keep hospitals and health
care clinics around the country well-prepared. To help keep the disease
out, security along the border with Mexico has been stepped up. The
White House also let it be known that there was no need to worry about
catching swine flu from eating pork products.
The president offered Mexico all the support that the US could possibly
give. The White House has also announced that an outbreak of the
disease was possible along the border with Mexico and said that it was
making efforts to lessen the impact of the disease along the border.
People have been urged to help protect themselves by washing hands
frequently, and staying home if they happened to become sick, to avoid
infecting other people. The CDC has announced that research is underway
to produce a vaccine that can help the population protect itself from
possible swine flu attack.
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