A pregnant Texas woman became the first U.S. resident to die with an H1N1 virus infection, aka swine flu – but doctors saved the baby girl by performing a Caesarean on the mother. Health officials first held off on saying that swine flu directly caused her death, although the CDC later counted it as the second U.S. death related to the virus, according to CNN.
Pregnant women often have compromised immune systems and should strongly consider getting flu shots, noted Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent.
Here's a roundup of other flu news today:
Speaking of flu shots, Americans might get three this coming fall – one for the usual seasonal flu, and two aimed at the new swine flu virus. If the Obama administration's proposal goes through, it would represent the first time that the U.S. government has asked citizens to get more than one flu vaccine in a year, according to The Washington Post.
Pharmaceutical companies would still have to manufacture the flu vaccines, but there's little reason not to get your shots if they become available.
The U.S. military would undoubtedly jump at the chance for future vaccination, given the news that a sailor aboard a U.S. Navy ship has come down with the swine flu. Up to 50 other sailors are currently also showing symptoms, according to BBC.
Meanwhile, Canadian scientists have completed the first sequencing of three H1N1 virus strains from Mexico, Nova Scotia and Ontario, and found that the swine flu viruses seemed to match on a genetic level. However, most of the story on Canada.com focuses on Canada's success in getting China to release 27 Canadian students and their teacher from quarantine.
Many nations have taken precautions to quarantine international travelers, and China has taken perhaps the most extreme measures by detaining Mexican travelers just based on nationality. Mexico condemned the actions as discriminatory, even as Mexico City slowly began reopening schools and offices, according to The Associated Press.
Ongoing U.S. cases of swine flu have also prompted concern from other nations. A Filipino champion boxer who won a weekend bout in Las Vegas was urged by the Philippine Health Secretary to postpone his flight home, until he and his entourage could be sure they had not contracted the virus, according to BBC.
