The Mexican government’s health secretary has released statements telling the citizens that the worst is over and that the spread of the swine flu is definitely in decline. While a hopeful outlook is good, other governments or researchers are not agreeing with that cheerful thought. Gregory Hartl held a news conference Sunday saying that his department for pandemice and epidemic diseases at the WHO, has quite a contrary outlook at this period of the swine flu.  Reminding everyone that the outbreak of the illness is less than two weeks old.  And while it could very well be in a phase of decline at present, that does not mean that it will not return.  Hartl asked all to look back at the year 1918, when the Spanish flu was in full swing.  He stated that in the spring of that year the flu seemed to slow and almost stop in its spread.  However, it returned in the fall with a fury and killed almost fifty million people by the time it stopped.

The current situation is completely unpredictable and it seems a bit early for anyone to declare that the swine flu is getting under control.  With the number of confirmed cases nearing nine hundred and more expected in the days to come, it is far from over.  Still, the one thing that everyone seems to agree upon is that panic is not the answer.  Regular flu season precautions are all we have at present.