Swine Flu/H1n1 - The Facts

Professor Terence Stephenson, the president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the United Kingdom working at the Institute of Child Health and the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, has written a small and very informative book on the influenza A/H1N1 or swine flu pandemic that hit the world a year ago in March 2009. In plain and understandable language he explains what the H1N1 is all about, what is a pandemic, the symptoms, treatment, antiviral drugs and antibiotics, the vaccine (this book was published before the vaccine was available on a large scale), prevention, dangers of the disease and frequently asked questions. The index is useful and also a list of "trusted" websites to explore and get further information. Even though we at this stage in time seems to have passed the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, this book is still relevant and we can learn from the sound explanations and in fact the author managed to to clarify the issues involved in a calm sober and sound way. In fact it turned out that this time the pandemic was not really worse than the annual influenza infections that every year also take lives, but on the other hand we do not know when we will be surprised again. One interesting thing I learned from reading the book was that influenza comes from the words influenza del freddo in Italian, meaning "influence of the cold." Jessica Kingsley Publishers is recommended for this little timely book at a time, when many people were confused and worried. Professor Joav Merrick, MD, MMedSci, DMSc Medical Director, Health Services and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Division for Mental Retardation, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel and Kentucky Children's Hospital, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States. [...]

From the political right as exemplified by the Fox News channel, to the right as represented by 'Real Time with Bill Maher', the American public is deluged with misinformation, misrepresentation, hysteric demagoguery, and fear mongering when it comes to the Swine Flu phenomena. It's high time the public had a rational, reasoned, non-emotional source of sound information on the subject and that's why "Swine Flu / H1N1: The Facts" by Professor Terence Stephenson (President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child health, United Kingdom) is such a welcome relief to the popular hysteria arising from the wide-spread (and often politically motivated) confusion concerning this particular form of influenza. Professor Stephenson knowledgeably addresses such issues as the nature of HIN1 fly; its degree of hazard for children, its symptoms, treatments, vaccines, and prevention. Of special note is the Professor Stephenson's informed and informative text is couched in thoroughly 'reader friendly' language making it especially recommended for the non-specialized general reader and all community/school Health & Medicine reference collections.