Flu experts are cautioning against a new idea circulating: Why not try to get sick with swine flu now, and get some immunity in case it comes roaring back this fall in a deadlier form? It would be sort of like those “pox parties” to get your kids exposed to a childhood disease. Experts say it’s too risky. It’s true that once your body has encountered a particular virus strain, it is generally better able to fight it off later on. But in this case, says Dr. William Schaffner, a flu expert at Vanderbilt University, there’s no way to predict how bad a case of flu will be in a particular person. Given the risk of life-threatening complications, “this is not something where you want to do a biological experiment,” he said.
Canadian scientists said they are the first to genetically sequence the swine flu virus, a breakthrough they hope will help identify the origins of the virus and reveal how it spreads and mutates. Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada’s chief public health officer, said researchers at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, genetically sequenced three samples of the virus from Mexico and Canada.
The U.S. Navy canceled the June deployment of the San Diego-based USS Dubuque and ordered its crew of about 370 to be treated with drugs after a crew member’s illness was confirmed as swine flu.
Haiti turned away a Mexican ship carrying desperately needed food aid because of swine flu fears.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said two Americans quarantined in China were allowed to leave, while two others were still being kept in isolation. China also lifted its quarantine early for a group of Canadian students.
Dozens of Mexican nationals quarantined in China despite having no swine flu symptoms arrived home on a government-chartered jet. Some passengers complained of “humiliation and discrimination” by the Chinese.
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