The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization are concerned that the swine flu that hit Mexico could be a new stronger strain of the virus because of its spread and toll in Mexico City, Mexico, according to many sources, including the online edition of the Chicago Sun-Times. There also are fears the swine flu could prompt a flu pandemic that hits across numerous countries.

The U.S. government declared a public health emergency Sunday to respond to the outbreak of the swine flu, which has proved deadly in Mexico and infiltrated the United States, with 40 cases confirmed as of this morning. However, all of those sickened in the United States have recovered or are recovering, a stark contrast to the deaths in Mexico, and a fact that authorities can't yet explain, reports the online editions of the Sun-Times, the Denver Business Journal, and Yahoo! News.

The virus, which sickened students in New York, has also struck people in Kansas, California, Texas, and Ohio. Many of them had recently visited Mexico, the media said.

Countries around the globe are bracing to fight the swine flu. Airports worldwide are setting up quarantine areas while others, including Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, are using thermal cameras to monitor the body temperature of passengers arriving from overseas in the fight against the possible spread of the flu.

In the United States, airports are also taking precautions, including setting up potential quarantine areas, and roughly 12 million doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu will be moved from a federal stockpile to places where states can quickly get their share if they decide they need it, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said, according to the Sun-Times.

Personal Precautions

Below are a few precautionary recommendations health authorities suggest individuals can take to combat the spread of the flu:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
   
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.
   
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
   
• Sick people should see their doctor and stay home from work.
   
• Prepare your household for an emergency that might require you to stay at home for several days, including adequate supplies of food and other necessities.
   
• Colorado authorities say that despite the diseases's name, swine flu is not spread from eating pork or having contact with pigs.