Fresh Loaf

Number of Georgia Tech students suspected to have contracted swine flu in the first two weeks of classes: 150

Number of cases confirmed: 12

Number of cases confirmed at the University of Georgia in a 12-day period in August: 20

Percentage of swine flu cases that end in death: 0.4

Percentage of regular flu cases that end in death: 0.1

Percentage of the 1918 Spanish flu cases that ended in death: 2

Percentage of swine flu cases in pregnant women that end in death: 6

Number of people who have died from swine flu in the U.S., since April 2009: 500

Number of people who have died from being hit by a car, truck or bus in the U.S., in 2008: 4,378

Sources: Associated Press, AJC.com, Reuters, MedicineNet.com, USAToday.com, Fatality Analysis Reporting System

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The casual savagery of life in Iraq never fails to shock me.

For example, Reuters reports that Iraq’s government plans to kill all of the country’s bores. They claim it’s part of an effort to fend off an outbreak of H1N1, the so-called swine flu.

I’m not sure if the mass murder of wallflowers, dullards and people who talk about work at dinner parties is going to stop the spread of flu. Even if it does work, it’s still barbaric.

OK, scratch that. I just reread my notes. They’re killing boars.

But still, violence in Iraq is shocking.

Last week, terrorists detonated three car bombs within minutes of each other on a commercial strip in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood. Forty-one people were killed and at least 60 were injured. The bombs went off around 5 p.m., the area’s peak shopping time.

The bombing wasn’t an isolated incident. Violence against civilians in Iraq is once again surging.

Click here to read the rest of Don’t Panic

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1- AJC Redesign: Your thoughts? (Scott Henry makes a few observations on the new print design of our dear ol’ daily – as do some of our readers. Xanax would be a subscription booster).

2- Rep. John Lewis arrested at Darfur protest in D.C. (When the news reminds you of the real news, you need to work on your attention span – I’ll include myself in that bunch).

3- WSB: Georgia swine flu case confirmed (We’ve officially joined the swine flu pandemic).

4- Clever headline about N. Ga. drug bust elicits giggles (When “cops deal blow to Mexican drug cartels,” has it hit the fan?).

5- William Mize granted stay of execution from Ga. Supreme Court (The former Ku Klux Klan leader had sought the death penalty after being convicted of killing a fellow klansman).

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Number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States, as of April 30: 109

Number of U.S. states with confirmed cases of swine flu, as of April 30: 13

Number of confirmed human cases in Mexico, where the unknown strain originated, as of April 30: 97

Number of cases in Georgia as of April 30: 1

Number of confirmed deaths in Mexico from swine flu as of April 30: 7

Number of confirmed deaths in U.S., as of April 30: 1

Number of Tamiflu courses the federal government has released in response to the outbreak: 12.5 million

Total number of Tamiflu courses the federal government has stockpiled: 50 million

Number of people who died from swine flu during a 1976 outbreak: 1

Sources: ajc.com, cdc.gov, who.int, abcnews.go.com, The Associated Press

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All’s not lost in Requiem for a Paper Bag (In honor of A&E Assistant Wyatt Williams’ last day — he’ll still be contributing regularly to the paper and blog — I present to you one of his great recent blog posts.)

‘Snoutbreak’ is the word of the week (Jon Stewart coins a new term for the swine flu.)

The Televangelist: ‘Lost’ episode 14 (The show’s 100th episode following Obama’s 100 days speech. Coincidence? I think not.)

Bench Press: Weekend sports roundup (GOkickball, the Mitty and more.)

Hollywood Product: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Curt breaks down the vengeful action flick with mutant powers.)

Atlanta stores to celebrate Free Comic Book Day tomorrow (Oxford Comics, Criminal Records, the Book Nook and many more participate.)

Read more at Culture Surfing

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How many CEOs in the 1970s really had a putting green in their offices? How many still do?

Here’s a good look at the federal government’s vaccination program that was rolled out when the last — first? — swine flu outbreak occurred in that glorious year. Here’s a review of the program released by the CDC.

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Well, that’s no fun.

From WSB-TV:

The CDC confirmed a case of swine flu Thursday at West Georgia Medical System Hospital in LaGrange in Troup County.

Troup County health officials said Wednesday night during a public meeting that a sample from a patient at the hospital was sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing. The sample came back possible for swine flu.

The patient, a 30-year-old female, is from out of state. CDC officials said she has a history of traveling to Cancun, Mexico.

More info at WSB.

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To slow the spread of deadly swine flu, several airports in Asia and Oceania have begun funneling passengers through thermal scanners to determine if they have a fever.

As of this morning, international passengers arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are not being subjected to any sort of automated scans to detect possible illness.

Tim Sushil of the Atlanta office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection says customs agents who interview incoming passengers are trained to spot obvious signs of illness.

“We rely on the judgement of [Customs and Border Protection] officers,” he says. Only when a passenger is showing visible signs of illness, he says, will a customs officer notify Centers For Disease Control personnel at the airport.

Just curious, why can’t we have both machines and judgement?

If it was possible to determine if someone has a fever by simply looking at them, doctors and nurses wouldn’t carry thermometers.

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