Every
flu tracking map I have consulted says the flu has spread big-time
nationwide.
With this site -- run by Roche, a drug company --
you can see the outbreak city by city.Another drug company has
this site that
lists flu conditions by zip code.
I have seen stories about kids not showing up at school in
Texas and
Tucson, Ariz., where one
ER handled three times as many flu cases last week than it had in any single week all winter.The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has this map from the week ending February 10:
|
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
|
Flu Resources
Remember, seasonal influenza is a specific illness. Lots of
people refer to a
24-hour
flu, a
stomach
flu and other such bugs. Whatever they are, they are most likely
not the
seasonal influenza. How do you know what is a flu and what is, say, a cold?
Check this chart.From the CDC, here is some
background on flu shots
and sprays.Also from the
CDC:Every
year in the United States, on average:
- 5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets the flu;
- more than 200,000 people are hospitalized
from flu complications, and;
- about 36,000 people die from flu.
Some
people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health
conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications.
Symptoms
of Flu
Symptoms of flu include:
Stomach symptoms, such as nausea,
vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in children than
adults.
Complications of Flu
Complications
of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections,
dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive
heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.
How
Flu Spreads
Flu
viruses spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of
people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching
something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Most
healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop
and up to five days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass
on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you
are sick.
Burglary Hot SpotsKHOU-TV in Houston
wanted to know if there are places in the city where burglaries are most likely to happen.
So
the station mapped raw crime statistics and found five hot spots. Then the station visited those places to see if it could
determine why the crimes happen there.
This is the same technique that KHOU used a few years ago
when it wanted to know if there were rape zones in the city, places where sexual violence occurred most often. By mapping crime data, the station found many such
zones.
I am so impressed that Houston has
beat-by-beat crime stats available online every month. You can
enter a street address and pull up a list of all the crimes that happened near it in a given month.
San Diego County also has interactive
crime maps, searchable by street and crime type.
Dallas offers this kind of mapped data, too.
So does Los Angeles.My favorite
crime-map site is a fairly new one in Washington, D.C., called
CrimeinDC.org. It is run by a
independent citizen, however, not the city.
The same is true for the excellent
ChicagoCrime.org.How
easy is it, in your town, to find out where crimes are occurring?
The Legitimate Anna Nicole StoryI do
think there is a legitimate news story wrapped up in this circus.
It is about the
importance of things like an estate plan, a will,
burial plans and awarding power of attorney to somebody you trust.
This
is not an issue just for the super-rich. It is vitally important for anyone whose dependants may need the assets of his or her estate.
I
wonder how many similar stories you would find at your local probate court.
Even transferring a car title after the owner's death
can be complicated without proper estate planning.
NOLO.com
points out:Some states, including California, Connecticut,
Kansas, Missouri and Ohio, offer car owners the sensible option of naming a
beneficiary, right on their certificate of registration, to inherit a vehicle.
There is also the matter of
why parents should name a legal guardian for their children.
Click
here for legal tips about that.
Al's Morning Multimedia
The
Star Tribune, in Minneapolis, has produced
another amazing multimedia project on Liberian immigrants
currently living in the Twin Cities. These people faced death squads in their
home country, and now some face the unsettling prospect of returning.
Take a look at
the credits to get an idea of how many people it takes to make a project
like this fly.
See
this detailed analysis of the project from online guru Mindy McAdams.Also,
The
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle produced a very nice multimedia
project called
"My Body Myself." It features eight women, ages 14 to 38, talking about their bodies. The project was inspired by
"Evolution," a film put together by Dove soap, that
I wrote about back in October.
Workshop For New TV JournalistsHey, I wanted to make sure you know about a special workshop
I will be doing for new TV journalists and college students at the RTNDA
convention in April.
Click
here to get more information and sign up. See you in Vegas!
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's
Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story
excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as
original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly
from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided
whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends upon the
accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and
inaccuracies found will be corrected.
Doesn't it seem odd that drug companies are saying there's...
