Swine flu fears hit the market
Stock markets around the world fell today in light of the outbreak of swine flu which has escaped from Mexico to countries as far away as New Zealand, Canada, Scotland, Israel and the United States of America. While we have seen potential pandemics come and go there are many experts who believe this particular outbreak has the potential to impact upon not only for the worldwide economy but the worldwide population.
At this moment in time there is no vaccine available, with this particular strain of swine flu being made up of three different swine flu strains and a human influenza virus. This potentially lethal mix of different strains is difficult to combat and a potential vaccination could be six months away leaving the worldwide population open to potential attack. We have already seen the shares of leading airlines and travel companies hit hard in early trading today with a number of cross-border transport routes to be closed as governments around the world look to contain and control the outbreak.
This particular strain of flu is more concerning than the recent avian flu outbreak because somehow it has managed to mutate into a form which can be passed from human to human.
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