Health experts have been keeping a close eye on South America as its flu season comes to an end.  Brazil is leading the world in deaths from the H1N1 virus with 560 confirmed victims. The US is expected to see a similar up tick in swine flu cases once our flu season begins this fall.

Some experts estimate as many has half the US population could catch swine flu.  The good news is, the mortality rate for the virus is below one percent.

Christin Foster, an FSU law student, caught the virus in May during a visit to Chili. South America was just entering its flu season. To read Christin’s entire story log on to http://www.scottmcpherson.net.

“I was delirious. I was trying to find any cool spot in the apartment I could find that happened to be the bathroom floor.  It was a difficult task just to open a Tylenol packet to lower the fever.  It took about 30 minutes.”
 
Christin was quarantined for a week before being released from medical care.

“I saw a lot of people on the street wearing surgical masks, both in Chile and in Argentina.  Argentina, it seemed as though there was a widespread fear of the swine flu.”
  
More than a thousand people have died of swine flu in Brazil and Argentina alone.  The US has recorded 530 deaths, but our Flu season is just around the corner.
 
Health experts are keeping a close eye on South America, where a higher percentage of the population has caught the virus and more young people are getting sick.. Pandemic expert Scott McPherson says what has happened in South American will move into the US this fall. 

According to McPherson “The fact that the virus has moved so quickly in that hemisphere during flu season.  It is an area of concern for those of us who know it is going to be a problematic flu season here.”

McPherson recommends covering your cough, washing your hands, and keeping space between you and strangers will help curb the spread, but once flu season hits outbreaks are inevitable.