Weekly Reader - Flu Shock

1. Weekly Reader: Flu Shock How are scientists and schools fighting swine flu?

2. Don’t be surprised if you have a new homework assignment: washing your hands! Wash your hands!!

3. A new type of flu is spreading. It is called the swine flu. The swine flu will make you sick! Doctors think that thousands of people will get the swine flu. That’s a lot of people. That is why you need to wash your hands! The Swine Flu

4. The flu is a virus. A virus makes us sick. If you have the flu, you will have a fever, cough, you will feel achy, a sore throat, and a runny nose. I don’t think that sounds like fun. What about you? That is why you need to wash your hands! What is a virus?

5. The swine flu spreads quicker than the normal flu. That is why you need to wash your hands! The Swine Flu

6. Doctors think that the swine flu first started in Mexico. It was a five year old boy who first had the swine flu. How did it start?

7. So many people have gotten sick with the swine flu that doctors are calling it a pandemic, which is a really big problem. Many who get sick are children. Over 700 schools were shut down because kids were so sick! That is why you need to wash your hands! Who is getting sick?

8. Good news! The swine flu is usually mild. You might feel better in a few days without taking medicine. Medicine helps us feel better! Who is getting sick?

9. Doctors are making a vaccine to help stop people from getting the swine flu. A vaccine is a medicine that helps your body fight off a certain virus that is making you sick. How can it be stopped?

10. You can stop the flu by washing your hands. That is why you need to wash your hands! Washing your hands washes off the germs and viruses that make you sick! Do you like washing your hands? How can it be stopped?

11. Want to stay healthy? Follow these quick tips to avoid the swine flu! 1. Cover your sneezes. Cover your mouth with a tissue when you sneeze. 2. Wash your hands. Washing hands washes away the germs on your hands. That is why you need to wash your hands! 3. Stay home went your sick to keep your germs away from your friends! Shoo the Flu!

12. Birds carry almost every single type of flu. It doesn’t make them sick though! Did you know horses sneeze and cough like us? They even get runny noses. They can get the flu too!! Ocean animals, like seals and whales can get the flu too from birds that use the bathroom in the water. Gross!!! Calling Doctor Dolittle!