Swine flu's bigger impact on blacks and Hispanics is not being addressed

..."But several recent studies from local health departments around the country suggest a broader trend is already underway in minority communities:

• Boston's Public Health Commission found that 37% of all swine flu cases in that city occurred among blacks, though the black population is only 25%. Likewise, Hispanics comprise 14% of Boston residents but one-third of all confirmed H1N1 cases. Even more disturbing, three of every four people hospitalized for the virus in Boston have been black or Hispanic.

• Chicago's Department of Public Health studied 1,500 lab-confirmed swine flu cases between late April and late July and found blacks and Hispanics were four times more likely to be hospitalized than whites.
  


• Oklahoma's Department of Public Health reported last week that African-American children in the state were being hospitalized for swine flu at three times the rate of white children and twice the rate of Native American children.

  The higher hospitalization most likely reflects disparities in health conditions among population groups, experts say. Asthma and obesity, for instance, are more prevalent among African-Americans and Latinos, precisely the kinds of conditions that can lead to more severe reactions to the H1N1 virus. ...

I've had the H1N1 for two weeks now and I am no longer contagious, that last for 72 hours, the Swine Flu knocked me out. It started with an unavailable sore throat. My sore throat lasted for about two days and then I was drained and tired, It felt like I was hit by a truck, all the typical flu symptoms. However, what followed was this persistent and painful cough that I could feel deep in my chest. I have asthma, my Doctor call's it "runner's induced asthma," that usually flares up when I am exercising or in extreme cold weather or when I catch a cold. I am in pretty good shape and cannot recall the last time I have had a need or used my asthma medication. My Doctor told me that the H1N1 hits the respiratory system, the lungs. I was told that if my breathing does not get better I should go to the emergency room. I can only wonder what would have happened had I not been in the shape that I am in.