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NFL ISSUES SWINE FLU WARNING

Last week, the NFL Players Association’s website has released a memo to players about the autumn return of H1N1, aka “swine flu.” “H1N1 can easily spread in locker rooms,” said NFLPA Medical Director Dr. Thom Mayer. “We want to make sure we have the best advice possible to protect our players and their families, and we want to be prepared now, especially if—as many believe it will—H1N1 turns into a pandemic this fall.”

In addition, the memo states that “the NFLPA and the NFL have retained two well-known infectious disease specialists to write an infectious disease quarterly newsletter focusing on topics that specifically affect NFL players and club personnel. The newsletter offers preventative measures for clubs and helps team physicians formulate a treatment plan to control the spread of H1N1 when it affects their teams.”

In late August, a pair of Miami Dolphin cornerbacks, Sean Smith and Jason Allen, were suspected of having swine flu. When the story was reported, the Dolphins were quick to respond–saying that they were only “testing” the players for the illness, and that results would be kept private.

MSNBC reported this past week that “The World Health Organization says at least 625 people have been reported dead from swine flu in the last week. That’s more than 20 percent of the 2,837 known deaths since the novel virus first emerged in Mexico and the United States earlier this year.” In addition, WHO estimates suggest that the virus could eventually infect 2 billion people, or a third of the world’s population.

While it’s easy for fans to dismiss this, especially if it might interrupt their fun, but an autumn pandemic could have an impact on the NFL. There are others, however, who believe that the swine flu virus has a more menacing purpose.