Epidemics- Swine Flu(H1N1)

The most recent epidemic to hit Singapore is the Swine Flu, otherwise known as H1N1. From the source, which is a warning poster about H1N1, we can see that it is a very infectious disease and can cause death or other serious complications. Its symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle ache, coughing,etc. It is a highly contagious disease that is spread through coughing, sneezing,etc.

In 2009, a boy in Mexico contracted the disease. It spread to USA months later through infected tourists and immigrants from Mexico. Soon, the Swine flu was spreading across the world quickly through infected plane passengers. In May 2009, a female student, infected with H1N1, flew in from New York to Singapore, bringing with her Singapore's first case of H1N1. 60 passengers sitting near her were put into home quarantine.

By July, there were already 1055 cases of H1N1 in Singapore. In September, 18 H1N1 related deaths had occured. H1N1, though not as deadly as some other epidemics, left an impact on Singapore's tourism sector. As Singapore was identified as an infected area, tourists avoided coming for fear of contracting the disease. This dealt a blow to the tourism industry, which was very important for Singapore. Also, people tended to avoid pork as they were afraid of contracting swine flu during the H1N1 period despite the fact that H1N1 could not be caught through eating pork. This impacted those who usually ate or sold pork, as their diet or livelihood were affected.

In conclusion, although swine flu was less deadly than some other epidemics, it left a heavy impact as it caused our tourism sector to suffer. Furthermore, the virus caused deaths and panic among citizens, affecting their morale. Therefore, although swine flu has simmered down, it is an epidemic that will left a deep impression in the minds of Singaporeans.