# 3352
Many people in Flublogia know Dr. Greg Dworkin, since he was one of the founders of the Flu Wiki, and has been a visible advocate for pandemic preparedness for a number of years.
Greg and I have had the opportunity to work together on several occasions, including during the Pandemic Leadership Blog in 2007, the 2008 HHS Tabletop exercise, and we were both provided some input for the GetPandemicReady.Org site.
Today he is interviewed on Examiner.com, talking about . . .you guessed it, pandemic influenza.
Follow the link to read the article in its entirety.
Dr. Flu: Interview with influenza expert Greg Dworkin
June 15, 11:28 PM ·
Dr. Greg Dworkin is Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology and Medical Director of the Pediatric Inpatient Unit at Danbury Hospital in Danbury CT, where he has been in clinical practice for twenty years. Dr. Dworkin serves on the Danbury city and school Pandemic Flu Task Forces and is a founding editor of Flu Wiki and its sister site, the Flu Wiki Forum. As an expert on influenza, he graciously took time out of his hectic day for this Examiner exclusive.
Steven Andrew: H1N1 better known as swine flu, has caused fewer deaths than the common cold over the last couple of months here in the US. In that light, what is it about this strain that has so many health officials worried?
Dr. Greg Dworkin: First of all, the pandemic is just beginning, not ending. The last three had second waves and sometimes third waves, over 9-12 months or longer, so it’s too early to judge how mild it is. Second of all, the novel H1N1 virus is hitting younger people than is typical. Normally most hospitalized flu patients are over 65, but 41% of the hospitalized pandemic virus patients are older children and young adults, according to CDC. The highest hospitalization rates are in the youngest kids. Finally, although it is extraordinary enough to see flu cases in June, we don’t know yet what will happen this summer and this fall.
So break that down, what does that mean in layman's terms?
