We are closely tracking the swine flu outbreak in Mexico that is rapidly spreading across the globe. There are confirmed cases in the United States and Canada and now Spain's health ministry has confirmed that nation's first case. World health officials are bracing for a potential worldwide pandemic of the swine flu that is being linked to the deaths of more than one hundred people in Mexico. More than 1600 people are believed to have caught the virus. The Takeaway is joined by Dr. Richard Wenzel, immediate past President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. Dr. Wenzel is currently Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. He can help us understand the symptoms, the causes, and the best ways to prevent transmission of this flu.

Also on The Takeaway is Ros Atkins, presenter of the BBC's World Have Your Say. He is in Mexico and joins us with a look at how Mexico is handling the outbreak.

An outbreak of swine flu is raising alarms from Mexico to New Zealand. But this isn’t the first epidemic to cause widespread concern. From the great influenza pandemic of 1918 to the much-hyped, but far less deadly bird flu outbreaks, we’re nothing if not prepared to worry about a global disease threat. So, how might this current outbreak compare to others throughout history? And how much should we really worry? We’re joined by Philip Alcabes, professor of urban public health at Hunter College of the City University of New York, and the author of Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu.

While Mexico struggles to manage the outbreak of swine flu and is rushing to confirm cases by sending samples to the United States, Hong Kong is already performing genetic tests and has mobilized their hospitals and medical facilities to test and track any possible outbreak. Hong Kong has contingency plans in place and 1400 isolated hospital beds reserved. Just in case! Why are they so prepared? SARS. Keith Bradsher, Hong Kong bureau chief of the New York Times, joins The Takeaway with a look at lessons we can learn from Hong Kong's reaction to the SARS scare.

Also joining us is Donald G. McNeil, a New York Times science reporter who has been covering the swine flu outbreak in the United States. For more, read Donald McNeil's article, U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency Over Swine Flu, in today's New York Times.


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Nineteenth century England during the Industrial Revolution was a grim place. The air in the cities was thick with coal dust, forcing people indoors and huge numbers of children suffered from soft bones and weak, twisted limbs. Doctors realized that children in rural areas didn't suffer the same ailments as their urban peers and ailing city kids were shipped off to the countryside and when they came back to the cities, they were usually just fine. The disease? Rickets, a condition defined by a twisting of the bones. The cure was sunshine and what we now know is more Vitamin D. Lesson learned, right?

A new report in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that between 1994 and 2004, the number of Americans with Vitamin D deficiency rose. And a lack of the vitamin isn't just tied to rickets anymore, but to cancer, heart disease and infections. For an explanation, we turn to Gabrielle Glaser, an author and journalist who writes about how culture affects health.

Today President Obama will lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research imposed by the Bush Administration. Dr. George Daley, Associate Director of the Stem Cell Program at Children’s Hospital in Boston, will discuss what the change in policy will mean for the future of this promising area of medicine.

Most of us have heard of the hygiene hypothesis. It's the theory that all of our antibacterial soaps and scrubs and sprays are actually weakening our immune systems. But here’s something new: Scientists say you may be able to treat certain diseases like autism and multiple sclerosis by ingesting the same worms we’ve spent all those years trying to kill. The Takeaway talks to Dr. Joel Weinstock, chief of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts University Medical Center.

Dr. Ron Lobel is the medical director of a hospital about 17 kilometers from the Gaza border. His hospital treated both Israelis and Palestinians alike, until the borders closed. Now, he joins John and Adaora from Ashkelon, Israel where he puts a human face on the story of two embattled rivals and his patients who can't return home.

Today people across the country are overwhelmed with the fear of loss: fear of losing one’s job, fear of losing one’s life savings, fear of losing all our money in a Bernie Madoff-style ponzi scheme. Can all of this anxiety be bad for our brains? Of course! Dr. Gregory Berns is the Director of the Center for Neuropolicy at Emory University and author of the book "Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently." He joins John and Adaora for a talk on how fear can impair our brain functions.

Do you believe eating at night makes you fat? Or that you lose most of your body heat through your head? Guess who believed them too? Your doctor. Dr. Rachel Vreeman, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, knew about the enduring legacy of these old wives' tales, so she and a colleague set out to debunk the more popular medical myths. Her findings were just published in the British Medical Journal. She joins The Takeaway to discuss these medical myths.