Swine Flu Affects Blacks & Hispanics More?

According to a recent study that was done in Chicago, Illinois (USA), the Swine flu was four times more likely to send blacks and Hispanics to the hospital than whites. This study is one of the first that looks at how the virus has affected different racial groups. Notably, it corresponds to recent unpublished information from Boston, MA, that found three out of four Bostonians who were hospitalized from swine flu were black or Hispanic.

Health officials have said the reason for the difference is probably not genetic, and that more likely, it is because blacks and Hispanics suffer disproportionately from asthma, diabetes and other health problems that make people more vulnerable to the flu. It is also not clear if a racial or ethnic difference will hold up when more complete national stats become available.

Source of information for the Chicago study – researchers looked at over 1500 lab-confirmed swine flu cases reported to the Chicago Department of Public Health from late April 2009 through late July.