One of my co-workers just left for a vacation in Mexico on Saturday. Wonder how that's going.

Try to keep a bit of perspective Martin.
They only have about 1,500 cases of it. Mexico city alone is more than 20,000,000 people.
Your co-worker will likely have a great time, and is still more likely to get run over by a bus than get swine flu.

Edit: BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/8018428.stm
Readers in the areas affected by the swine flu outbreak have been sending their accounts to the BBC since the first cases were reported.

Actually, this particular subtype of the swine flu identified in the US cases is reportedly completely new and has never been found in pigs or people before. So no one really knows what to expect with it.

There was an interesting little factoid I read this morning that I didn't know. There were "only" eight cases identified in New York, but that's only because the Health Department team sent to take swabs at that high school got stuck in traffic, and by the time they arrived, school had already let out for the day so most students were already gone. So far, I don't think we really know the health status of the rest of the students who went on that trip to Mexico. Anyway, little bits of information like this are just another reminder to me that what we read in the news is often--actually, usually--not the whole story, even if the facts within the story itself are accurate.

This has been "tinyurl'd" to: http://tinyurl.com/flugmap/

Note: This link was originally posted by Themalemutekid

I agree but it is still so early in this incident that I think that any pronouncements at this point are mostly speculation at best. The only outlets reporting any particular pig farms as the source seems to be the blogosphere and I have learned to take anything reported on a blog during a rapidly developing story with a huge grain of salt until confirmed by more reputable sources although I can certainly see the logic in the reasoning.

Its in Scotland now.

This is about a mile from my house... http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2009/04/ohio_health_officials_confirm.html

I just got over a nasty respiratory illness, and now I am wondering if that's what I had. Heavy congestion, bad cough, low energy, etc.

Currently they are testing 6 people in belgium.

No way to know, but probably best to call your doctor, and seeing about getting swabbed and checked for the virus. If your Doctor doesn't know, contact your public health agency for info. If you were infected, they'll want to know, and keep an eye on whoever else you interacted with recently (friends and family).

WHO has raised their Pandemic Alert to Phase 4 out of 6.

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html

From http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/phases.htm:
Interpandemic period

Phase 1 : No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. An influenza virus subtype that has caused human infection may be present in animals. If present in animals, the risk of human infection or disease is considered to be low.

Phase 2: No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. However, a circulating animal influenza virus subtype poses a substantial risk of human disease.

Pandemic alert period

Phase 3: Human infection(s) with a new subtype but no human-to-human spread, or at most rare instances of spread to a close contact.

Phase 4: Small cluster(s) with limited human-to-human transmission but spread is highly localized, suggesting that the virus is not well adapted to humans.

Phase 5: Larger cluster(s) but human-to-human spread still localized, suggesting that the virus is becoming increasingly better adapted to humans but may not yet be fully transmissible (substantial pandemic risk).

Pandemic period

Phase 6: Pandemic: increased and sustained transmission in general population.

Notes: The distinction between phases 1 and 2 is based on the risk of human infection or disease resulting from circulating strains in animals. The distinction is based on various factors and their relative importance according to current scientific knowledge. Factors may include pathogenicity in animals and humans, occurrence in domesticated animals and livestock or only in wildlife, whether the virus is enzootic or epizootic, geographically localized or widespread, and other scientific parameters.

The distinction among phases 3, 4, and 5 is based on an assessment of the risk of a pandemic. Various factors and their relative importance according to current scientific knowledge may be considered. Factors may include rate of transmission, geographical location and spread, severity of illness, presence of genes from human strains (if derived from an animal strain), and other scientific parameters.