By Nolan Strong
A major concert featuring Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy was canceled by officials at The University of Delaware today (April 29) due to an outbreak of the highly contagious Swine Flu.
The concert by Young Jeezy and upcoming rapper Drake was scheduled for 8:00 PM tomorrow at UD’s Bob Carpenter Center.
UD President Patrick T. Harker announced that the concert, as well as a speaking engagement with noted journalist Gwen Ifill would be canceled, because 10 students on campus were suspected of having the deadly H5N1 avian influenza.
“While the Centers for Disease Control have not yet confirmed any swine flu diagnoses, I have no doubt that these suspected cases are causing a great deal of concern among the entire campus community,” University of Delaware President Patrick T. Harker said. “The University's first priority is the health and well-being of our students and employees. Therefore, we are working closely with the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) to safeguard student, staff, and faculty health.”
Swine Influenza is a disease that affects the respiratory system of pigs.
While humans are rarely infected with the strain, this strain appears to be easily transmitted from person to person.
The World Health Organization announced today that the world is on the brink of a pandemic and raised the global threat level to phase 5, the last step before a pandemic.
"The biggest question is this: how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start," WHO Director General Margaret Chan said. "Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world.”
So far, 159 people have died from the disease worldwide, including one death in the United States, which occurred today, when a 23-month old Mexican boy died from the disease while visiting Houston, Texas.
“The biggest question, right now, is this: how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start?,” Chan stated, adding that the organization has “reached out to influenza vaccine manufacturers that can contribute to the production of a pandemic vaccine.”
In addition to Mexico and the United States, Austria (1), Canada (13), Germany (3), Israel (2), New Zealand (3), Spain (4) and the United Kingdom (5) have reported cases of the influenza.
Students and fans who purchased tickets to see Young Jeezy and Drake can contact the University of Delaware box office for information of refunds.