Arsenic in Contaminated Water Increases Susceptibility to H1N1 Influenza

Arsenic in Contaminated Water Increases Susceptibility to H1N1 Influenza:

"Not everyone who is exposed to an infectious disease, even the widely-feared new “swine” flu (H1N1), gets sick. And many people who do come down with the flu or another illness get over it without much trouble. While a lot of factors can be at work, from good nutrition to physical fitness, a new study suggests an all-too-common toxin in the water you drink could play a role in whether an
H1N1 infection makes you seriously ill.

According to scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and Dartmouth Medical School, the ability to mount an immune response to H1NI infection, a form of influenza A, can be significantly compromised by even low levels of arsenic exposure that commonly occur through drinking contaminated well water.

Respiratory infections with influenza A virus are a worldwide health problem and kill about 36,000 people each year according to the CDC. The recent outbreak of a type of influenza A known as H1N1, or “swine flu”, has killed over 70 Mexicans so far and at least six Americans. The fact that Mexico has large areas of very high arsenic in well water — and these include the locations where H1N1 first appeared — intrigued the MBL and Dartmouth research team."