BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The World Health
Organization (WHO) on Saturday urged countries to be alert for unusual flu
outbreaks after a deadly swine flu virus has claimed dozens of lives in Mexico
and infected at least 11 people in the United States.
NORTH AMERICA: DOZENS
KILLED
On Saturday, Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel
Cordova raised the probable death toll from the outbreak of the swine flu to 81,
including 20 already confirmed, and said more than 1,324 had been suspected to
be infected since April 13.
Medical team members wear masks as they
walk in downtown Mexico City, capital of Mexico, April 25, 2009. (Xinhua
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
Mexico City has closed schools, museums and other
public gathering places, and the Army has been distributing face masks to the
population. The health minister said classes in the capital, the neighboring
Mexico state and the northern state of San Luis Potosi will resume on May 6.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has issued an
emergency decree giving the government special powers to run tests on sick
people and order them to be isolated.
In the U.S., two more cases of swine flu were
confirmed on Saturday in the state of Kansas and one case in California,
bringing the total number of people infected to 11. Eight more cases have been
reported in Texas and California.
Eight schoolchildren in New York City were found to
be infected with a type A influenza virus that was likely to be the swine flu.
WHO ISSUES
ALERT
WHO says the virus from 12 of the Mexican patients is
genetically the same as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1, which is
also seen in eight people in California and Texas.
The H1N1, a mixture of swine, human and avian flu
viruses, is still poorly understood by scientists.
Based on the advice of a WHO emergency committee,
Director-General Margaret Chan "has determined that the current events
constitute a public health emergency of international concern," the UN agency
said in a statement on Saturday.
WHO urged all countries to boost their surveillance
for any unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia.
But the Geneva-based UN agency left the alert status
at "Phase 3" denoting none or very limited human-to-human transmission on its
scale of one to six. The alert status "Phase 4" would indicate evidence of an
increase in human-to-human infection.
"It has pandemic potential because it is infecting
people," Chan said in Geneva. "However, we cannot say on the basis of currently
available laboratory, epidemiological and clinical evidence whether or not it
will indeed cause a pandemic."
PRECAUTIONARY
MEASURES
Precautionary measures have been taken around the
world against a possible global flu pandemic which could deal another blow to
the world economy already knocked into a deep downturn by the financial turmoil.
According to WHO, no other countries have reported
suspicious cases so far.
Up to now, no countries or global bodies have issued
travel bans to Mexico, but some countries alerted travelers to learn about the
information on the flu outbreak.
Costa Rica's Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila said
Saturday that her country has issued a flu alert throughout the country and
asked the Pan American Health Organization for a supply of antiviral drugs,
especially Oseltamivir by the brand name of Tami flu, to combat a possible
outbreak spread from neighboring Mexico.
In Honduras, Health Minister Carlos Aguilar said
Saturday it may quarantine passengers with flu-like symptoms. The capital
Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, two main port cities in the country, will be the
main area of surveillance, the minister said.
Chile ordered a sanitary alert that included airport
screening of passengers arriving from Mexico. Those showing symptoms will be
sent to a hospital for tests.
In Peru, authorities will monitor travelers arriving
from Mexico and the U.S., and people with flu-like symptoms will be evaluated by
health teams, Peru's health ministry said.
Brazil will "intensify its health surveillance in all
points of entry into the country," the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Measures will also be put in place to inspect cargo and luggage, and to clean
and disinfect aircraft and ships at ports of entry.
The Stockholm-based European Center for Disease
Prevention and Control on Saturday expressed concerns about the swine flu cases,
saying it stood ready to lend support in any way possible.
A British Airways cabin crew member was taken to a
London hospital after developing flu-like symptoms on a flight from Mexico City,
which was the first such reported precautionary measure in Britain.
In France, a government crisis group began operating
Saturday. The government has already closed the French school in Mexico City and
provided French citizens there with detailed instructions on precautions.
The Netherlands has advised any traveler who returned
from Mexico since April 17 and develops a fever over 38.5 Celsius degrees within
four days of arriving in the country to stay at home.
The Polish Foreign Ministry has recommended that
Poles postpone any travel plans to regions where the outbreak has occurred until
it is totally contained.
Some Asian countries and regions have also stepped up
checks on passengers with flu-like symptoms.
Japan has stepped up health surveillance in its
international airports, while the Philippines said it will quarantine travelers
with fevers who have been to Mexico. Health authorities in Thailand and China's
Hong Kong said they were closely monitoring the situation.
Health experts have advised people to wash hands
frequently, stay away from people with flu-like symptoms and avoid large
gatherings.
A man wearing a mask walks past a
Mexican flag in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, April 24, 2009. The
government of Mexico City is launching a massive vaccination campaign
throughout the city against swine flu, which has possibly killed dozens
nationwide. (Xinhua Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
MEXICO CITY, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Felipe
Calderon on Friday held an emergency meeting at the Presidential Office with
ministers, health authorities and experts to discuss measures to deal with the
deadly flu outbreak.
Calderon also decided to inform Mexicans about the
nationwide flu outbreak. Full story
GENEVA,
April 25 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO)on Saturday declared the
swine flu outbreak in Mexico and the United States a "public health emergency of
international concern" and urged countries to be alert.
Based on the advice of a WHO emergency committee,
Director-general Margaret Chan "has determined that the current events
constitute a public health emergency of international concern," the UN agency
said in a statement. Full story
WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua)
-- The United States is expected to embrace more cases of swine flu because the
virus can not be contained, an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Saturday.
"With infections in many different communities as we're
seeing, we don't think that containment is feasible," said Anne Schucha, interim
deputy director for the CDC's science and public health program. Full story
NEW YORK, April 25
(Xinhua) -- At least eight students of a non-public school in New York City were
found to have probable human swine influenza, New York health officials said on
Saturday.
More than 100 students at the school in the New York City
borough of Queens were sick this week with fever and other flu-like symptoms,
the New York City Health Department said in a press release. Full story
Photo taken on April 25, 2009 shows an
announcement published on the website of Saint Francis Preparatory School
in New York, telling that about 75 students of the school went to the
Medical Office with a variety of symptoms, headache, upset stomach,
dizziness. Tests were ordered after these students from the St. Francis
preparatory school in Queens showed flu-like symptoms on April 23, New
York Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said. Health authorities in the
central US state of Kansas confirmed two cases of swine flu on April 25,
bringing the total number of cases in the United States to at least ten.
(Xinhua/Liu Xin) Photo
Gallery>>>
WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment
on Saturday confirmed two cases of swine flu in the state.
A spokeswoman said the department is planning to release
details on the two cases at a news conference later Saturday. Full story
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China's General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued an
emergency notice Saturday night requiring people to report flu-like symptoms at
the point of entry when coming from the deadly swine flu affected places.
This is China's latest move in response to the
outbreaks of human infection of Swine Influenza A/H1N1 in Mexico and the United
States. Full story
CANBERRA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Australia's health protection officials including
chief medical officer Jim Bishop hold meetings on Sunday to talk about how to
guard the nation from the pig flu outbreak in Mexico and the United States.
"Australia has good communicable disease surveillance and
control systems in place to detect and respond to outbreaks of illness," a
spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Ageing said. Full story
SEOUL,
April 26 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean government announced to tighten quarantine
measures for pork from the United States and Mexico after outbreaks of swine
influenza in these countries, local media reported on Sunday.
South Korea's National Veterinary Research and Quarantine
Service announced Saturday that U.S. and Mexican pork to be imported from Monday
will be put in quarantine to check if it was infected with the disease. Full story
