BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Countries from around
the world are stepping up safety measures against swine flu on Monday, as the
number of confirmed and suspected cases continued to climb.
Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova announced
late Sunday that the number of both suspected and confirmed deaths from swine
flu had reached 103 in Mexico, and the number of cases under observation had
risen to 1,614, up from 1,324.
A thermal scanner is installed in the
arrival terminal to check the temperature of arriving passengers at Ngurah
Rai International Airport in Denpasar in Indonesia's resort island of Bali
April 27, 2009. Countries around the world have moved to contain the
spread of a possible pandemic after a new swine flu outbreak killed 103
people in Mexico.(Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo
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In
the United States, 20 cases have been confirmed in five states.
In New Zealand, a total of 13 students who recently
traveled to Mexico have been tested positive for Influenza A, of which swine flu
is a subtype. These are first reported suspected cases in the Asia-Pacific
region.
On Sunday, Canada became the third country to confirm
human cases of swine flu with six people falling ill, all of them linked to
people who had traveled to Mexico. David Butler-Jones, Canada's Chief Public
Health Officer, said all the six had recovered and were doing well, adding:
"These are probably not the last cases we'll see in Canada."
Suspected cases of swine flu were also reported in
Israel, France, Brazil and Spain.
Mexico City was semi-paralyzed Sunday after its 20
million residents were ordered to avoid large gatherings. Pharmacies and
supermarkets were running out of face masks.
The City government on Sunday said it would
distribute a million face masks on public transport systems, including the
metro, metro buses and light rail. Volunteers are also handing out face masks at
street intersections.
The U.S. administration on Sunday declared a public
health emergency, immediately after at least 20 cases have been confirmed of
swine flu in the country.
A doctor stands beside a thermal imaging
machine to monitor tourists arriving at the international airport in
Manila April 27, 2009. Countries around the world have moved to contain
the spread of a possible pandemic after a new swine flu outbreak killed
103 people in Mexico. Twenty cases have been identified in the United
States and six in Canada, with no deaths reported.(Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
U.S.
officials will begin asking travelers about illness if they are entering the
country from areas with confirmed swine flu cases. Passengers would no be barred
from getting into the U.S., but they could be referred for further testing, said
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at a White House briefing.
Many countries have issued travel warnings for Mexico
and the United States.
Many Asian countries have put in place quarantine and
precautionary plans which were used during the SARS epidemic and bird flu
outbreaks.
The Thai government on Monday installed infra-red
cameras at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport to detect unusual body
temperatures as a preventive measure against the spread of the disease.
Singapore began using thermal scanners Sunday at
Changi International Airport to check passengers arriving from the United States
for flu-like symptoms. These checks will be extended to all passengers by
Wednesday.
Russia has said passengers from North America running
a fever would be quarantined until the cause is determined.
Tokyo's Narita airport has installed a device to test
the temperatures of passengers arriving from Mexico. Indonesia has increased
surveillance at entry points for travelers with flu-like symptoms.
Several countries have announced that they will test
pork imports for a new strain of the swine flu virus, a combination of human,
swine and avian flu viruses.
Russia has banned the import of meat products from
Mexico, and the U.S. states of California, Texas and Kansas.
A WHO emergency committee will meet for a second time
Tuesday, examining the spread of the virus to decide whether to increase the
alert for a possible pandemic, or a global epidemic after the UN agency declared
the outbreaks in Mexico and the U.S. a "public health emergency of international
concern" on Saturday.
A quarantine officer monitors passengers
walking through a temperature screening checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi airport
April 27, 2009. Countries around the world have moved to contain the
spread of a possible pandemic after a new swine flu outbreak killed 103
people in Mexico.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- In light of an outbreak of
swine flu in Mexico, China's Ministry of Health issued a notice Sunday about
disease prevention and detection, warning citizens to be careful.
The notice defines the symptoms of the disease and
how it can be transmitted to humans. Full story
MEXICO CITY, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Mexican health
secretary said on Sunday that the death toll of confirmed and suspected swine
flu cases rose to 103, with the number of sickened cases reaching 1,614.
Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova updated the
numbers while speaking to Televisa Mexican national television network on Sunday
night. Full story
WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua) -- A new swine flu strain
has killed as many as 20 people and sickened more than 1,300 across Mexico.
Eleven U.S. people were also confirmed to be infected with the virus.
The World Health Organization announced Saturday that the
outbreak in Mexico and the United States constituted a "public health emergency
of international concern." Full story
A passenger arriving in a flight from
Mexico wear a masks next to a Civil Guard at Barcelona's airport April 27,
2009. A case of swine flu has been confirmed in a patient in Spain and 17
sick people are under investigation, the Health Ministry said. Countries
around the world have moved to contain the spread of a possible pandemic
after a new swine flu outbreak killed 103 people in Mexico.(Xinhua/AFP
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
