Flu reaches the Uk

[Purdy Bear]

Just to let you know, we have the first suspected case of Swine Flu. One of our cabin crew, who flew regularly from Mexico City to London, came down with a flu like attack on board a return flight. He was taken to sealed unit where he is said to be making good progress.

[Cat]

Yes, and I read this morning about a New Zealand's class trip to Mexico that has resulted in a suspected 10 cases there.

 

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Minister: 10 NZ students likely have swine flu

Officials throughout Asia stepping up surveillance for deadly swine virus

 

updated 6:04 a.m. ET, Sun., April 26, 2009

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -

 

New Zealand's health minister said Sunday 10 students who just returned from Mexico have tested positive for influenza. He said the cases are "likely" to be swine flu.

 

Tony Ryall said none of the patients was seriously ill and they seemed to be recovering. He added that there was "no guarantee" the students had swine flu, but that health officials were taking precautions.

 

At least 81 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a flu-like illness in Mexico, according to the World Health Organization, which declared the virus a public health emergency of "pandemic potential."

 

The virus is usually contracted through direct contact with pigs, though some limited cases of human-to-human transmission have been reported. Health officials have sought to reassure people that it is safe to eat pork that is properly handled because the virus dies when cooked at temperatures of 160 F/70 C or higher.

 

The 10 New Zealand students who returned positive results were among 13 quarantined and tested for the virus after a school trip to Mexico. In all 25 students and teachers arrived in the northern city of Auckland on Saturday on a flight from Los Angeles. One student had to be hospitalized, said Auckland Regional Public Health Services director Dr. Julia Peters.

 

"Ten students have tested positive for Influenza A, and these results will now be sent to the World Health Organization laboratory in Melbourne to ascertain whether it is the H1N1 swine influenza."

 

H1N1 influenza is a subset of influenza A.

 

At this stage other passengers on their flight were not being sought (STUPID, STUPID!!!!) and the next step would depend on what the tests showed, said Health Ministry spokesman Michael Flyger.

 

Stepping up surveillance

Governments across the Asia-Pacific region were stepping up surveillance for the deadly virus after Mexico closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in a bid to contain the outbreak. About 1,000 people may have been sickened there.

 

Some of those who died are confirmed to have a unique version of the A/H1N1 flu virus that is a combination of bird, pig and human viruses, WHO said.

 

U.S. authorities said 11 people were infected with swine flu, and all recovered or are recovering and at least two were hospitalized.

 

At Tokyo's Narita airport — among the world's busiest with more than 96,000 people using it daily — officials installed a device at the arrival gate for flights from Mexico to measure the temperatures of passengers.

 

The Philippines said it may quarantine passengers with fevers who have been to Mexico, while South Korea urged its citizens not visit Mexico City and three Mexican provinces. Health authorities in Thailand and Hong Kong said they were closely monitoring the situation.

 

China said anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms within two weeks of arriving in the country from swine-flu affected territories was required to report to authorities.

 

Australia's Department of Health and Aging urged anyone who had returned from Mexico with influenza-like symptoms since March to seek advice from their doctors.

 

Malaysia and other Asian nations said they were awaiting further advice from WHO.

 

South Korea said it would bolster its quarantine measures on pork products from Mexico and the United States in the hopes of calming fears about buying and eating pork. But the country said it has no immediate plans to suspend pork imports from the North America.

 

Japanese Agriculture Minister Shigeru Ishiba appeared on TV to calm consumers, saying it was safe to eat pork.

 

"Whether it's domestic or imported pork, pork is sanitized when being shipped" to supermarkets, Ishiba told TV Asahi. "It's perfectly safe to eat pork."

 

Asia has grappled before

Asia has grappled in recent years with the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has killed at least 257 people worldwide since late 2003, according to WHO. Nearly 45 percent of the global bird flu deaths have occurred in Indonesia, with 115 fatalities.

 

Scientists have warned for years about the potential for a pandemic caused by viruses that mix genetic material from humans and animals.

 

No vaccine specifically protects against swine flu, and it is unclear how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30412340/

 

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