The international community is better prepared than ever to deal with the threatened spread of a new swine flu virus, a top UN health chief has said.

 

As the UN warned the outbreak might become a pandemic, Dr Keiji Fukuda said years of preparing for bird flu had boosted world stocks of anti-virals.

 

Canada is the latest country to confirm cases after as many as 81 deaths in Mexico and 20 cases in the US.

 

Washington has warned the flu may yet claim American lives.

 

"I do fear that we will have deaths," Dr Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters.

 

Eight cases have been confirmed among New York students, seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.

 

Several countries in Asia and Latin America have begun screening airport passengers for symptoms.

 

There is currently no vaccine for the new strain of flu but severe cases can be treated with antiviral medication.

 

Symptom puzzle

 

Speaking in Geneva, an expert from the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN's health agency, expert said the swine flu virus could be capable of mutating into a more dangerous strain but that more information was needed before raising the WHO's pandemic alert phase.

 

Only a handful of the Mexican cases have so far been laboratory-confirmed as swine flu, while in the US confirmed cases had only mild symptoms.

 

Health experts want to know why some people become so seriously ill, while others just get a bit of a cold, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Switzerland.

 

The WHO added that there was no evidence to suggest the outbreak was a bio-terrorist attack.

 

It is advising all countries to be vigilant for seasonally unusual flu or pneumonia-like symptoms among their populations - particularly among young healthy adults, a characteristic of past pandemics.

 

Officials said most of those killed so far in Mexico were young adults - rather than more vulnerable children and the elderly.

 

It is unclear how effective currently available flu vaccines would be at offering protection against the new strain, as it is genetically distinct from other flu strains.

 

WHO experts will meet again in Geneva on Tuesday to discuss whether to raise the pandemic alert phase.

 

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8019566.stm

 

Well... that doesn't sound very promising does it! :(

It all sounds a bit exaggerated, anyone remember the 'bird flu crises'?

That's what I thought too, but I don't remember that many people dying from Bird Flu... certainly not 81 in one country.

There certainly weren't as many deaths in such a short period. Potentially this is more worrying than bird flu ever was as it seems to be more contagious.

If the world is as prepared for this swine flu as it is for the financial crisis, then we are doomed!

If the world is as prepared for this swine flu as it is for the financial crisis, then we are doomed!

 

 

The end of the human civilisation is near :cry:

If the world is as prepared for this swine flu as it is for the financial crisis, then we are doomed!

Well that's cheered us all up :mellow:

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A unique strain of swine flu is the suspected killer of dozens of people in Mexico, where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital on Friday to try to contain an outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.

 

The worrisome new virus _ which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before _ also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the U.S.

 

"We are very, very concerned," World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham said. "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human ... It's all hands on deck at the moment."

 

The outbreak caused alarm in Mexico, where more than 1,000 people have been sickened. Residents of the capital donned surgical masks and authorities ordered the most sweeping shutdown of public gathering places in a quarter century. President Felipe Calderon met with his Cabinet Friday to coordinate Mexico's response.

 

The WHO was convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic alert level or issue travel advisories.

 

It might already be too late to contain the outbreak, a prominent U.S. pandemic flu expert said late Friday.

 

Given how quickly flu can spread around the globe, if these are the first signs of a pandemic, then there are probably cases incubating around the world already, said Dr. Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.

 

In Mexico City, "literally hundreds and thousands of travelers come in and out every day," Osterholm said. "You'd have to believe there's been more unrecognized transmission that's occurred."

 

There is no vaccine that specifically protects against swine flu, and it was unclear how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer. A "seed stock" genetically matched to the new swine flu virus has been created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, said Dr. Richard Besser, the agency's acting director. If the government decides vaccine production is necessary, manufacturers would need that stock to get started.

 

Authorities in Mexico urged people to avoid hospitals unless they had a medical emergency, since hospitals are centers of infection. They also said Mexicans should refrain from customary greetings such as shaking hands or kissing cheeks. At Mexico City's international airport, passengers were questioned to try to prevent anyone with flu symptoms from boarding airplanes and spreading the disease.

 

Epidemiologists are particularly concerned because the only fatalities so far were in young people and adults.

 

The eight U.S. victims recovered from symptoms that were like those of the regular flu, mostly fever, cough and sore throat, though some also experienced vomiting and diarrhea.

 

U.S. health officials announced an outbreak notice to travelers, urging caution and frequent handwashing, but stopping short of telling Americans to avoid Mexico.

 

Mexico's Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordoba said 68 people have died of flu and the new swine flu strain had been confirmed in 20 of those deaths. At least 1,004 people nationwide were sick from the suspected flu, he said.

 

Scientists have long been concerned that a new flu virus could launch a worldwide pandemic of a killer disease. A new virus could evolve when different flu viruses infect a pig, a person or a bird, mingling their genetic material. The resulting hybrid could spread quickly because people would have no natural defenses against it.

 

Still, flu experts were concerned but not alarmed about the latest outbreak.

 

"We've seen swine influenza in humans over the past several years, and in most cases, it's come from direct pig contact. This seems to be different," said Dr. Arnold Monto, a flu expert with the University of Michigan.

 

"I think we need to be careful and not apprehensive, but certainly paying attention to new developments as they proceed."

 

The CDC says two flu drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, seem effective against the new strain. Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, said the company is prepared to immediately deploy a stockpile of the drug if requested.

 

Both drugs must be taken early, within a few days of the onset of symptoms, to be most effective.

 

Cordoba said Mexico has enough Tamiflu to treat 1 million people, but the medicine will be strictly controlled and handed out only by doctors.

 

Mexico's government had maintained until late Thursday that there was nothing unusual about the flu cases, although this year's flu season had been worse and longer than past years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_on_...e/med_swine_flu

:mellow:

Edited April 26, 200916 yr by FMbassador11

we had all this drama over bird flu. The media are stirring it up a bit too much at this stage. -_-

If ever there was a time to be thankful that i am in a country with some of the strictest Immigration/Quarantine/Customs laws in the world.

 

That flu ain't gonna reach me, Aussies will turn it back at the border. They don't let anythin in, Literally.

i think its the potential some form of influenza has to seriously effect the worlds population that is the concerning thing here. ok, bird flu didnt effect us much, but it did in china! scientists have long warned of such a catastrophe, maybe with thoughts of the medieval black death still resounding even today over what could occur.

 

i think a pandemic disease is very plausable and is a real thread to human life .... is it swine flu?... well no probabally not, but the viruses ability to change, evolve, into a new more potent deadly strain is a real threat to us at some time.

i think its the potential some form of influenza has to seriously effect the worlds population that is the concerning thing here. ok, bird flu didnt effect us much, but it did in china! scientists have long warned of such a catastrophe, maybe with thoughts of the medieval black death still resounding even today over what could occur.

 

i think a pandemic disease is very plausable and is a real thread to human life .... is it swine flu?... well no probabally not, but the viruses ability to change, evolve, into a new more potent deadly strain is a real threat to us at some time.

 

Spot on... You can never, ever truly underestimate this sort of thing, as, like you say, viruses can evolve and mutate... The Medieval Black Death is probably not the example I'd pick, the Spanish Flu epidemic just after WW1 is probably a better one, that wiped out millions all over the world, both young and old.... If that can happen in the 20th Century, who's to say that something similar cant happen in the 21st....? We dodged a bullet with Avian flu, but it almost certainly could have done something, it still could, scientists aint wiped it out as far as I'm aware.....

 

Also, considering that UK isn't exactly stocked up too great with Flu vaccines, if something did occur here, I reckon it would be pretty catastrophic.....

Spot on... You can never, ever truly underestimate this sort of thing, as, like you say, viruses can evolve and mutate... The Medieval Black Death is probably not the example I'd pick, the Spanish Flu epidemic just after WW1 is probably a better one, that wiped out millions all over the world, both young and old.... If that can happen in the 20th Century, who's to say that something similar cant happen in the 21st....? We dodged a bullet with Avian flu, but it almost certainly could have done something, it still could, scientists aint wiped it out as far as I'm aware.....

 

Also, considering that UK isn't exactly stocked up too great with Flu vaccines, if something did occur here, I reckon it would be pretty catastrophic.....

According to the radio this morning, there is enough vaccine for 50% of the population which should be sufficient. Of course, that's assuming the vaccine is effective against this particular strain.

I think it is just the media fuelling paranoia

 

They did it over salmonella that was going to kill us all they did it over bird flu, over SARS, over mad cow disease, over foot and mouth disease and are doing it now over this

 

Friends of mine on MSN ranging from 18 to 46 were in a panc over this yesterday and I just can't understand why

 

 

I think it is just the media fuelling paranoia

 

They did it over salmonella that was going to kill us all they did it over bird flu, over SARS, over mad cow disease, over foot and mouth disease and are doing it now over this

 

Friends of mine on MSN ranging from 18 to 46 were in a panc over this yesterday and I just can't understand why

Most of today's front pages are competing for the best "WE ARE ALL DOOMED" headline :lol: Perspective has never been the tabloid press's strong point.

 

 

According to the radio this morning, there is enough vaccine for 50% of the population which should be sufficient. Of course, that's assuming the vaccine is effective against this particular strain.

 

Hmmm, 50% isn't really enough if you're talking about something on a par with Spanish Flu epidemic.... And of course, assuming that all the vaccine is legit (fake medicines are becoming a bigger problem these days....), and indeed even if it is effective against a particular strain....

 

There aren't enough anti-viral drugs to combat a potential global swine flu pandemic, with local stocks sufficient to cover just over one third of the population, a drug company executive says.

 

Australia moved on Monday into the next phase of its response to the outbreak, as the five people in NSW, including children, are suspected of having the virus.

 

Test results are due by week's end.

 

Swine flu, which is believed to be a mutation of swine, avian and human flu, has so far killed more than 100 people in Mexico and infected 1,614 in the central American country. It also has infected 20 people in five American states and several more in Canada.

 

Swabs from 10 Auckland high school students, believed to have contracted the virus on a Spanish language trip to Mexico City , are due to arrive in Melbourne on Tuesday for testing at a World Health Organisation (WHO) accredited laboratory.

 

Four Queenslanders feared to have been infected have been given the all clear.

 

Australia's chief medical officer Jim Bishop says it's inevitable swine flu will eventually reach our shores.

 

"We don't have confirmed cases in Australia but I think there will be probably some cases in the future," he told Sky News on Monday.

 

The health department learnt of the swine flu last Friday.

 

The federal government did not enforce screening at airports until midnight (AEST) Monday.

 

Airlines must report any passengers with flu-like symptoms aboard planes into Australia from North or South America before being allowed to land.

 

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) wants an urgent meeting with Qantas and other airlines to discuss what systems are in place to protect staff.

 

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon is urging people who have travelled to Mexico or the Americas in the last two to three weeks and who have flu-like symptoms to immediately visit their doctor.

 

The health department has set up a swine flu hotline - 180 2007.

 

Australia has stockpiled 8.7 million doses of the Tamiflu and Relenza drugs, which are believed to be effective in treating the virus.

 

Ms Roxon said Australia's stockpile has one of the highest population ratios in the world.

 

"The aim if there is a pandemic - which has not yet been declared in this instance - is to make sure you can protect enough of the population that the spread through the population is stopped," she told ABC Television.

 

"We are confident that we do have sufficient in our stockpile to do that."

 

Peter Cook, the head of the Melbourne company that developed Relenza, Biota, said events such as this outbreak often prompt governments to check their preparedness for a pandemic.

 

"It reminds everybody that the world's inventory of these products, even though they're fairly large in dollar terms, are still inadequate for management of a full-blown global pandemic," he told AAP on Monday.

 

The company's shares closed up 71 cents, or 81.61 per cent, on Monday - at $1.58.

 

GlaxoSmithKline, which produces Relenza in Melbourne , France and the US, will boost production by about five million doses in Australia over the next three months.

 

General manager Deborah Waterhouse said the company would be putting on up to 30 extra staff to meet increased demand.

 

Public health expert, NSW Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Raina MacIntyre, says the situation is serious enough for Australians to wear a face mask.

 

"Any time from now, people who are in crowded situations, caring for sick people either as healthcare workers or in their own families, travelling on public transport, (they) should wear a mask," she told AAP.

 

The swine flu has struck down otherwise healthy, young people and is believed to have been transmitted from human to human.

 

Symptoms are much like those of regular human flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

 

Travellers on flights entering Australia from the Americas suspected of having swine flu will be assessed and given medical advice and possibly masks, Ms Roxon said.

 

Their families may also be isolated, she said.

 

If the Aussies are drafting in even more measures for Quarantine, then you know it's a serious threat.

 

I've just remembered i'm flying through LAX in less than 10weeks :mellow: This pandemic thing had better be gone by then.

 

unless of course it'll help me shift a bit of weight, in which case bring it on :kink:

According to the radio this morning, there is enough vaccine for 50% of the population which should be sufficient. Of course, that's assuming the vaccine is effective against this particular strain.

 

indeed, but as i understand it, these viruses can mutate very quickly. ok im not suggesting that theres anything to panic about.... there isnt really unless it does hit us properly as the old and very young will be most vunerable, but it isnt beyond the realms of possibility that one day such a disease WILL occur with devestating consequences.

Posted it in the Lounge but I think it is relevant for here too

 

 

 

This is going to come across as a bit controversial/insensitive and it is not meant that way but the world is over populated, the worlds resources and infrastructure can't cope with the current expansion so a bit of a "cull" of the population through a mutating virus that kills hundreds of millions globally might actually turn out to be a good thing long term in terms of reining in the population explosion and the draining of the infrastructure and resources but hopefully no Brits will be affected

 

Edited April 27, 200916 yr by B.A Baracus

Hmmm, 50% isn't really enough if you're talking about something on a par with Spanish Flu epidemic.... And of course, assuming that all the vaccine is legit (fake medicines are becoming a bigger problem these days....), and indeed even if it is effective against a particular strain....

It's as much as any other country has.