Influenza A H1N1 Outbreak

[Rors]

19:48 وزير الصحة في البيرو اعلن الاشتباه باول اصابة بانفلونزا الخنازير

19:01 وزير الصحة محمد جواد خليفة: لا شيئ في لبنان يستدعي إعلان حالة طوارئ متعلقة بمواجهة مرض انفلونزا الخنازير

Tayyar.org

[Maggie]

Homeland chief says US preparing for full pandemic

AP, 27/04/09

WASHINGTON – The head of the Homeland Security Department says the United States is preparing as if the swine flu outbreak is a full pandemic.

Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters Monday that the World Health Organization is operating at level three, with level six a full pandemic. She said officials at the WHO were meeting Monday to consider whether to raise the level.

Napolitano said the U.S. is proceeding as if it were preparing for a full pandemic.

The disease started in Mexico and has spread to the United States and beyond, with 40 reported cases in the U.S

[Rors]

Officials unleash drug arsenal as flu toll rises

AFP, 27/04/09

MEXICO CITY (AFP) – World health officials Monday boosted moves to combat deadly swine flu releasing millions of antiviral drugs as the first cases were found in Europe and the likely Mexican death toll leapt to 149.

The number of confirmed cases in the United States doubled to 40 and Britain and Spain recorded their first swine flu victims, as UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the new multi-strain virus risked triggering a global pandemic.

"We are concerned that this virus could cause a new influenza pandemic. It could be mild in its effect or potentially be severe," Ban told reporters.

"We don't know yet which way it will go but we are concerned that in Mexico most of those who died were young and healthy adults."

Influenza caused three epidemics during the 20th century, the worst being the Spanish flu between 1918 and 1919 which killed at least 40 million people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mexico, which was rocked by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake on Monday, said the number of confirmed and suspected deaths from the flu had now risen as other countries urged against non-essential travel to the tourism hotspot.

"There are 149 who have died that we're investigating to allow us to confirm" that they meet the strict criteria that defines swine flu, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said. More than 1,600 people are believed to have been sickened by the disease.

Europe's first confirmed case was reported in Spain, while two people were found to be ill with the disease in Britain and dozens more suspected cases were being checked in seven EU states.

Although the United States government has declared a public health emergency with 40 cases in five states, US President Barack Obama urged people to stay calm.

The swine flu outbreak "requires a heightened state of alert, but it is not a cause for alarm," he told a gathering of the National Academy of Sciences.

Richard Besser, acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the affected states of New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California and others were receiving 11 million courses of antiviral drugs.

"Of the 40 cases, we are only aware of one individual who was hospitalized, and all people who have been infected and were sick have recovered," Besser said, adding that those affected ranged from seven to 54 years old.

"So the good news is we haven't identified it in additional states. But I wouldn't put too much on that," Besser said, stressing that further nationwide testing would likely unearth more cases in the next week.

"This virus is acting like a flu virus, and flu viruses spread from person to person."
Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche said it was ready to send out more stocks of Tamiflu, some 220 million doses of which are in the hands of governments worldwide.

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline also said it was "urgently" investigating how to boost production of its antiviral drug Relenza, as a race to develop a direct vaccine for H1N1 strain gathered pace.

The European Union called an emergency meeting of health ministers and advised against non-essential travel to areas where the deadly virus has surfaced. The US was also to issue an advisory warning against "non-essential travel" to Mexico.

But Besser rejected an EU warning that appeared to call on Europeans to avoid travel to the United States and Mexico.

"Based on the situation in the United States right now, I think it's quite premature to put travel restrictions on people coming to the United States," he said.

Spain is watching 20 suspected cases and Britain 17 while there were five suspicious cases in Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland, plus four in France and one in Italy.

Nine people each in New Zealand and Colombia, plus one each in Brazil and Peru were under observation with flu symptoms, while in the Middle East, a 26-year-old Israeli was also hospitalized.

The WHO has warned that the swine flu strain -- apparently born out of a mix of human and avian flu viruses that infected pigs -- could become a pandemic and called for all nations to "intensify surveillance." The virus particles can be spread through coughs and sneezes. Victims report fevers, coughs and headaches.

The outbreak of swine flu spread fear of economic contagion through financial markets and the travel sector, with losses in European and Asian markets attributed in part to fears of swine flu.

[Rors]

WHO ups pandemic alert as Mexico flu deaths climb

we're now at phase 4 on a scale of 6.

WHO said the new phase 4 alert means sustained human-to-human transmission is causing outbreaks in at least one country, signaling a significant increase in the risk of a global epidemic, according to Mexico health department spokesman Carlos Olmos. Phase 4 doesn't mean a pandemic is inevitable, but many experts think it may be impossible to contain a flu virus already spreading in several countries.

[Lallous]

Grippe porcine: les Libanais privés de bise

BEYROUTH - La grippe porcine impose sa loi au Liban: la bise traditionnellement échangée en guise de salut est désormais proscrite, pour limiter le risque de transmission du virus. Aucun cas de grippe porcine n'a été signalé au Pays du Cèdre à ce jour.

Le ministre de la Santé Mohammed Jawad Khalife a appelé la population à respecter des mesures d'hygiène de base, demandant notamment aux élèves ayant une grippe de rester chez eux, et aux travailleurs agricoles de porter des gants et des masques.

© La Presse Canadienne, 2009



Lebanese told not to kiss in anti-swine flu drive
Tue Apr 28, 2009

BEIRUT (Reuters Life!) - Swine flu has not yet hit Lebanon but is threatening a national custom.

Lebanese should stop greeting each other with kisses to the cheek, Health Minister Mohammad Khalifeh told a news conference on Tuesday called to explain measures to tackle the potential spread of the deadly strain.

"If you visit someone, don't exchange kisses... Let's stop the social kissing habit," Khalifeh said. Lebanese have long greeted each other with three kisses to the cheek.

Other measures include keeping school children with flu at home and avoiding travel to countries where the virus has appeared. The new strain of swine flu has killed up to 149 people in Mexico. Israel, which borders Lebanon to the south, on Tuesday confirmed a case of the virus

[Orion]

NZ reports first swine flu cases

New Zealand has confirmed the first cases of swine flu in the country - also thought to be the first in the Asia-Pacific region.

Health Minister Tony Ryall told reporters that at least three students who had recently returned from Mexico had tested positive for the disease.

Other nations in the region are testing travellers to check for symptoms.

In Australia, 19 people are being tested for the virus and several hundred others are being sought.

China is on full alert, as several children have fallen ill with symptoms resembling those of swine flu.

In South Korea, a woman who recently returned from Mexico is undergoing clinical tests.

China and Thailand are among the countries reported to have banned imports of meat products from some parts of the United States and Mexico as they attempt to protect themselves, although experts say there is no evidence to link exposure to pork with infection.

More than 150 people are already thought to have died from the disease in Mexico, and cases have also been confirmed in the US, Canada and Europe.

The World Health Organization has warned that swine flu has "pandemic" potential, but it has yet to reach this stage.

School infection

"Unfortunately tonight we can confirm New Zealanders have tested positive to swine flu," Health Minister Tony Ryall told reporters.

The 11 people concerned - 10 students and one teacher - are from an Auckland secondary school, and had come down with flu-like symptoms after returning from a three-week visit to Mexico.

Mr Ryall said a World Health Organization laboratory in Australia had tested three samples from the 11 people and confirmed they had the H1N1 swine flu strain. The other eight samples were also assumed to be positive.

New Zealand is also monitoring a further 43 people for possible signs of swine flu.

Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore have all advised against non-essential travel to Mexico.

Stock markets around the region have fallen due to investor fears that an outbreak could derail economic recovery.

Source

[Orion]

Second swine flu case in Israel

Israel has confirmed its second case of swine flu, in a 47-year-old man who recently returned from Mexico.

The man is in Meir hospital in the town of Kfar Saba, where he presented complaining of a sore throat.

Tests earlier also showed a young man recently returned from Mexico had contracted the virus. He is in Laniado hospital in Netanya.

In Mexico, 152 people are thought to have died from the disease, but so far there have been no deaths elsewhere.

Both the infected men in Israel are in quarantine and are expected to make a full recovery - as most sufferers around the world have, except in the case of Mexico.

These two diagnoses are believed to mark the first confirmed cases of swine flu in the Middle East. The World Health Organization has warned it has "pandemic" potential.

The second man has not yet been named but the first is 26-year-old Tomer Vagim, who complained of flu symptoms after returning from Mexico on Friday. A relative of his is also under observation, hospital officials said.

One Monday, Israel's deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman, who belongs to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect, said the outbreak should be renamed "Mexican flu" in deference to Jewish and Muslim sensitivities over pork.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by influenza type A which infects pigs. There are many types, and the infection is constantly changing.

Until now it has not normally infected humans, but the latest form clearly does, and can be spread from person to person - probably through coughing and sneezing.

Source

[Orion]

What you need to know about the Swine Flu

1-What is Swine Flu?

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by influenza type A which infects pigs.

There are many types, and the infection is constantly changing.

Until now it has not normally infected humans, but the latest form clearly does, and can be spread from person to person - probably through coughing and sneezing.

2-What is new about this type of swine flu?

The World Health Organization has confirmed that at least some of the human cases are a never-before-seen version of the H1N1 strain of influenza type A.

H1N1 is the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis.

But this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.

Flu viruses have the ability to swap genetic components with each other, and it seems likely that the new version of H1N1 resulted from a mixing of different versions of the virus, which may usually affect different species, in the same animal host.

Pigs provide an excellent 'melting pot' for these viruses to mix and match with each other.

3-How dangerous is it?

Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu.

These include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue.

Most cases so far reported around the world appear to be mild, but in Mexico lives have been lost.

4-How worried should people be?

When any new strain of flu emerges that acquires the ability to pass from person to person, it is monitored very closely in case it has the potential to spark a global epidemic, or pandemic.
The World Health Organization has warned that taken together the Mexican and US cases could potentially trigger a global pandemic, and stress that the situation is serious.

However, experts say it is still too early to accurately assess the situation fully.

Currently, they say the world is closer to a flu pandemic than at any point since 1968 - upgrading the threat from three to four on a six-point scale following an emergency meeting on Monday.

Nobody knows the full potential impact of a pandemic, but experts have warned that it could cost millions of lives worldwide. The Spanish flu pandemic, which began in 1918, and was also caused by an H1N1 strain, killed millions of people.

The fact that all the cases in the US and elsewhere have so far produced mild symptoms is encouraging. It suggests that the severity of the Mexican outbreak may be due to an unusual geographically-specific factor - possibly a second unrelated virus circulating in the community - which would be unlikely to come into play in the rest of the world.

Alternatively, people infected in Mexico may have sought treatment at a much later stage than those in other countries.

It may also be the case that the form of the virus circulating in Mexico is subtly different to that elsewhere - although that will only be confirmed by laboratory analysis.

There is also hope that, as humans are often exposed to forms of H1N1 through seasonal flu, our immune systems may have something of a head start in fighting infection.

However, the fact that many of the victims are young does point to something unusual. Normal, seasonal flu tends to affect the elderly disproportionately.

5-Can the virus be contained?

The virus appears already to have started to spread around the world, and most experts believe that containment of the virus in the era of readily available air travel will be extremely difficult.

The World Health Organization says that restricting flights will have little effect. It argues that screening of passengers is also unlikely to have much impact, as symptoms may not be apparent in many infected people.

6-Can it be treated?

The US authorities say that two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, seem to be effective at treating cases that have occurred there so far. However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.

Use of these drugs may also make it less likely that infected people will pass the virus on to others.

The UK Government already has a stockpile of Tamiflu, ordered as a precaution against a pandemic.

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.

US scientists are already developing a bespoke new vaccine, but it may take months to perfect it, and manufacture enough supplies to meet what could be huge demand.

A vaccine was used to protect humans from a version of swine flu in the US in 1976.

However, it caused serious side effects, including an estimated 500 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome. There were more deaths from the vaccine than the outbreak.

7-What measures can I take to prevent infection?

Avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have fever and cough.

General infection control practices and good hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the human swine influenza. This includes covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible and disposing of it promptly.

It is also important to wash your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people and cleaning hard surfaces like door handles frequently using a normal cleaning product.

If caring for someone with a flu-like illness, a mask can be worn to cover the nose and mouth to reduce the risk of transmission. The UK is looking at increasing its stockpile of masks for healthcare workers for this reason.

But experts say there is no scientific evidence to support more general wearing of masks to guard against infections.

8-Is it safe to eat pig meat?

Yes. There is no evidence that swine flu can be transmitted through eating meat from infected animals.

However, it is essential to cook meat properly. A temperature of 70C (158F) would be sure to kill the virus.

Source

[Orion]

Updated Swine Flu Outbreak Map

[Salome]

I am starting to get really worried, am living in one of the affected countries...I wonder how long it takes till the government introduces restrictions, and people start wearing the mask like in Mexico

Plus its a season for a quite frequent travelling for me and my family, so am like expecting the virus symptoms any moment:S


Officials confront first US death from swine flu

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 3 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A 23-month-old Texas toddler became the first confirmed swine flu death outside of Mexico as authorities around the world struggled to contain a growing global health menace that has also swept Germany onto the roster of afflicted nations. Officials say the death was in Houston.

"Even though we've been expecting this, it is very, very sad," Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday of the infant's death. "As a pediatrician and a parent, my heart goes out to the family."

President Barack Obama said this morning that Americans should know the government is doing all it can to control virus. Obama also says schools should consider closing if the spread of the swine flu virus worsens.

Canada, Austria, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, Britain and Germany also have reported cases of swine flu sickness. Deaths reported so far have been limited to Mexico, and now the U.S.

As the United States grappled with this widening health crisis, Besser went from network to network Wednesday morning to give an update on what the Obama administration is doing. He said authorities essentially are still "trying to learn more about this strain of the flu." His appearances as Germany reported its first cases of swine flu infection, with three victims.

"It's very important that people take their concern and channel it into action," Besser said, adding that "it is crucial that people understand what they need to do if symptoms appear.

"I don't think it (the reported death in Texas) indicates any change in the strain," he said. "We see with any flu virus a spectrum of disease symptoms."

Asked why the problem seems so much more severe in Mexico, Besser said U.S. officials "have teams on the ground, a tri-national team in Mexico, working with Canada and Mexico, to try and understand those differences, because they can be helpful as we plan and implement our control strategies."

Sixty-six infections had been reported in the United States before the report of the toddler's death in Texas.

The world has no vaccine to prevent infection but U.S. health officials aim to have a key ingredient for one ready in early May, the big step that vaccine manufacturers are awaiting. But even if the World Health Organization ordered up emergency vaccine supplies — and that decision hasn't been made yet — it would take at least two more months to produce the initial shots needed for human safety testing.

"We're working together at 100 miles an hour to get material that will be useful," Dr. Jesse Goodman, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration's swine flu work, told The Associated Press.

The U.S. is shipping to states not only enough anti-flu medication for 11 million people, but also masks, hospital supplies and flu test kits. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion in emergency funds to help build more drug stockpiles and monitor future cases, as well as help international efforts to avoid a full-fledged pandemic.

"It's a very serious possibility, but it is still too early to say that this is inevitable," the WHO's flu chief, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, told a telephone news conference.

Cuba and Argentina banned flights to Mexico, where swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people and sickening well over 2,000. In a bit of good news, Mexico's health secretary, Jose Cordova, late Tuesday called the death toll there "more or less stable."

Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities, has taken drastic steps to curb the virus' spread, starting with shutting down schools and on Tuesday expanding closures to gyms and swimming pools and even telling restaurants to limit service to takeout. People who venture out tend to wear masks in hopes of protection.

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States rose to 66 in six states, with 45 in New York, 11 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one each in Indiana and Ohio, but cities and states suspected more. In New York, the city's health commissioner said "many hundreds" of schoolchildren were ill at a school where some students had confirmed cases.

The WHO argues against closing borders to stem the spread, and the U.S. — although checking arriving travelers for the ill who may need care — agrees it's too late for that tactic.

"Sealing a border as an approach to containment is something that has been discussed and it was our planning assumption should an outbreak of a new strain of influenza occur overseas. We had plans for trying to swoop in and knockout or quench an outbreak if it were occurring far from our borders. That's not the case here," Besser told a telephone briefing of Nevada-based health providers and reporters. "The idea of trying to limit the spread to Mexico is not realistic or at all possible."

"Border controls do not work. Travel restrictions do not work," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva, recalling the SARS epidemic earlier in the decade that killed 774 people, mostly in Asia, and slowed the global economy.

Authorities sought to keep the crisis in context: Flu deaths are common around the world. In the U.S. alone, the CDC says about 36,000 people a year die of flu-related causes. Still, the CDC calls the new strain a combination of pig, bird and human viruses for which people may have limited natural immunity.

Hence the need for a vaccine. Using samples of the flu taken from people who fell ill in Mexico and the U.S., scientists are engineering a strain that could trigger the immune system without causing illness. The hope is to get that ingredient — called a "reference strain" in vaccine jargon — to manufacturers around the second week of May, so they can begin their own laborious production work, said CDC's Dr. Ruben Donis, who is leading that effort.

Vaccine manufacturers are just beginning production for next winter's regular influenza vaccine, which protects against three human flu strains. The WHO wants them to stay with that course for now — it won't call for mass production of a swine flu vaccine unless the outbreak worsens globally. But sometimes new flu strains pop up briefly at the end of one flu season and go away only to re-emerge the next fall, and at the very least there should be a vaccine in time for next winter's flu season, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health's infectious diseases chief, said Tuesday.

"Right now it's moving very rapidly," he said of the vaccine development.

Besser appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," CNN and CBS's "The Early Show."