Swine Flu

Jan 30, 2009
1,562
England
The swine flu virus first detected in Mexico can no longer be contained and countries should focus on mitigating its effects, a top UN official said.

World Health Organization deputy chief Keiji Fukuda was speaking as the WHO raised its alert level to four, or two steps short of a full pandemic.

UN food inspectors are going to Mexico to examine reports that industrial pig farms were the source of the outbreak.

The number of probable deaths from the virus there has risen to 152.

New Zealand confirmed at least three cases on Tuesday, and Israel one.

The US, Canada, Spain and Britain confirmed cases earlier but no deaths have been reported outside Mexico.

'Not inevitable'

Alert level four means the virus is showing a sustained ability to pass from human to human and is able to cause community-level outbreaks.

Mr Fukuda said this was a "significant step towards pandemic influenza" but a pandemic should not be considered inevitable.

Experts did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel, he stressed.

"With the virus being widespread... closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus," he said.

The first batches of a swine flu vaccine could be ready in four to six months' time but it will take several more months to produce large quantities of it, Mr Fukuda said

Health experts say the virus comes from the same strain that causes seasonal outbreaks in humans but also contains genetic material from versions of flu which usually affect pigs and birds.

A team from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation is due to leave Rome for Mexico on Tuesday to investigate allegations that industrial pig farms in Mexico were the source of the outbreak.

Its chief veterinary officer, Joseph Domenech, told the BBC that rumours that people had been falling ill last month near some intensive pig farms meant the FAO had to act.

"[We had] no indication of human cases of direct contact with pigs but this can never be totally sure and the probability that this virus could come from pigs directly could not be anyway ruled out totally," he said.

'Decline in cases'

The number of flu cases under observation in Mexico has reached 1,614. Swine flu was confirmed in 20 of the 152 deaths.

Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said all of those who had died were aged between 20 and 50. Infections among young healthy adults are a characteristic of past pandemics.

Mr Cordova said the first suspected case of swine flu had occurred in the southern state of Oaxaca but stressed that nobody knew "the point of origin or dissemination" of the virus.

He noted that the number of new cases reported by Mexico's largest government hospitals had declined during the past three days: from 141 on Saturday to 119 on Sunday and 110 on Monday.

Schools nationwide are to remain closed until 6 May as the country grapples with the outbreak.

In almost all swine flu cases outside Mexico, people have been only mildly ill and have made a full recovery.

Travel advice

In the US, a further 20 cases of swine flu were confirmed in New York. Cases have also been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California, bringing the total across the country to 50.

US and EU officials have urged caution for anyone considering travelling to Mexico.

Tests are being carried out on individuals or groups in Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, Australia and South Korea.

A number of countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe have begun screening airport passengers for symptoms, while Germany's biggest tour operator has suspended trips to Mexico.

Taiwan has announced it will quarantine any visitors showing symptoms of swine flu.

Several countries have banned imports of raw pork and pork products from Mexico and parts of the US, although experts say there is no evidence to link exposure to pork with infection.

Shares in airlines have fallen sharply on fears about the economic impact of the outbreak.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8021827.stm
 
Boy oh boy!


Conspiracy Theory: It's meant for population control in third world countries. Notice how there has yet to be 1 death in the U.S. (though that will change, its called collateral damage, be a patriot people...)

Past Experience: Remember SARS? WHOAAAAAA... err.. wait a sec.

Reality Check: When will the next plague of death come to the world? When a disease is wiping people out completely and not one confirmed case of survival is reported - then you should probably start freaking out.

In All Seriousness: Prepare to get sick.. it will feel like the flu. You'll get better, life will go on, and your immune system will have a new antibody for a pig cold. DON'T go out and get flu vaccine just because. Last thing we need is a germaphobe causing a mutation and screwing us all.
 
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The U.S. confirmed its first swine-flu death since the outbreak. The CDC said a 23-month-old child in Texas has died from the virus.

The number of confirmed cases rose to 66 in the U.S., including five people in California and Texas being treated at hospitals. More evidence of the global spread of a deadly flu emerged Wednesday, as an eighth country confirmed the disease's presence.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124099457700067617.html#mod=djemalertNEWS
 
The U.S. confirmed its first swine-flu death since the outbreak. The CDC said a 23-month-old child in Texas has died from the virus.

The number of confirmed cases rose to 66 in the U.S., including five people in California and Texas being treated at hospitals. More evidence of the global spread of a deadly flu emerged Wednesday, as an eighth country confirmed the disease's presence.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124099457700067617.html#mod=djemalertNEWS

I'd like to clarify that the 23month old came from Mexico and wound up in a Houston Texas hospital.
 
Boy oh boy!


Conspiracy Theory: It's meant for population control in third world countries. Notice how there has yet to be 1 death in the U.S. (though that will change, its called collateral damage, be a patriot people...)

Past Experience: Remember SARS? WHOAAAAAA... err.. wait a sec.

Reality Check: When will the next plague of death come to the world? When a disease is wiping people out completely and not one confirmed case of survival is reported - then you should probably start freaking out.

In All Seriousness: Prepare to get sick.. it will feel like the flu. You'll get better, life will go on, and your immune system will have a new antibody for a pig cold. DON'T go out and get flu vaccine just because. Last thing we need is a germaphobe causing a mutation and screwing us all.

FINALLY! A voice of reason! I think I love you!
________
Medical Marijuana Dispensary
 
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we had this girl i kendall he went to mexico 2 weeks ago she just died yesterday pretty close.an my sister class just went to orlando where the most cases are i hope they dont bring that crap back with them.
 
Well supposedly in Mexico, they're blowing some of it out of proportion. And some news stations are trying to blame the U.S. for infecting Mexico with it and saying that we got it first and gave it to Mexico.
 
Well supposedly in Mexico, they're blowing some of it out of proportion. And some news stations are trying to blame the U.S. for infecting Mexico with it and saying that we got it first and gave it to Mexico.



Damnit, they're on to us!

:BS:


Although, that would be creative border control ftw!




awwww... too soon?
 
It's official, the World Health Organization has upgraded Swine Flu to Pandemic status. There have been a total of 27,737 cases reported with 141 deaths as of today's report.


That's a fatality rate of 0.005%


My wife says more people die from sneezing while driving!


:hilarious: