Swine flu has 'pandemic potential'

[TheHumanComputer]

The head of the World Health Organisation said the swine flu outbreak in Mexico and the United States could develop into a pandemic.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak involves "an animal strain of the H1N1 virus, and it has pandemic potential".

Ms Chan said it is too early to say whether a pandemic will actually occur.

The global health body has advised countries around the world to look out for similar outbreaks following the discovery of related strains on both sides of the Mexico-US border.

At least 62 people in Mexico have died from pneumonia after contracting a flu-like virus.

WHO says some tested positive for a strain that affected at least seven people in the south-western US. No deaths have been reported in the US.

Mexico City officials said they are suspending all public events for another 10 days as they try to contain an epidemic of the new swine flu - a mix of human, pig and bird viruses that has epidemiologists around the world deeply concerned.

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said the city had enough medicine to treat those infected and said the focus is on containment efforts.

Mexico City Health Secretary Armando Ahued said health officials have detected another 10 possible cases of people infected with the rare virus.

City officials say some 1,004 people have been infected nationwide. Tests show 20 people in Mexico have died of the swine flu strain. Forty-eight other deaths were probably due to the same strain.




so what do you guys think??????????? im not likeing this AT all

 

[saltynay]

Its just another minor flu scare emphasised by the media to sell more papers....

 

[hikaricloud]

7 people? Out of 306,290,392...?

0.00000002854% of the current US population. Don't get yourself worked up over such a low number. Notice how no one has died from it in the US? That's because we have better hospitals and health care here than Mexico.

So I think it's a load of crap and nothing to really worry about. Especially since you are over the pond, anyway. If it was serious, you would still be fine.

 

[TheHumanComputer]

i worried about the bird flu that happend but now im not but i still dont like this "new" virus

and 60 people got killed didnt they?

 

[Kharn]

Yes but as hakiri said it's down to medical care that is provided to the infected in the US it's nothing more than a bad case of the flu in Mexico it's a life threatening illness - when people in western countries get sick and die from it in large numbers then i will be worried but it's unlikely that will happen.

 

[TheHumanComputer]

hmmmm

 

[Oreo]

I agree that we have good healthcare, but some of you are being a bit ignorant.

The UK is a great example. We have a extremely high population density for an developed country, and a very high amount of over 50's - those most suspetible to the disease.

If the virus is highly contageous, and it did get out of control, no matter how good you health service is, we'd be screwed. If 1/20 people caught it in the UK, that's 3million people with the virus. No health service could cope with that without a very significant warning.

Yes, it's very unlikely. But if it's not looked at and handle maturely, it could get dangerous.

The illness could be spread so easily, millions of people travel internationally every day. It only takes one person on a plane to infect 10 other people on a plane, and then you go into a crowded air port such as heathrow with lots of queus and bench's, door handles etc and you quickly find yourself with hundreds of infected people, and then it grows exponentially.

Ofcourse, that said - this actually happens everyday of the year. I have no doubt millions of people around the world have the common cold all at once, but it's just so undangerous you don't think about it.

 

[saltynay]

I don't think about it because its the top 10 in the NHS that have to deal with it not myself

 

[TheHumanComputer]

i still think its bad...

 

[TheHumanComputer]

The UK has been put on alert as the global health watchdog warned countries to look out for unusual flu cases after a deadly outbreak of swine influenza.

More than 80 people have died of pneumonia in Mexico after contracting a flu-like virus and many others - including children in a New York school - have fallen ill in the US and Mexico.

World Health Organisation director-general Margaret Chan said the outbreak in Mexico and the United States constituted a "public health emergency of international concern".

It means nations will be expected to step up reporting and surveillance of the contagious respiratory disease, which she said had "pandemic potential".

The H1N1 strain of swine flu usually associated with pigs has spread to humans, causing symptoms including fever and fatigue.

Health authorities were monitoring the situation as tests were carried out to assess the potential of the virus to spread.

Laboratory tests showed that a man taken to hospital on Saturday with "flu-like symptoms" after landing at Heathrow Airport on a flight from Mexico City does not have swine flu.

The man, who has not been named, was a member of the cabin crew on the British Airways flight which landed at 2pm. He was taken to Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow. A hospital spokesman said: "I can confirm he does not have swine flu. All the tests have come back negative."

The UK Health Protection Agency said it was keeping a close eye on the situation involving human cases of swine influenza in case of any threat to people in this country.

An HPA spokesman said: "The HPA is monitoring this situation closely and is working with the UK government to review the current incident and any threat it poses to UK public health."