Swine Flu Pandemic

[Silver Knight]

The UK is one of the best prepared countries to deal with swine flu and "all action necessary" will be taken to stop its spread, Gordon Brown has said.

The prime minister said he would take part in a meeting of the government's emergency committee Cobra later.

The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Mexico which is at the centre of the outbreak.

The UK's first swine flu cases have been confirmed as honeymooners Iain and Dawn Askham, of Polmont, near Falkirk.

Mr Brown said: "I understand the very real concern that people have in Britain and across the world.

"As you know there have been two confirmed cases and I believe that both patients are in better health and one may even leave hospital later today.

"Let me reassure you that we have been preparing for this kind of scenario for many years."

The World Health Organization has raised its alert level to four - two steps short of declaring a pandemic.

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

Following the raising of this alert level, a statement on the Foreign Office website said: "Cases of swine influenza have been reported in Mexico City and a number of other locations across the country.

"Travellers should consult a doctor immediately if they show signs of flu-like symptoms."
   
I don't think people in this country need to be worried at the moment
Professor Steve Field
Chairman, Royal College of General Practitioners

The department has suspended routine consular and visa services at the Mexico City embassy.

The statement said: "British nationals should continue to follow local advice on precautions to take to avoid exposure to the influenza."

Holiday firm Thomson cancelled two flights to the Mexican resort of Cancun on Tuesday morning - one from Manchester and the other from Gatwick - and is reviewing future flights.

A spokesman said: "While we do appreciate that the new news may be a great disappointment to customers, we hope they will also understand that their health and safety is of paramount importance to us."

The company said it would start repatriation flights for British holidaymakers already in Mexico.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said UK preparations had been going on for the last five years to cope with a flu pandemic.

He said the government proposed to use its stockpile of anti-viral drugs to treat patients showing symptoms of the disease, should the virus start spreading in the UK.

Of 14 possible UK cases currently being investigated, all the people involved were well enough to be managed in the community, he told MPs.
   
SWINE FLU
Swine flu is a respiratory disease thought to spread through coughing and sneezing
Symptoms mimic those of normal flu - but in Mexico people are beginning to die
Good hygiene like using a tissue and washing hands thoroughly can help reduce transmission

WHO raises swine flu alert level
Q&A: Swine flu

England's Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said: "If a new pandemic does start as a result of this outbreak in Mexico and the United States, we can't make it go away, but what we can do through our plans, particularly our stockpiles of anti-virals, is mitigate its effect."

Mr and Mrs Askham are continuing to improve at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, where they are being treated following their return from honeymoon in Cancun. They were said to be not particularly ill.

Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "I would reiterate that the threat to the public remains low.

"The precautionary actions we have taken over the last two days have been important in allowing us to respond appropriately and give us the best prospect of disrupting the spread of the virus."
See map showing confirmed and suspected cases

The Department of Health (DoH) said surveillance arrangements were being "stepped up" in the UK, without revealing details. It added the outbreak was "unusual and of concern".

Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said people in the UK were "perfectly safe at the moment", and did not need to start wearing facemasks or stop eating pork.

"I don't think people in this country need to be worried at the moment, the focus needs to be on people coming in from Mexico and other areas where this infection has taken hold," he said.

The World Health Organization Assistant Director General Dr Keiji Fukuda said the higher alert level signalled a "significant step towards pandemic influenza", but added "we are not there yet".

He said the virus had become too widespread to make containment a feasible option, and said countries must focus on trying to put measures in place to protect the population.

On Monday, Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said 149 people had died after contracting suspected swine flu - just 20 cases confirmed in that country.

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

There are fears that the virus has begun to spread around the world:

    * There are 40 laboratory-confirmed cases of swine flu in the US, 20 in Mexico, six in Canada, one in Spain, WHO said on Monday
    * Tests are also being carried out on individuals or groups in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Israel and South Korea who fell ill following travel to Mexico
    * 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
    * 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

UK guidance is that anyone with flu-like symptoms who might have been in contact with the virus - such as those living or travelling in the affected areas of Mexico - should seek medical advice.

But patients are being asked not to go into GP surgeries in order to minimise the risk of spreading the disease to others. Instead, they should stay at home and call their healthcare provider for advice.

Swine flu is usually found in pigs and contracted only by people in contact with the animals.

Mexico: 149 dead - 20 confirmed cases
United States: 40 confirmed cases of swine flu
Canada: 6 confirmed cases
UK: 2 confirmed cases
Spain: 1 confirmed case
UK, Spain, Israel, Brazil, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand: suspected cases being tested

Infected Map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.488281&z=5);

Source(s)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8021916.stm

[Silver Knight]

WHO flu expert Dr Keiji Fukuda: "Containment is not a feasible operation"

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.

The US, Canada, Spain and Britain have confirmed cases of the virus, but not 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.
   
WHO PANDEMIC ALERT PHASES
Phase 1: No viruses circulating among animals causing infections in humans
Phase 2: Animal influenza virus causes infection in humans, and is considered potential pandemic threat
Phase 3: Influenza causes sporadic cases in people, but no significant human-to-human transmission
Phase 4: Verified human-to-human transmission able to cause community-level outbreaks. Significant increase in risk of a pandemic
Phase 5: Human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. Strong signal pandemic imminent
Phase 6: Virus spreads to another country in a different region. Global pandemic under way

In pictures: Swine flu spreads
Life at centre of the outbreak
Swine flu: Your experiences

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.

See map showing confirmed and suspected cases

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.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation is sending a team 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.

'Decline in cases'

Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the suspected death toll from swine flu had risen to 152. Of that number, 20 have been confirmed as swine flu deaths.

He said that all of those who had died were aged between 20 and 50. Infections among young healthy adults were a characteristic of past pandemics.

He 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.

Nearly 2,000 people had been hospitalised since the first case of swine flu was reported on 13 April, he added, but half had now been allowed home.

Mr Cordova 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.
   
SWINE FLU
Swine flu is a respiratory disease thought to spread through coughing and sneezing
Symptoms mimic those of normal flu
Good hygiene like using a tissue and washing hands thoroughly can help reduce transmission

Swine flu cases confirmed in UK
Q&A: What is swine flu?
'I couldn't get out of bed'

Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warned that a new US travel advisory was being prepared suggesting non-essential travel to Mexico should be avoided.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou have separately urged caution for those considering travelling to Mexico.

In Canada, six cases have been recorded at opposite ends of the country, in British Columbia and in Nova Scotia.

Swine flu officially arrived in Europe on Monday, when tests confirmed that a young man in Spain and two people in Scotland - all of whom had recently returned from Mexico - had the virus. They were said to be recovering well.

Tests are also being carried out on individuals or groups in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Israel and South Korea who fell ill following travel to Mexico.

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.

Source(s) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8021827.stm

[Dom]

I've been listening to this on the radio for the past few days, its getting scary..
Lets crack out the gasmasks and shotguns and go on a SWINE ZOMBIE killing spree.

[jaik]

I've been listening to this on the radio for the past few days, its getting scary..
Lets crack out the gasmasks and shotguns and go on a SWINE ZOMBIE killing spree.

Lol.The gasmask won't help you anyway xD.

I don't have to care about it,nobody wants to go to shitty country like Estonia so...yeah...

[Darknessvamp]

I've been listening to this on the radio for the past few days, its getting scary..
Lets crack out the gasmasks and shotguns and go on a SWINE ZOMBIE killing spree.

Imma bringing my chainsaw and flamer! No seriously this is getting scary.

[Nex]

I call the steel scythe/hockey stick and the .45 AMT Hardballer!

[Darknessvamp]

I call the steel scythe/hockey stick and the .45 AMT Hardballer!

Go for the scythe. This isn't a time for a game of hockey, ITS A TIME FOR ZOMBZ KILLING!

[Nex]

By scythe/hockey stick, I mean that it's a combination of both.

Sharp enough to be a scythe, built like a hockey stick xP

[InTOx]

im not at all worried about swineflu, the thing is, if it wants to kill you it will there will be no way of stopping it

[Bl★ck Star]

oh lets make a worldwide hypergamer meeting and toghether we will rule the world !!!

uhm wait ..... uh ... i meant uh ....

nvm <.<

[~Ness~]

Florida has no signs of Swine flu. So I'm good
_________________________________________________Edit: 28-04-2009_________________________________________________
Florida has no signs of Swine flu. So I'm good
_________________________________________________Edit: 28-04-2009_________________________________________________
Florida has no signs of Swine flu. So I'm good

[Darknessvamp]

oh lets make a worldwide hypergamer meeting and together we will rule the world !!!

uhm wait ..... uh ... i meant uh ....

nvm <.<

Wait a minute, Cloud you might be on to something there! I'll prepare the vault-tec vault, get the robot servants/bodyguards online and bring the whores then we will be able to have that meeting!

im not at all worried about swineflu, the thing is, if it wants to kill you it will there will be no way of stopping it

Or is there? Why not try and do the same thing as what they did for the small pox epidemic?

[rainsitpours]

heLP ITS IN VANcOUVER OH GOD

[RENCAMO]

* RENCAMO grabs autoshotgun, dual pistols, a molotov, and his first-aid kit.

"I CHOOSE BILL OR FRANCIS."

[Darknessvamp]

*Darknessvamp chooses Chuck Norris as his character* okay i'm set.

[Nex]

* ShellShock chooses Alexander Ovechkin

woohoo!

[rainsitpours]

* RENCAMO grabs autoshotgun, dual pistols, a molotov, and his first-aid kit.

"I CHOOSE BILL OR FRANCIS."

Assault rifle, dual pistols, pipebomb, pills @ a first-aid kit is what I'd take.


and louis

[Dark Angel]

" Good Luck out there buddy , you gonna need it "

[Vengence35]

Am I the only one who would take Zoey =P

[Dark Angel]

Am I the only one who would take Zoey =P

No?

[Darknessvamp]

Am I the only one who would take Zoey =P

yea your the only person that can fill the position.