BBC NEWS | Americas | 'Too late' to contain swine fluThe 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
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
And how do you propose that be done?(If it continues to grow in numbers in Mexico over the coming week. The USA should seal the border.)
And how do you propose that be done?
There are 1,969 miles of border, much of it over broken, arid, almost uninhabited terrain. That's not a border that can be sealed.
Anyway... this reminds of the argument between calling this "Swine Flu" or "Mexico Flu".
Like it matters?
Reuters AlertNet - U.S. officials want 'swine' out of flu nameU.S. officials want 'swine' out of flu name
28 Apr 2009 21:31:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - What's in a name? U.S. pork producers are finding that the name of the virus spreading from Mexico is affecting their business, prompting U.S. officials to argue for changing the name from swine flu.
At a news briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack took pains to repeatedly refer to the flu as the "H1N1 virus."
"This is not a food-borne illness, virus. It is not correct to refer to it as swine flu because really that's not what this is about," Vilsack said.
Israel has already rejected the name swine flu, and opted to call it "Mexico flu." Jewish dietary laws forbid eating pork.
The Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health also objected to the name, saying the virus contains avian and human components and no pig so far has been found ill with the disease.
And there is growing sentiment in the farm sector to call it the North American virus -- although disease expert Anthony Fauci told a Senate hearing the "swine flu" designation reflected scientific naming protocol.
For U.S. pork producers the swine flu name has hurt, forcing government officials into the position of stressing that American pork is safe to eat and that other countries should not ban imports.
Pork, soybean and corn prices have fallen in the last two days, "and if this continues, obviously you have significant potential, which is why it's important to get this right," Vilsack said.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was also talk of stripping the "swine" from swine flu, which CDC acting director Richard Besser said was leading to the misapprehension that people can catch the disease from pork.
"That's not helpful to pork producers. That's not helpful to people who eat pork. It's not helpful to people who are wondering, how can they get this infection," Besser told a briefing.
You have this thing called a Military. Its has this amazing ability to control access to territory. Terrain itself channels people as it is.
If the USA cannot control its Southern(or Northern) border to that point then something is fundamentally broken and need to be fixed before it rears up in a war situation.
.
(If it continues to grow in numbers in Mexico over the coming week.
The USA should seal the border.)
Actually, the military is not designed to function as a human wall to "seal" borders. Hadn't you heard? Besides, the US-Mexican border seems to be working quite well in preventing swine flu from entering the country. Didn't I just hear there has been only one case in Texas?
FOXNews.com - Swine Flu Cases Continue to Climb in U.S. With 68 Sick, 5 Hospitalized - Infectious DiseaseAt least five people were in U.S. hospitals with swine flu as the number of cases nationwide rose to 68 on Tuesday and a federal health official warned that deaths were likely.
...Flu Hits Germany, WHO Calls Emergency Review
Germany confirmed three cases of swine flu on Wednesday, becoming the third European country hit by the disease that has upended life in Mexico. New Zealand's swine flu total rose to 14 and the World Health Organization called for an immediate scientific review of the disease.
FOXNews.com - Flu Hits Germany, WHO Calls Emergency Review - Infectious DiseaseNew Zealand's number of cases rose to 14 Wednesday, including one person not among a school group who recently returned from Mexico. Officials say the swine flu strain infecting the students is the same as that in Mexico. All were responding well to treatment with antiviral drugs and in voluntary quarantine at home.
New Zealand has 44 other possible cases, with tests under way.
Mexico was taking drastic measures to fight the outbreak. It closed all archaeological sites Tuesday and allowed restaurants in the capital to only serve take-out food in an aggressive bid to stop gatherings where the virus can spread. Schools remained closed until at least May 6.
A regional Beach Soccer championship in Mexico was postponed and all Mexican first-division football games this weekend will be played behind closed doors.
Other countries have reacted by avoiding Mexico. While the U.S., the European Union, and other countries have discouraged nonessential travel to Mexico, Cuba banned flights to and from Mexico and Argentina suspended flights arriving from Mexico.
Cruise lines are avoiding Mexican ports and holiday tour groups are canceling holiday charter flights there.
In Australia, officials were testing more than 100 people with flu symptoms for the virus. It has been ruled out in at least 10 cases.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Wednesday that the government had granted health authorities wider powers to contain contagious diseases as a precaution.
Those powers ranged from "using disinfectants on planes or at ports through to the far more extreme ... making sure that people are isolated and perhaps detained if they don't cooperate and are showing symptoms of this disease," she said.
The World Health Organization has raised its alert level to 4 — out of a possible 6 — but has not called for travel restrictions or border closures.
No cases of the disease have been confirmed in Asia, where governments were rushing to try to hold back the virus from the continent and taking strict precautions with travelers at airports.
FOXNews.com - Official: First U.S. Swine Flu Death Confirmed in Texas - Infectious DiseaseOfficial: First U.S. Swine Flu Death Confirmed in Texas
BREAKING NEWS — A government official confirmed the first U.S. death from the new H1N1 swine flu on Wednesday, a 23-month-old child who died in Texas, Reuters reported.
It is the first death from swine flu reported outside Mexico, the country hardest hit by the influenza outbreak. The official gave no other details on the case. U.S. officials have confirmed 65 cases of swine flu, most of them mild.
Actually, the military is not designed to function as a human wall to "seal" borders. Hadn't you heard? Besides, the US-Mexican border seems to be working quite well in preventing swine flu from entering the country. Didn't I just hear there has been only one case in Texas?
Damn, this girl at work who sits next to me attended a baby shower last week with some family members who flew in from Mexico, and she's been coughing all last week and still this week. She just laughs it off about the swine flu, so how do you force someone to go get checked? Not that I am too worried about myself, but I got an infant I can pass this crap onto.
As for those masks? They don't work.
Why use it then?
to make you feel like you are doing something.
people are morons and sheep. they do what they are told.
Oh i see.
Well what a waste of money tbh. Governments are ordering them
don't touch ANYTHING.
*picking nose* wait, what? Sorry, didn't hear you. *touches doorknob to exit* ****! Sorry! **slaps head* DAMMIT! I keep touching things! Sorry... :mrgreen:
uhm you obviously are not paying attention....
There are hundereds of cases in the US...
That said. It's the freaking flu and a mild version of it to boot. This hype that is out there is nonsense. People just need to deal.
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