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Posts: 5906
04/26/2009 12:17 PM
Posts: 5716
04/26/2009 12:20 PM
04/26/2009 12:26 PM
NEW YORK - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that students at a city high school were infected with swine flu.
New York officials previously had said they were eight "probable" cases, but tests later confirmed that it was indeed swine flu. Bloomberg stressed that the cases were mild and many are recovering.
The city is awaiting the tests of additional samples to see if more St. Francis Preparatory School students were infected.
About 100 students complained of flu-like symptoms at the school. Some students went to Cancun on a spring break trip two weeks ago.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_swine_flu_states
04/26/2009 12:32 PM
Swine flu fears prompt quarantine plans, pork bans GENEVA - Countries planned quarantines, tightened rules on pork imports and tested airline passengers for fevers as global health officials tried Sunday to come up with uniform ways to battle a deadly strain of swine flu. Nations from New Zealand to France reported new suspected cases and some warned citizens against travel to North America. World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan held teleconferences with staff and flu experts around the world but stopped short of recommending specific measures to halt the disease beyond urging governments to step up their surveillance of suspicious outbreaks. Governments including China, Russia and Taiwan began planning to put anyone with symptoms of the deadly virus under quarantine. Others were increasing their screening of pigs and pork imports from the Americas or banning them outright despite health officials' reassurances that it was safe to eat thoroughly cooked pork. Some nations issued travel warnings for Mexico and the United States. Chan called the outbreak a public health emergency of "pandemic potential" because the virus can pass from human to human. Her agency was considering whether to issue nonbinding recommendations on travel and trade restrictions, and even border closures. It is up to governments to decide whether to follow the advice. "Countries are encouraged to do anything that they feel would be a precautionary measure," WHO spokeswoman Aphaluck Bhatiasevi said. "All countries need to enhance their monitoring." New Zealand said that 10 students who took a school trip to Mexico "likely" had swine flu. Israel said a man who had recently visited Mexico had been hospitalized while authorities try to determine whether he had the disease. French Health Ministry officials said four possible cases of swine flu are currently under investigation, including a family of three in the northern Nord region and a woman in the Paris region. The four recently returned from Mexico. Tests on two separate cases of suspected swine flu proved negative, they said. Spain's Health Ministry said three people who just returned from Mexico were under observation in hospitals in the northern Basque region, in southeastern Albacete and the Mediterranean port city of Valencia. Mexico closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in a bid to contain the outbreak after hundreds were sickened there. In the U.S., there have been at least 11 confirmed cases of swine flu in California, Texas and Kansas. Patients have ranged in age from 9 to over 50. At least two were hospitalized. All recovered or are recovering. New York health officials said more than 100 students at the St. Francis Preparatory School, in Queens, recently began suffering a fever, sore throat and aches and pains. Some of their relatives also have been ill. Some St. Francis students had recently traveled to Mexico, The New York Times and New York Post reported Sunday. Preliminary tests of samples taken from sick students' noses and throats confirmed that at least eight had a non-human strain of influenza type A, indicating probable cases of swine flu, city health officials said. The exact subtypes were still unknown, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was conducting further tests. Hong Kong and Taiwan said visitors who came back from flu-affected areas with fevers would be quarantined. China said anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms within two weeks of arrival an affected area had to report to authorities. A Russian health agency said any passenger from North America running a fever would be quarantined until cause of the fever is determined. Tokyo's Narita airport installed a device to test the temperatures of passengers arriving from Mexico. Indonesia increased surveillance at all entry points for travelers with flu-like symptoms - using devices at airports that were put in place years ago to monitor for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and bird flu. It said it was ready to quarantine suspected victims if necessary. Hong Kong and South Korea warned against travel to the Mexican capital and three affected provinces. Italy, Poland and Venezuela also advised their citizens to postpone travel to affected areas of Mexico and the United States. Symptoms of the flu-like illness include a fever of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius), body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea. At least 81 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by the disease in Mexico, according to the WHO. The virus is usually contracted through direct contact with pigs, but Joseph Domenech, chief of animal health service at U.N. Food and Agriculture Agency in Rome, said all indications were that the virus is being spread through human-to-human transmission. No vaccine specifically protects against swine flu, and it is unclear how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer. Russia banned the import of meat products from Mexico, California, Texans and Kansas. South Korea said it would increase the number of its influenza virus checks on pork products from Mexico and the U.S. Serbia on Saturday banned all imports of pork from North America, despite reassurances from the FAO that pigs appear not to be the immediate source of infection. Italy's agriculture lobby, Coldiretti, warned against panic reaction, noting that farmers lost hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) because of consumers boycotts during the 2001 mad cow scare and the 2005 bird flu outbreak. Japanese Agriculture Minister Shigeru Ishiba appeared on TV to calm consumers, saying it was safe to eat pork. In Egypt, health authorities were examining about 350,000 pigs being raised in Cairo and other provinces for swine flu. The WHO's pandemic alert level is currently at to phase 3. The organization said the level could be raised to phase 4 if the virus shows sustained ability to pass from human to human. Phase 5 would be reached if the virus is found in at least two countries in the same region. "The declaration of phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short," WHO said. Phase 6 would indicate a full-scale global pandemic.
GENEVA - Countries planned quarantines, tightened rules on pork imports and tested airline passengers for fevers as global health officials tried Sunday to come up with uniform ways to battle a deadly strain of swine flu. Nations from New Zealand to France reported new suspected cases and some warned citizens against travel to North America.
World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan held teleconferences with staff and flu experts around the world but stopped short of recommending specific measures to halt the disease beyond urging governments to step up their surveillance of suspicious outbreaks.
Governments including China, Russia and Taiwan began planning to put anyone with symptoms of the deadly virus under quarantine.
Others were increasing their screening of pigs and pork imports from the Americas or banning them outright despite health officials' reassurances that it was safe to eat thoroughly cooked pork.
Some nations issued travel warnings for Mexico and the United States.
Chan called the outbreak a public health emergency of "pandemic potential" because the virus can pass from human to human.
Her agency was considering whether to issue nonbinding recommendations on travel and trade restrictions, and even border closures. It is up to governments to decide whether to follow the advice.
"Countries are encouraged to do anything that they feel would be a precautionary measure," WHO spokeswoman Aphaluck Bhatiasevi said. "All countries need to enhance their monitoring."
New Zealand said that 10 students who took a school trip to Mexico "likely" had swine flu. Israel said a man who had recently visited Mexico had been hospitalized while authorities try to determine whether he had the disease. French Health Ministry officials said four possible cases of swine flu are currently under investigation, including a family of three in the northern Nord region and a woman in the Paris region. The four recently returned from Mexico. Tests on two separate cases of suspected swine flu proved negative, they said.
Spain's Health Ministry said three people who just returned from Mexico were under observation in hospitals in the northern Basque region, in southeastern Albacete and the Mediterranean port city of Valencia.
Mexico closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in a bid to contain the outbreak after hundreds were sickened there. In the U.S., there have been at least 11 confirmed cases of swine flu in California, Texas and Kansas. Patients have ranged in age from 9 to over 50. At least two were hospitalized. All recovered or are recovering.
New York health officials said more than 100 students at the St. Francis Preparatory School, in Queens, recently began suffering a fever, sore throat and aches and pains. Some of their relatives also have been ill.
Some St. Francis students had recently traveled to Mexico, The New York Times and New York Post reported Sunday.
Preliminary tests of samples taken from sick students' noses and throats confirmed that at least eight had a non-human strain of influenza type A, indicating probable cases of swine flu, city health officials said. The exact subtypes were still unknown, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was conducting further tests.
Hong Kong and Taiwan said visitors who came back from flu-affected areas with fevers would be quarantined. China said anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms within two weeks of arrival an affected area had to report to authorities. A Russian health agency said any passenger from North America running a fever would be quarantined until cause of the fever is determined.
Tokyo's Narita airport installed a device to test the temperatures of passengers arriving from Mexico.
Indonesia increased surveillance at all entry points for travelers with flu-like symptoms - using devices at airports that were put in place years ago to monitor for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and bird flu. It said it was ready to quarantine suspected victims if necessary.
Hong Kong and South Korea warned against travel to the Mexican capital and three affected provinces. Italy, Poland and Venezuela also advised their citizens to postpone travel to affected areas of Mexico and the United States.
Symptoms of the flu-like illness include a fever of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius), body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.
At least 81 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by the disease in Mexico, according to the WHO.
The virus is usually contracted through direct contact with pigs, but Joseph Domenech, chief of animal health service at U.N. Food and Agriculture Agency in Rome, said all indications were that the virus is being spread through human-to-human transmission.
No vaccine specifically protects against swine flu, and it is unclear how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer.
Russia banned the import of meat products from Mexico, California, Texans and Kansas. South Korea said it would increase the number of its influenza virus checks on pork products from Mexico and the U.S.
Serbia on Saturday banned all imports of pork from North America, despite reassurances from the FAO that pigs appear not to be the immediate source of infection.
Italy's agriculture lobby, Coldiretti, warned against panic reaction, noting that farmers lost hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) because of consumers boycotts during the 2001 mad cow scare and the 2005 bird flu outbreak.
Japanese Agriculture Minister Shigeru Ishiba appeared on TV to calm consumers, saying it was safe to eat pork.
In Egypt, health authorities were examining about 350,000 pigs being raised in Cairo and other provinces for swine flu.
The WHO's pandemic alert level is currently at to phase 3. The organization said the level could be raised to phase 4 if the virus shows sustained ability to pass from human to human.
Phase 5 would be reached if the virus is found in at least two countries in the same region.
"The declaration of phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short," WHO said.
Phase 6 would indicate a full-scale global pandemic.
Posts: 22798
Posts: 4477
04/26/2009 12:34 PM
TRUSTNO1
Mistress Darcy wrote: Has anyone in America died from this? A lot of news reports I read said no, but a lot of people on JJB said a few had. Am I reading old news reports? Like, what is the updated info?
04/26/2009 12:35 PM
04/26/2009 12:41 PM
Posts: 3225
04/26/2009 12:43 PM
Posts: 3033
04/26/2009 12:49 PM
sarahs8 wrote: they said a case in ohio
04/26/2009 12:52 PM
Posts: 5593
04/26/2009 12:56 PM
sarahs8 wrote: The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) confirmed a case of swine flu Sunday involving a 9-year-old boy from Lorain County. The patient is considered to have a mild case of the disease and is recovering at home. http://www.woio.com/global/story.asp?s=10250916
04/26/2009 12:58 PM
04/26/2009 1:05 PM
04/26/2009 1:08 PM
04/26/2009 1:11 PM
sarahs8 wrote: it is on the ohio department of health website Ohio Resident Tests Positive for Swine Flu. http://www.odh.ohio.gov/
Posts: 17253
04/26/2009 1:12 PM
Poke Friend
04/26/2009 1:20 PM
Posts: 47028
04/26/2009 1:22 PM
Most Dramatic '07Expelliarmus!YOLO '13
04/26/2009 1:40 PM
Swine flu empties Mexico City's churches, streetsMEXICO CITY - Churches stood empty Sunday in heavily Roman Catholic Mexico City after services were canceled, and health workers screened airports and bus stations for people sickened by a new strain of swine flu that experts fear could become a global epidemic. Mayor Marcelo Ebrardo said two more people died of swine flu overnight in the overcrowded capital, and three other deaths are suspected to have been caused by the strain. Another 73 more people were hospitalized with influenza, possible swine flu. City Health Secretary Armando Ahued said most of the fatalities involve victims who only sought medical help after the disease was well advanced and urged people to seek urgent care President Felipe Calderon has assumed new powers to isolate people infected with the deadly swine flu strain that health officials say has killed up to 86 people and likely sickened about 1,400 in the country since April 13. The flu has spread beyond Mexico's borders with 20 confirmed cases in five U.S. states and suspected cases as far away as New Zealand. The U.S. declared a public health emergency, which will let federal and state governments easier access to flu tests and medications. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that students at a city high school were infected with swine flu. New York officials previously had said they were eight "probable" cases, but tests later confirmed it was swine flu. Bloomberg stressed that the cases were mild and many are recovering. About 100 students complained of flu-like symptoms at the school. Some students went to Cancun, Mexico, on a spring break trip two weeks ago. Mexican authorities have not said whether swine flu has been found in the Caribbean beach resort. The U.S. has also found the swine flu in California, Texas, Kansas and Ohio. In Mexico, soldiers and health workers patrolled the capital's subway system on Sunday handing out surgical masks and looking for possible flu cases. People were advised to seek medical attention if they suffered from symptoms including a fever of more than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea. Hundreds of public events from concerts to sports matches to were called off to keep people from congregating and spreading the virus in crowds. Zoos were closed and visits to juvenile correction centers were suspended. About a dozen federal police in blue surgical masks stood in front of Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral, which was nearly empty after a measure canceling services to avoid large concentrations of people. Johana Chavez, 22, said she showed up for her confirmation only to find a sign advising that all Masses, baptisms and confirmations were canceled until further notice. "We are all Catholic so this is a big step, closing the cathedral," she said, cradling a squirming infant in her arms. "The flu must be bad. I guess I'll have to come back later." Markets and restaurants were nearly empty. And throngs of Mexicans - some with just a fever - rushed to hospitals. Mexico appears to have lost valuable days or weeks in detecting the new flu strain, a combination of pig, bird and human viruses that humans may have no natural immunity to. Health officials have found cases in 16 Mexican states. Two dozen new suspected cases were reported in the capital on Saturday alone. The first death was in southern Oaxaca state on April 13, but Mexico didn't send the first of 14 mucus samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until April 18, around the same time it dispatched health teams to hospitals looking for patients with severe flu or pnuemonia-like symptoms. Those teams noticed something strange: The flu was killing people aged 20 to 40. Flu victims are usually either infants or the elderly. The Spanish flu pandemic, which killed at least 40 million people worldwide in 1918-19, also first struck otherwise healthy young adults. The World Health Organization on Saturday asked all countries to step up reporting and surveillance of the disease, as airports around the world were screening travelers from Mexico for flu symptoms. On Sunday, New Zealand reported that 10 students "likely" have swine flu after a school trip to Mexico, though Health Minister Tony Ryall said none of the students was seriously ill and there was no guarantee they had swine flu. Israel's Health Ministry said there is one suspected case in that country and France is investigating four possible cases. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak of the never-before-seen virus has "pandemic potential." But she said it is still too early to tell if it would become a pandemic - an epidemic that spreads in humans around the world. Mexican authorities ordered schools closed in the capital and the states of Mexico and San Luis Potosi until May 6. A team from the CDC was in Mexico to help set up detection testing for the swine flu strain, something Mexico previously lacked. Health authorities noticed a threefold spike in flu cases in late March and early April, but thought it was a late rebound in the December-February flu season. Testing at domestic labs did not alert doctors to the new strain. Health Secretary Jose Cordova acknowledged Mexican labs lacked the profiling data needed to detect the previously unknown strain. Even though U.S. labs detected the swine flu in California and Texas before last weekend, Mexican authorities as recently as Wednesday were referring to it as a late-season flu. But mid-afternoon Thursday, Mexico City Health Secretary Dr. Armando Ahued said, officials got a call "from the United States and Canada, the most important laboratories in the field, telling us this was a new virus." Asked why there were so many deaths in Mexico, and none so far among the U.S. cases, Cordova noted that the U.S. cases involved children - who haven't been among the fatal cases in Mexico, either. "There are immune factors that are giving children some sort of defense, that is the only explanation we have," he said. Another factor may be that some Mexican patients may have delayed seeking medical help too long, Cordova said. Others are forced to work and leave their homes despite health concerns. Wearing two dirty, blue surgical masks she says she found and a heavy coat, Daniela Briseno swept garbage early Sunday morning from the streets in Mexico City. "This chill air must be doing me harm. I should be at home but I have a family to support," the 31-year-old said. Scientists have warned for years about the potential for a pandemic from viruses that mix genetic material from humans and animals.
Mayor Marcelo Ebrardo said two more people died of swine flu overnight in the overcrowded capital, and three other deaths are suspected to have been caused by the strain. Another 73 more people were hospitalized with influenza, possible swine flu.
City Health Secretary Armando Ahued said most of the fatalities involve victims who only sought medical help after the disease was well advanced and urged people to seek urgent care
President Felipe Calderon has assumed new powers to isolate people infected with the deadly swine flu strain that health officials say has killed up to 86 people and likely sickened about 1,400 in the country since April 13.
The flu has spread beyond Mexico's borders with 20 confirmed cases in five U.S. states and suspected cases as far away as New Zealand.
The U.S. declared a public health emergency, which will let federal and state governments easier access to flu tests and medications.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that students at a city high school were infected with swine flu.
New York officials previously had said they were eight "probable" cases, but tests later confirmed it was swine flu. Bloomberg stressed that the cases were mild and many are recovering.
About 100 students complained of flu-like symptoms at the school. Some students went to Cancun, Mexico, on a spring break trip two weeks ago. Mexican authorities have not said whether swine flu has been found in the Caribbean beach resort.
The U.S. has also found the swine flu in California, Texas, Kansas and Ohio.
In Mexico, soldiers and health workers patrolled the capital's subway system on Sunday handing out surgical masks and looking for possible flu cases. People were advised to seek medical attention if they suffered from symptoms including a fever of more than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.
Hundreds of public events from concerts to sports matches to were called off to keep people from congregating and spreading the virus in crowds. Zoos were closed and visits to juvenile correction centers were suspended.
About a dozen federal police in blue surgical masks stood in front of Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral, which was nearly empty after a measure canceling services to avoid large concentrations of people.
Johana Chavez, 22, said she showed up for her confirmation only to find a sign advising that all Masses, baptisms and confirmations were canceled until further notice.
"We are all Catholic so this is a big step, closing the cathedral," she said, cradling a squirming infant in her arms. "The flu must be bad. I guess I'll have to come back later."
Markets and restaurants were nearly empty. And throngs of Mexicans - some with just a fever - rushed to hospitals.
Mexico appears to have lost valuable days or weeks in detecting the new flu strain, a combination of pig, bird and human viruses that humans may have no natural immunity to. Health officials have found cases in 16 Mexican states. Two dozen new suspected cases were reported in the capital on Saturday alone.
The first death was in southern Oaxaca state on April 13, but Mexico didn't send the first of 14 mucus samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until April 18, around the same time it dispatched health teams to hospitals looking for patients with severe flu or pnuemonia-like symptoms.
Those teams noticed something strange: The flu was killing people aged 20 to 40. Flu victims are usually either infants or the elderly. The Spanish flu pandemic, which killed at least 40 million people worldwide in 1918-19, also first struck otherwise healthy young adults.
The World Health Organization on Saturday asked all countries to step up reporting and surveillance of the disease, as airports around the world were screening travelers from Mexico for flu symptoms.
On Sunday, New Zealand reported that 10 students "likely" have swine flu after a school trip to Mexico, though Health Minister Tony Ryall said none of the students was seriously ill and there was no guarantee they had swine flu. Israel's Health Ministry said there is one suspected case in that country and France is investigating four possible cases.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak of the never-before-seen virus has "pandemic potential." But she said it is still too early to tell if it would become a pandemic - an epidemic that spreads in humans around the world.
Mexican authorities ordered schools closed in the capital and the states of Mexico and San Luis Potosi until May 6.
A team from the CDC was in Mexico to help set up detection testing for the swine flu strain, something Mexico previously lacked.
Health authorities noticed a threefold spike in flu cases in late March and early April, but thought it was a late rebound in the December-February flu season.
Testing at domestic labs did not alert doctors to the new strain. Health Secretary Jose Cordova acknowledged Mexican labs lacked the profiling data needed to detect the previously unknown strain.
Even though U.S. labs detected the swine flu in California and Texas before last weekend, Mexican authorities as recently as Wednesday were referring to it as a late-season flu.
But mid-afternoon Thursday, Mexico City Health Secretary Dr. Armando Ahued said, officials got a call "from the United States and Canada, the most important laboratories in the field, telling us this was a new virus."
Asked why there were so many deaths in Mexico, and none so far among the U.S. cases, Cordova noted that the U.S. cases involved children - who haven't been among the fatal cases in Mexico, either.
"There are immune factors that are giving children some sort of defense, that is the only explanation we have," he said.
Another factor may be that some Mexican patients may have delayed seeking medical help too long, Cordova said.
Others are forced to work and leave their homes despite health concerns.
Wearing two dirty, blue surgical masks she says she found and a heavy coat, Daniela Briseno swept garbage early Sunday morning from the streets in Mexico City.
"This chill air must be doing me harm. I should be at home but I have a family to support," the 31-year-old said.
Scientists have warned for years about the potential for a pandemic from viruses that mix genetic material from humans and animals.
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