Fear of pandemic as killer flu strain spreads!!

UPDATE!!

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given warning that the highly lethal mutant strain sweeping Mexico could create a global pandemic.

A member of a British Airways cabin crew was taken to hospital with “flu-like symptoms” yesterday after falling ill on a flight from Mexico City to Heathrow. The man, who has not been named, has been taken to Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, north-west London.

But a spokesman for Northwick Park Hospital said the cabin crew member did not have swine flu.

"I can confirm he does not have swine flu. All the tests have come back negative," he said.

Public health officials gathered in Geneva for an emergency meeting and branded the outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern.”

The WHO asked countries around the world to “intensify surveillance for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia”.

Previous human cases of swine flu have been rare and were usually restricted to people who had direct contact with animals infected by the respiratory condition.

But some of the 68 who have died in Mexico were victims of a unique version of the disease – a combination of bird, pig and human viruses, which can be passed from person to person.

A spokesman for Northwick Park Hospital said the man has “flu-like symptoms and is responding well to treatment”. He added: “The patient was admitted directly to a side room and the hospital is scrupulously following infection control procedures to ensure there is no risk to any other individual in the hospital.”

A Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokesman added: “We are aware of a patient admitted to a London hospital with reported travel history to Mexico. As a precautionary measure the patient is being tested for a range of respiratory and other illnesses in line with UK health guidance. At present there have been no confirmed cases of human swine flu in the UK or anywhere in Europe.”

The agency described the outbreak as “unusual” and warranting “further investigation and vigilance” by other countries.

The spokesman added: “The HPA and the NHS have systems in place which will alert public health authorities of any unusual strain circulating in the UK.”

The disease also appeared to have reached New York last night after eight children tested positive for probable swine flu.

The pupils attend a private school in Queens where about 200 children fell sick with influenza-type symptoms last week, officials said. Some had just returned from holiday in Mexico.

City health officials, who are also testing 30 children at a daycare facility in the Bronx, urged residents not to panic and said they had stored extra supplies of incubators and drug.

Two new cases were also reported in Kansas while in Texas, a school has been closed and a family put into quarantine after three children fell sick. There have been nearly 20 cases in the US, but so far all of them have been described as “mild”.

“It has pandemic potential because it is infecting people,” said Margaret Chan, the director-general of the WHO, as public health specialists gathered in Geneva for an emergency session on the outbreak.

The new vaccine-resistant strain — a previously unseen combination of pig, bird and human viruses — is causing panic in Mexico’s capital, one of the world’s biggest cities and where most of the victims lived.

Mexico's president, Felipe Calderón, published an order on Saturday that would give his government extraordinary powers to address a deadly flu epidemic, including isolating those affected by the rare virus, inspecting their homes and ordering the closure of any public events that might result in more infection.

The mayor of Mexico City yesterday cancelled all public events for 10 days and schools, colleges and museums have closed. Alarmed residents are stockpiling food to stay indoors, only stepping outside wearing protective masks handed out by the government or packing bags and leaving the city — an exodus that could spread the disease.

Most of the victims have been aged 25 to 45. Medical personnel said symptoms began like normal flu, but then victims’ temperatures shot up, with paralysing muscle aches. More than 1,000 people have fallen ill in Mexico with the suspected flu.

Miss Chan said the strain was poorly understood. “We do not yet have a complete picture of the epidemiology or the risk, including possible spread beyond the currently affected areas.”

The current seasonal flu vaccine is not believed to offer any protection against the new strain, but the anti-viral drug Tamiflu appears to be effective.

Jose Angel Cordova, Mexico’s health secretary, said the country has enough Tamiflu to treat one million people — only one in 20 people in greater Mexico City alone — and that the medicine will be strictly controlled.

In Mexico City, fear surged through the population of 20 million yesterday.

Froylan Velarde, nervously fingering a blue mask that covered his mouth and nose, hurriedly shoved suitcases into his car.

“I’m taking my family and getting out of here right now. Basically, we are running for our lives,” said the 48-year-old engineer.

Mr Cordova appeared on national television to advise people to stay in their homes, keep away from public places and avoid physical contact.

“Those killed have not been in contact with animals,” he said. “This probably started with pigs but has now mutated to pass between humans.”

He said 20 of the 68 deaths are confirmed to be from the new strain of influenza, while tests were still being conducted on the other 48.

He said the genetic code showed the virus had originated in Eurasia and could have entered Mexico via Texas or California.

Many residents in the Mexican capital decided to stay with relatives in the countryside or take time off work.

Others kept to their regular routine while wearing face masks being handed out by the government.

“The worst thing is that you don’t know who has this virus. Maybe your neighbour has got it. Maybe the guy in the corner shop or the restaurant has it,” said Gisela Hernandez, a 34-year-old housewife.

 

What they think is going to happen now... They are now sending leaflets through the door.. ha ha ha ha makes me laugh. They spend around 80,000 pound's on leaflets and we all ready know about it.. common sense if you see some sort of problem like the virus we are going to look it up on the net.. Government are soooooo stupid no wonder we are in loads of debt they are paying for thing's we will not need!!

 

We have not had any yet. You are joking about the Flue friend's ent you. What if you don't like your new flu friend's. I think they are having a piss take. First ID card's no flue friend's oooohh yea and loosing the world's personal data on public transport. I am sure the government are in-mates in a prison. They have been let out for day release.

 

Just a little more information

A few more people have Died where I live... The 38-year-old woman from Glasgow, named locally as Jacqui Fleming, is the first person with the H1N1 virus to die outside the Americas.

She has been in intensive care at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Renfrewshire, since last month and suffered underlying health problems.

Her baby, who was born around 11 weeks early, was being treated in a specialist unit at Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital but is understood to have tested clear of the virus.

Neighbours in the Carnwadric area of south-west Glasgow said last night that the victim had a teenage son and a younger boy, who was still in primary school.

A resident of her block of flats, who did not wish to be named, said the family wanted to be left alone to come to terms with the tragedy.

Another teenage neighbour, who said he had known her son from his time at a local secondary school, said the mother had previously suffered from strokes or seizures.

He said she has been critically ill in hospital for some time before her death.

News of Mrs Fleming's passing spread quickly through the local community last night and neighbours stood in silence at the fence outside her home.

Her block of flats is yards away from Glasgow's St Vincent's Primary school, where one pupil has already been confirmed as having contracted the virus. The school is expected to shut today (mon).

Experts and political leaders last night (sun) urged the public not to panic, claiming that the mother's health problems would have been a "significant" contributory factor to her death.

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health minister, said: "I'd like to express my condolences to the patient's family and friends. This is a tragedy for those concerned and they have my heartfelt sympathy.

"Tragic though today's death is, I would like to emphasise that the vast majority of those who have H1N1 are suffering from relatively mild symptoms."

Health officials say that the UK has been hit harder by swine flu than any other country in Europe.

Despite Scotland only forming nine per cent of the UK's population, more than a third of Britain's 1,261 cases have been recorded north of the Border.

A statement released by the Scottish Executive at 8pm last night said: "With regret, we can confirm that one of the patients who had been in hospital, and had been confirmed as suffering from the H1N1 virus, has died today.

"The patient had underlying health conditions."

Professor Hugh Pennington, a bacteriologist at Aberdeen University, said these were likely to have been a "significant factor" in the patient's death. Most swine flu deaths in the US have involved people in ill health.

He said: "It makes it more likely that they will get the serious form of the virus in the first place.

"If your lungs are already only working at half capacity when the virus kicks in and takes half of what is left, you will be left teetering on the edge. It raises the odds that a patient will experience serious difficulties.

"It's very sad but with the number of cases we have seen it is really something which was always going to happen sooner or later. Unfortunately it is to be expected."

He said the death did not point to the virus getting nastier as all the evidence was it has not changed.

Thirty-five new cases were confirmed in Scotland yesterday (sun), taking the total to 498, and ten people were being treated in hospital north of the Border prior to the death.

The vast majority of these were being treated at the Royal Alexandra, which is in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area, where a cluster of cases have been recorded.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) last week declared the outbreak a pandemic, the first for 40 years.

Official reports say there have been about 30,000 cases worldwide and 164 deaths. The mortality rate is similar to that of normal forms of flu and most victims only suffer a mild illness.

The last pandemic, the 1968 Hong Kong virus, killed about a million people.

Prof John Oxford, a virologist at the London School of Medicine, said: "The (swine flu) virus is still very low-level and we don't expect it really to dramatically increase until the autumn. I don't think people should be overly worried."

A Health Protection Agency spokesman said: "This is tragic for the patient's family and friends, and our deepest sympathies are with them.

"In the majority of cases so far swine flu has been generally mild but it is proving severe in a small minority of cases."

"The risk to the general population remains low, and we can all do our bit to reduce the spread of the virus by following simple hygiene measures like washing hands and using tissues when coughing or sneezing and then disposing of them carefully."



SCOTLAND was last night warned to expect swine flu deaths as the number of cases rose by 100 since the weekend.

The country was confirmed as the worst affected part of the UK with a quarter of all cases of the potentially fatal H1N1 virus.

Tests revealed a further 31 people, including a 23-month-old toddler in Lothian, were infected – taking the total to 119.

The total number of swine flu cases in the UK rose to 459 yesterday, with 23 more in England and one in Wales.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon played down the soaring number of cases in Scotland – a jump of 100 since the weekend – saying there was no cause for undue concern. But microbiology expert Professor Hugh Pennington said it was inevitable there would be deaths.

The Aberdeen University scientist said: “I think it would be very unwise to expect that no one will escape from that point of view.

“Certainly, every winter in Scotland, we still have people dying of flu, so it would be reasonable to expect that this will happen to this virus too.”

Most of the new cases are in the NHS Highland area, which covers the existing cluster in Dunoon.

A fourth seriously-ill case, a 44-year-old woman who is being treated in the high-dependency unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Renfrewshire, was revealed. She joins three other patients there.

A 38-year-old woman at the hospital was said to be in a “critical” condition, while a 45-year-old man and 23-year-old woman were described as “critical but stable” and “stable” respectively.

But Kerishan Singh, 37, who was critical in Glasgow’s Victoria Infirmary, improved enough to be transferred.

Two more primary schools, who had been on a trip together, will be closed in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Kirnand and Inellan primary schools, near Dunoon in Argyll’s Cowal peninsula, were both shut for seven days.