SBS's News Presenter Janice Petersen, who was holidaying in Mexico when the swine flu struck, says thousands of other people are trying to leave the country.
The number of confirmed cases in the United States doubled to 40 and Britain and Spain recorded their first swine flu victims, while the likely Mexican death toll leapt to 152.
South Korea also confirmed its first case ofthe deadly human swine flu, a Yonhap news report said, quoting an unnamed official.
*WHO raises pandemic alert level from three to four
*US flu cases leap to 40 as Obama urges calm
*Europe's first case of swine flu reported in Spain, Britain
*Two cases of swine flu confirmed also in Scotland
Fears of pandemic flu
Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant-general for health, security and the environment, told journalists that while the hike is a "significant step towards pandemic influenza, it's also a phase which says we are not there yet."
Experts met earlier Monday to decide if the WHO should raise the alert level as the probable death toll from the virus rose to 152 in Mexico.
Fukuda said that experts also recommended during the meeting that the virus is currently too "widespread to make containment a feasible" strategy. As a result, "focusing on mitigation is really an important focus" for countries dealing with the disease, he said.
Fukuda also stressed that experts did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel. "With the virus being widespread... closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus," he said.
Influenza caused three epidemics during the 20th century, the worst being the Spanish flu between 1918 and 1919 which killed at least 40 million people, according to WHO.
People urged not to travel to Mexico
Mexico, which was rocked by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake on Monday, said the number of confirmed and suspected deaths from the flu had now risen as other countries urged against non-essential travel to the tourism hotspot.
More than 1,600 people are believed to have been sickened by the disease.
First case reported in Spain
Europe's first confirmed case was reported in Spain, while two people were found to be ill with the disease in Britain and dozens more suspected cases were being checked in seven EU states.
US swine flu cases leap to 40
Although the United States government has declared a public health emergency with 40 cases in five states, US President Barack Obama urged people to stay calm.
The swine flu outbreak "requires a heightened state of alert, but it is not a cause for alarm," he told a gathering of the National Academy of Sciences.
Richard Besser, acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the affected states of New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California and others were receiving 11 million courses of antiviral drugs.
"Of the 40 cases, we are only aware of one individual who was hospitalised, and all people who have been infected and were sick have recovered," Besser said, adding that those affected ranged from seven to 54 years old.
"So the good news is we haven't identified it in additional states. But I wouldn't put too much on that," Besser said, stressing that further nationwide testing would likely unearth more cases in the next week.
"This virus is acting like a flu virus, and flu viruses spread from person to person." Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche said it was ready to send out more stocks of Tamiflu, some 220 million doses of which are in the hands of governments worldwide.
British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline also said it was "urgently" investigating how to boost production of its antiviral drug Relenza, as a race to develop a direct vaccine for H1N1 strain gathered pace.
UN warns of risks of global pandemic
UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the new multi-strain virus risked triggering a global pandemic.
"We are concerned that this virus could cause a new influenza pandemic. It could be mild in its effect or potentially be severe," Ban told reporters.
"We don't know yet which way it will go but we are concerned that in Mexico most of those who died were young and healthy adults."
EU calls emergency meeting
The European Union called an emergency meeting of health ministers and advised against non-essential travel to areas where the deadly virus has surfaced.
The US was also to issue an advisory warning against "non-essential travel" to Mexico.
But Besser rejected an EU warning that appeared to call on Europeans to avoid travel to the United States and Mexico.
"Based on the situation in the United States right now, I think it's quite premature to put travel restrictions on people coming to the United States," he said.
Spain is watching 20 suspected cases and Britain 17 while there were five suspicious cases in Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland, plus four in France and one in Italy.
Nine people each in New Zealand and Colombia, plus one each in Brazil and Peru were under observation with flu symptoms, while in the Middle East, a 26-year-old Israeli was also hospitalised.
The WHO has warned that the swine flu strain -- apparently born out of a mix of human and avian flu viruses that infected pigs -- could become a pandemic and called for all nations to "intensify surveillance."
The virus particles can be spread through coughs and sneezes. Victims report fevers, coughs and headaches.
The outbreak of swine flu spread fear of economic contagion through financial markets and the travel sector, with losses in European and Asian markets attributed in part to fears of swine flu.
View Swine flu epidemic in a larger map
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[article_id] => 1016761
[headline] => Thousands rush to leave Mexico
[abstract] => Thousands of people are trying to leave Mexico after the suspected swine flu death toll rose to 152.
[keywords] => Swine, flu,
[content] =>
The World Health Organisation has raised its flu pandemic alert level two steps short of a full-blown pandemic, warning that every region in the world is at potential risk from the swine flu virus given the mobility of people by air travel.
SBS's News Presenter Janice Petersen, who was holidaying in Mexico when the swine flu struck, says thousands of other people are trying to leave the country.
The number of confirmed cases in the United States doubled to 40 and Britain and Spain recorded their first swine flu victims, while the likely Mexican death toll leapt to 152.
South Korea also confirmed its first case ofthe deadly human swine flu, a Yonhap news report said, quoting an unnamed official.
*WHO raises pandemic alert level from three to four
*US flu cases leap to 40 as Obama urges calm
*Europe's first case of swine flu reported in Spain, Britain
*Two cases of swine flu confirmed also in Scotland
Fears of pandemic flu
Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant-general for health, security and the environment, told journalists that while the hike is a "significant step towards pandemic influenza, it's also a phase which says we are not there yet."
Experts met earlier Monday to decide if the WHO should raise the alert level as the probable death toll from the virus rose to 152 in Mexico.
Fukuda said that experts also recommended during the meeting that the virus is currently too "widespread to make containment a feasible" strategy. As a result, "focusing on mitigation is really an important focus" for countries dealing with the disease, he said.
Fukuda also stressed that experts did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel. "With the virus being widespread... closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus," he said.
Influenza caused three epidemics during the 20th century, the worst being the Spanish flu between 1918 and 1919 which killed at least 40 million people, according to WHO.
People urged not to travel to Mexico
Mexico, which was rocked by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake on Monday, said the number of confirmed and suspected deaths from the flu had now risen as other countries urged against non-essential travel to the tourism hotspot.
More than 1,600 people are believed to have been sickened by the disease.
First case reported in Spain
Europe's first confirmed case was reported in Spain, while two people were found to be ill with the disease in Britain and dozens more suspected cases were being checked in seven EU states.
US swine flu cases leap to 40
Although the United States government has declared a public health emergency with 40 cases in five states, US President Barack Obama urged people to stay calm.
The swine flu outbreak "requires a heightened state of alert, but it is not a cause for alarm," he told a gathering of the National Academy of Sciences.
Richard Besser, acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the affected states of New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California and others were receiving 11 million courses of antiviral drugs.
"Of the 40 cases, we are only aware of one individual who was hospitalised, and all people who have been infected and were sick have recovered," Besser said, adding that those affected ranged from seven to 54 years old.
"So the good news is we haven't identified it in additional states. But I wouldn't put too much on that," Besser said, stressing that further nationwide testing would likely unearth more cases in the next week.
"This virus is acting like a flu virus, and flu viruses spread from person to person." Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche said it was ready to send out more stocks of Tamiflu, some 220 million doses of which are in the hands of governments worldwide.
British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline also said it was "urgently" investigating how to boost production of its antiviral drug Relenza, as a race to develop a direct vaccine for H1N1 strain gathered pace.
UN warns of risks of global pandemic
UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the new multi-strain virus risked triggering a global pandemic.
"We are concerned that this virus could cause a new influenza pandemic. It could be mild in its effect or potentially be severe," Ban told reporters.
"We don't know yet which way it will go but we are concerned that in Mexico most of those who died were young and healthy adults."
EU calls emergency meeting
The European Union called an emergency meeting of health ministers and advised against non-essential travel to areas where the deadly virus has surfaced.
The US was also to issue an advisory warning against "non-essential travel" to Mexico.
But Besser rejected an EU warning that appeared to call on Europeans to avoid travel to the United States and Mexico.
"Based on the situation in the United States right now, I think it's quite premature to put travel restrictions on people coming to the United States," he said.
Spain is watching 20 suspected cases and Britain 17 while there were five suspicious cases in Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland, plus four in France and one in Italy.
Nine people each in New Zealand and Colombia, plus one each in Brazil and Peru were under observation with flu symptoms, while in the Middle East, a 26-year-old Israeli was also hospitalised.
The WHO has warned that the swine flu strain -- apparently born out of a mix of human and avian flu viruses that infected pigs -- could become a pandemic and called for all nations to "intensify surveillance."
The virus particles can be spread through coughs and sneezes. Victims report fevers, coughs and headaches.
The outbreak of swine flu spread fear of economic contagion through financial markets and the travel sector, with losses in European and Asian markets attributed in part to fears of swine flu.
View Swine flu epidemic in a larger map
[start_date] => 28 April 2009 | 06:40:15 AM
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[source] => AFP/SBS
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[label] => A guide to Swine Flu
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[label] => US swine flu cases leap to 40 as Obama urges calm
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[headline] => A guide to Swine Flu
[abstract] => As fears of a swine flu pandemic sweep around the globe, here is a simple guide to all you need to know about the virus, its symptoms and how to treat it.
[content] =>
As fears of a swine flu pandemic sweep around the globe, here is a simple guide to all you need to know about the virus, its symptoms and how to treat it.
What is swine flu?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the H1N1 influenza virus, or swine flu, is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses.
The virus is spread among pigs by aerosols, direct and indirect contact, and asymptomatic carrier pigs. Death rates from the virus are relatively low – between one and four per cent, according to the WHO. Outbreaks in pigs occur year round, with an increased incidence in the fall and winter in temperate zones. Many countries routinely vaccinate swine populations against swine influenza.
Although swine influenza viruses are normally species specific and only infect pigs, they do sometimes cross the species barrier to cause disease in humans.
How do people become infected?
People usually get swine influenza from infected pigs, however, some human cases lack contact history with pigs or environments where pigs have been located. Human-to-human transmission has occurred in some instances but was limited to close contacts and closed groups of people.
What are the symptoms of swine flu?
Symptoms are similar the normal human strains of the flu virus, including fever, cough sore throat and body aches. However those symptoms can worsen to include severe pneumonia that can result in death, the WHO says.
Why is the H1N1 virus called swine flu?
This virus was originally referred to as swine flu because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs in North America. But further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and avian genes and human genes. Scientists call this a "quadruple reassortant" virus."
Is it safe to eat pork meat and pork products?
Yes. Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs. The swine influenza virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F/70°C, corresponding to the general guidance for the preparation of pork and other meat.
Which countries have been affected by outbreaks in pigs?
The disease is considered endemic in the United States. Outbreaks in pigs are also known to have occurred in North America, South America, Europe (including the UK, Sweden, and Italy), Africa (Kenya), and in parts of eastern Asia including China and Japan.
Is there a risk of a pandemic?
It is likely that most of people, especially those who do not have regular contact with pigs, do not have immunity to swine influenza viruses that can prevent the virus infection. If a swine virus establishes efficient human-to human transmission, it can cause an influenza pandemic.
Is there a human vaccine?
The WHO says there is no vaccine to contain the current swine influenza virus causing illness in humans. It is not known whether current human seasonal influenza vaccines can provide any protection.
What drugs are available for treatment?
Antiviral drugs for the normal flu virus have been effective in preventing and treat
the illness. There are two classes of such medicines:
1. Adamantanes (amantadine and remantadine)
2. Inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase (oseltamivir and zanamivir).
Most of the previously reported swine influenza cases recovered fully from the disease without requiring medical attention and without antiviral medicines.
However the WHO says so viruses develop resistance to the antiviral medicines, limiting the effectiveness of treatment. The viruses obtained from the recent human cases with swine
Flu in the United States were sensitive to oselatmivir and zanamivir but resistant to amantadine and remantadine.
[content_type_id] => 3
[site_name] => World News Australia
[articledate] => 27 April 2009
[articletime] => 27 April 2009
[display_order] => 3
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[article_id] => 1016760
[headline] => US swine flu cases leap to 40 as Obama urges calm
[abstract] => President Barack Obama has appealed for calm as officials confirmed 40 mild cases of deadly swine flu across the United States and the death toll rose to 149 in Mexico.
[content] =>
President Barack Obama has appealed for calm as officials confirmed 40 mild cases of deadly swine flu across the United States and the death toll rose to 149 in Mexico.
Obama called the outbreak a "cause for concern," but said it should not provoke alarm, as health officials stressed there had been no new sites of infection found in the past 24 hours.
"The Department of Health and Human Services has declared a Public Health Emergency as a precautionary tool to ensure that we have the resources we need at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively," Obama said.
World health authorities are anxiously watching the spread of the disease amid fears it could become the next global pandemic.
So far the only deaths have been recorded in Mexico, where the probable toll rose to 149, with 20 people confirmed to have died from the disease.
The United States has recorded the second highest rate of infection, and US officials doubled the number of confirmed US cases to 40 in five states -- New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released 25 percent of a federal stockpile of antiviral drugs to those states fighting the flu, distributing 11 million courses of medication.
Acting CDC director Richard Besser said the numbers had leapt because there were 20 more confirmed cases at a school in New York whose pupils had recently visited Mexico.
"Of the 40 cases, we are only aware of one individual who was hospitalized, and all people who have been infected and were sick have recovered," Besser told reporters, adding that those affected ranged from seven to 54 years old.
The rapid spread of swine flu around the world, and the deadliness with which it has struck in Mexico, prompted US officials on Sunday to declare a national health emergency.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said US immigration officers would start to screen visitors arriving from infected areas.
"Travelers who do present with symptoms, if and when encountered, will be isolated," she warned.
Besser said that beyond afflicted US citizens who have visited Mexico, there is only documented case of a secondary infection of swine flu in the United States, "but I wouldn't be reassured by that."
"We're seeing significant rates of respiratory infection by contacts (of infected people) and I think some of those individuals will end up testing positive for swine flu virus," the CDC chief said.
"This virus is acting like a flu virus, and flu viruses spread from person to person." Besser cautioned Americans against going on "non-essential" travel to Mexico, after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged US citizens to exercise caution when visiting the nation at the flu's epicenter.
But the CDC official rejected a warning from EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou that appeared to call on Europeans to avoid travel to the United States and Mexico.
"As the situation changes, then that needs to be evaluated by individual countries," Besser said.
"Based on the situation in the United States right now, I think it's quite premature to put travel restrictions on people coming to the United States."
There was some comfort that, while the disease has a short incubation period of 24 to 48 hours, no new sites of infection appeared to have been found in the United States in the past 24 hours.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a total of 28 cases of swine flu had been confirmed at the school in the borough of Queens.
But he said that fears the disease had spread to a second site proved unfounded when tests on six sick people all came back negative.
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[site_name] => World News Australia
[articledate] => 28 April 2009
[articletime] => 28 April 2009
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