China to receive A-H1N1 samples

Special Report:World tackles A/H1N1 flu

Three strains of the A-H1N1 influenza virus are being donated by the United States for medical analysis in China.

The strains come from a Mexican patient and two US patients. They will arrive in two or three days. Another virus strain is being sent by Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland.

ThreestrainsoftheA-H1N1influenzavirusarebeing
donatedbytheUnitedStatesformedicalanalysisin
China.(AFP/File/LeonNeal)

Chinese medical experts will analyze the strains to find out the cause of the A-H1N1 flu, and the virus's pathogenic ability.

The research will greatly improve the accuracy and speed of a test to diagnose suspected cases of the disease.

Dong Xiaoping, Epidemic Scientist, Chinese Center for Diease Control and Prevention, said, "Based on our current research and production technology, we are able to produce our own A-H1N1 flu vaccine in three to four months after we receive the flu strains."

Canadian A/H1N1 flu death confirmed

Special Report:World tackles A/H1N1 flu

A Canadian woman diagnosed with the A/H1N1 flu strain has died. But, the chief medical health officer for the province of Alberta says says the woman, who is in her 30's, had serious underlying medical problems.

Dr.AndreCorriveauconfirmedthewoman'sdeathon
Friday--thefirstassociatedwiththeA/H1-N1
virusinCanada. (CCTV.com)

Dr. Andre Corriveau confirmed the woman's death on Friday -- the first associated with the A/H1-N1 virus in Canada.

He says she went to hospital last month with a number of medical conditions and doctors did not diagnose the A/H1-N1 flu at the time. She died on April 28th.

Then a family member was found to have a mild form of A/H1-N1 on May 5th. Further tests revealed the A/H1-N1 virus, but the role it played in her death will not be known until more tests are done.

Three hundred people who attended the woman's wake are being monitored for signs of infection.

US A/H1N1 flu cases hit 1,639

Special Report:World tackles A/H1N1 flu

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the country has 1,639 cases of the A/H1N1 flu in 43 states. So far, there have been two deaths.

RichardBesser,actingdirectoroftheCentersforDisease
ControlandPrevention,speaksasNewYorkMayorMichael
Bloomberglooksonatleft,inAtlantaWednesday,May6,
2009.(APPhoto/JohnBazemore)

The number of confirmed cases now surpasses Mexico, which has reported 1,319 cases, including 45 deaths.

Acting CDC director Dr. Richard Besser says only about 10 percent of the people who caught the virus have been to Mexico.

This suggests the virus is still passing very easily from one person to another. US officials expect the virus to spread to all 50 states and to cause many infections, ranging from mild to severe.

US President Barack Obama told Hispanic community leaders the A/H1N1 flu virus apparently was not as virulent as feared, but they are not completely out of the woods yet and still need precautions.

Flu cases continue to grow worldwide, WHO keeps alert

Special Report:World tackles A/H1N1 flu

BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases continued to rise worldwide, especially in the United States, while the World Health Organization (WHO) has left its alert level unchanged.

According to the latest figures, over 3,000 cases have now been confirmed in 27 countries around the world.

The confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases in the United States rose sharply on Friday to 1,639 in 43 of its 50 states, including two deaths, overtaking Mexico as the country having the most confirmed cases in the world.

The update registered a sharp increase from the case count on Thursday when confirmed cases were 896, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, the jump "does not reflect a speed-up of the epidemic," said Dave Daigle, a spokesman for the CDC. The number of cases may jump quickly day to day as a backlog of likely cases need to be confirmed through extra testing, he said.

About 3.5 percent of the cases have been sick enough to be admitted to hospitals and health officials say the rate will continue to fall as more screening is done in the community.

U.S. President Barack Obama Friday urged Americans to take persistent precaution on the A/H1N1 flu, even though he said the virus was not as virulent as people first feared.

President: Situation in Brazil stays calm despite flu cases

Special Report:World tackles A/H1N1 flu

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's President said on Friday that the situation in the country is calm, despite the confirmation of A/H1N1 flu cases.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the government is taking all the necessary steps to prevent the A/H1N1 flu virus from spreading in the country.

Brazil's health authorities confirmed two more cases of A/H1N1 flu on Friday, including the first contagion in the country, bringing the total number of infection cases detected to six.

The president said Brazil will keep on fulfilling the determinations of the World Health Organization (WHO), and continue the watch on the international airports.

He stressed that Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao has assured him the virus is not circulating in Brazil, and that the confirmation of the flu cases will not have an impact on the Brazilian economy.

The WHO decided on Friday to keep its global pandemic alert at level 5, which indicates an imminent pandemic.

Confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu surge to 23 in Florida

Special Report:World tackles A/H1N1 flu

HOUSTON, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases in the southern U.S. state of Florida has surged from 2 to 23 in the past week as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) enabled states to test their own samples, clearing backlogs, a local health official said on Friday.

Last Friday, Governor Charlie Crist announced a 17-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy as the first two confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu, in the state.

Nationwide, the number of sick nearly doubled from Thursday to Friday, reaching 1,639, in 43 states. The Florida Department of Health said new test kits from the CDC were being used at its four state labs, which are in Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville and Pensacola.

Tim O'Connor, health department spokesman, said that positive cases were confirmed in 11 counties, including Broward, Indian River and Okeechobee. While Palm Beach County wasn't among those with confirmed A/H1N1 influenza cases, it had one probable case, he said, adding that individual has been treated and has already recovered.

The A/H1N1 flu strain is different to seasonal flu in key ways, the CDC reported in Friday's edition of its scientific journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

It's hitting young people hardest, rather than the very old and very young who are typically cut down by seasonal flu, the report said, adding that it's rising during what's typically the off season for flu.

In Mexico and the United States, the percentage of patients requiring hospitalization has been particularly high among persons aged 30-44 years, the journal editors wrote.

Local health officials said that Florida's flu cases mirror the national data -- the young, especially teenagers, have been hardest hit.

Broward County's 5 confirmed positive cases were between the ages of 3 and 26, while Indian River's case was in a 15-year-old, and Okeechobee's was in a 27-year-old, they explained.

Soccer player banned for swine flu related spitting

Special Report:World tackles A/H1N1 flu

MEXICO CITY, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A Mexican soccer player has been banned for spitting and blowing nasal secretions at an opponent then telling him he had swine flu.

Guadalajara defender Hector Reynoso has provisionally been suspended from all matches in the Libertadores Cup following last week's game at Everton of Chile in South America's top club competition.

The South American Football Confederation (CSF) said the length of the ban would be determined in the next 72 hours.

"At around the 90th minute of the aforementioned game, Reynoso, following an incident in the game, reacted by spitting at Everton player Sebastian Penco and then releasing nasal secretions at the face of the player," said the CSF in a statement.

Reynoso was widely quoted as saying in the media that he had told Penco he had the disease (swine flu).

Guadalajara players complained that their opponents taunted them with remarks about swine flu during the game which ended 1-1.

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S Korea reports suspected human infection of swine flu

Special Report:Swine flu raises world concern

SEOUL, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean government confirms a suspected case of human infection of swine influenza inthe country, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday.

A South Korean citizen who recently returned from a trip to Mexico has been classified as a possible swine flu patient, Yonhap quoted an unnamed South Korean government official as saying.

It is the first case of suspected human infection of swine influenza in the country.

The South Korean government on Monday designated swine flu as an infectious livestock disease and allowed authorities to limit movement. It also ordered to destroy and bury the sick animals, and compensate farmers if the outbreak of swine influenza is discovered in the country.

The agriculture and forestry ministry said Monday that the government and the Korea Swine Association are cooperatively setting up new standard operating procedures to check for possible infections of the H1N1 virus, and devising actions to be taken if a sick animal is discovered.

The South Korean government announced last Saturday to tighten quarantine measures for pork from the United States and Mexico after outbreaks of swine influenza in these countries were confirmed by the World Health Organization.

The government on Monday began to conduct inspections of the belongings of tourists who have traveled back from the U.S. and Mexico.

The World Health Organization confirmed on Saturday that dozens of people had been diagnosed with swine influenza in Mexico and the United States.

According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, South Korea imported 28,726 tons of pork from the United States and 208 tons of pork from Mexico into the first quarter of this year.

Two tested positive for swine flu in Britain

Special Report:Swine flu raises world concern

LONDON, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Scottish Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that two people coming back from Mexico have tested positive for swine flu in Britain, Sky news reported on Monday.

Sturgeon said: "I can confirm that tests have demonstrated conclusively that the two Scottish cases of swine flu are positive."

She added that the two patients are "recovering well" at Monklands Hospital.

The two people were admitted to hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire in northern Britain, after returning from holiday in Mexico, where over 100 people have died from swine flu.

The health minister added that seven of the 22 who had been in contact with the two patients have developed "mild symptoms," but they have not been confirmed as swine flu cases and are being "appropriately cared for" at home.

Earlier, British Health Secretary Alan Johnson told the House of Commons that a total of 25 possible cases had been reported in the country, eight of which initially proved negative.

Johnson insisted that Britain has enough anti-viral medication to treat half the population in the event of a pandemic.

According to the health secretary, the National Health Service has a stockpile of over 500-million-pound (750 million U.S. dollars) worth of the Tamiflu antiviral drug and scientists are working on developing a vaccine against the new strain.

The Health Protection Agency said it was keeping a close eye on the situation, adding there was currently a "very low level" of flu activity in the country.

The concern over swine flu has caused shares of travel firms and air line shares to drop on Monday whereas shares of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline had witnessed remarkable rise.

Japan tries to block swine flu out of border

TOKYO, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan said it will do its best effort to block the outbreak of the swine flu at the border to protect the safety of the people.

Japanese health minister Yoichi Masuzoe said in a statement Tuesday his ministry has declared the outbreak of a new influenza following the World Health Organization's upgrading of its alert level.

A suspected case of swine flu was reported in the neighboring South Korea, raising tensions in Japan.

The government will conduct quarantine activities on flights from Canada and the United States at three of Japan's key international airports as well as on flights from Mexico, having quarantine officers check passengers in the cabin before disembarking the aircraft.

Should people be suspected of infection with swine flu in Japan, the government will isolate them at designated medical facilities to prevent the disease from spreading.

The health minister also urged people to take care of themselves and avoid becoming infected with the new flu by gargling, wearing masks, washing their hands, and staying away from crowded areas as much as possible.

A task force headed by Prime Minister Taro Aso to deal with the situation has been set up. Counseling counters at local health centers have also been established across Japan.

Bulgaria takes precautions against swine flu

Special Report:Swine flu raises world concern

SOFIA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria started to take serious precautions against the spread of swine flu to the country, the National Veterinary Service (NVS) announce Monday.

The Balkan country has stepped up border control on the import of foods of animal origin from countries outside the European Union, the NVS said.

Border policemen will check for pork products the hand luggage of all arrivals from Mexico, the United States, Canada and Japan.

The import of dairy and meat products for personal consumption from countries outside the EU will be banned with the exception of imports from Andorra, Croatia, the Fafoe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Liechetnstein, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.

"Tightening veterinary control on the import of meat products from countries outside the EU is a precautionary measure," NVS director Yordan Voinov said. He said that no pork has been imported from countries outside the EU.

The true swine flu (H3N2 strain) exists in Bulgaria and is not a risk for human health. The viruses are destroyed during thermal treatment of the meat at temperature over 70 C. Anywhere, there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted in any way other than aerial, the NVS director is quoted as saying.

He also said that Bulgaria is awaiting the World Health Organization's position for uniform measures to curb the spreading of the disease.

The Bulgarian Health Ministry has urged Bulgarians traveling to North America to take extra precautions: seek up-to-date information on possible case of swine flu in the specific part of the U.S. they will be visiting, or get an anti-viral medicine.

Fears of swine flu drag Wall Street

NEW YORK, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Wall Street ended lower on Monday as investors are nervous that the swine flu outbreak could spread and block economic recovery.

Fears had weighed on shares of airlines and cruise lines and dragged down major indexes after U.S. health officials said on Monday that there are now up to 40 cases of swine flu in five U.S. states.

Investors also closely watched General Motors, after the company stepped up dealer shutdowns and job cuts and offered equity to bondholders under a plan to reduce liabilities by 44 billion U.S. dollars. GM soared more than 20 percent on the restructuring plan, to above 2 dollars a share.

Humana Inc., the second-biggest provider of U.S.-backed medical benefits, jumped after profit more than doubled. CVS Caremark Corp. and Walgreen Co. advanced on speculation that the spread of swine flu will boost sales of pharmaceuticals.

The Dow Jones average fell 51.29, or 0.6 percent, to 8,025.00. The Standard