Swine Flu

Swine Flu - Ng Yuk-hang, Dennis Eng and Agencies (24-4-09)

Countries from New Zealand to France reported suspected cases of a deadly new strain of swine flu yesterday as governments rushed to check the spread of the deadly virus that has become one of the biggest global health scares in years.

The World Health Organization declared the flu a “public health event of international concern” and WHO director-general Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun urged greater global surveillance for any unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness.

Governments across Asia began quarantining those with symptoms of the virus and Hong Kong and South Korea issued travel warnings for Mexico, where the probable death toll climbed to 81.

The Hong Kong Government also raised its influenza alert level from “alert” to “serious”, stepping up controls at the airport.

While all the deaths so far have been in Mexico, the flu is spreading in the United States. Eleven cases were confirmed in California, Kansas and Texas, and eight schoolchildren in New York City caught a type A influenza virus that health officials say is likely to be the swine flu.

There have also been suspected cases as far afield as New Zealand, where 10 pupils from a school party that had returned from Mexico were being treated for what authorities said was probably swine flu.

Israel said a man who visited Mexico had been admitted to hospital while authorities tried to determine whether he had the virus. France said two people were under observation in hospitals in Spain.

Governments must report any unusual cases of flu to the WHO, and the agency was considering whether to issue nonbinding recommendations on travel and trade restrictions, and even border closures.

“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.”

The WHO stopped short of recommending measures to stop the disease, saying international experts will convene tomorrow to advise it on whether to raise the current pandemic alert level of 3 on a scale of 1-6.

Hong Kong health officials said the government was very concerned the outbreak could be the early phase of a pandemic and it had activated its emergency preparedness plan.

“If it is proved that this disease can spread from human to human, it will sooner or later come to Hong Kong,” Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok said after the government’s first special meeting on swine flu. “Therefore we must plan for the worst. If the flu continues to spread, we might have our first case of swine flu very soon.”

Centre for Health Protection chief Thomas Tsang Ho-fai said tourists who showed flu symptoms and a temperature would be asked their travel history, and if they had been to affected areas, they would be quarantined in public hospitals.

Dr Chow said swine flu would also be made a notifiable disease, meaning that all hospitals and private doctors must immediately report cases.

The mainland said anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms within two weeks of arrival from an affected area had to report to authorities.

The new flu strain, a mixture of swine, bird and human viruses, poses the biggest risk of a pandemic since the H5N1 avian flu surfaced in1997.

2. Summary

The swine flu changes to the hottest news in current time. The WHO declared the flu a “public health event of international concern” since few days ago. Also, WHO reminded us again that all countries need to enhance their monitoring for the swine flu. The Asia government began quarantining those with symptoms of the virus. Hong Kong and South Korea issued travel warnings for Mexico as well. Hong Kong Government is very concerned about the virus and believes that the first cause of swine flu will be coming very fast in a few days later. And then, they have prepared a system for quarantining the suspected or unsuspected patients of swine flu, avoid spreading the virus and try to cut down the death tool from this flu.

3. Feedback

The new flu strain, a mixture of swine, bird and human viruses, which is like the H5N1 avian flu surfaced in 1997. If it is proved that this disease can spread from human to human, it will be like the SARS in 2003. These are too horrible experience in Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong people are very strong and brave to encounter these diseases, it is not worth expecting for its coming. The disease affected the economy of the whole society, made lots of company bankrupted and impressed on each Hong Kong resident. No one would expect the other new diseases can be surfaced in Hong Kong, even the whole world again and again. Therefore, we need to take care more about personal hygiene and health because these are the only way to protect ourselves. Even though it is not everyone owning the high science and technology, we have the blame for avoiding the spreading of flu. We just do little thing, it will help a lot for the world.