Thread: Swine Flu kills 60

'Swine flu' kills 60 in Mexico


The virus is normally linked to contact with pigs

The World Health Organisation says it suspects swine flu has killed 60 people and infected 800 others in Mexico.
A WHO spokeswoman said the majority of the cases were in the capital, Mexico City, and a small number in central areas of the country.
Seven non-fatal cases of a new form of swine flu have also been confirmed in the southern United States.
Experts will carry out tests to determine whether the viruses behind the outbreaks are linked.
The WHO has opened its strategic health operations centre, which operates during periods of acute public health risks.
'Flu-like illness'
WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said "unusual end-of-season influenza activity" was noticed in Mexico starting from the end of March.
"To date there have been some 800 suspected cases with flu-like illness, with 57 deaths in the Mexico City area," she said.
Three more deaths and 24 suspected cases were also recorded in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico, she said.
"We're dealing with a new flu virus that constitutes a respiratory epidemic that so far is controllable," Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said on Thursday.
The Mexican authorities are currently conducting tests to determine what the virus is. Schools have been closed in affected areas and people urged to avoid large crowds, shaking hands and kissing.
In the US, experts are investigating a new form of swine flu that they say combines pig, bird and human viruses, after seven people fell ill in Texas and California.
"This is the first time that we've seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain," Dave Daigle, a spokesman for the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told AFP.
The CDC said none of the seven victims had been in contact with pigs, which is how people usually catch swine flu.
It was tracking those who had been in contact with the seven to see if they had fallen ill, it said.



BBC NEWS | Americas | 'Swine flu' kills 60 in Mexico

that is the shits, be heavy here next with the clenliness of these folks, nothing like everyone drinking out of the communal water glass or bottle and all the soap and hot water hand washing facilities and the dishes all being scalded each use.

In the US, experts are investigating a new form of swine flu that they say combines pig, bird and human viruses, after seven people fell ill in Texas and California.
"This is the first time that we've seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain,"

That isn't good news.

no it damn sure ain't good news, especially here where people have not been taught how to keep them selves safe in any way, kids go to school sick, people are forced to go to work sick because they think that being sick will not transfer to anyone else, they have not even been taught the basics of disease prevention, and if some one tells them, they will not believe it.

^ You be extra careful, BG.
Thanks for that info, Mao.

Originally Posted by Chairman Mao

In the US, experts are investigating a new form of swine flu that they say combines pig, bird and human viruses, after seven people fell ill in Texas and California.
"This is the first time that we've seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain,"

That isn't good news.

I agree - we should start culling yanks right now, simply as a precaution, I mean. Preemptive strike, so to say. Let's worry about the facts later......

For a good summary of how bad the last Swine (Spanish) Flu epidemic was, check out Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything.

does monsato have a patent on this swine flu - are people catching the influenza required to pay royalties ?

This Swine Flu is worth following. The border between the US & Mexico.

We have one thing going for us in Thailand Watch the humidity, flu likes it dry - Cold
and flu- msnbc.com

Come on rainy season.

Mexico swine flu deaths spur global epidemic fears

MEXICO CITY – A unique strain of swine flu is the suspected killer of dozens of people in Mexico, where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital on Friday to try to contain an outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.
The worrisome new virus — which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before — also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the U.S.
"We are very, very concerned," World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham said. "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human ... It's all hands on deck at the moment."
The outbreak caused alarm in Mexico, where more than 1,000 people have been sickened. Residents of the capital donned surgical masks and authorities ordered the most sweeping shutdown of public gathering places in a quarter century.
President Felipe Calderon said his government only learned late Thursday, with the help of international laboratories, what kind of virus Mexico is faced with. "We are doing everything necessary," he said after meeting with his Cabinet to coordinate a response. "We understand the seriousness of the problem."
The WHO was convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic alert level or issue travel advisories.
It might already be too late to contain the outbreak, a prominent U.S. pandemic flu expert said late Friday.
Given how quickly flu can spread around the globe, if these are the first signs of a pandemic, then there are probably cases incubating around the world already, said Dr. Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.
In Mexico City, "literally hundreds and thousands of travelers come in and out every day," Osterholm said. "You'd have to believe there's been more unrecognized transmission that's occurred."
There is no vaccine that specifically protects against swine flu, and it was unclear how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer. A "seed stock" genetically matched to the new swine flu virus has been created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, said Dr. Richard Besser, the agency's acting director. If the government decides vaccine production is necessary, manufacturers would need that stock to get started.
Authorities in Mexico urged people to avoid hospitals unless they had a medical emergency, since hospitals are centers of infection. They also said Mexicans should refrain from customary greetings such as shaking hands or kissing cheeks. At Mexico City's international airport, passengers were questioned to try to prevent anyone with flu symptoms from boarding airplanes and spreading the disease.
Epidemiologists are particularly concerned because the only fatalities so far were in young people and adults.
The eight U.S. victims recovered from symptoms that were like those of the regular flu, mostly fever, cough and sore throat, though some also experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
U.S. health officials announced an outbreak notice to travelers, urging caution and frequent handwashing, but stopping short of telling Americans to avoid Mexico.
Mexico's Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordoba said 68 people have died of flu and the new swine flu strain had been confirmed in 20 of those deaths. At least 1,004 people nationwide were sick from the suspected flu, he said.
The geographical spread of the outbreaks also concerned the WHO — while 13 of the 20 deaths were in Mexico City, the rest were spread across Mexico — four in central San Luis Potosi, two up near the U.S. border in Baja California, and one in southern Oaxaca state.
Scientists have long been concerned that a new flu virus could launch a worldwide pandemic of a killer disease. A new virus could evolve when different flu viruses infect a pig, a person or a bird, mingling their genetic material. The resulting hybrid could spread quickly because people would have no natural defenses against it.
Still, flu experts were concerned but not alarmed about the latest outbreak.
"We've seen swine influenza in humans over the past several years, and in most cases, it's come from direct pig contact. This seems to be different," said Dr. Arnold Monto, a flu expert with the University of Michigan.
"I think we need to be careful and not apprehensive, but certainly paying attention to new developments as they proceed."
The CDC says two flu drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, seem effective against the new strain. Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, said the company is prepared to immediately deploy a stockpile of the drug if requested.
Both drugs must be taken early, within a few days of the onset of symptoms, to be most effective.
Cordoba said Mexico has enough Tamiflu to treat 1 million people, but the medicine will be strictly controlled and handed out only by doctors.
Mexico's government had maintained until late Thursday that there was nothing unusual about the flu cases, although this year's flu season had been worse and longer than past years.
The sudden turnaround by public health officials angered many Mexicans.
"They could have stopped it in time," said Araceli Cruz, 24, a university student who emerged from the subway wearing a surgical mask. "Now they've let it spread to other people."
The city was handing out free surgical masks to passengers on buses and the subway system, which carries 5 million people each day. Government workers were ordered to wear the masks, and authorities urged residents to stay home from work if they felt ill.
Closing schools across Mexico's capital of 20 million kept 6.1 million students home, as well as thousands of university students. All state and city-run cultural activities were suspended, including libraries, state-run theaters, and at least 14 museums. Private athletic clubs closed down and soccer leagues were considering canceling weekend games.
The closures were the first citywide shutdown of public gathering places since thousands died in the devastating 1985 earthquake.
Mexico's response brought to mind other major outbreaks, such as when SARS hit Asia. At its peak in 2003, Beijing shuttered schools, cinemas and restaurants, and thousands of people were quarantined at home.
In March 2008, Hong Kong ordered more than a half-million students to stay home for two weeks because of a flu outbreak. It was the first such closure in Hong Kong since the outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome.
"It's great they are taking precautions," said Lillian Molina, a teacher at the Montessori's World preschool in Mexico City, who scrubbed down empty classrooms with Clorox, soap and Lysol between fielding calls from worried parents.
U.S. health officials said the outbreak is not yet a reason for alarm in the United States. The five people sickened in California and three in Texas have all recovered.
It's unclear how the eight, who became ill between late March and mid-April, contracted the virus because none were in contact with pigs, which is how people usually catch swine flu. And only a few were in contact with each other.
CDC officials described the virus as having a unique combination of gene segments not seen before in people or pigs. The bug contains human virus, avian virus from North America and pig viruses from North America, Europe and Asia. It may be completely new, or it may have been around for a while and was only detected now through improved testing and surveillance, CDC officials said.
The most notorious flu pandemic is thought to have killed at least 40 million people worldwide in 1918-19. Two other, less deadly flu pandemics struck in 1957 and 1968.
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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N24449988.htm



Most Mexico fatal flu victims aged between 25-45
24 Apr 2009 21:03:59 GMT
Source: Reuters

MEXICO CITY, April 24 (Reuters) - The majority of the people killed in Mexico's fatal flu outbreak were adults between 25 and 45 years old, a Mexican health official said on Friday. "The majority were young adults between 25 and 45 years old," the official said under the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the press. Mexican officials said 20 people had been killed by the outbreak in Mexico and 1,004 people had been infected. (Reporting by Mica Rosenberg and Miguel Angel Gutierrez)

Possible Swine Flu Outbreak At NYC Prep School

Department Of Health Officials Testing 75 Students At St. Francis Preparatory School In Queens


Possible Swine Flu Outbreak At NYC Prep School - wcbstv.com



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with preventive medicine and personal hygiene and the communal drinking glass and water bottle, no hot water for dishes or hand washing, very little soap use, except for doing dishes with detergent in cold water, and cold water showers there is none.
So here is a prime spot for a pandemic and the country sure could use a douche and an enema, even tho it would also kill me, so what, it would be good for the country, also be good for the world to lose 25% of the population, 50% would be even better.
4 billion is about max load that the earth can safely handle.

Originally Posted by Takeovers

Edit: I believe in a maximum of no more than 20 to 50 Million people to die in a pandemic. That's barely enough to make a dent in the growth charts. __________________

Yes, I know, but was just wishful thinking on my part that 2 billion would die, let alone 50% or 4 billion, but you do have to agree that with the population back where it was when I was born would be a fantastic thing, with todays tech. and yesteryears population, enough people to make things work, no wars and all this rampant murders and drug usage that has been brought on due to over crowding.

It ain't gonna happen, but I can still wish.

Just read that in Texas and California at least 8 people have been infected.
And 75 children from N.Y. are being tested for the swine flu.

gaining ground, but it will be just a normal flu season, what ever time that is, I had it in the 50s, Hong Kong I think that one was, in the late summer and again in the 60s in Decenber, so I aint real sure of the time of year it is supposed to be.

Originally Posted by blackgang

Yes, I know, but was just wishful thinking on my part that 2 billion would die, let alone 50% or 4 billion, but you do have to agree that with the population back where it was when I was born would be a fantastic thing, with todays tech. and yesteryears population, enough people to make things work,

Agree. That would be about 2 Billion people only. Yes a nice thougt. But no decent way to get there.

Originally Posted by blackgang

no wars and all this rampant murders and drug usage that has been brought on due to over crowding.

That's really overoptimistic. We managed wars and drug abuse very well with less than that population.

Worried about swine flu? Wash your hands | World Breaking News | News.com.au

WORRIED about swine flu? There is one easy way to protect against infection, health experts agree - handwashing.
Global health officials are worried about an unusual new strain of flu that may have killed as many as 68 people in Mexico, with 1000 showing possible symptoms. It has infected at least eight people in the United States.

Officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health said they expected to find more cases in the coming days and weeks.

Little can be done to prevent an outbreak of flu from spreading, health experts caution, but they say common sense measures can help individuals protect themselves.

Number one is hand-washing, they say - a surprisingly effective way to prevent all sorts of diseases, including ordinary influenza and the new and mysterious swine flu virus.

Shit! I am working in Mexico, not in the city but offshore. I will go home to Thailand in 2 weeks. I dont worry so much while onboard or in the Mexico City Airport, but sitting in a crowded 747 where the air never changes!
Have a stop-over in Amsterdam. Then I usual have a headache when arrive, but can't identify if it is from the flue or to much Tequilla!
Hope not the immigration authorities in Thailand shut the gate.
BTW I see that there is vaccination available. Tamiflu and Relenza. Will bring some with me.

Originally Posted by HermantheGerman

Just read that in Texas and California at least 8 people have been infected.
And 75 children from N.Y. are being tested for the swine flu.

Spreading to the US right fast. I heard outbreaks in Kansas and Missouri as well as the areas you've mentioned.....scary shite.

Now we know to where those missing vials from Fort Dietrick went. Teak Door is certain to lose 95% of its membership in a single fell swoop, what with all the swine here.