An official at the World Health Organization said Wednesday evening that his agency had confirmed 114 cases of swine flu worldwide. However, that number did not include additional cases announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), now at 91.
The WHO was still listing 64 swine flu cases for the United States. "It's clear that the virus is spreading, and we don't see it slowing down at this point," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of WHO, at a news conference.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Houston's Health Department told CNN that the dead child had traveled from Mexico to Houston, for treatment.
Kathy Barton said the child, who died Monday, was not an American citizen. She did not know where the child was from in Mexico.
President Barack Obama expressed his condolences to the family and called on schools in the U.S. with confirmed or possible swine flu cases to "strongly consider temporarily closing so that we can be as safe as possible."
The apparent spread of swine flu was not unexpected, CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser told CNN.
"Flu is a very serious infection and each virus is unique, and so it's hard to know what we're going to be seeing," Besser said. "But given what we've seen in Mexico we have expected that we would see more severe i
nfections and we would see deaths."
Six of the 91 confirmed swine flu cases in the United States have been reported in Texas, according to the CDC.
The WHO was still listing 64 swine flu cases for the United States. "It's clear that the virus is spreading, and we don't see it slowing down at this point," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of WHO, at a news conference.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Houston's Health Department told CNN that the dead child had traveled from Mexico to Houston, for treatment.
Kathy Barton said the child, who died Monday, was not an American citizen. She did not know where the child was from in Mexico.
President Barack Obama expressed his condolences to the family and called on schools in the U.S. with confirmed or possible swine flu cases to "strongly consider temporarily closing so that we can be as safe as possible."
The apparent spread of swine flu was not unexpected, CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser told CNN.
"Flu is a very serious infection and each virus is unique, and so it's hard to know what we're going to be seeing," Besser said. "But given what we've seen in Mexico we have expected that we would see more severe i
nfections and we would see deaths."Six of the 91 confirmed swine flu cases in the United States have been reported in Texas, according to the CDC.
A preliminary image of the swine flu virus from the Centers for Disease Control.
The United States is taking precautionary measures to stem the spread of the disease, of which most cases are not severe.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that the federal government would be releasing nearly 13 million doses of antiviral medications to try to stem the spread of the virus.
Besser added that the CDC is "taking aggressive action to try and limit the impact of this on our communities," but is not changing its recommendations as a result of the confirmed swine flu death.
"I expect we'll see more cases," Besser said. "And as we do, we'll learn more about this, and if there needs to be more stringent or less stringent recommendations, we'll be making those."
He stressed that people should maintain their perspective on the swine flu outbreak.
The United States is taking precautionary measures to stem the spread of the disease, of which most cases are not severe.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that the federal government would be releasing nearly 13 million doses of antiviral medications to try to stem the spread of the virus.
Besser added that the CDC is "taking aggressive action to try and limit the impact of this on our communities," but is not changing its recommendations as a result of the confirmed swine flu death.
"I expect we'll see more cases," Besser said. "And as we do, we'll learn more about this, and if there needs to be more stringent or less stringent recommendations, we'll be making those."
He stressed that people should maintain their perspective on the swine flu outbreak.
"Seasonal flu each year causes tens of thousands of deaths in this country, on average, about 36,000 deaths," Besser said. "And so this flu virus in the United States, as we're looking at it, is not acting very differently from what we saw during the flu season."
Germany and Austria became the latest European countries to report swine flu, while the number of cases increased in Britain and Spain.
Mexico is where the global outbreak originated. While only 26 cases have been confirmed in Mexico -- including the seven deaths -- health officials there suspect the swine flu outbreak has caused more than 159 deaths and roughly 2,500 illnesses.
They also believe they may have found "patient zero" in the global outbreak in the small village of La Gloria in the mountains of Mexico.
Five-year-old Edgar Hernandez -- known as "patient zero" by his doctors -- survived the earliest documented case of swine flu in the current outbreak. He lives near a pig farm, though experts have not established a connection between that and his illness.
Germany and Austria became the latest European countries to report swine flu, while the number of cases increased in Britain and Spain.
Mexico is where the global outbreak originated. While only 26 cases have been confirmed in Mexico -- including the seven deaths -- health officials there suspect the swine flu outbreak has caused more than 159 deaths and roughly 2,500 illnesses.
They also believe they may have found "patient zero" in the global outbreak in the small village of La Gloria in the mountains of Mexico.
Five-year-old Edgar Hernandez -- known as "patient zero" by his doctors -- survived the earliest documented case of swine flu in the current outbreak. He lives near a pig farm, though experts have not established a connection between that and his illness.
Edgar has managed to bounce back from his symptoms and playfully credits ice cream for helping him feel better.
Researchers do not know how the virus is jumping relatively easily from person to person, or why it's affecting what should be society's healthiest demographic. Many of the victims who have died in Mexico have been young and otherwise healthy.
The deadly outbreak in Mexico has prompted authorities to order about 35,000 public venues in Mexico City to shut down or serve only take-out meals as health officials tried to contain spreading of the virus.
Governments around the world are scrambling to prevent further outbreak.
Researchers do not know how the virus is jumping relatively easily from person to person, or why it's affecting what should be society's healthiest demographic. Many of the victims who have died in Mexico have been young and otherwise healthy.
The deadly outbreak in Mexico has prompted authorities to order about 35,000 public venues in Mexico City to shut down or serve only take-out meals as health officials tried to contain spreading of the virus.
Governments around the world are scrambling to prevent further outbreak.
Some, such as China and Russia, have banned pork imports from the United States and Mexico, though the World Health Organization says the disease is not transmitted through eating or preparing pig meat. Several others countries, such as Japan and Indonesia, are using thermographic devices to test the temperature of passengers arriving from Mexico.
Obama said the outbreak is a cause for concern, not for alarm. The U.S. government has urged travelers to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency authorization for the use of two of the most common anti-viral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza. The authorization allows the distribution of the drugs by a broader range of health-care workers and loosens age limits for their use.
In Mexico City, however, there is a shortage of such medication. And it became impossible to find protective surgical masks, which the government had handed out to one out of every five residents.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency authorization for the use of two of the most common anti-viral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza. The authorization allows the distribution of the drugs by a broader range of health-care workers and loosens age limits for their use.
In Mexico City, however, there is a shortage of such medication. And it became impossible to find protective surgical masks, which the government had handed out to one out of every five residents.
Swine influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs.
When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight, because people have no natural immunity.
When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight, because people have no natural immunity.
Symptoms include fever, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year worldwide, far more than the current outbreak of swine flu.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment