The Mexican Flu – Mexican Swine Flu Outbreak

Health authorities in the Netherlands have reported one confirmed case of swine flu.

A three year old is confirmed as the first Dutch case of swine flu.

Gov. Jay Nixon says Missouri has a probable case of the swine flu.

Nixon announced the suspected case involving a Platte County resident Wednesday evening at a hastily called Capitol news conference. The probable case was discovered earlier Wednesday during lab tests on samples sent to the state health lab.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta will determine if the case is swine flu. Nixon’s office said those tests currently are taking about two days.

The state is not releasing exact numbers, except for 1 person suspected of having the swine flu.

Samples have been sent to the CDC for further testing.

A California man visiting the state of Nebraska may possibly have the swine flu.

The suspected case is a man who came to Nebraska last week from San Diego.

The man visited a doctor in Omaha last Sunday when he began suffering symptoms of the flu.

Douglas County officials said the man is in isolation right now in Eastern Nebraska.

He has had contact with fewer than 10 people in the state since he has been here. None of them have gotten sick.

Gov. Chet Culver of Iowa said that there are two probable cases of swine flu in the state.

Culver said at a Statehouse news conference that officials would know Thursday if the cases are confirmed as swine flu.

Officials said one case is a California resident who visited Scott and Clinton counties last week. The other was a woman in southeast Iowa who traveled through Johnson, Des Moines and Muscatine counties.

State Medical Director Patricia Quinlisk said both of the people were now recovering. Neither was hospitalized, she said.

Maryland health officials have identified six probable cases of swine flu in the state.

Three affected individuals reside in Baltimore County and three in Anne Arundel County.

A probable case is defined as someone who has flu-like symptoms who has traveled to an area that is affected by the swine flu.

Maryland officials made the announcement Wednesday afternoon.

Three cases of swine flu were confirmed in Maine.

According to state health officials, and Gov. John Baldacci said more cases are probable.

Baldacci and Dr. Dora Anne Mills of the Maine Center for Disease Control said all three victims are adults who are recovering at home, two from Kennebec County in central Maine and one from York County in the southernmost part of the state.

Statement by WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan
29 April 2009

Ladies and gentlemen,

Based on assessment of all available information, and following several expert consultations, I have decided to raise the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to phase 5.

Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world.

On the positive side, the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history.

Preparedness measures undertaken because of the threat from H5N1 avian influenza were an investment, and we are now benefitting from this investment.

For the first time in history, we can track the evolution of a pandemic in real-time.

I thank countries who are making the results of their investigations publicly available. This helps us understand the disease.

I am impressed by the work being done by affected countries as they deal with the current outbreaks.

I also want to thank the governments of the USA and Canada for their support to WHO, and to Mexico.

Let me remind you. New diseases are, by definition, poorly understood. Influenza viruses are notorious for their rapid mutation and unpredictable behaviour.

WHO and health authorities in affected countries will not have all the answers immediately, but we will get them.

WHO will be tracking the pandemic at the epidemiological, clinical, and virological levels.

The results of these ongoing assessments will be issued as public health advice, and made publicly available.

All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. Countries should remain on high alert for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia.

At this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities.

This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharmaceutical industry and the business community that certain actions should now be undertaken with increased urgency, and at an accelerated pace.

I have reached out to donor countries, to UNITAID, to the GAVI Alliance, the World Bank and others to mobilize resources.

I have reached out to companies manufacturing antiviral drugs to assess capacity and all options for ramping up production.

I have also reached out to influenza vaccine manufacturers that can contribute to the production of a pandemic vaccine.

The biggest question, right now, is this: how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start?

It is possible that the full clinical spectrum of this disease goes from mild illness to severe disease. We need to continue to monitor the evolution of the situation to get the specific information and data we need to answer this question.

From past experience, we also know that influenza may cause mild disease in affluent countries, but more severe disease, with higher mortality, in developing countries.

No matter what the situation is, the international community should treat this as a window of opportunity to ramp up preparedness and response.

Above all, this is an opportunity for global solidarity as we look for responses and solutions that benefit all countries, all of humanity. After all, it really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic.

As I have said, we do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them.

Thank you.

Minnesota has it’s first suspected case of swine flu.

The suspected case, a 7th grader from the Cold Spring Minnesota area had contact with a person who had recently been to Mexico.

She is reportedly doing well and recovering.

The state sent a sample of the virus detected in Minnesota to labs in Atlanta for confirmation that it is the same strain as the swine flu.

North Carolina is testing for 50 suspected cases of swine flu.

“There are no confirmed cases in North Carolina at this time,” Dr. Zach Moore said. “The state is actively involved in investigations, and is working to provide education … reaching out to the public through many different organizations … to get the message out (as to what people can do) as broadly as possible.”