Swine Flu news and updates thread

WHO Said to Raise Flu Alert to Unprecedented Level (Update1)
www.bloomberg.com...

April 27 (Bloomberg) -- The World Health Organization plans to raise its pandemic alert to an unprecedented level today, saying that swine flu is spreading across North America, two people familiar with the agency said.

An increase above level 3 on the WHO’s six-step alert system would be the first since the United Nations agency began grading pandemic risks in 1999. The agency’s guidelines say the goal of a level 4 alert is “containment of the new virus within a limited area or delay of its spread,” suggesting the change will trigger travel warnings. Level 5 would be “a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent.”

The WHO may advise governments to screen people coming in and out of Mexico and other affected areas, limit travel, distribute antiviral medicines from global stockpiles and start the process of producing a pandemic vaccine, according to the guidelines revised last month. The people familiar with the WHO declined to be named because the deliberations are confidential. Gregory Hartl, a spokesman for the WHO, declined to comment.

More at Link...

# Reuters: Hillary Clinton says U.S. taking issue of swine flu "very seriously".less than 10 seconds ago from BNO Headquarters

# France: Four suspected swine influenza cases reported in Nantes, Pau, Lyon, and Poitiers. All recently traveled to US or Mexico.2 minutes ago from web

# Mexico: Japanese citizens in Mexico reported to have begun leaving the country.5 minutes ago from web

# Australia: Four suspected swine influenza cases in Sydney; five total in New South Wales. All under quarantine.6 minutes ago from web

[edit on 4/27/2009 by Hx3_1963]

Originally posted by Agit8dChop
I still say, this is a deliberate event.
This bug was released during spring break in Mexico, all those young 20'someting tourists there to drink and bonk..take the bug home and let it spread.

Seems heat is a factor, being the mexican heat kept the bug active to lethal proportions.

This bug is popping up in
-spain
-US
-Mexico
-Nz
-Zimbabwae
-Uk

just wait until china or vietnam has a confirmed case.

I will be watching this thread all day tomorrow.. its spreading like wildfire.

The NEWS is spreading like wildfire; there is no authoratative final data on the actual spread of infection until people have been tested positive.
Reported cases are not confirmed cases as stated previsouly; anyone with flu like symptoms wathces a 3 minute news article and thinks they're going to die.

I can guarantee there are currently more people, right this very moment in China with a mutated variant of influenza than people who will ultimately die of this.....thats just not a very good news story.

UK has been "planning/preparing" for a flu Pandemic for five years.

We (UK) have 33million individual vials of vaccine...enough to treat half the population.


Live on Sky news now.



UK and France are the 2 best prepared countries in the world.. According to the W.H.O.



Affected areas

news.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 27/4/09 by blupblup]

In addition we also have to take into consideration, the people that are just brain dead people, who will walk around with this illness regardless of being told to stay home. Which is prob. How this thing will spread all over the place. So what its going to end up being is by the end of the week, my guess is their will be allot of cases. It will just take a couple of bone heads to get this to spread it around.. Not to mention kids at schools are getting it, their parents had it, went to the grocery stores out in public, airborne anyone they came in contact with prob, have it, their is prob, ALLOT more cases then being reported right now.. Think about it..

[edit on 27-4-2009 by Adrifter]

I dont know if it known but in Sweden 5 people are beeing tested. No confirmation yet, but at least some of those 5 has recently visited Mex.

"Minst fem svenska patienter håller på att testas för svininfluensa, uppger virolog Mia Brytting på Smittskyddsinstitutet för TT. Åtminstone några av dem har varit i Mexiko."

www.dn.se...

Aupdate; 6 people now..
www.aftonbladet.se...



[edit on 27-4-2009 by gusan]

[edit on 27-4-2009 by gusan]

[edit on 27-4-2009 by gusan]

#UK Health Secretary Alan Johnson says 25 suspected cases of swine flu are under investigation
twitter.com...

When I find a more information on this I will add a link...

Originally posted by BeyondPerception
3 suspected cases in Bielefeld, Germany

Original German Link
www.presseecho.de...

Google Translated page...
translate.google.com... ate0=
[edit on 4/27/2009 by BeyondPerception]

I live in Bielefeld, Germany!
LOL!

I'll keep you guys on track about what's happening over here.

[edit on 27/4/2009 by zolom]

# World Health Organization to increase pandemic alert today.less than a minute ago from web

Prince Edward Island health officials in Canada say they are investigating 8 more potential cases of human swine flu, the Guardian

The news updates are happening quite fast. I would suggest to people to keep checking Alertnet for updates. The site is designed to alert humanitarians in the event of emergencies and crises around the globe.

Reuters Alertnet

www.alertnet.org...

There are suspected cases in Guatemala and Peru. Another WHO emergency meeting is being held. It looks like the Pandemic alert is about to be upgraded.

this thing is spreading ridiculously fast, something doesnt seem right

Man this is VERY crazy right now i am in Kansas and since it is here i should just avoid the malls, or any large gathering of people? Or maybe just stay home for a long time. ??

The WHO are holding an emergency meeting today (brought forward from tomorrow, obviously they know the situation is worsening). I hope they move to level 4 and advise all nations to restrict travel.

The UK hasn't yet seen any confirmed cases as far as I know (the ones reported yesterday were not Swine Flu). But having confirmed cases in Spain and France should result in restrictions on travel between those countries and the UK.

Remember there is a difference between "suspected" cases and "confirmed" cases.
And those cases in other countries have not yet become fatal.


Incidentally, they've just reported on Sky news another three suspected cases in:

Switzerland
Guatemala
Peru

# The CDC has announced a news conference for 1 p.m. Eastern time to provide an update on the international swine flu epidemic.less than a minute ago from BNO Headquarters

# Sources indicating WHO may still be reviewing whether to increase pandemic alert level.2 minutes ago from web

# Swiss, Peru and Czech health officials are now also investigating suspected cases of swine flu. It are the first reported cases in there.less than a minute ago from BNO Headquarters



[edit on 4/27/2009 by Hx3_1963]

reply to post by mrfire9


I am your neighbor in MO, What you should do if you have any contacts with the hospitals is see how many people are hitting the ER........It takes 48 hours before a test comes back +/-...............See if you can find info and post here.......

I know Boston is having cases, but you don't see it in the news.....YET

S.C. school closed over possible swine flu

An independent Newberry school is closed today after 13 students and three chaperones returned from a trip to Mexico with flu-like symptoms.

Source

hmmmm Captain Tripps ring a bell?
I kept my son home today....wanna see how this all pans out...

Is there a list of countries we can follow or do we have to make our own?

I would like to have a list of countrys and status updates.
Like;
Sweden 6 cases none confirmed
Spain x cases x confirmed
Mexico x cases x confirmed x death


An so on..with links to sources.


[edit on 27-4-2009 by gusan]

Originally posted by Hx3_1963

# Sources indicating WHO may still be reviewing whether to increase pandemic alert level.2 minutes ago from web

[edit on 4/27/2009 by Hx3_1963]

I thought it was level 3 already?

UK Health Minister Alan Johnson has said, in a statement, that if you have flu you should go straight home - implies there is a potential case involve a human-to-human transmission.

reply to post by infinite



Yeah i was watching his speech too..... There was a lot of "alluding" to the seriousness of this, without directly saying it.



[edit on 27/4/09 by blupblup]