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Source: http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/viewDoc...ocumentID=1808
Vatican taking cautious, not alarmist, approach to swine flu
Monday 27 July 2009
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Though tens of thousands of people from all over the world crowd together to attend papal Masses, weekly general audiences and Angelus addresses, the Vatican is not taking any extreme measures in the face of the swine flu pandemic, said the director of the Vatican health service.
Dr. Giovanni Rocchi, a professor specializing in infectious diseases, said the Vatican has avoided an alarmist approach to dealing with the H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu, based on the "serious, careful and balanced observation of data coming from the World Health Organization."
He made his comments in an interview published July 24 in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.
The Vatican's Department of Health and Hygiene will continue to offer its usual cycle of flu vaccines to all Vatican employees and family members as it does every year, he said. But it will not be taking any particular steps in prevention unless someone "coming from a country of risk shows warning signs," he said.
This approach does not mean the Vatican is "taking the pandemic lightly," he said.
If recommendations from the World Health Organization warrant it or Italy enacts particular precautions, the Vatican would, in good conscience, temporarily suspend large public gatherings, he added.
Rocchi predicted that swine flu "will surely reach our doorstep in the autumn."
As soon as a specific vaccine to prevent the virus is available, the Vatican health department will be offering it, he said.
The World Health Organization estimates a vaccine effective against the pandemic strain might be available between September and December.
It said fatalities from the H1N1 virus have doubled in the past three weeks, from about 330 at the start of July to more than 700 new cases, adding that further deaths are expected in the future.
As of mid-July, the United States had reported 263 deaths, Canada had 45 and Britain had 29. According to the agency's update July 6, there were 119 deaths in Mexico.
According to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States has been reporting the largest number of new H1N1 cases of any country worldwide. "However, most people who have become ill have recovered without requiring medical treatment," it said on its Web site.
Vatican taking cautious, not alarmist, approach to swine flu
Monday 27 July 2009
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Though tens of thousands of people from all over the world crowd together to attend papal Masses, weekly general audiences and Angelus addresses, the Vatican is not taking any extreme measures in the face of the swine flu pandemic, said the director of the Vatican health service.
Dr. Giovanni Rocchi, a professor specializing in infectious diseases, said the Vatican has avoided an alarmist approach to dealing with the H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu, based on the "serious, careful and balanced observation of data coming from the World Health Organization."
He made his comments in an interview published July 24 in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.
The Vatican's Department of Health and Hygiene will continue to offer its usual cycle of flu vaccines to all Vatican employees and family members as it does every year, he said. But it will not be taking any particular steps in prevention unless someone "coming from a country of risk shows warning signs," he said.
This approach does not mean the Vatican is "taking the pandemic lightly," he said.
If recommendations from the World Health Organization warrant it or Italy enacts particular precautions, the Vatican would, in good conscience, temporarily suspend large public gatherings, he added.
Rocchi predicted that swine flu "will surely reach our doorstep in the autumn."
As soon as a specific vaccine to prevent the virus is available, the Vatican health department will be offering it, he said.
The World Health Organization estimates a vaccine effective against the pandemic strain might be available between September and December.
It said fatalities from the H1N1 virus have doubled in the past three weeks, from about 330 at the start of July to more than 700 new cases, adding that further deaths are expected in the future.
As of mid-July, the United States had reported 263 deaths, Canada had 45 and Britain had 29. According to the agency's update July 6, there were 119 deaths in Mexico.
According to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States has been reporting the largest number of new H1N1 cases of any country worldwide. "However, most people who have become ill have recovered without requiring medical treatment," it said on its Web site.