Mexico Confirms 16 Deaths Due to Swine Flu - 60 Others Being Investigated

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...O-2L8Z4q2vDJbw

Swine flu kills 60 in Mexico, moves to US: WHO


GENEVA (AFP) — A rare outbreak of human swine flu has killed at least 60 people in Mexico and spread to the United States where authorities are on alert, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

The WHO has identified swine influenza as a potential source of a human flu pandemic. Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the UN health agency, said hundreds of cases of suspected swine flu -- which regularly hits pigs but rarely affects humans -- have been reported in Mexico.

"To date there have been some 800 suspected cases with flu-like illness, with 57 deaths in the Mexico City area," Chaib added.

Twenty four suspected cases and three deaths were also recorded in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico.

Chaib said there are now seven known cases in the southwestern United States in three clusters -- five in California and two in Texas.

"Meanwhile in Mexico unusual end of season influenza activity began to be noticed at the end of March, peaking in April," the spokeswoman told journalists.

"The virus is being described in the United States as a new subtype of A/H1N1. Mexico so far hasn't said anything about the virus, what type of virus it is," said Chaib.

Most of the Mexican cases were found in healthy young adults with no known record of prior illness.

The WHO said it was in constant contact with health authorities in the United States and in Mexico.

Human outbreaks of H1N1 swine influenza virus were recorded in the United States in 1976 and 1988, when two deaths were recorded, and in 1986. In 1988 a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs according to the WHO.

In recent years the global focus for a pandemic has shifted to the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has spread from poultry to humans, especially in Asia.

[sharon sanders]

Mexico: Respiratory Illnesses - Including Mexico City & Oaxaca

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=100069



Human Swine Flu Infection - California & Texas


http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99824

[sharon sanders]

This is an announcement thread only.

Please post to one of the above threads information about this event.

Thanks everyone!

[gsgs]

Hellblindi at PFI questions the "AFP-interpretation" :

"GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) voiced concern on Friday at a confirmed outbreak of swine flu in the United States and what it called more than 800 human "influenza-like" cases in Mexico, including about 60 deaths"

Note the carefully worded contrast between swine flu in the US and "influenza-like" illness in Mexico. The WHO has not said yet the two are the same.

[Dutchy]

I agree with gsgs: the title of this thread seems misleading.

It is the title of the AFP report, but it seems AFP has got it wrong.

[HenryN]

Commentary

[sharon sanders]

Ok - lets look at the facts -

1. Mexico has an outbreak of a virus that presents like influenza and involves the respiratory system. It has also been referred to as atypical pneumonia. There have been deaths and hundreds of suspected cases.

2. On the border with the United States is an outbreak of a new virus - a swine flu. These cases were found through a monitoring program for the detection of diseases in the border region. So far 7 cases are confirmed and all have recovered. It is transmitted human to human.

3. The government of Canada releases a memorandum warning about the illness circulating in Mexico. There are 10 suspected cases of this disease currently in Canada and 1 person who was very ill, has recovered.

4. In a media conference yesterday the CDC said that they could not confirm if the illness in Mexico is the swine flu illness seen in the 7 cases in the United States.

[Shiloh]

See post 227
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...t=99635&page=8

[gsgs]

change the headline of this thread.

It's misleading.
It's wrong.

It's unnecessarily panicing.
Shame on AFP and Brisbane Times.

[Niko]

WHO concerned at new swine flu in US, flu in Mexico

Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:51am BST
* WHO concerned at US outbreak, 800 flu-like cases in Mexico

* Activates command centre for acute health events

* Mexican authorities to announce test results on Friday

(Adds details, background)

GENEVA, April 24 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) voiced concern on Friday at a confirmed outbreak of swine flu in the United States and what it called more than 800 human "influenza-like" cases in Mexico, including about 60 deaths.

The United Nations agency said it had activated its Strategic Health Operations Centre (SHOC) -- its command and control centre for acute public health events -- but could not say whether it was considering issuing a travel advisory.

U.S. public health officials said on Thursday that seven people had been diagnosed with a new kind of swine flu in California and Texas, while Mexican authorities were due to announce test results later on Friday, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva.

"We are in daily contact with U.S., Canadian and Mexican authorities," Hartl told Reuters.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the virus was a never-before-seen mixture of viruses typical among pigs, birds and humans. All 7 American patients had recovered.

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said Mexican authorities had noticed unusual activity at the end of the flu season in March and April.

"To date there have been some 800 suspected cases with flu-like illness, with 57 deaths in the Mexico City area.

"Similar cases have since been found in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico. The number of suspected cases is 24 suspected cases and 3 deaths," she told a news briefing.

Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordoba said that it was cancelling classes for millions of children in the heart of the country on Friday after influenza killed around 20 people in recent weeks. Mexico's flu season had extended for longer this year. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKLO570990

[AlaskaDenise]

Originally Posted by niman

Commentary

Commentary

Sixty Swine Flu Fatalities In Mexico Confirm Pandemic Start

Recombinomics Commentary 13:30
April 24, 2009

A rare outbreak of human swine flu has killed at least 60 people in Mexico and spread to the United States where authorities are on alert, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

"To date there have been some 800 suspected cases with flu-like illness, with 57 deaths in the Mexico City area," Chaib added.

Twenty four suspected cases and three deaths were also recorded in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico.

The above comment confirm that the in southwestern United States in southwestern United States (see updated map) is the leading edge of a H1N1 pandemic that appears to be centered in Mexico.

These deaths should increase the pandemic phase to 6.

Release of sequences from fatal cases in Mexico would be useful.

.

[AlaskaDenise]

Deadly Mexican Influenza Making Its Way North? Seven in U.S. Ill from Mutated Flu Strain

Human Contact Spreading Mutated Strain of Swine Flu; CDC Expects Number of Cases to Rise; Get Complete Coverage at Healthcare Industry Today

WASHINGTON, April 24 - /EIN NEWS/ An unusual strain of swine flu has infected seven people Texas and Southern California, and the CDC believes that, unlike many animal-borne illnesses, this virus can spread from person to person.

According to the CDC's Nancy Cox, the virus appears to be a mixture of the swine, avian and human strains of influenza. This mutant virus cropping up near the Mexican border comes on the heels of a mystery respiratory illness in Mexico that has baffled the health community. More than 20 people have died from influenza in Mexico, forcing Mexico City to cancel school for millions of children.

Is the world watching the start of a flu pandemic? And its starting point: North America? If not, the mutation of such viruses and spread within the human population is cause enough for alarm.

.............
http://www.einnews.com/pr-news/29449...ted-flu-strain

[AlaskaDenise]

US 'very concerned' about swine flu outbreak
33 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US medical authorities expressed strong concern Friday about an unprecedented multi-strain swine flu outbreak that has killed at least 60 people in Mexico and infected seven people in the United States.

"It's very obvious that we are very concerned. We've stood up emergency operation centers," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Dave Daigle told AFP.

One major source of concern was that the virus included strains from different types of flu.

"This is the first time that we've seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain," said Daigle, adding that the virus had influenza strains from European and Asian swine, but not from North American swine.

In 11 of 12 reported human cases of swine influenza (H1N1) virus infection in the United States from December 2005 to February 2009, the CDC has documented direct or indirect contact with swine.

But the seven known cases of the previously undetected strain in the United States -- five from California and two from Texas -- did not have contact with pigs. The seven people infected have all recovered from the flu.

"We have determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human," the CDC said on its website. "However, at this time, we have not determined how easily the virus spreads between people."

Local and state health officials were interviewing not just the people who were infected but the people with whom they had contact, Daigle noted.

Officials were looking for the source of the infection, Daigle said, adding that US health officials were due to receive samples from Mexico that would be tested at a lab at the centers based in Atlanta, Georgia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified swine influenza as a potential source of a human flu pandemic. Pandemics usually occur every 20 years.

"Our experts and others are saying are not saying it's not a matter of whether but when. And we are past due," said Daigle.

Swine flu is caused by type A influenza and does not normally infect humans but cases have been reported among people, especially those exposed to pigs, the CDC said. Most outbreaks take place during the late fall and winter months.

Swine flu symptoms include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people who have contracted the virus have also reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.

Human outbreaks of H1N1 swine influenza virus were recorded in the United States in 1976 and 1988, when two deaths were reported, and in 1986. In 1988, a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs, the WHO said.

In recent years, the global focus for a pandemic has shifted to the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has spread from poultry to humans, especially in Asia.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...OY6HZaQHXH0VmQ

[AlaskaDenise]

Deadly outbreak of New Swine Flu in Southwest U.S. and Mexico

(ChattahBox) — The World Health Organisation (WHO) bas confirmed an outbreak of swine flu in the United States and hundreds of human “influenza-like” cases in Mexico, including about 60 deaths.

It is still unclear if the Mexican flu virus was the same one implicated in the confirmed swine flu outbreaks in the southwestern United States.

Swine influenza rarely infect humans. There have been about a dozen cases since 2005, but almost all were in farm workers or others in contact with pigs.
World health authorities said on Friday that seven people had been diagnosed with a new kind of swine flu in California and Texas, while Mexican authorities were due to announce test results later today, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the virus ‘A (H1N1) flu strain’ was a never-before-seen mixture of viruses typical among pigs, birds and humans. All 7 American patients had recovered.

None had any contact with pigs, and in two sets of cases, involving a father and daughter and two 16-year-old schoolmates, those infected had contact with each other. That convinced the authorities that the virus was being transmitted from person to person.

Like some human strains, it is resistant to two older flu drugs, amantadine and rimantadine. It is not resistant to Tamiflu or Relenza. However, Tamiflu resistance is common in the H1N1 human flu strain circulating this year, so the swine strain could become resistant to Tamiflu if the viruses mixed in humans or, possibly, in pigs.
http://chattahbox.com/health/2009/04...us-and-mexico/

[AlaskaDenise]

Race on to tackle killer flu in US, Mexico

World health authorities have rushed to tackle flu outbreaks in the United States and Mexico that have killed at least 60 people and have pandemic potential.

Hundreds of people in Mexico have been infected and 60 have died from suspected swine flu, while seven human cases have been confirmed in the United States, a World Health Organisation spokeswoman said.

The WHO, which has identified swine influenza as a potential source of a human flu pandemic, activated its global epidemic operations centre while Mexican authorities closed schools in Mexico City and the centre of the country.

Mexico's Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova urged people to avoid large crowds, shaking hands, kissing people as a greeting, or using the subway.

"This afternoon the epidemic was confirmed by Canadian and US labs to be a new influenza virus," mr Cordova said in a televised statement late Thursday.

But it was unclear if the Mexican flu virus was the same one implicated in the confirmed swine flu outbreaks in the south-western United States.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the "novel" A/H1N1 influenza identified in at least two of the recent cases by US counterparts might have a risk of developing into a pandemic-type virus.

"The infection of humans with a novel influenza A virus infection of animal origins as has happened here is of concern because of the risk, albeit small, that this could represent the appearance of viruses with pandemic potential," the ECDC said on its website.

Referring to "swine flu cases that have broken out in the United States in Mexico," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said there are "now a total of seven known cases in the United States."

They included five in California and two in Texas, in three clusters, Ms Chaib told journalists.

"Meanwhile in Mexico unusual end of season influenza activity began to be noticed at the end of March, peaking in April.

"To date there have been some 800 suspected cases with flu-like illness, with 57 deaths in the Mexico City area," the WHO spokeswoman said.

Twenty-four suspected cases and three deaths were also recorded in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico, she said.

Mexico's health minister reported a total of 20 deaths late Thursday (local time).

"The virus is being described in the United States as a new subtype of A/H1N1. Mexico so far hasn't said anything about the virus, what type of virus it is," Ms Chaib said.

Most of the Mexican cases were found in healthy young adults with no known record of prior illness.

The WHO said it was in constant contact with health authorities in the United States and in Mexico.

Human outbreaks of H1N1 swine influenza virus were recorded in the United States in 1976 and 1988, when two deaths were recorded, and in 1986. In 1988 a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs, according to the WHO.

In recent years the global focus for a pandemic has shifted to the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has spread from poultry to humans and killed 257 of the 421 people infected by the virus since 2003.

WHO experts have pointed out that pigs have been implicated in the emergence of new influenza viruses responsible for two of the previous century's influenza pandemics.

If a pig is simultaneously infected with a human and an avian influenza virus, it can serve as a "mixing vessel" for the two viruses that could combine to create a new more virulent strain.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...25/2552391.htm

[KBD]

what proof is there that what's circulating in Mexico is an aberrant H1N1 of porcine origine?

[AlaskaDenise]

We may get "official" answers at the US CDC media briefing this afternoon at 3:30 EST.

From last article....people in Mexico have been infected and 60 have died from suspected swine flu

.

[HenryN]

Originally Posted by KBD

what proof is there that what's circulating in Mexico is an aberrant H1N1 of porcine origine?

Canada and the CDC have the proof. They just haven't released it. Same is true for additional cases in the US.

[AlaskaDenise]

Mexico Flu Deaths So Far Not Seen Bird-Flu Related

MEXICO CITY -- The death of at least 20 people in Mexico from an unknown strain of influenza hasn't been linked to the dangerous H5N1 strain of bird flu, the World Health Organization said Friday.

"We are still expecting more details but so far we have no indications that this is avian flu," WHO spokesperson Sari Setiogi told Dow Jones Newswires, speaking by telephone from Geneva.

"We have been in constant contact with the Mexican government and from what we know now this is not the H5N1 strain but caused by the H1N1 strain, which is part of the normal influenza A, but the severe form of influenza," she said.

Ms. Setiogi said that although this particular strain of influenza is known to have caused fatalities "it's uncommon and doesn't happen frequently," especially not so late in the year. Mexico's season for influenza A normally ends in December, she added.

Mexico's government has ordered all schools in the greater capital area closed Friday amid the growing influenza epidemic and several rumors circulated in the capital late Thursday that this could be a case of the dangerous high-pathogenic strain of bird flu that has led to deaths in humans.

Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova told local press that preliminary test results from scientists in the U.S. and Canada showed it wasn't avian influenza, and has warned citizens to take extreme caution and avoid greeting others by shaking hands, cheek kisses or any other unnecessary physical contact.

The WHO, in a separate report Friday, said hundreds of cases of swine flu have been reported in Mexico and the U.S. in recent weeks including 57 cases of suspected deaths in the capital area, which is home to about 20 million people.

Setiogi said the WHO is "on alert" about the growing influenza outbreak in Mexico and expects the number of cases in both Mexico and other countries in the region to grow in the coming weeks.

"We are right now on alert and monitoring the developments of this unusual influenza activity. We are still gathering information while the Mexican authorities are doing their investigations, but we are expecting more cases to be reported," she said.

Mexico was declared free of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu several years ago, but the current influenza outbreak has stirred speculation as to how it emerged in the first place.

Local newspapers reported that at least 20 people have already died from the influenza, while some 120 people have been hospitalized within the greater Mexico City region.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124058255179552887.html

[sharon sanders]

There is no confirmation yet.

[AlaskaDenise]

WHO says it is worried about suspicious flu activity, sending help to Mexico


TORONTO — The World Health Organization says it is very concerned about mounting evidence of suspicious influenza activity in Mexico and the southwestern part of the United States.

Mexico's health minister has confirmed that some of the cases of illness there were caused by a swine flu virus that is responsible for at least seven human cases in the United States.

A WHO spokesperson says the emergency committee of experts that would determine whether to raise the global pandemic alert level has been informed WHO may call them into action

Gregory Hartl says the WHO is sending staff to Mexico to help in the investigations and try to get a better picture of what is going on.

Hartl says the WHO is extremely concerned because there is evidence of what looks like a novel flu virus spreading in five places - the two U.S. states and three parts of Mexico.

He says WHO is in continuous contact with the governments of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/can...BgS4czWlyxl2Ag

[Blue]

Originally Posted by niman

Canada and the CDC have the proof. They just haven't released it. Same is true for additional cases in the US.

This looks to be very transmissible. What happens if inadvertently it should be brought to say, Egypt or Indonesia by a traveler? Just wondering...

[gsgs]

> WASHINGTON (AFP) — US medical authorities expressed strong concern Friday
> about an unprecedented multi-strain swine flu outbreak that has killed at least 60 people
> in Mexico and infected seven people in the United States.

AFP can't be trusted

> "This is the first time that we've seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain,"
> said Daigle, adding that the virus had influenza strains from European and Asian swine,
> but not from North American swine.

so, from where is HA then ?

> Referring to "swine flu cases that have broken out in the United States in Mexico,"
> WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib

so, what exactly did she say ?

> but caused by the H1N1 strain

[sharon sanders]

Confirma SSA, 16 muertes por la gripe porcina

El titular de la dependencia, José Ángel Córdova, señaló que al menos 60 personas se encuentran en investigación.



Ciudad de México.- .-El secretario de Salud Federal, José Ángel Córdova informó que el virus de la influenza ha dejado 16 personas muertas ya confirmados y 60 en investigación.
En entrevista para Milenio noticias el funcionario dijo que el virus – que en años anteriores habían sido casos aislados- se adquiere por contacto fácilmente y la peligrosidad es menos que la de gripe aviar.
Dijo además que este virus nada tiene que ver con la carne de puerco ni con tener animales en casa.
El secretario de Salud informó que se aplicaron 19 millones de vacunas en los meses de octubre noviembre y diciembre del año pasado.
Referente a los estados dijo que como los casos son aislados no se tomaron medidas más agresivas.
Córdova Villalobos mencionó que para las personas que vienen del exterior se las dará la información pertinente en aeropuertos y centrales de autobuses así como revisión médica.
Anunció además que será en el transcurso del día cuando se den las indicaciones para el fin de semana.


http://www.milenio.com/node/204265

[sharon sanders]

English version of post #24 above -

SSA confirmed 16 deaths from the swine flu

The head of the agency, José Ángel Córdova, said that at least 60 people are under investigation.



Mexico City .- .- The Federal Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova reported that influenza virus has left 16 people already confirmed dead and 60 in research.
Millennium News in an interview for the official said that the virus - which in previous years had been isolated were purchased easily and is less dangerous than the bird flu.
He also said that this virus has nothing to do with pork or having pets at home.
The Secretary of Health reported that 19 million vaccines used in the months of October, November and December last year.
Referring to statements said that the cases are isolated and were not taken more aggressive measures.
Cordova Villalobos said that for people who come from abroad are given the relevant information in airports and bus and medical examination.
He also announced that it will be the day when they give directions for the weekend.

[sharon sanders]

no link - via email -

Mexico Confirms 16 Deaths Tied to Flu Outbreak, Cordova Says
2009-04-24 15:20:15.753 GMT


By Andres R. Martinez
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Mexico’s government has confirmed
16 people have died from swine flu and another 60 deaths are
being investigated for ties to the outbreak, Health Minister
Jose Cordova said in an interview on Milenio television.
The majority of reported cases have occurred in Mexico City
and nearby areas, he said.

[gsgs]

> The unique strain of swine flu found in seven people in California in
> Texas has been connected to the deadly flu that has broken
> out in Mexico, killing as many as 60 people, NBC News has confirmed.

NBC News, can they be trusted



what confusion to expect in a real pandemic

[AlaskaDenise]

This should be in a WHO thread, but this thread seems to be the best choice.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Swine flu outbreak raises pandemic fears

April 24, 2009 9:15 AM
PARIS - An outbreak of deadly swine flu in Mexico and the United States has raised the specter of a new virus against which much of humanity would have little or no immunity.


About 950 cases and 60 suspect deaths have been reported in Mexico, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In the United States seven people have been infected.


The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said that the infection of humans with an influenza 'A' virus of animal origins is a concern "because of the risk, albeit small, that this could represent the appearance of viruses with pandemic potential."


First identified in 1930, swine flu is a common and sometimes fatal respiratory disease in pigs caused by type A influenza virus.


The disease does not normally spread to humans, though infections are sporadically recorded, especially among people who have been directly exposed to pigs.


The recent cases in Mexico and the United States, however, appear to have spread through human contact.


From December 2005 through February 2009, only 12 cases of swine influenza were reported in the United States. In 1988 a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs.


In 1976, swine flu at an U.S. military base at Fort Dix, New Jersey killed one soldier. Four were hospitalized with pneumonia. At first, experts feared the strain was related to the Spanish Flu of 1918, which killed millions, but the strain never spread beyond the base.


Swine and human H1N1 viruses are not the same, which means that seasonal flu vaccines for humans will not work against the animal variant.


The WHO has identified swine influenza as a potential source of human flu pandemics, which occur roughly every two or three decades. The last true pandemic — "Hong Kong flu" — occurred more than 40 years ago.


In the past, swine flu has rarely been fatal for humans. But scientists fear that a new virus mixing animals strains — from birds, pigs or both — with existing human strains could create a superbug that could sweep the globe and kill millions, as happened nearly a century ago.


Swine flu symptoms include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people who have contracted the virus report runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.


The disease is not transmitted by eating properly cooked pork, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cooking to an internal temperature of 71 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Fahrenheit) kills swine virus, as it does other bacteria and viruses.


Worries about a flu pandemic have focused in recent years on the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has killed around 250 people since 2003, mainly in Southeast Asia, according to the WHO.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Swi...743/story.html

[AlaskaDenise]

Swine Flu, Mexico Lung Illness Heighten Pandemic Risk (Update2)

By Jason Gale and Tom Randall

April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Disease trackers are asking U.S. hospitals to help follow a new strain of swine flu and are trying to determine whether it’s related to hundreds of illnesses and 57 deaths in Mexico.

A previously unseen variant of H1N1 swine influenza has sickened at least seven people in California and Texas, the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday. The World Health Organization said 57 people died among more than 800 in the Mexico City region who developed flu-like symptoms in the past month.

Global health experts are studying whether the U.S. and Mexico illnesses pose a threat of pandemic, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. U.S. hospitals today were asked to collect samples from patients with flu-like symptoms, said William Schaffner, a flu expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.

“This has a sense of urgency about it,” Schaffner, chief of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt, said in a telephone interview today. “They are asking us who work in hospitals to go to our emergency rooms and our pediatric wards to gather specimens and start testing them.”

Investigators haven’t found a link between the California and Texas cases, indicating the virus may be circulating elsewhere, Schaffner said. CDC disease experts will continue investigating whether the outbreaks have a common source, he said. The agency also will host a conference call today with experts, he said.

Threat of Pandemic

Flu can spread quickly when a new strain emerges, because no one has natural immunity. The so-called 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which may have killed as many as 50 million people, began when an avian flu virus jumped to people, experts said.

“We are taking this very seriously,” Gregory Hartl, spokesman for WHO, the Geneva-based United Nations agency, said in a telephone interview today. “We have to get laboratory confirmation of what it is. We need to know how widespread it is.” The Mexico illnesses are affecting “otherwise healthy adults,” Hartl said.

Pandemic Potential

“The infection of humans with a novel influenza-A virus infection of animal origins, as has happened here, is of concern because of the risk, albeit small, that this could represent the appearance of viruses with pandemic potential,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, based in Stockholm, said in a statement.

There’s no evidence a pandemic strain is evolving in the U.S., the European agency said. The CDC reached the same conclusion.

“We don’t think this is a time for major concern,” Anne Schuchat, CDC’s director of respiratory diseases, told reporters on a conference call yesterday.

Authorities in Mexico asked the Public Health Agency of Canada to help identify what’s causing the lung infection that has also spread to five health-care workers, the Ottawa-based agency said in an e-mail yesterday. Mexico Health Minister Jose Cordova canceled classes in Mexico City today and recommended citizens avoid public places.

Canada’s National Microbiology Lab received 51 specimens from Mexico on April 22 and will test them for pathogens. Tests in Mexico found patients had the H1N1 and type-B influenza strains and the parainfluenza virus, the agency said.

Pigs Susceptible

Three main human flu strains -- H3N2, H1N1 and type-B -- cause 250,000 to 500,000 deaths a year globally, according to the World Health Organization, a United Nations agency. Pigs also are susceptible to flu, including the H1N1 subtype.

“It will be critical to determine whether the strains of H1N1 isolated from patients in Mexico are also swine flu,” Donald Low, an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, told the Canadian Press.

The CDC is discussing its cases and viruses with Mexico and the Pan American Health Organization, Schuchat said.

“At this point, we do not have any confirmation of swine influenza in Mexico,” Schuchat said.

Symptoms of the illnesses in Mexico include high fever, headache, eye pain, shortness of breath and extreme fatigue with rapid progression of symptoms to severe respiratory distress in about five days, the Canadian agency said. A “high proportion” of cases require mechanical respiration, it said.

U.S. Sickness

The four males and three females in San Diego County and Imperial County, California, and in San Antonio, diagnosed with swine flu had mild flu-like symptoms. The patients, 9 to 54 years old, included a father-daughter pair and two boys attending the same Texas school.

The virus is contagious and spreading from human to human, the CDC said in a statement on its Web site. The patients began feeling sick from March 28 to April 19. All have recovered and only one was hospitalized, according to the CDC. None had direct contact with pigs.

“That’s unusual,” Schuchat said. “We don’t know yet how widely it’s spreading and we certainly don’t know the extent of the problem.”

As precaution, CDC is preparing the virus as a vaccine seed strain that could be used to make immunizations, she said.

The swine flu virus contains four different gene segments representing both North American swine and avian influenza, human flu and a Eurasian swine flu, CDC said.

Not Seen Before

“We haven’t seen this strain before, but we haven’t been looking as intensively as we are these days,” Schuchat said. “It’s very possible that this is something new that hasn’t been happening before.”

Swine influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type-A influenza that regularly causes outbreaks among the animals, according to the CDC. Swine flu doesn’t normally infect people, though human infections do occur and cases of human-to- human spread of swine flu viruses have been documented.

Infection in pigs is regarded as especially problematic because of the risk of “reassortment” to produce a new virus, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said.

“These mild U.S. cases infected with a novel influenza are not reflecting the emergence of a pandemic strain, but they at least raise the possibility that there has been limited human- to-human transmission,” the health agency said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Jason Gale in Singapore at j.gale@bloomberg.net; Tom Randall in New York at trandall6@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 24, 2009 12:08 EDT
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...&refer=canada#

[rockyman]

MSNBC running as main story...with new details:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30386163/