Mexican flu outbreak

[Technologic]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8017871.stm

Mexican authorities have closed schools and public buildings in the capital in a bid to contain a new flu virus suspected of killing up to 60 people.
Public events were suspended and residents donned face masks as concern grew over the outbreak.
Health experts say tests so far seem to link it with a new swine flu virus that sickened eight in the southern US.
The World Health Organization's head flew urgently to Geneva to oversee the agency's handling of the outbreak.
Margaret Chan curtailed her visit to Washington to return to WHO's headquarters where an emergency committee would likely convene in the coming hours.
The WHO said it had prepared "rapid containment measures" in case they were needed.
"We are very, very concerned," said WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham.
"We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human. It's all hands on deck at the moment."
The WHO is also sending its top experts to Mexico and the US to work with the local officials.
In the US, the White House said it was monitoring events.
US experts said they were taking the virus seriously and working to learn as much as possible about it.
But both the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO said that there was no need at this point to issue travel advisories for parts of Mexico or the US.
US links

Mr Cordova said the virus has so far responded to anti-viral drugs
Mexican authorities suspect the virus may have been involved in the deaths of about 60 people, mostly in and around Mexico City, since mid-March.
Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said that 20 of those deaths were confirmed to be from the new swine flu strain and the rest were being analysed.
More than 900 other people are thought to have been infected.
Mr Cordova said antiviral drugs had so far proved to be effective in combating the illness and the WHO had not yet advised starting developing a vaccination programme.
The BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Mexico City says the authorities have obtained a million doses of such treatment and are distributing them to hospitals across the country.
Officials said most of those killed so far were young adults - rather than more vulnerable children and the elderly.
On Friday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon cancelled a trip and convened his cabinet to coordinate a response.
Masks were being handed out to residents and reports said the streets were far quieter than usual.
Concern growing
Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC, said that preliminary tests on seven out of 14 samples from patients in Mexico had matched the virus found in the US.
Eight people have fallen sick - six in California and two in Texas - with a virus that experts say is a new strain of swine flu. All eight have recovered and only one was admitted to hospital.

SWINE FLU
Swine flu is a respiratory disease found in pigs
Human cases usually occur in those who have contact with pigs
Human-to-human transmission is rare and such cases are closely monitored
Q&A: Swine flu

Dr Besser said more information was needed to determine the extent of the threat posed by the virus but that "concern has grown" since Thursday as more information has come to light.
He said it was not yet known whether swine flu would lead to a major pandemic but that scientists around the world were monitoring developments and taking the threat seriously.
"At the early stages of an outbreak there is much uncertainty and probably more than everyone would like. Our guidelines and advice are likely to be interim and fluid and subject to change as we learn more," he said.
Both the CDC and the WHO say they plan to send experts to Mexico to help investigate the virus.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease which infects pigs. It does not normally infect humans, although sporadic cases do occur usually in people who have had close contact with pigs.
There have also been rare documented cases of humans passing the infection to other humans.
Such cases are monitored very closely because of fears that a new strain of swine flu with the ability to pass from person to person could spark a pandemic.

[no waiii]

America will probs close there boarders now ol:

[GreenCrayons.]

I saw this, im actually worried lol.

[efq]

Lol, its not the end of the world. Theres always the odd outbreak every year, 60 deaths is a bit extreme to the others but as WHO said, they've sent the best and are ready for the worse. The pandemic part is a bit scary, yeah.

My uncle & aunty are in Mexico City on holiday but has gone to Cancun today since this.

[Hiro]

President of Madagascar: "SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN!"

@Voiding: it has the possibility to cause a global pandemic though, with it being a new strain of the H1N1 virus, it's not easy to discover what can cure it with the drugs they have. WHO have discovered that it is a strain of four viruses (North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza A virus subtype H1N1, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe). They have also found that it is immune to amantadine and rimantadine, but susceptible to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). This doesn't mean that there's a cure for it, which could therefore lead to a global pandemic if people travel out of the country etc.

[RedStratocas]

yesssss. i was getting bored with sars and bird flu, which have clearly been killing off millions of people every week just as predicted. but it's nice to have another new virus for scaremongers to give people irrational fears.

[GommeInc]

President of Madagascar: "SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN!

Awww, if only King Julien was the head of Madagascar

This is the first time I've heard of this sort of flu, it serious, but not too serious judging by the article. Hopefully it won't spread and it seems like the Mexican authorities have tackled it well so far (closing schools and so on).

[Fez]

I have a feeling that Mexico will 'take one for the team'

[Ardemax]

well at least it's across a big blue sea

[-:Undertaker:-]

Knowing our country, we'll be last to close our borders.