Influenza A (H1N1) Latest News Updates
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No human swine flu in S'pore but docs told to be on the lookout
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) says there are currently no known cases of human swine flu in Singapore.
The MOH has alerted all local doctors and healthcare institutions to be vigilant for any suspect cases during this period.
While there are currently no travel restrictions or quarantine advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for swine flu, MOH has advised those travelling to Mexico, Southern California and Texas to take precautions such as avoiding crowded places, people with flu symptoms and washing one's hands regularly.
Anyone developing swine flu symptoms within a week of travelling to these places should seek immediate medical attention.
In its list of frequently asked questions, MOH says swine flu spreads to humans mainly through contact with infected pigs, but limited human-to-human transmission can also occur in the same way seasonal flu occurs in people.
The symptoms are similar to regular human seasonal influenza - high fever in the early stages followed by cough, sore throat, runny nose and sometimes breathlessness a few days later.
MOH says it maintains a comprehensive, well-established disease surveillance system for early detection of human cases with novel influenzas such as swine flu.
If the situation warrants, MOH will step up public health measures such as quarantine of contacts, issue public health advisories and work with other government agencies to screen visitors at border checkpoints.
It also has an influenza pandemic preparedness plan.
The MOH adds that there is currently no evidence to suggest that swine flu can be transmitted to humans from eating pork or pork products that have been thoroughly cooked.--CNA
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Singapore to maintain high alert against swine flu
Though there are no reported cases of swine flu in Singapore, health authorities say they are not taking any chances and will be on high alert.
Melanie Yip with the details.The multi-strain swine flu that is hitting several parts of the world contains genes from a combination of bird, pig and human viruses.
The outbreak has put governments on high alert and claimed scores of lives in Mexico, with more outbreak cases reported in parts of North America.
There may be no reported cases of swine flu here in Singapore, but health authorities say they will be keeping round the clock tabs on the situation, including the manner in which the virus is transmitted, says Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
"Many of the patients have not come in contact with any farms or pigs before. So that means the human to human transmission if quite efficient."
If the swine flu outbreak should develop here, Mr Khaw says he is confident Singapore can draw on its previous experiences dealing with SARS.
But when asked if the borders may be closed to keep the flu away, Mr Khaw explained this would not be an easy thing to do."Should we close the border? I think this is too early a stage because closing a border is not a simple solution. Closing a school in Mexico is easy to make. This is because when there are more than 1,000 cases and for them to make a decision, it is very straightforward. But for a country to close a border, there will be an impact on the economy, on the food supply. So we have to study those carefully."
As for hospitals, they have already stepped up precautionary infection control measures.
Institutions like Alexandra Hospital and the Singapore General Hospital say they are stepping up screening procedures of all patients at the accident and emergency departments, and also checking on patients' recent travel histories.
Medical staff have been alerted to watch out for patients who may have developed flu-like symptoms.
--938Live
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no swine flu but lots of swines in Singapore
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Singapore will be pro-active in handling possible swine flu outbreak
SINGAPORE: Singapore will take a pro-active stance should the threat of a flu pandemic surface following the swine flu outbreak in Mexico.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan also said the SARS epidemic has equipped Singapore with the skills to handle a similar outbreak.
Speaking to reporters at a community event on Sunday, Mr Khaw said the ability of the swine flu virus to spread from human to human makes it especially dangerous, and his ministry is monitoring the situation.
As for the virus spreading to the US, Mr Khaw said it could pose a global threat as the US is well-connected to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it will implement precautionary measures at Changi Airport in light of the outbreak.
From 11pm Sunday, thermal scanners will be deployed to screen passengers on flights arriving from the US. And from 8am Monday, scanners will be deployed at all three arrival halls to screen all arriving passengers.
From Wednesday, scanners will also be deployed at the Budget Terminal and Seletar Airport.
CAAS added that flights in and out of Changi Airport are continuing as normal.
Separately, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a statement that there is no danger of people contracting swine flu from eating pork or pork products.
All pork imports are being tested for the new strain of swine flu virus as a precautionary measure, it said.
Singapore does not import pork from Mexico. But since the beginning of this year, 2,700 tons or 10 per cent of total imports of frozen pork and other pork products were imported from the US.
No chilled pork was imported from the US. Singapore only imported processed pork products from the affected US states of California, Texas and Kansas.
But AVA said properly heated processed products do not pose a risk of swine flu virus.
Singapore only imports pigs from one AVA-accredited farm located on Pulau Bulan, Indonesia. There has been no introduction of pigs from external sources into the farm.
AVA also inspects the farm regularly to ensure biosecurity measures are implemented. On-farm disease situation as well as the health of the pigs imported from the farm into Singapore are also closely monitored.
Other high-level biosecurity measures include strict access of people into the farm, as well as rigorous hygiene and sanitation practices.
Pigs in the farm are also regularly vaccinated against swine influenza.
As for pig lungs - the major target organ in an animal infected by swine flu - AVA said there have been no import of pig lungs into Singapore from any country in the last three years.
- CNA/ir -
Originally posted by QX179R:
Singapore will be pro-active in handling possible swine flu outbreak
SINGAPORE: Singapore will take a pro-active stance should the threat of a flu pandemic surface following the swine flu outbreak in Mexico.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan also said the SARS epidemic has equipped Singapore with the skills to handle a similar outbreak.
Speaking to reporters at a community event on Sunday, Mr Khaw said the ability of the swine flu virus to spread from human to human makes it especially dangerous, and his ministry is monitoring the situation.
As for the virus spreading to the US, Mr Khaw said it could pose a global threat as the US is well-connected to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement it will implement precautionary measures at Changi Airport in light of the outbreak.
From 11pm Sunday, thermal scanners will be deployed to screen passengers on flights arriving from the US. And from 8am Monday, scanners will be deployed at all three arrival halls to screen all arriving passengers.
From Wednesday, scanners will also be deployed at the Budget Terminal and Seletar Airport.
CAAS added that flights in and out of Changi Airport are continuing as normal.
Separately, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a statement that there is no danger of people contracting swine flu from eating pork or pork products.
All pork imports are being tested for the new strain of swine flu virus as a precautionary measure, it said.
Singapore does not import pork from Mexico. But since the beginning of this year, 2,700 tons or 10 per cent of total imports of frozen pork and other pork products were imported from the US.
No chilled pork was imported from the US. Singapore only imported processed pork products from the affected US states of California, Texas and Kansas.
But AVA said properly heated processed products do not pose a risk of swine flu virus.
Singapore only imports pigs from one AVA-accredited farm located on Pulau Bulan, Indonesia. There has been no introduction of pigs from external sources into the farm.
AVA also inspects the farm regularly to ensure biosecurity measures are implemented. On-farm disease situation as well as the health of the pigs imported from the farm into Singapore are also closely monitored.
Other high-level biosecurity measures include strict access of people into the farm, as well as rigorous hygiene and sanitation practices.
Pigs in the farm are also regularly vaccinated against swine influenza.
As for pig lungs - the major target organ in an animal infected by swine flu - AVA said there have been no import of pig lungs into Singapore from any country in the last three years.
- CNA/irI guess SQ flights from Houston would be somewhat affected then... What a nice surprise and I can't imagine the already bad loads to get even worse...
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Screening at Changi airport in view of swine flu outbreak
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, CAAS, has introduced
precautionary measures at Changi Airport in light of the outbreak of swine flu cases in Mexico and the United States.Thermal scanners are now deployed to screen passengers on flights arriving from the US.
Screening of all arriving passengers will take place from 8am today, when thermal scanners will be deployed at the Arrival Halls of Terminals 1, 2 and 3.
And from Wednesday, scanners will also be deployed at the Budget Terminal and Seletar Airport.
Passengers with a higher-than-normal temperature will undergo a more thorough medical assessment.
In a joint statement, CAAS and the Ministry of Health say these precautionary checks are non-intrusive and have no impact on the time needed by passengers to clear the various airport processes.
Flights in and out of Changi Airport are continuing as normal.
Members of the public are advised to postpone or avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.
In the event that travel to Mexico is unavoidable, the public is advised to take precautionary measures such as avoiding crowded areas and maintaining high standards of personal hygiene at all times.
Members of the public are also advised to seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms of swine flu within seven days of travel to California, Texas or Kansas in US, or to Mexico.
CAAS and MOH also advise the public to maintain high standards of personal hygiene, such as washing hands frequently with soap and water.
Those who are sick with respiratory illnesses should avoid crowded areas and wear masks if possible.
--938Live
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regarding the swine flu, i was thinking no news is good news.
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Two cases with travel history to US referred to CDC for swine flu tests
SINGAPORE: There are no known cases of human swine flu in Singapore although two cases have been referred to the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) for further assessment.
According to the Health Ministry, one of them is an American from California who was detected with a higher-than-normal temperature during thermal screening at Changi Airport.
The other is a local resident who had a travel history to the United States and flu-like symptoms. He presented himself at a polyclinic and was referred to the CDC.
Preliminary tests for Influenza A - the presence of which could indicate swine flu - were negative for both cases.
The ministry said all healthcare institutions in Singapore have stepped up their infectious disease control measures to handle any cases turning up at their doorsteps.
Some hospitals have advised their staff in critical areas, such as the Emergency Departments and Intensive Care Units, to don full personal protective equipment.
The ministry added that there is a system of triage in the Emergency Departments where symptomatic patients with a travel history to affected areas, or contact with such persons, will be isolated within the hospitals.
At the outpatient setting, for example - at GPs, polyclinics and TCM clinics, there is also a system where such cases will be referred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Emergency Department for further assessment.
MOH also recommends that hospital visitors limit or postpone their trips to hospitals where possible and maintain high standards of personal hygiene at all times.
It also advises members of the public to postpone or avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.
In the event that travel to Mexico is unavoidable, it has advised the public to take precautionary measures such as avoiding crowded areas, coming into contact with sick persons and maintaining high standards of personal hygiene at all times.--CNA
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Travel industry adopting a wait and see approach on swine flu impact
Travel industry watchers are adopting a wait-and-see approach as they assess if the impact of swine flu developments will push tourism losses to those witnessed during the SARS or September 11 events.
Melanie Yip with the details.
The travel industry may have just been hit by another whammy.
Already, the global recession has forced airlines to reduce capacity, and companies to cut down on travel budgets.
Now, the swine flu outbreak in Mexico and parts of the United States might have added another dampener.
While the company has yet to experience any tour cancellations to the US, CTC Holiday's Senior VP of Marketing and PR, Alicia Seah says she expects passenger demand for long haul destinations to dip slightly.
"I think leisure travellers become more cautious about their options and what to do with their discretionary spending. So with the recent news on the swine flu, it certainly does not bring in more optimism that the long haul travel will recover in the short term. SARS took 6 to 9 months to regain the confidence to travel."
From the informal discussions he's had with members over the past few days, Chief Executive of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, Philip Overmyer says business travel sentiments remain rather positive.
And that's because companies - particularly those with business ties in the US or Mexico - need to maintain their continuity plans if they wish to ride out the present global downturn.
But if the outbreak situation worsens over the coming period, Mr Overmyer does not discount the possibility for business travel to dip.
" I suspect what has happened over the weekend will signigicantly enhance the concern levels. It is probably early to get a solid feeling from companies. But I would expect many of them to seriously look at how this would look on their travel and other operations of their business."
Director of Strategic Intelligence at the Pacific Asia Travel Association, John Koldowski prefers to adopt a cautiously optimistic mindset when assessing the impact of the current influenza outbreak on travel trends.
With the SARS experience behind them, many governments have been swift in the response to implementing control measures.
So the challenge now is managing a fine balance in travellers' expectations.
"One is to manage the actual situation, another is the perception in the minds of the consumers. As we saw with SARS, that event can be all encompassing. That is what we have to deal with and that can get out of control very quickly if we are not careful."
Travellers who still intend to make trips to affected outbreak areas might want to make use of information networks set up by private institutions like International SOS.
There, they can find updates on the swine flu situation, and even travel recommendations.
Separately, the World Tourism Organization says it will also closely monitor the swine flu developments, but adds it is too early to assess the impact on tourism.
--938Live
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There was a huge jump in share prices for companies dealing in pharmacutics/ drugs/ thermal imaging technologies during the opening of the US market on monday.
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a bit scary leh.
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If this strain of virus has the characteristics of a pandemic, then it's only a matter of time before it reaches us.
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Originally posted by rlsh07:
a bit scary leh.
I'm working a few days each week at the airport screening possible flu cases via thermal imaging. Anything also i kenna first =(
For once, I'm grateful for the bio/chemical defense course i've taken during NS.
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S'pore readies for swine flu Temperature screening at hospitals; all SGH staff wearing N95 masks By Radha Basu & Judith Tan
taken from
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_369502.html
NOT just the doctors and nurses, but even general workers at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) were wearing N95 masks on Monday.
Temperature screening stations are up at the accident and emergency wards of public hospitals islandwide. Posters are plastered on walls to tell patients to inform staff if they had been to Mexico, the United States and Canada in the past fortnight.
Singapore, stepped-up checks brought two people to the attention of the authorities. Both were referred on Monday to the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC).
One was a resident here with a history of travel to the US and who had flu-like symptoms. He had gone to a polyclinic, which raised the alert. The other was an American from California whose higher-than-normal temperature was picked up by a thermal scanner at Changi Airport on Monday. Preliminary tests cleared both of them, said the Health Ministry last night.
The mutated strain has genetic elements of avian, swine and human influenza, causing some scientists to argue that the term 'swine flu' is a misnomer. What is dangerous about the strain: It is more contagious than the Sars virus, which killed 33 people here during the 2003 outbreak.
The clinical director of the CDC, Associate Professor Leo Yee Sin, noted that one particularly troubling aspect of swine flu is that victims are infectious, and can thus transmit the disease, even before they get fever or any other visible symptoms.
The infectious period is also relatively long, from a day before symptoms appear until at least a week later. In Sars, on the other hand, a person becomes infectious a few days after the onset of fever. 'Because of the earlier onset of the infectious period, this is harder to manage than Sars,' she said.
Added Dr Asok Kurup, an infectious diseases consultant at SGH: 'That means it is spread without any symptoms, making it 10 times worse than Sars. Can you imagine the global implications if it should be transmitted?' Another big question mark is the level of potency of the virus. While more than 100 people have died in Mexico, the victims in the US have recovered. 'We are only beginning to understand the situation in Mexico and the US, so we don't really know the impact on the individual or in the clinical context,' said Dr Asok.
Prof Leo noted that Singapore is now better prepared to handle disease outbreaks after its brush with Sars. Hospitals have set aside isolation rooms and have systems in place to monitor its own staff for signs of the disease spreading. Also, because it was worried about an avian flu outbreak, it had stockpiled Tamiflu, a drug which is effective against H1N1.
It is understood that experts from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology are rushing to create a test kit for swine flu. Once one is ready, it would take about three hours to determine from a swab of nasal discharge whether the patient has caught swine flu.
Besides medical staff, ordinary Singaporeans too are taking precautions. Pharmacies report that N95 masks are flying off the shelves while travel agencies are readying themselves for cancellations of trips to the US.
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Tamiflu has been too readily available to flu patients that some experts are beginning to doubt its effectiveness in an event of a flu epidemic.
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I haven't relied on flu drugs, so I should be alright there. But I'll be travelling in June, and I wonder where it'll spread to by then.
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oink oink
even the pig can feel the heat
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Singapore raises alert level for swine flu
The Ministry of Health is elevating its alert level from green to yellow.
It says the change is in line with the World Health Organisation raising its pandemic alert phase for the swine flu outbreaks from Phase 3 to Phase 4.
This indicates sustained human to human transmission, capable of causing community level outbreaks, therefore increasing the risk of a pandemic.
MOH said raising the alert level would better brace itself to handle isolated imported cases but no sustained local transmission.
It said so far there are no human cases of swine flu in Singapore.
There are 17 cases in total referred for further medical assessment.
16 have been referred to the Communicable Disease Centre or CDC and one case was seen at SGH.
Three cases referred to the CDC, including the two referred yesterday, have all tested negative.
The case seen in SGH has tested negative as well.
Most of the other new cases are Singaporeans who have recently returned from the United States.
Cases seen at the CDC and in the other hospitals would undergo a preliminary test for Influenza A, the virus type associated with swine flu and the circulating strains.
The preliminary test result will be available within a day but confirmation of the swine flu strain will take up to 7 days.
MOH says all healthcare institutions in Singapore have intensified their infectious disease control measures under the heightened Yellow Alert level.
Some of these precautionary measures have been proactively implemented while still in green status.
Additional measures include donning full personal protective equipment, rescheduling elective admissions, cutting down visitors to patients, and recording of contact particulars of visitors.
MOH says these will help reduce unnecessary exposure and facilitate contact tracing when the need arises.
Hospitals will also restrict inter-hospital movement of patients and staff, except in emergencies.
Polyclinics and specialist outpatient clinics are also setting up triage centres to manage symptomatic patients with a travel history to affected areas, or contact with such persons.
As for the airports, thermal scanners will also be deployed at the Budget Terminal and Seletar Airport from tomorrow.
The scanners will also be deployed at the arrival halls of Singapore’s International Passenger Terminal and Regional Ferry Terminal at Habourfront Centre and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to screen all arriving passengers.
Thermometers will be used at West Coast Pier, Marina South Pier, Changi Ferry Terminal and Changi Point Ferry Terminal to screen all arriving passengers.
In addition, health alert notices containing information about swine flu will be handed out to arriving passengers.
MOH advises members of the public to postpone or avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.
In the event that travel is unavoidable, the public is advised to take precautionary measures such as avoiding crowded areas and maintaining high standards of personal hygiene at all times.
When they return, they should continue to maintain high standards of personal hygiene and to monitor their own health.
Those who have travelled to affected places and who develop respiratory illness with fever within seven days after their return should put on a surgical mask and seek medical consultation immediately.
They should also disclose their travel histories to their doctors.
MOH also advises the public to maintain high standards of personal hygiene.
Those who are unwell with respiratory illness should stay at home and wear a surgical mask if possible.
MOH has also stocked up about 1.15 million courses of Tamiflu and 50,000 courses of Relenza.
That’s sufficient to treat Singaporeans should the need arise.
Members of the public are advised against stock piling these antiviral drugs.
The Ministry warned that indiscriminate use of the drugs may ultimately limit their effectiveness as drug-resistant viruses may develop.
MOH says it’s monitoring the situation closely and will update the public should there be any new developments.
More information on swine flu can be obtained from MOH’s website at www.moh.gov.sg
You can also call its hotline at 1800-333 9999.--938Live
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Asia readies for swine flu after hard past lessons
Before swine flu emptied restaurants and cinemas and made surgical masks a common sight in Mexico, similar scenes unfolded in Asia earlier this decade as it dealt with the back-to-back health emergencies of SARS and bird flu.
Both of those episodes offered lessons that have helped China, Vietnam and other countries prepare for the latest global health crisis, experts and officials say.
Among the chief lessons: countries must openly and honestly exchange information, vigilantly monitor for illness, aggressively quarantine suspected patients and thoroughly prepare emergency plans.
"If there's anything good that came out from SARS and avian influenza, it's that we now have better preparedness in China as well as in the rest of the world," said Hans Troedsson, the World Health Organization's representative in China. "What is important is a transparency and an openness not only with the WHO but also with the public."
Severe acute respiratory syndrome, better known as SARS, began as a mystery illness that sickened hundreds in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong in late 2002 and early 2003 with symptoms fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
Chinese officials were flummoxed by the disease and failed to inform the WHO of the outbreak for weeks, restricting media coverage in order to preserve public confidence.
The disease spread outside the mainland in February 2003 when an infected 64-year-old doctor checked into a Hong Kong hotel. He later died in a local hospital, but not before he had infected 16 other hotel guests. Among them were tourists from Singapore and Canada and an American businessman who then traveled to other places, spreading the virus internationally. Also infected was a Hong Kong resident, who spread the virus to another 143 people.
Within weeks, SARS had spread worldwide, infecting more than 8,000 people from 37 countries before it disappeared. More than 770 people died _ 299 from Hong Kong alone.
In the wake of that epidemic, governments began sketching a playbook for dealing with disease outbreaks. Hong Kong built a special hospital unit dedicated to handling infectious diseases and improved isolation facilities and ventilation at other hospitals. Thermal imaging equipment to detect high body temperatures were installed at airports and border-crossings across Asia and elsewhere.
SARS "gave us a lot of valuable insight and practical experience in managing a large-scale outbreak that eventually spread to other parts of the world. That certainly has prepared us very well for what may come," Hong Kong Undersecretary for Food and Health Gabriel Leung said at a press conference Monday.
An increased awareness of personal hygiene _ wearing masks and washing hands frequently _ during SARS also contributed to a sharp decline in regular flu cases in 2003, said Lo Wing-lok, a Hong Kong infectious diseases expert.
In Canada, where SARS killed 44 people in Toronto, the government created the Public Health Agency, whose mission is to prevent and control infectious diseases. Thousands of hospitals, schools and churches now have pandemic plans that they didn't have before SARS.
Countries have also built large reserves of anti-viral drugs. Canada has a national stockpile of 55 million doses of anti-viral drugs. Hong Kong keeps 20 million doses.
Governments moved more aggressively when a second major epidemic hit Asia just months later _ avian influenza. Governments slaughtered hundreds of millions of poultry in a bid to contain the virus. Since then, near yearly outbreaks of bird flu have spread to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
More than 250 people have died from bird flu, mostly from direct contact with infected poultry, but each human infection raises the chances that the virus will mutate, becoming more easily passed among humans and unleashing a global pandemic.
Not all lessons are applicable to the swine flu outbreak. Yuen Kwok-yung, a Hong Kong microbiologist who studied the SARS virus, said some people with swine flu may not show symptoms in the early stages, making it hard to know who and when to quarantine _ a tactic widely used in controlling SARS.
Governments dealing with the swine flu threat have drawn on these experiences and put in effect emergency plans. Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines dusted off their thermal scanners to check for signs of fever among arriving passengers from North America. South Korea, India and Indonesia also announced screening.
Public health officials are being more forthcoming with information.
"This is an illness that was recognized in Mexico around April 15. We heard about it around the world about 48 hours later," said Allison McGeer, director of infection control at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
"We've identified the pathogen, we've confirmed it, we've sequenced the virus and if you look at what's happening now, every physician across Ontario and probably every physician across Canada has had notification from their public health unit about what's happening," McGeer said.
And in China, which was sharply criticized internationally for suppressing information about the SARS outbreaks and dragging its feet on bird flu, the State Council, or Cabinet, reminded officials nationwide to use the disease surveillance network and report any cases promptly.
"Once a suspected case is found in China, it must be made public in a timely way," according to a State Council notice on state broadcaster CCTV. "We must be highly vigilant and take strong monitoring and prevention measures."
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Associated Press reporters Tini Tran in Beijing and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
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Not well? Don't go to Istana on Labour Day
Members of the public intending to visit the Istana grounds to celebrate Labour Day this Friday but are unwell, are advised to seek medical treatment and stay at home.
This is given the current alert level for the swine flu.
The Health Ministry raised its alert level to yellow from green yesterday to better brace itself to handle situations where there may be isolated imported cases but no sustained local transmission.
The Istana grounds will be open to the public from 8.30 am to 6pm on Friday.
--938Live
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Singapore stockpiles enough treatment courses for swine flu
SINGAPORE: There are enough courses of medicine stockpiled in Singapore should an outbreak of swine flu occur here. Hospitals are also freeing up more beds as a precautionary measure should a flu pandemic hit.
At Tan Tock Seng Hospital, if someone shows up with a fever of more than 38 degrees Celsius, has respiratory problems, and has been to affected countries in the last seven days, tests will first be done to determine if the person has one of Singapore's usual circulating flu strains.
If the strain does not resemble the common ones, its genome sequence will be mapped and the person will be quarantined in the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC).
Dr Lyn James, director, Communicable Diseases Department, Health Ministry (MOH), said: "Once we identify patients with this untypical Influenza A, we will do further testing to confirm. At this present time, our capability is to do partial sequencing of this virus for preliminary confirmation.
"We can sequence the critical part of the virus and compare it with the swine influenza virus and this will tell us that it is very, very highly likely to be swine influenza virus."
Currently, it takes up to seven days to confirm a case of swine flu here, but it may be faster once the diagnostic test kit, which is being developed, gets the green light.
As one third of swine flu virus carriers do not show any symptoms, MOH has called on members of the public who have been to affected countries to avoid crowded places for seven days after they return as this is the incubation period for flu.
There were no drugs available to treat SARS when it happened in 2003. But this time round, the drugs Tamiflu and Relenza appear to be effective in treating swine flu, provided that the treatment starts early, within 48 hours of the manifestation of the symptoms.
Doctors have stressed that Tamiflu is not a vaccine and taking it now will adversely impact your ability to fight swine flu should you contract the disease.
There are currently 1.15 million courses of Tamiflu and 50,000 courses of Relenza stocked in Singapore.
Doctors said current vaccines available in the market are not effective against swine flu and there is a chance that the flu could hit more than once.
Professor K Satku, director, Medical Services, MOH, said: "You cannot assume, like in the case of SARS, when it fizzled out, it just fizzled out. The 1918 pandemic came back again and therefore we must understand that there is a possibility a second wave may take place, and possibly even a third. That's what happens sometimes. We must be prepared for the long haul."
Hospitals have been told to postpone elective surgeries, so that beds will be freed up in the event of an outbreak.
- CNA/so -
i call it Babi flu
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Originally posted by sbs8104h:
i call it Babi flu
aiyo, i think i better stay home to be safe
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sorry...error... my class call it Babi flu... Thank god muslims and vegans do not consume pork
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Texas swine flu death first outside Mexico
By Maggie Fox
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A baby in Texas has died of the H1N1 flu strain, the first confirmed death outside Mexico from a virus which health officials fear could cause a pandemic as it spread to two more countries in Europe.
Nearly a week after the threat emerged in Mexico, where up to 159 people have died, a U.S. official said on Wednesday a 23-month-old had died in the state bordering Mexico. A health official said the baby was Mexican and was in the United States for medical treatment.
Richard Besser, acting head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he expected more bad news even though most of the 65 U.S. cases of swine flu were mild.
"We're going to find more cases. We're going to find more severe cases and I expect that we'll continue to see additional deaths," he said.
President Barack Obama said the death showed it was time to take "utmost precautions" against the possible spread of the virus.
Germany reported its first three infections and Austria one, taking to nine the number of countries known to be affected.
"We have about 100 cases outside Mexico, and now you have one death. That is very significant," said Lo Wing Lok, an infectious disease expert in Hong Kong.
TOURISM HIT
France said it would seek on Thursday a European Union ban on flights to Mexico because of the influenza outbreak. Argentina and Cuba have already banned them.
The EU, the United States and Canada have advised against non-essential travel to the popular tourist destination.
Like the baby in the United States, all seven new cases in Europe had recently been in Mexico.
They comprised a Bavarian couple in their 30s, a 22-year-old woman from Hamburg, a 28-year-old Austrian, who was now recovering, and three Britons with mild symptoms -- adults in London and Birmingham and a girl aged 12 in southwest England.
Cases have been confirmed in Canada, New Zealand, Israel and Spain.
The World Health Organisation said it might raise its pandemic alert level to phase five -- the second highest -- if it were confirmed that infected people in at least two countries were spreading the disease to other people in a sustained way.
Before the U.S. death was reported, Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant director for health security and environment, said it could be a "very mild pandemic," adding, however, that influenza "moves in ways we cannot predict."
H1N1 swine flu poses the biggest risk of a large-scale pandemic since avian flu re-emerged in 2003, killing 257 people of 421 infected in 15 countries. In 1968 a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people globally, with twice that number dying a decade earlier.
Stock markets in Asia and Europe rose on Wednesday, partly on optimism the world could be spared a deadly pandemic. However, considerable market uncertainty remained.
The new strain contains DNA from avian, swine and human viruses and appears to have evolved the ability to pass easily from one person to another, unlike most swine H1N1 viruses. It cannot be caught from eating pig meat products but Egypt ordered all its pigs to be slaughtered and some countries, led by Russia and China, have banned U.S. pork imports.
The World Trade Organisation said on Wednesday it had not been told officially of any such bans, and the EU and Japan said they would not follow suit.
DIFFERENT PATTERN
Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said more than 1,300 people were in hospitals, some of them seriously ill, out of a total of about 2,500 suspected cases.
"In the last few days there has been a decline (in cases)," he said. "The death figures have remained more or less stable."
Victims included young adults, a different pattern from common seasonal flu that mainly kills the elderly and infirm. It kills 250,000 to 500,000 people in a normal year, including healthy children in rich countries.
Health agencies advise frequent hand-washing and covering sneezes and coughs to help stop the spread. Experts generally agree that face masks, especially the surgical masks seen on the streets of Mexico City, offer little protection.
The outbreak has deeply affected life in Mexico and ravaged tourism, a key earner.
Mexico City was unusually quiet, with schools closed. Many parents took their children in to work.
All Mayan ruins and Aztec pyramids, dotted through central and southern Mexico, were closed until further notice.
Cruise firms Carnival and Royal Caribbean said they were temporarily suspending port calls in the country and land-based tour groups were calling off trips.
In a sign of how mild many cases outside Mexico have been, New Zealand gave the all-clear for a group of students and a teacher who caught the virus.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said pork, soybean and corn prices had fallen in the past two days and criticised what he said were illogical trade restrictions on pork.
"We want to make sure that a handful of our trading partners don't take advantage of this legitimate concern over public health and engage in behaviour that could also damage the world's economy," said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox, Doina Chiacu and Will Dunham in Washington, Jason Lange, Catherine Bremer Alistair Bell and Helen Popper in Mexico City, Eric Burroughs and Tan Ee Lyn in Hong Kong; Writing by Richard Meares, editing by Andrew Dobbie)