The woman died early on Tuesday and had been hospitalised since April 19, said Leonel Lopez, Cameron County epidemiologist.
Health officials stopped short of saying that swine flu caused the woman?s death. State health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the woman had 'chronic underlying health conditions' but wouldn?t give any more details.
It was the second death attributed to the virus on US soil following the death earlier this month of a Mexican toddler who had travelled to the United States.
Health experts have said the H1N1 swine flu, which has killed 26 people in Mexico, appears mild and does not seem to be spreading aggressively outside North America. But Mexican citizens and goods have faced quarantines and bans.
The United States has 403 confirmed cases of the swine flu in 38 states, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said, with another 700 'probable' cases.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned that 'those numbers will go up, we anticipate, and unfortunately there are likely to be more hospitalisations and more deaths.' Canada has reported 165 cases.
The global health alert over the previously unknown virus, which has infected more than 1,300 people in 22 nations, has also stirred trade and diplomatic tensions as alarmed governments take protection measures to avoid contagion.
An AeroMexico plane on Tuesday picked up dozens of Mexicans stranded in China after they were quarantined there. Mexican President Felipe Calderon condemned the measure as discrimination against his compatriots.
China, which was badly hit by a Sars epidemic in 2003, says it acted correctly, and along with Russia and more than a dozen other countries has imposed a ban on Mexican meat products, despite expert views that the pork contagion risk is minimal.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Tuesday the risk of catching the H1N1 flu virus from pork was 'totally negligible.' Following up on its diplomatic protest to China, Mexico told the World Trade Organisation on Tuesday it was 'deeply disappointed' by what it called 'divisive measures' applied by some WTO members against its pork products.
'Mexico urgently requests all its trading partners to eliminate any restrictive measures established on Mexican products, which are not in accordance with the scientific information available,' the Mexican statement said.
US and Canadian pig and pork exports have also been hit by bans which rattled the US$26 billion (S$38 billion) a year global pork industry, in which Mexico, the United States and Canada are among top exporters.
-- REUTERS, AP
Originally posted by superlibra:So.. in a nutshell, Indonesia is chilling out under the hot sun coz they claim the H1N1 virus can't survive tropical weather. Where else in Singapore, we're all getting kiasi and ready.. Hmm..
Possible H1N1 can't tolerate higher tempature.
Singapore to lower flu alert to yellow over next five days
SINGAPORE - Singapore said Wednesday it will lower its alert
level for the A(H1NI) flu next Monday if the current situation remains,
as the new strain of influenza A(H1N1) virus appears milder than
originally feared.
Authorities, however, will maintain temperature checks at the airport,
sea ports and land border while passengers arriving from Mexico would
still be placed under quarantine, the health ministry said in a
statement.
Screenings for flu-like symptoms at offices, schools, buildings and
events will be lifted. The one visitor per patient rule at hospitals
will also be lifted.
If the situation remains the same, the alert level will
progressively be downgraded to "yellow" by Monday from the current
"orange", the ministry said.
"The new strain of influenza A(H1N1) seems milder than originally feared and appears to be more like seasonal flu," it said.
"However as the situation is still evolving, we would need to
constantly review and adjust our responses and be prepared to deal with
changing threat."
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told a news conference on Wednesday that Singapore will remain vigilant and act nimbly.
--CNA
South Korea confirms third H1N1 flu case
South Korea has confirmed its third case of the H1N1 flu.
The latest case is a 62-year-old woman, and is recovering well.
She had returned from North America on the same flight as Seoul's first confirmed sufferer.
The country last Saturday confirmed its first infection, a 51-year-old nun who returned late last month via the US from a mission to Mexico.
She was discharged from a military hospital on Monday, after being treated in quarantine.
The second case was that of a fellow nun aged 44, who picked the 51-year-old up at the airport.
She has also been discharged from hospital.
--938Live
H1N1 kills woman in Canada
The new H1N1 flu has killed its first patient in Canada.
It is the third country after Mexico and the United States to report a death from the virus that has made more than 3,400 people in 28 countries ill.
The chief medical officer in the Canadian province of Alberta said the woman in her 30s who died on April 28 had not travelled to Mexico.
Japan and Australia confirmed their first cases today, although there have been no deaths in either country.
The Canadian woman's death raised the confirmed global toll from the virus to 48.
The World Health Organization kept its global pandemic alert at 5 out of 6 because the new virus was not spreading rapidly outside North America, where US officials expect it to spread to all 50 states.
--938Live
it is flying here soon woo airpork
The swine flu virus could be a tool created to test the spread of a deadly virus created in the lab....to test its effectiveness....
Hope it's not the T or G virus in Resident Evil..i don't want to become a zombie...woooo......
3 NTU students released from quarantine at Aloha Resort
Three students from the Nanyang Technological University were released from quarantine at the Aloha Resort today.
The students were kept there for for seven days after they returned
Mexico, under a mandatory quarantine to contain the Influenza A H1N1 virus.
Friends and family of the students turned up at the resort in Loyang as early as 8 in the morning.
One of them was Mohd Ali, father of 20-year-old Tasneem Banu Ali, one of the three students quarantined.
" I am very happy to see her because I have missed her for a week, so we are glad that we are fetching her back today. She called me everyday when she was there and she is ok. I am sure she missed us and wants to come back. "
21-year-old Sandra Marie Vincent who was also given the green light today, said she was glad to head back home.
" It is ok I am just happy to go back home because after the second day there was nothing much to do and I feel excited to go home and I am happy that there is nothing wrong with me. '
The Health Ministry says there are currently two more people kept under quarantine at the Aloha resort.
One of them is a local and the other is a foreigner.
The mandatory quarantine measure is part of the orange threat alert that was implemented last week, which is to be stepped down to yellow.
Travellers returning from Mexico were told to be quarantined for seven days either at their homes or at makeshift quarantined areas, such as the Aloha resort..
--938Live
my office have to keep taking temperature at night
Singapore to lower flu alert level to yellow on Monday
SINGAPORE: Singapore will lower its H1N1 flu alert level from orange to yellow on Monday.
The Health Ministry says that despite this, it is critical that
Singapore continues to maintain its alertness and vigilance, especially
with the coming winter and flu season in the Southern Hemisphere.
Stringent border controls will still be maintained with temperature screening at air, land and sea checkpoints.
Home quarantine orders will also apply to persons entering Singapore who have travelled to Mexico in the last seven days.
MOH says the aim is to delay the entry of the virus into Singapore for as long as possible.
From Monday, zoning of transfers of patients from hospitals to nursing homes will be lifted.
15 people have been served the Home Quarantine Order since it kicked in on 4 May.
Five of them - three foreigners and two Singaporeans - are still under quarantine.
At the Aloha Loyang Resort in Pasir Ris, which has been turned into
a quarantine centre, waiting parents were eager to see their children
who had been quarantined for the past week.
Three students from the Nanyang Technological University had their home quarantine order lifted on Sunday.
One of them was the daughter of Mohd Ali. He said: "I'm very happy
(to see her quarantine lifted) because I missed her for one week...now,
I am very happy to fetch her (home). She used to call me every day, she
is 'ok' here, she is happy, everything is 'ok'. Of course she misses
us, she wants to come back."
Mr Mohd's daughter was given the home quarantine order after returning
to Singapore from a study exchange programme in Mexico City.
The order requires travellers who arrive in Singapore from Mexico to be quarantined for seven days.
Those kept in quarantine are not allowed to receive visitors. Contact with staff at the resort is also limited to phone calls.
Despite having amenities such as a swimming pool, those quarantined at the resort have to remain strictly indoors.
They also have to conduct daily temperature checks to monitor if they have caught the flu virus.
Those found guilty of violating the Home Quarantine Order can be fined $1,000 or jailed up to six months or both.
In an update, the Health Ministry says it has investigated 33 flu cases so far.
26 cases tested negative for Influenza A, six tested positive for
the seasonal flu strains, and one case is pending laboratory
investigations.
- CNA/ir
One Singaporean left quarantined at Aloha Resort
Only one person is left quarantined at the Aloha Resort in Loyang.
The Singaporean is one out of four people still serving their home quarantine orders or HQOs.
The person is set to finish serving the mandatory seven-day quarantine tomorrow.
The other three - two foreigners and one Singaporean - are serving their HQOs in their homes.
The measure was part of the orange threat alert that was implemented last week.
So far, 15 people have been served with the order.
The alert level climbed down a notch today to yellow.
But HQOs will still be served on people who've had a travel history to Mexico in the past seven days.
The Health Ministry says it's critical that Singapore continues to maintain its alertness and vigilance, especially with the coming Southern Hemisphere winter and flu season.
As part of the vigilance, stringent border controls with temperature screening at air, land and sea checkpoints will continue.
As at 5om yesterday, the Ministry said, it had investigated 33 cases with flu-like symptoms.
Twenty six cases have tested negative for H1N1 and six tested positive for the seasonal flu strains.
One case is pending laboratory investigations.
--938Live
China confirms first mainland case of H1N1 flu
China has confirmed its first case of the new H1N1 flu on the mainland.
State media reported today that a 30-year-old Chinese man who returned to Sichuan province from the United States, was hospitalised with a fever over the weekend.
Chinese health authorities are now searching for around 150 people who took the same flight as the infected man.
They've already tracked down about 150 other passengers and placed them under quarantine.
Reports say that for foreign nationals on the affected flights, Chinese authorities are "persuading them to take quarantine measures.
The news underlines the outbreak's global spread, as the United States reported hundreds more cases and warned of further deaths.
Worldwide, the death toll passed 50 after Costa Rican authorities reported its first fatality from the virus, and the United States confirmed a third death over the weekend.
The World Health Organisation said yesterday that the H1N1 flu strain has infected over 4,300 people in 29 countries.
--938Live
Visa requirements for Mexican nationals lifted from Tuesday
SINGAPORE: Singapore will from Tuesday lift the visa requirement
for all Mexican nationals that was instituted because of the H1N1 virus
scare.
However, screening at checkpoints and quarantine measures for all
individuals with a travel history to Mexico over the preceding seven
days will remain.
And as of 5pm Monday, one more case was sent for further tests,
although the Health Ministry said there was no confirmed case of
Influenza A (H1N1) in Singapore.
Meanwhile Singaporeans might have heaved a collective sigh of
relief as the country revised down the flu alert from orange to yellow
level.
But as far as hospitals are concerned, not much has changed.
Visitors still have to be screened, except there can be two of them
visiting a patient at one time.
Day One of the alert downgrade however created a little confusion amongst some people visiting patients in hospitals.
"We've been waiting from one o'clock to see our friend, to see if
he is okay or not. And they are not letting us go (in). Why is it like
this? Now the government already takes off this alert....no flu. Why
are they giving us so much trouble?" complained a visitor.
Visitors will only be allowed into the wards if they are on the nominated list and pass temperature checks.
While some were not too pleased with these measures, others said it is necessary to prevent Influenza A.
"Changi (Hospital)....also long queue, very long queue. But I think it's necessary to check (body temperature)," said a visitor.
"It was quiet. So it was good for the patients. They were totally
relaxed. There was not the usual noise that you hear on the usual
days," said another.
The Health Ministry says that though screening at workplaces and
schools is no longer necessary, hospitals and clinics need a higher
threshold.
This is because they are most likely to have immune-compromised
patients, or they may even end up seeing the very first Influenza-A
patient.
However, the N-95 masks and full gear have come off, except for high-risk areas like Accident and Emergency departments.
And Medical Officers, whose rotations were frozen, will resume their new postings in two weeks.
Doctors are also now allowed to move between hospitals, although different hospitals have tapered down measures differently.
- CNA/ir
Singapore to boost prepared for H1N1 in next few weeks
Singapore will use the period of respite from the H1N1 virus to boost its preparedness in the next few weeks.
Minister for Health Khaw Boon Wan identified three things that need to be done.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference, he said stocks of personal protection equipment or PPE will be replenished.
He strongly advised the private sector to do the same.
He said companies should also take the opportunity to update their business continuity plans, especially if there gaps detected.
Mr Khaw said his ministry will also conduct a post-mortem of the Singapore experience and plug the gaps identified.
Lastly, Singapore will also learn from affected countries, especially North America.
Teams of experts will be sent to study their experiences.
Mr Khaw also painted a scenario of a confirmed case in Singapore.
Using schools as an example, he said the affected student will be isolated and his close contacts quarantined.
But there isn’t a need for the school itself to be shut.
The rest of the school population should monitor their health and seek medical help urgently at the first sign of a problem.
But he also said there may be a need for a total shutdown.
He painted the scenario of a foreign workers’ dormitory where there’s close proximity.
While he said Singapore could expect some deaths if H1N1 hit our shores, the public should not be alarmed.
Mr Khaw revealed that some 600 people die each year from seasonal flu.
He advised Singaporeans to continue their normal lives.
--938Live
Thailand confirm first two H1N1 flu
Thailand has confirmed its first two cases of H1N1 flu in patients who had travelled to Mexico, becoming the only Southeast Asian nation hit by the virus so far.
Tests carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States had confirmed the Influenze A H1N1 virus in samples from two Thai nationals.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had earlier announced the first case, saying that the patient had fully recovered and has returned home.
The cases were announced just days after Thailand hosted a major conference on H1N1 flu, at which Asian nations agreed to increase their stockpiles of anti-viral medicines.
Health ministers from China, Japan, South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, also urged global health chiefs to ensure fair distribution of medicine in case of a pandemic.
Experts have warned that preventing H1N1 flu from infecting patients who are sick with avian flu should be a top priority, especially in Asia, to prevent the viruses mixing and mutating into a highly pathogenic form.
--938Live
Finland has two cases of H1N1 flu
Finland has two confirmed cases of H1N1 flu.
Juhani Eskola, deputy director general at the National Institute for Health and Welfare did not give any further details.
The spread of the flu to Finland follows the first confirmed Nordic cases being found this month in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
World Health Organisation laboratories have confirmed 4,379 infections with the new strain of H1N1 flu, which the United Nations agency said on Monday has killed at least 49 people.
--938Live
Adrian Gibbs, 75, who collaborated on research that led to the development of Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu drug, said in an interview that he intends to publish a report suggesting the new strain may have accidentally evolved in eggs scientists use to grow viruses and drugmakers use to make vaccines, reported Bloomberg news on Wednesday.
Mr Gibbs said he came to his conclusion as part of an effort to trace the virus's origins by analysing its genetic blueprint.
The WHO received the study last weekend and is reviewing it, Keiji Fukuda, the agency's assistant director-general of health security and environment, said in an interview on Monday.
Mr Gibbs, who has studied germ evolution for four decades, is one of the first scientists to analyse the genetic makeup of the virus that was identified three weeks ago in Mexico and threatens to touch off the first flu pandemic since 1968, said Bloombergt.
A virus that resulted from lab experimentation or vaccine production may indicate a greater need for security, Mr Fukuda said. By pinpointing the source of the virus, scientists also may better understand the microbe's potential for spreading and causing illness, Mr Gibbs said.
Mr Gibbs and two colleagues analysed the publicly available sequences of hundreds of amino acids coded by each of the flu virus's eight genes. He said he aims to submit his three-page paper today for publication in a medical journal.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has received the report and has decided there is no evidence to support Mr Gibbs's conclusion, said Nancy Cox, director of the agency's influenza division. She said since researchers don't have samples of swine flu viruses from South America and Africa, where the new strain may have evolved, those regions can't be ruled out as natural sources for the new flu.
The WHO's collaborative influenza research centres, which includes the CDC, and sites in Memphis, Melbourne, London and Tokyo, were asked by the international health agency to review the study over the weekend, Mr Fukuda said.
The request was extended to scientists at the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, the World Organization for Animal Health in Paris, as well as the WHO's influenza network, he said.
--ST
WHO expert advises against "swine flu parties" as little known about H1N1
SINGAPORE: The World Health Organisation has warned that more
than two billion people could be infected with the H1N1 virus within
the year.
The chances of the virus making its way into Singapore are
extremely high given the high volume of travel between Singapore and
affected countries like America and Canada.
Singapore has yet to see an H1N1 case here and experts said the later it arrives here, the better.
Dr Julie Hall, epidemiologist, World Health Organisation, said:
"We're calling on all governments to be vigilant, to try and detect the
virus as quickly as possible and to try to delay the spread of the
virus.
"One of the reasons for this is provide enough time for vaccine to be
developed. But it's also because, as we said before, this is a virus to
which we don't know the full spectrum of clinical illness, and we don't
know how it will play out."
Dr Hall also touched on increasing calls by blogs and websites that
propose swine flu parties - parties where infected people gather in
order to build up bodily immunity against the virus.
Dr Hall added: "We don't know how this virus behaves. We don't
understand fully the clinical spectrum of the disease that it can
cause.
"We do believe that it is important that people are protected from the
virus as much as possible. And parties to spread it would obviously
increase the amount of the virus around and potentially increase the
risks associated with the exposure to this virus."
- CNA/vm
oh... so it's not in sg yet? thiking of seeking doc cos got flu recently... lolx
WHO meeting to focus on H1N1 flu
H1N1 flu will dominate the World Health Organisation's annual assembly of 193 countries next week in Geneva, eclipsing other issues like tuberculosis and food safety.
The emergence and spread of the new virus caused WHO Director-General Margaret Chan to declare that a global pandemic is imminent.
And public health officials are watching it closely in case it mutates and causes severe symptoms as it spreads.
At the Geneva meeting, delegates will focus on the world's readiness
for a H1N1 pandemic and efforts to ensure that developing countries can
get the antiviral drugs they need to fight the hybrid flu.
Vaccine development will also be a major topic.
Dr Chan will hold meetings with pharmaceutical executives to discuss a shift in production to H1N1 vaccines from, or alongside, those for seasonal flu.
The WHO is hosting a preparatory conference call on that topic on Thursday.
--938Live
Malaysia confirms 1st H1N1 case
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/429421/1/.html
Funny thing is, they're insisting countries to do exit screening... at e same time at their checkpoint, they can't be bothered to install thermal scanner other than KLIA
MALAYSIA BOLEH!~ SEMUA BOLEH!~
Originally posted by sbst275:Malaysia confirms 1st H1N1 case
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/429421/1/.html
Funny thing is, they're insisting countries to do exit screening... at e same time at their checkpoint, they can't be bothered to install thermal scanner other than KLIA
MALAYSIA BOLEH!~ SEMUA BOLEH!~
Malaysia's top health official, Ismail Merican has confirmed the country's first case of H1N1 flu.
This follows a statement from the Malaysian health ministry giving details of the country's first case.
It said that the patient is a 21-year-old male student who returned from the United States on Wednesday.
He came down with fever, sore throat and body aches yesterday, and was admitted into a quarantine facility in central Selangor state on the same evening.
The statement added that the man is now in a stable condition.
Malaysia's health authorities are tracking down all passengers who shared the same flight as the man from Newark in the United States to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
They're also seeking anyone who has come into contact with the student since his return.
Dr Tan Sze Wee, council member of the Singapore Medical Association, says that Singaporeans should remain alert for the possibility of the virus passing through our borders.
--938Live
It's a matter of time when S'pore will see H1N1 case
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) says it is a matter of time when Singapore will see an Influenza A (H1N1) case.
An MOH spokesman, who was responding to media queries on Malaysia
confirming its first H1N1 case, said Singaporeans should not be
surprised by this development.
The spokesman added that the Malaysian health authority had
informed its Singapore counterpart that there were no Singaporeans and
also no passengers connecting to Singapore onboard the flight taken by
the confirmed Malaysian case.
He said the infected person in Malaysia is reported to be in stable
condition and will likely recover fully - as in many other cases
elsewhere - because he had sought medical treatment as soon as symptoms
appeared.
The spokesman added that prompt treatment will lead to full recovery, unless there are other underlying medical conditions.
He also said the only way to avoid infection is for people to maintain
a high standard of personal hygiene and be socially responsible by
staying at home if they are unwell and wearing a mask if they are on
the way to see a doctor.
- CNA/ir
Malaysia confirms second case of the H1N1 flu
Malaysia has confirmed its second case of the H1N1 flu, just a day after announcing its first.
The second case was identified in a patient at a hospital in the northern island state of Penang.
The online version of The Star newspaper reported that the patient is a friend of Malaysia's first confirmed case.
The first case is a 21-year-old student who is now being treated at a hospital in Selangor state for fever, sore throat and body aches.
Both had recently returned from the United States.
A health ministry spokesman told Reuters that a statement on the second case was being drafted for release later.
Malaysian health authorities have urged passengers on the same flight, originating from New York on the 11th of May, to contact its operations room.
--938Live
WHO says H1N1 flu will spread further
The World Health Organization says the H1N1 flu
will spread further across the world, as the number of confirmed cases
surged by more than 1,000.
Acting WHO Assistant Director General Keiji Fukuda told reporters that
studies indicated a significant number of people had been infected, but
remained undetected or unconfirmed by laboratory tests.
WHO Director General Margaret Chan noted the virus had quickly
demonstrated its capacity to spread easily from one person to another,
to spread widely within an affected country and to spread rapidly to
additional countries.
The latest WHO data showed 7,520 people in 34 countries are confirmed
to have caught the influenza H1N1 virus, up 1,000 from Thursday.
According to the figures, most of the deaths had occurred in Mexico, where officials said the death toll rose by two to 66, with 2,829 having been infected there.
US health officials also upped the number of deaths in the country from three to five, reporting that one person had died in Arizona as well as a young man in Texas.
Meanwhile, experts have warned that the fallout from the swine flu epidemic is hitting the travel industry hard, and international tourism risks sliding heavily if it is upgraded to a pandemic.
--938Live