During March, Mexico saw unusual patterns of acute cases of respiratory infection. On 18 April, a laboratory in the United States reported two human cases of swine flu—the result of a novel reassortment of influenza A strain H1N1 from avian, swine, and human strains—in two children from California. A week later, on 25 April, the World Health Organization declared the swine flu outbreak in North America a "public health emergency of international concern." This decision, in accordance with the International Health Regulations, means that countries have been asked to step up reporting and surveillance of the deaths and illnesses associated with the disease. On 29 April, the International Health Regulations emergency committee recommended a change from WHO pandemic influenza phase 4 to phase 5. This means that WHO views a pandemic as imminent.
From 17 April to 26 April, 1840 suspected cases of flu with severe pneumonia was reported in Mexico, 26 of which have been confirmed as swine flu. More than 150 people have died, and many have been in the 20-40 year age range. As of 28 April, 64 human cases had been confirmed in the US (45 in New York, 10 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas, and one in Ohio). The picture is highly fluid, but cases have also been confirmed in Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Israel, and suspected cases have been reported in France, South Korea, and Brazil. No deaths were reported outside Mexico till then.
In the United States, new cases seemed to fade as warmer weather arrived in May. But in late September 2009, officials reported there was significant flu activity in almost every state and that virtually all the samples tested are the new swine flu, also known as (A) H1N1, not seasonal flu. In the U.S., it has infected more than one million people, and caused more than 600 deaths and more than 6,000 hospitalizations.
India is also one of the severely affected countries. The Health ministry declared that the total number of Swine flu affected individuals in India has crossed the 11000 mark and the death toll rose to 351 on 5 October. Pune, in Western India, with a population of nearly 4 million, has become the epicentre of the disease for India. Testing labs are unable to keep up with the flood of samples reaching them every day. The National Institute of Virology in Pune gets 600 samples a day, but has the capacity to test only half that number. The Indian government has installed compulsory health screeninfacilities foror passengers from flu-affected countries at 22 international airports, according to a recent update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad assured worried citizens that India has plenty of Tamiflu, the drug used to treat swine flu. It has not yet been put on open sale in India.
The Health Ministry of China announced 13,262 patients have been confirmed with the A(H1N1) influenza .There have been no deaths from the disease and 8,805 patients have been cured. Out of 1,540 more confirmed cases from Sept 19 to Sept 21, 1,531 patients were infected locally and nine cases were from overseas. But to surprise China on October 6 announced its first swine flu death, saying a patient in its south western Tibet region had died from the disease and warning the threat from the disease could soon worsen. In response, the government had "urgently" sent 200,000 doses of influenza A (H1N1) vaccine to the region since Sunday's death in a bid to contain the virus, China's health ministry said in a statement on its website. China -- hit hard in the past by bird flu and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) -- took swift and tough measures against the virus when it first emerged in the Americas. This included strictly quarantining scores of foreign tourists and students merely for arriving on flights on which a virus sufferer was found. But China has warned of a spike in cases and deaths during the winter flu season.
I get a flu shot every year, does that mean I’m immune?
No. The seasonal flu shot will not protect you from swine flu. As swine flu is a newly introduced virus, it wasn’t part of the recommended flu vaccine.
Natural immunity from earlier strains of influenza A donot offer protection against swine flu. Federal health officials released Tamiflu for children from the national stockpile and began taking orders from the states for the new swine flu vaccine. The new vaccine, which is different from the annual flu vaccine, is available ahead of expectations. More than three million doses were to be made available in early October 2009, though most of those initial doses were of the Flu Mist nasal spray type, which is not recommended for pregnant women, people over 50 or those with asthma, heart disease or several other problems. But it was still possible to vaccinate people in other high-risk groups: health care workers, people caring for infants and healthy young people. The injectable doses were expected to be available in later weeks.
High-risk groups
• Chronic (long-term) lung disease,
• Chronic heart disease,
• Chronic kidney disease,
• Chronic liver disease,
• Chronic neurological disease,
• Diabetes mellitus.
• Patients who have had drug treatment for asthma within the past three years,
• Pregnant women,
• People aged 65 and older, and
• Young children under five.
If a person has a fever or high temperature (over 38°C/100.4°F) and two or more of the following symptoms, then he may have swine flu:
• Unusual tiredness,
• Headache,
• Runny nose,
• Sore throat,
• Shortness of breath or cough,
• Loss of appetite,
• Aching muscles,
• Diarrhoea or vomiting.
And the best way to prevent is:
• Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Staying home from work or school if you are sick
The pandemic has now reached 168 countries. Responses to pandemic flu are grounded in notions of national sovereignty. Analyses of national plans have highlighted strategic inconsistencies, resulting in the potential for political tension. One area of confusion is that of border control; evidence shows that border screening is an ineffective means of control, and WHO is resisting calls to issue recommendations for travel restrictions. However, several countries including the UK, US, India, China have recommended restrictions on travel. . But as the disease moves into the developing world, where rates of chronic disease are high and health systems typically poor, it has become an emergency to act on.
