This, my friends, is why you can never be too careful anymore about your surroundings. Yes, I am that nut that always has anti-bacterial wipes/liquid around and this is exactly why I do it; to protect my family. I have heard more & more people complaining about these mystery illnesses they have heard of someone having or they themselves are getting and I do believe you can never be too careful.
If you have a minute, this is serious stuff you should be aware of.
...might I add that I feel like I'm watching 24 in the real world? Scary!
"(CNN) -- The United States stepped up preparations for a possible swine flu epidemic, and Canada confirmed its first cases on Sunday as researchers worked to determine how contagious the virus could be.
Keiji Fukuda, the assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, called the outbreak "serious" on Sunday. Researchers are still trying to determine how easily the virus is transmitted person to person and it's too early to predict whether there will be a mild or serious pandemic, said Fukuda.
Dr. Alejandro Macias, an epidemiologist and adviser to the federal Ministry of Health, told CNN en Español that the official death toll was at 86. Macias said five more deaths in Mexico City had been reported to federal authorities by local authorities in the city.
Earlier, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said 81 deaths were suspected to be from the outbreak and 374 people remained hospitalized. Another 929 people have been examined and sent home, he said.
"These people have shown up at some medical institution in the country with respiratory symptoms that required to be studied and diagnosed," he said.
Mexico City closed all of its schools and universities until further notice because of the virus, and troops passed out filter masks outside the National Cathedral on Sunday morning. No masses were scheduled at the cathedral, but dozens of worshippers put on masks and went inside the church to pray on their own.
Public Health Emergency
According to the World Health Organization, a public health emergency is an occurence or imminent threat of illness or health conditions caused by bioterrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or highly fatal infectious agents or toxins that pose serious risk to a significant number of people.
At a White House news conference Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the emergency declaration is standard procedure -- citing that one was declared for the inauguration and for recent flooding. Mexican Finance Minister Augustin Carstens said Sunday that the World Bank was lending Mexico $205 million to deal with the outbreak. "We are getting an immediate loan of $25 million for the requisition of medicines, medical equipment and epidemiological equipment and in addition, $180 million to build up strategic operational and institutional capacities to deal with this issue," he said.
Russia announced it is banning meat imports from Mexico and the southern United States due to the outbreak of swine flu, the Interfax news agency reported. Passengers arriving in Russia from Mexico and the United States also will be screened for swine flu, the news agency reported, by having their temperatures taken upon arrival.
Canada confirmed six cases of mild illnesses on Sunday, and the United States reported 20. Meanwhile, Spain, Israel and New Zealand were investigating possible but unconfirmed cases.
In Washington, the head of the Centers for Disease Control said 20 cases had been confirmed in five U.S. states by noon Sunday. The largest number of cases was in New York, where the CDC confirmed cases in eight students at a preparatory school in that city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.
Another seven cases have been confirmed in California, two each in Kansas and Texas and one in Ohio, said Dr. Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director. Only one person has had to be hospitalized, but Besser said authorities are likely to see "a broader spectrum of disease" in the days ahead.
"Given the reports out of Mexico, I would expect that over time we're going to see more severe disease in this country," he said.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones said the symptoms seen there -- headaches, fevers, coughs and muscle aches -- were mild by the standards of serious flu cases. But he added, "It's still pretty miserable."
The U.S. government declared a public health emergency -- a step Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said "sounds more severe than really it is."
"This is standard operating procedure and allows us to free up federal state and local agencies and their resources for prevention and mitigation," she said.
The outbreak "is of great concern to the White House," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, but, he added, "It's certainly not a time to panic."
"If you're sick, stay home, get treatment, go see a doctor," Gibbs told reporters. "The government is taking all the steps it needs to and must do to take the precautions to deal with whatever size and scope we may be facing,"
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N24459334.htm
California expects to find more new flu cases 25 Apr 2009 01:35:24 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Repeats to some points; updates with California expecting more cases of flu)
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES, April 24 (Reuters) - California's top health officials said on Friday the state expects to find more cases of the new strain of flu that has killed up to 60 people in Mexico and infected eight in the United States, calling the outbreak still "largely a mystery."
California, home to six of the U.S. cases, said it was coordinating with federal and international officials in what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called a "rigorous and thorough" response to the still-unfolding health crisis.
"When you start looking more intensely you are likely to find more cases," said Dr. Gil Chavez, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health and the state's chief epidemiologist.
"There's evidence of possible human-to-human transmission going on, so the more we look the more we are likely to find," Chavez told Reuters in an interview.
Chavez said the state was studying the profiles of the cases so far found and ramping up testing of hospitalized patients in an effort to understand the outbreak.
"We are watching this very closely. Its largely a mystery. Its very unusual whenever you have as many as even six cases (of swine flu), that's very, very rare," Chavez said.
"To have that happen in six unrelated instances in California and have none of those individuals having come in contact with each other is very unusual so we are very much trying to stay on top of it," he said.
Chavez said that because symptoms of the new strain of swine flu so closely resemble more common respiratory flu strains, it was likely other cases had not been detected.
Health officials were advising Californians to take precautions and had alerted hospitals across the state to use "extreme infection control" measures.
Chavez said even stronger steps, including monitoring those crossing the border or even quarantines, could be considered depending on the extent or severity of the outbreak.
"This is something we believe we identified early and have responded to very aggressively and we are taking every step necessary to solve the mystery," he said.
Schwarzenegger said California had requested extra flu experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and was expanding lab testing and testing and monitoring of animals. The state has activated its Joint Emergency Operations Center and been in communication with officials in Mexico.
The governor advised Californians to take "common-sense" steps to avoid contracting the flu, including covering the nose and mouth when sneezing, washing hands often with soap and water and avoiding close contact with others.
Four of Mexico's suspected cases have been reported in Mexicali, which shares a border with California. [ID:nN24445632] (Editing by Todd Eastham)"
If you have a minute, this is serious stuff you should be aware of.
...might I add that I feel like I'm watching 24 in the real world? Scary!
"(CNN) -- The United States stepped up preparations for a possible swine flu epidemic, and Canada confirmed its first cases on Sunday as researchers worked to determine how contagious the virus could be.
Keiji Fukuda, the assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, called the outbreak "serious" on Sunday. Researchers are still trying to determine how easily the virus is transmitted person to person and it's too early to predict whether there will be a mild or serious pandemic, said Fukuda.
Dr. Alejandro Macias, an epidemiologist and adviser to the federal Ministry of Health, told CNN en Español that the official death toll was at 86. Macias said five more deaths in Mexico City had been reported to federal authorities by local authorities in the city.
Earlier, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said 81 deaths were suspected to be from the outbreak and 374 people remained hospitalized. Another 929 people have been examined and sent home, he said.
"These people have shown up at some medical institution in the country with respiratory symptoms that required to be studied and diagnosed," he said.
Mexico City closed all of its schools and universities until further notice because of the virus, and troops passed out filter masks outside the National Cathedral on Sunday morning. No masses were scheduled at the cathedral, but dozens of worshippers put on masks and went inside the church to pray on their own.
Public Health Emergency
According to the World Health Organization, a public health emergency is an occurence or imminent threat of illness or health conditions caused by bioterrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or highly fatal infectious agents or toxins that pose serious risk to a significant number of people.
At a White House news conference Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the emergency declaration is standard procedure -- citing that one was declared for the inauguration and for recent flooding. Mexican Finance Minister Augustin Carstens said Sunday that the World Bank was lending Mexico $205 million to deal with the outbreak. "We are getting an immediate loan of $25 million for the requisition of medicines, medical equipment and epidemiological equipment and in addition, $180 million to build up strategic operational and institutional capacities to deal with this issue," he said.
Russia announced it is banning meat imports from Mexico and the southern United States due to the outbreak of swine flu, the Interfax news agency reported. Passengers arriving in Russia from Mexico and the United States also will be screened for swine flu, the news agency reported, by having their temperatures taken upon arrival.
Canada confirmed six cases of mild illnesses on Sunday, and the United States reported 20. Meanwhile, Spain, Israel and New Zealand were investigating possible but unconfirmed cases.
In Washington, the head of the Centers for Disease Control said 20 cases had been confirmed in five U.S. states by noon Sunday. The largest number of cases was in New York, where the CDC confirmed cases in eight students at a preparatory school in that city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.
Another seven cases have been confirmed in California, two each in Kansas and Texas and one in Ohio, said Dr. Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director. Only one person has had to be hospitalized, but Besser said authorities are likely to see "a broader spectrum of disease" in the days ahead.
"Given the reports out of Mexico, I would expect that over time we're going to see more severe disease in this country," he said.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones said the symptoms seen there -- headaches, fevers, coughs and muscle aches -- were mild by the standards of serious flu cases. But he added, "It's still pretty miserable."
The U.S. government declared a public health emergency -- a step Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said "sounds more severe than really it is."
"This is standard operating procedure and allows us to free up federal state and local agencies and their resources for prevention and mitigation," she said.
The outbreak "is of great concern to the White House," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, but, he added, "It's certainly not a time to panic."
"If you're sick, stay home, get treatment, go see a doctor," Gibbs told reporters. "The government is taking all the steps it needs to and must do to take the precautions to deal with whatever size and scope we may be facing,"
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N24459334.htm
California expects to find more new flu cases 25 Apr 2009 01:35:24 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Repeats to some points; updates with California expecting more cases of flu)
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES, April 24 (Reuters) - California's top health officials said on Friday the state expects to find more cases of the new strain of flu that has killed up to 60 people in Mexico and infected eight in the United States, calling the outbreak still "largely a mystery."
California, home to six of the U.S. cases, said it was coordinating with federal and international officials in what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called a "rigorous and thorough" response to the still-unfolding health crisis.
"When you start looking more intensely you are likely to find more cases," said Dr. Gil Chavez, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health and the state's chief epidemiologist.
"There's evidence of possible human-to-human transmission going on, so the more we look the more we are likely to find," Chavez told Reuters in an interview.
Chavez said the state was studying the profiles of the cases so far found and ramping up testing of hospitalized patients in an effort to understand the outbreak.
"We are watching this very closely. Its largely a mystery. Its very unusual whenever you have as many as even six cases (of swine flu), that's very, very rare," Chavez said.
"To have that happen in six unrelated instances in California and have none of those individuals having come in contact with each other is very unusual so we are very much trying to stay on top of it," he said.
Chavez said that because symptoms of the new strain of swine flu so closely resemble more common respiratory flu strains, it was likely other cases had not been detected.
Health officials were advising Californians to take precautions and had alerted hospitals across the state to use "extreme infection control" measures.
Chavez said even stronger steps, including monitoring those crossing the border or even quarantines, could be considered depending on the extent or severity of the outbreak.
"This is something we believe we identified early and have responded to very aggressively and we are taking every step necessary to solve the mystery," he said.
Schwarzenegger said California had requested extra flu experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and was expanding lab testing and testing and monitoring of animals. The state has activated its Joint Emergency Operations Center and been in communication with officials in Mexico.
The governor advised Californians to take "common-sense" steps to avoid contracting the flu, including covering the nose and mouth when sneezing, washing hands often with soap and water and avoiding close contact with others.
Four of Mexico's suspected cases have been reported in Mexicali, which shares a border with California. [ID:nN24445632] (Editing by Todd Eastham)"