The Swine Flu Virus
The World Health Organization declared the swine flu a pandemic today (Thursday) — the first global flu epidemic in 41 years — as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere.
Tico Times editors note: As of this writing there have been ONLY a couple of new reported cases of swine flu in Costa Rica and no reported new deaths. Costa Rica is still a safe place to travel.
WHO said it decided to raise the pandemic warning level from phase 5 to 6 — its highest alert — after holding an emergency meeting on swine flu with its experts.
The long-awaited pandemic decision is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly circling the globe. It will trigger drugmakers to speed up production (and profits) of a swine flu vaccine and prompt governments to devote more money toward efforts to contain the virus.
WHO said in the statement, urging nations not to close borders or restrict travel and trade. “(We) remain in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers.”
However, fear has already gripped Argentina, where thousands of people worried about swine flu flooded into hospitals this week, bringing emergency health services in the capital of Buenos Aires to the brink of collapse. Last month, a bus arriving in Argentina from Chile was stoned by people who thought a passenger on it had swine flu. Chile has the most swine flu cases in South America.
On Wednesday, WHO said 74 countries had reported nearly 27,737 cases of swine flu, including 141 deaths. In the United States, where there have been more than 13,000 cases and at least 27 deaths from swine flu, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the move would not change how the U.S. tackled swine flu.
The last pandemic — the Hong Kong flu of 1968 — killed about 1 million people.
The ordinary flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people each year.
More on this Article from Yahoo News
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