Tag archive for ‘pandemic’
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Swine flu spreading in Japan
The first cases of the new strain of H1N1 influenza were confirmed both in Tokyo and Shiga Prefecture on Wednesday, bringing the tally of infections in the country to 263 along with other cases in Hyogo and Osaka prefectures in western Japan. (Japan Today)
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Swine flu cases soar toward 10,000 worldwide
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon urged people to remain “vigilant and alert” about swine flu on Tuesday as the number of cases around the world shot up to almost 10,000. Previous pandemics had shown flu outbreaks could start mild and worsen, Ban said as he addressed the World Health Organisation’s annual assembly in Geneva. (AFP)
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More than 4,700 swine flu cases now in U.S.
The United States has 4,714 confirmed and likely cases of the new H1N1 swine flu virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday. (Reuters)
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Tracing the swine flu’s ancestry
Once Upon a Time there was a little flu virus. It was probably born in Kansas in late 1917 or 1918, although nobody is really sure. Its name was H1N1. It grew up to be very wicked. (Washington Post)
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More than 2,500 swine flu cases worldwide
The World Health Organization on Friday reported 2,500 confirmed cases of swine flu in 25 countries, with 44 deaths from the disease. In the United States, the total number of confirmed cases nearly doubled to 1,639 from the day before, with reports coming from 43 states. (CNN)
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Confirmed U.S. swine flu cases at 896
The number of confirmed US cases of swine flu rose Thursday to 896 from 642 in 41 states, according to a daily report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (AFP)
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Swine flu parties: Prudent or ‘totally nuts’ ?
Deliberately get swine flu? What at first appears an absurdity — seeking out infection with swine flu instead of avoiding it — is being actively debated on flu Web sites and by some flu experts. (The New York Times)
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As flu fears subside, specter of a deadlier time haunts officials
Stories about the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic handed down bear an eerie similarity to the present outbreak. (Dallas Morning News)
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CDC reports a jump in confirmed flu cases
U.S. health authorities reported today that the number of confirmed swine flu cases across the nation now exceeds 400 in 38 states, and they repeated warnings that the illness — while no more severe than seasonal influenza so far — is likely to spread over the days and weeks ahead. (Washington Post)
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Was the swine flu response an overreaction?
Was the swine flu pandemic just a lot of hype or did the world mount a credible response to a very real threat and tamp it down? A bioethicist weighs in. (Commentary on MSNBC.com)
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Survivors remember the 1918 flu pandemic
Thanks to their immunity built more than 90 years ago from their brush with one the world’s deadliest pandemics, the survivors of the 1918 Spanish flu could help in a fight against the swine flu. (CNN)
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WHO chief on the unpredictable nature of the flu
The World Health Organization chief says the world needs to maintain a “high level of vigilance.” Margaret Chan also warns that historically, flu pandemics have come in two or three waves, and that the first wave can be very mild. (BBC News video)
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Flu alert level likely to be raised to highest level
The World Health Organization is likely to raise its alert for the swine flu outbreak to the highest level and declare a pandemic, the director tells a Spanish newspaper. The WHO warns against “unnecessary panic” over the decision. (Fox News)
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Number of confirmed worldwide swine flu cases soars
Confirmed cases of swine flu jumped by more than 65 percent Saturday with the World Health Organization reporting 615 people in 15 countries infected with the virus commonly known as swine flu. The organization had reported 367 cases on Friday. The jump in cases was due to ongoing testing of a backlog of specimens. (CNN)
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What scientists know about this virus
Preliminary analysis of the swine flu virus suggests it is a fairly mild strain, scientists say. It is believed that a further mutation would be needed in order for the H1N1 virus to cause the mass deaths that have been estimated by some. (BBC News)
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Obama: Swine flu may be like ‘ordinary flus’
Urging calm but caution, President Barack Obama on Friday said that it is not clear the swine flu outbreak in the United States and other nations is any worse than “ordinary flus.” But he said agencies across the government are preparing for the worst. (MSNBC.com)
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Swine flu continues to spread - but slowly
Slowly but surely, swine flu continued to spread Friday, including to the ranks of the United States military, and across the globe the number of confirmed cases rose from 257 to 331, the World Health Organization in Geneva reported. (The New York Times)
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What we can learn from past pandemics
History offers a dark warning to anyone ready to write off the 2009 H1N1 virus. In each of the four major pandemics since 1889, a spring wave of relatively mild illness was followed by a second wave of a much more virulent disease. (CNN.com)
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Will the flu pandemic be mild, or kill millions?
As the swine flu progresses, officials struggle to figure out what the world is facing. “There may be a possibility that the virus will die out and stop, and that would be the best for us. But it can turn the other way,” said Margaret Chan, the WHO’s director-general. (Analysis by Reuters)
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New swine flu cases confirmed in U.K.
British officials confirmed three new cases of swine flu on Thursday, bringing the nation’s total to eight. Two of those infected live in London, and one lives in the northern city of Newcastle. All eight British cases involve people who had recently traveled to Mexico. Officials are investigating 230 other cases. (Washington Post)
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Companies plan for a swine flu pandemic
While it’s still unclear exactly how severe or deadly the swine flu will be or even how devastating it will be the global economy, U.S. and International health officials are taking the threat very seriously. And as a result, so are many companies. (news.CNET.com)
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WHO decides to not raise flu threat level
GENEVA - The World Health Organization said on Thursday there was no reason to raise a pandemic flu alert to the highest level. But WHO acting Assistant Director General Keiji Fukuda added a note of caution about the southern hemisphere, which is entering into the flu-prone winter season. (Agence France-Presse)
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WHO reports 88 new worldwide swine flu cases
The World Heath Organization has confirmed 236 cases of swine flu infection worldwide, the agency said Thursday, a jump from 148 cases reported the previous day. The largest increase was from Mexico, which has 97 confirmed cases of the virus, compared with 26 cases Wednesday. (CNN.com)
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Scientists see this flu strain as relatively mild
Genetic data indicate the swine flu outbreak won’t be as deadly as that of the 1918 Spanish flu, or even the average winter. (Los Angeles Times)
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Mexico limits pubic services as swine flu alerts increase
As the swine flu virus appeared in new locations as far apart as Peru and Switzerland on Thursday, Mexicans braced for a shutdown of restaurants, schools and soccer stadiums in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease. (New York Times)
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Swine flu death rate slows in Mexico
Swine flu is spreading quickly throughout the world, but the rate of deaths from the illness has dropped, according to the latest Mexican government figures. (London Daily Telegraph)
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President Obama pledges ‘vigilance’ in fight against swine flu
President Barack Obama pledged “great vigilance” in confronting the swine flu outbreak Wednesday night as it began hitting home across the U.S. (Associated Press)
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Mystery: Why does the flu appear to be more severe in Mexico?
Doctors and public health experts are puzzling over what may be the most important question as they search for ways to stop the spread of swine flu: Why does the disease seem to be so much more severe in Mexico than in the United States or anywhere else in the world? (SFGate.com)
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Flu alert level raised to second-highest level
The World Health Organization raised its swine flu pandemic alert to phase 5 on Wednesday, indicating widespread human-to-human transmission. (MSNBC.com)
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A country-by-country list of confirmed swine flu cases
Here are details of the latest number of cases country by
country. (Reuters)
