Confirmed Cases of Influenza A (H1N1) – Up and Rising

Although the world-wide economy is still stagnant, confirmed cases of the influenza A (H1N1) virus have been rising quickly and spreading expeditiously around the world. Although the financial crisis proved highly contagious, the influenza A (H1N1) had proved even more deadly.

In the United States, in particular, New York City, the death toll for the Influenza A (H1N1) has climbed to 32. As medical professionals warned that although symptom of the H1N1 has showed rather mild effect in most cases, the virus could mutate into a more malicious form and create a more violent attack on human. Therefore, every country should remain alert and vigilant as suggested by the World Health Organization.

However, it seemed that some countries were not taking the most urgent measurements for the disease even though the World Health Organization has issued a pandemic warning of Phase 6 on June 11, 2009. Some irresponsible people still got on the plane and flied thousand miles across the world even thought they had already developed a fever. The worst was that they did not even wear a mask on the plane, spreading the virus to all passengers on board. Thanks to the host carrying the virus, all passengers on board were at risk and would spread the virus to different countries.

If people were not taking all necessary precautions, the H1N1 virus would be more than happy to travel around the world unless all borders were close. However, this would be an impossible protocol as the world had become much closer than 20 years ago because we all lived in a network and no country could act alone but rely on each other. One country down, the chain reaction would start and it was highly contagious.

It is suggested as recommended by the World Health Organization that people who have developed a fever with temperature should stay home and rest. They should not even travel to other country to spread germs. Country with rising confirmed cases should implement more serious quarantine procedures. Do not spread the virus to other countries. Please be reminded that we are dealing with a highly contagious disease.

Phase 6 Now

On Thursday, June 11, 2009, The World Health Organization has issued a new warning, raising the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to 6, indicating that the situation has become very serious and a global pandemic is underway. It also indicated that the H1N1 virus has caused sustained community level outbreaks in two or more countries.

This was the second time which the World Health Organization issued the global flu epidemic almost 40 years ago since the Hong Kong flu in 1968, infecting an estimated 500,000 Hong Kong residents, killing an estimated one million people worldwide.

When it was no longer to contain the virus in one territory, further spread was inevitable. As of June 12, 2009, it was reported that nearly 30,000 influenza A (H1NI) cases have been confirmed in 74 countries with 145 deaths.

Currently, Australia is another country where the H1N1 virus has hit it real hard, totaling of 1,300 confirmed cases so far, including several top sports stars.

However, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director of the WHO urged people to remain calm and said that the raise of the alert to Phase 6 did not imply that we would see increase in number of deaths or very severe cases.

One Virus, Too Many

A 25-year old Mexican was tested positive for the Influenza A (H1N1) virus after he arrived in Hong Kong via Shanghai. The Metropark Hotel, where he stayed was closed immediately after he was confirmed with the infection. As a result, everybody including 200 guests and 100 staff had to put into segregation for 7-day quarantine for fear that there might be a chance of spreading the virus further.

As the city was hard hit by the SARS virus in 2003, officials from the Government acted quickly to respond to this Mexican situation which was exactly the same in 2003 and was still haunted in their minds. In 2003, a doctor infected with the SARS virus came to Hong Kong from Guangzhou. During his only one-night stay in the hotel, he spread a massive dosage of the SARS virus and infected at least 10 different people from various countries. The chain reaction caused a series of outbreak in Canada and Europe.

This time the officials took no chance and traced down everybody including the nearby passengers who sat close to the Mexican in the plane for 7-day quarantine. Even the two cab drivers who took the Mexican to the hospital and from the airport to the hotel was not excluded.

Only one sick person and over 400 people had to be put into isolation. Though the virus is so small and one cannot even see it with the naked eyes, the effect is more like a giant monster.

Please take care of yourself from getting the H1N1 virus.

Influenza A (H1N1) – A New Name for Swine Flu

People were afraid to eat pork because of the widespread of Swine Flu viruses which was originated in Mexico and kept on spreading like wild fire across the Unites States to Europe and now, landing in Asia.

It seemed that the viruses showed no sign of slowing down and the infected cases has reached a new high. People in the world including the World Health Organization called it the ‘Swine Flu” Viruses, deeply agitating the farmers in the United States whose pork was banned by many countries such as China, Dubai and Russia and others even though Government officials repeatedly reassured that swine flu viruses could not be transmitted to human body just by eating pork, providing that the pork was well-cooked. However, more and more people joined the ‘no pork” line. To regain the confidence of the public of eating pork, the swine flu virus was changed to influenza A (H1N1) by the World Health Organization.

As of May 3 2009, the type A has caused 19 deaths and 506 were confirmed human cases of infections in Mexico. As for the United States, 226 were laboratory confirmed human cases of infections, including 1 death.

As for the rest of the world, no death was reported yet and infected cases were Austria (1), Canada(85), Hong Kong(1), Costa Rica(1), Denmark(1), France(2), Germany(8), Ireland(1), Israel(3), Italy(1), Netherlands(1), New Zealand(4), Republic of Korea(1), Spain(40), Switzerland(1) and the United Kingdom(15).