Oh snap, it's the Swine Fru again!

[CountDeMoney]

New swine flu outbreak hits Japan
WHO convenes as officials eye further spread in Spain, Britain

Associated Press
May 18, 2009

GENEVA — - Health experts are looking very closely at the spread of swine flu among people in Spain, Britain and Japan, a WHO official said Sunday as Japan reported a one-day explosion of over 70 new cases, mostly among teenagers.

The swine flu epidemic is already expected to dominate the World Health Organization's annual meeting, a five-day event that begins Monday in Geneva and involves health officials from the agency's 193 member states.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan will reveal experts' recommendations on the production of a swine flu vaccine sometime at the meeting.

Pharmaceutical companies are ready to begin production, but many decisions have to be made first - such as how much vaccine to make, how it should be distributed and who should get it.

Some experts say there's no question that a swine flu vaccine must be produced but WHO needs to discuss the issue with its members.

As of Sunday, the swine flu virus - which WHO calls the A (H1N1) virus - has sickened at least 8,480 people in 40 countries, killing 75 of them, mostly in Mexico.

Japan's health ministry confirmed dozens of new cases of swine flu in waves of announcements Sunday, prompting the government to shut down schools and cancel public events. By late Sunday, Japan's tally rose from five confirmed cases to 78 - many of them high school students who had not traveled overseas.

Most new cases involved students in the western prefectures of Hyogo and Osaka, and health officials said they were recovering in local hospitals or at home.

Customer service workers at stores, restaurants and train stations in those two regions immediately began wearing masks as a precaution.

"We have not determined how the virus spread in the region, and we are doing our best to track down the route of the infections and contain them," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said.

Japan had established strict quarantines at airports, but decided Saturday to focus on containing the domestic outbreak.

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in-country transmission rates were a key factor in whether the global body decides to increase its pandemic alert level. Right now, the world is at phase 5 - out of a possible 6 - meaning that a global outbreak is "imminent."

Spain and Britain have had the highest numbers of cases in Europe, reporting 103 and 101 cases respectively. Britain announced 14 new cases on Sunday - with 11 of those being transmitted in-country - people who had not traveled to Mexico or the United States but became infected from others who had the virus.

[Brazen]

"Ugh, I think I'm coming down with wine flu" is the latest aphorism for having a hangover hereabouts

[Josquius]

I've became worried about it lately as a online friend actually has caught it.
That we hear nothing about current numbers and even someone I talk to has come down with it fills me with worry.
Silly.
But true.

[Brazen]

I've became worried about it lately as a online friend actually has caught it.
That we hear nothing about current numbers and even someone I talk to has come down with it fills me with worry.
Silly.
But true.

Why so worried about a fever and a sore throat for a few days?

[katmai]

I've became worried about it lately as a online friend actually has caught it.
That we hear nothing about current numbers and even someone I talk to has come down with it fills me with worry.
Silly.
But true.

Why so worried about a fever and a sore throat for a few days?

I got it from a damn dirty nip, so it's the Nipponese flu to me.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Everything is fine.  The Swine Flu will be destroyed by the awesome armed might of the CDC.