Message from David & Orly Perez: The Swine Flu has been declared a pandemic today. Please take care when traveling and good personal hygiene, such as washing hands, covering nose when sneezing is advised… be safe and take that any extra precautions whenever possible.
Article 1:
Influenza pandemic alert raised to phase 6
11 June 2009 — On the basis of available evidence and expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. The Director-General of WHO has therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6. “The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic,” she said at a press conference today.
WHO declares swine flu pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global flu pandemic after holding an emergency meeting.
It means the swine flu virus is spreading in at least two regions of the world with rising cases being seen in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile.
WHO chief Dr Margaret Chan said the move does not mean the virus is causing more severe illness or more deaths.
The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has since spread to 74 countries.
“ We have evidence to suggest we are seeing the first pandemic of the 21st century ”
Dr Margaret Chan, WHO director-general
Official reports say there have been nearly 30,000 cases globally and 141 deaths with figures rising daily.
Hong Kong said it was closing all its nurseries and primary schools for two weeks following 12 school cases.
It is the first flu pandemic in 40 years – the last in 1968 killed about one million people.
However, the current pandemic seems to be moderate and causing mild illness in most people.
Most cases are occurring in young working age adults and a third to a half of complications are presenting in otherwise healthy people.
Dr Chan said: “We have evidence to suggest we are seeing the first pandemic of the 21st century.
“Moving to pandemic phase six does not imply we will see increased in deaths or serious cases.”
She added it was important to get the right balance between complacency and vigilance and that pandemic strategies would vary between countries depending on their specific situation.
“ It is global and fulfilling the requirements of a pandemic ”
Professor John Oxford, flu expert
And the WHO do do not recommend closure of borders or any restrictions on the movement of people, goods or services.
But the picture could change very quickly.
“No other pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely,” Dr Chan said.
One factor which has prompted the move to a level six pandemic was that in the southern hemisphere, the virus seems to be crowding out normal seasonal influenza.
The move was not prompted by the situation in any one country but the reports of several pockets of community spread, officials said.
The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes, in Geneva, says that while the number of cases has made the declaration inevitable, the WHO will have to manage the global anxiety the declaration of a pandemic will generate.
Experts have warned that poorer nations, especially those in the southern hemisphere now heading into their winter season, face the greatest risk from the flu pandemic.
Pandemic planning
There have been more than 800 cases in the UK with some areas of Scotland being particularly hard hit.
The government has been stockpiling antivirals such as Tamiflu and has ordered vaccine, some doses of which could be available by October.
SWINE FLU – THE BASICS
# Symptoms usually similar to seasonal flu – but deaths have been recorded
# It is a new version of the H1N1 strain which caused the 1918 flu pandemic
# Current treatments do work, but as yet there is no vaccine
# Good personal hygiene, such as washing hands, covering nose when sneezing advised
Chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson said the WHO declaration of a pandemic would not significantly change the way the UK was dealing with swine flu at the moment.
But he added there could be some minor changes to who received antivirals.
“The declaration of a pandemic per se doesn’t make a big difference to the to the way we are handling the outbreaks we have.
“We are going to continue to investigate every case that occurs and treat their contacts with antivirals even though they may not be ill.
“The difference is that the Health Protection Agency has learnt a lot about approaching this question of antiviral prophylaxis and they are going to be treating the closer contacts of the cases, rather than the more far-flung contacts, because they feel that that is supported by what they know so far about how the disease is transmitting.
He added: “These flu viruses can change their pattern of attack, so when we come into the flu season in the autumn and winter in this country, when we expect a big surge of cases, we need to watch very carefully to see if the character of the virus is changing.”
“ There is concern that the virus might mutate in the southern hemisphere over its winter and become more virulent, but there’s no sign of that yet ”
Fergus Walsh BBC’s medical correspondent
Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said a move to level six means that countries need to be ready to implement pandemic plans immediately but the UK was already operating at a “heightened state of readiness”.
But it could affect the speed at which the UK gets pandemic vaccine supplies but that had been factored into pandemic planning.
Flu expert Professor John Oxford said people should not panic as the outbreak was milder than others seen in the past century.
“It is global and fulfilling the requirements of a pandemic but I don’t think anyone should worry because nothing drastic has happened between yesterday and today.”
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8094655.stm
Published: 2009/06/11 16:11:35 GMT
© BBC MMIX
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Article 2:
from: http://www.who.int/en/
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_pandemic_phase6_20090611/en/index.html
World now at the start of 2009 influenza pandemic
Dr Margaret Chan
Director-General of the World Health Organization
Ladies and gentlemen,
In late April, WHO announced the emergence of a novel influenza A virus.
This particular H1N1 strain has not circulated previously in humans. The virus is entirely new.
The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries.
This is only part of the picture. With few exceptions, countries with large numbers of cases are those with good surveillance and testing procedures in place.
Spread in several countries can no longer be traced to clearly-defined chains of human-to-human transmission. Further spread is considered inevitable.
I have conferred with leading influenza experts, virologists, and public health officials. In line with procedures set out in the International Health Regulations, I have sought guidance and advice from an Emergency Committee established for this purpose.
On the basis of available evidence, and these expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met.
I have therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6.
The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic.
We are in the earliest days of the pandemic. The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch.
No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning. The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness.
We have a head start. This places us in a strong position. But it also creates a demand for advice and reassurance in the midst of limited data and considerable scientific uncertainty.
Thanks to close monitoring, thorough investigations, and frank reporting from countries, we have some early snapshots depicting spread of the virus and the range of illness it can cause.
We know, too, that this early, patchy picture can change very quickly. The virus writes the rules and this one, like all influenza viruses, can change the rules, without rhyme or reason, at any time.
Globally, we have good reason to believe that this pandemic, at least in its early days, will be of moderate severity. As we know from experience, severity can vary, depending on many factors, from one country to another.
On present evidence, the overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms and make a rapid and full recovery, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment.
Worldwide, the number of deaths is small. Each and every one of these deaths is tragic, and we have to brace ourselves to see more. However, we do not expect to see a sudden and dramatic jump in the number of severe or fatal infections.
We know that the novel H1N1 virus preferentially infects younger people. In nearly all areas with large and sustained outbreaks, the majority of cases have occurred in people under the age of 25 years.
In some of these countries, around 2% of cases have developed severe illness, often with very rapid progression to life-threatening pneumonia.
Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years.
This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people.
Many, though not all, severe cases have occurred in people with underlying chronic conditions. Based on limited, preliminary data, conditions most frequently seen include respiratory diseases, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity.
At the same time, it is important to note that around one third to half of the severe and fatal infections are occurring in previously healthy young and middle-aged people.
Without question, pregnant women are at increased risk of complications. This heightened risk takes on added importance for a virus, like this one, that preferentially infects younger age groups.
Finally, and perhaps of greatest concern, we do not know how this virus will behave under conditions typically found in the developing world. To date, the vast majority of cases have been detected and investigated in comparatively well-off countries.
Let me underscore two of many reasons for this concern. First, more than 99% of maternal deaths, which are a marker of poor quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, occurs in the developing world.
Second, around 85% of the burden of chronic diseases is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries.
Although the pandemic appears to have moderate severity in comparatively well-off countries, it is prudent to anticipate a bleaker picture as the virus spreads to areas with limited resources, poor health care, and a high prevalence of underlying medical problems.
Ladies and gentlemen,
A characteristic feature of pandemics is their rapid spread to all parts of the world. In the previous century, this spread has typically taken around 6 to 9 months, even during times when most international travel was by ship or rail.
Countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection.
Guidance on specific protective and precautionary measures has been sent to ministries of health in all countries. Countries with no or only a few cases should remain vigilant.
Countries with widespread transmission should focus on the appropriate management of patients. The testing and investigation of patients should be limited, as such measures are resource intensive and can very quickly strain capacities.
WHO has been in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers. I understand that production of vaccines for seasonal influenza will be completed soon, and that full capacity will be available to ensure the largest possible supply of pandemic vaccine in the months to come.
Pending the availability of vaccines, several non-pharmaceutical interventions can confer some protection.
WHO continues to recommend no restrictions on travel and no border closures.
Influenza pandemics, whether moderate or severe, are remarkable events because of the almost universal susceptibility of the world’s population to infection.
We are all in this together, and we will all get through this, together.
Thank you.
Article 3: from http://www.truthout.org/061109HA
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global flu pandemic after holding an emergency meeting, according to reports.
It means the swine flu virus is spreading in at least two regions of the world with rising cases being seen in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile.
The move does not necessarily mean the virus is causing more severe illness or more deaths.
The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April.
It has since spread to 74 countries.
Official reports say there have been 28,000 cases globally and 141 deaths and figures are rising daily
It is the first flu pandemic in 40 years – the last in 1968 with Hong Kong flu killed about one million people.
The current pandemic seems to be moderate and causing mild illness in most people.
One factor which may have prompted the move to a level six pandemic was that in the southern hemisphere, the virus seems to be crowding out normal seasonal influenza.
It is thought the move was not prompted by the situation in any one country, but the reports of several pockets of community spread.
Pandemic Planning
There have been almost 800 cases in the UK with some areas of Scotland being particularly hard hit.
The government has been stockpiling antivirals such as Tamiflu and has ordered vaccine, some doses of which could be available by October.
Chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson said the WHO declaration of a pandemic would not significantly change the way the UK was dealing with swine flu at the moment.
But he added there could be some minor changes to who received antivirals.
“The declaration of a pandemic per se doesn’t make a big difference to the to the way we are handling the outbreaks we have.
“We are going to continue to investigate every case that occurs and treat their contacts with antivirals even though they may not be ill.
“The difference is that the Health Protection Agency has learnt a lot about approaching this question of antiviral prophylaxis and they are going to be treating the closer contacts of the cases, rather than the more far-flung contacts, because they feel that that is supported by what they know so far about how the disease is transmitting.
He added: “These flu viruses can change their pattern of attack, so when we come into the flu season in the autumn and winter in this country, when we expect a big surge of cases, we need to watch very carefully to see if the character of the virus is changing.”
Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said a move to level six means that countries need to be ready to implement pandemic plans immediately but the UK was already operating at a “heightened state of readiness”.
But it could affect the speed at which the UK gets pandemic vaccine supplies but that had been factored into pandemic planning.
Flu expert Professor John Oxford, said people should not panic as the outbreak was milder than others seen in the past century.
“It is global and fulfilling the requirements of a pandemic but I don’t think anyone should worry because nothing drastic has happened between yesterday and today.”
————
Swine Flu – the Basics
• Symptoms usually similar to seasonal flu – but deaths have been recorded.
• It is a new version of the H1N1 strain which caused the 1918 flu pandemic.
• Current treatments do work, but as yet there is no vaccine.
• Good personal hygiene, such as washing hands, covering nose when sneezing advised.
Fires, Floods Pressure Australian Government on Climate Monday 09 February 2009 » by: James Grubel, Reuters Forest fires raged across southeastern Australia last weekend, amounting to the country’s worst wildfires in 25 years. In this Saturday photo, a fire truck retreats from a blaze 80 miles west of Melbourne. (Photo: AP) Canberra, Australia – Australia’s deadliest wildfires increased pressure on the national government to take firm action on climate change on Monday as scientists said global warming likely contributed to conditions that fuelled the disaster. At least 130 people were killed in wildfires, set off by a record heatwave in southern Victoria state over the past week days, while large areas of Queensland state remain flooded by tropical downpours. Scientists said Australia needed to prepare for more extreme weather events due to global warming, while the Greens and environmentalists said the fires and floods proved the government needed to toughen its targets to curb Greenhouse emissions. “It’s very clear, both globally and in Australia, there has been a warming trend since about 1950,” leading Australian climate scientist Kevin Hennessy told Reuters. “In a nutshell we can say the heatwaves and the fires we’ve seen in Victoria recently may be partly due to climate change through the contribution of increased temperature. “Going forward, we anticipate there will be continued increases in greenhouse gases and that locks in a certain amount of warming, and in the case of southern Australia further drying, and this will increase the fire weather risk.” Australia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change because of its hot, dry climate, with the nation’s south in prolonged drought and temperatures tipped to rise by 3 degrees Celsius by 2050 across the tropical north and desert interiors. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has set a target to cut overall greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent by 2020, and will only cut further, to about 15 percent, if there is widespread international agreement on tougher action. But Green groups want Australia, which creates about 1.5 percent of global emissions, to cut emissions by at least 25 percent by 2020 as an example to the developing world, particularly India and China, about the need to take firm action. Greens climate spokeswoman Christine Milne said all Australians had been deeply touched by the fire tragedy and the increased risk of fires from global warming. Staring at the Future “As the community comes together to heal, we also will need to grapple with the fact that climate change is with us and is dramatically increasing Australia’s bushfire risk,” Senator Milne said in a statement to Reuters. “Over the last few days, we Australians have looked our own future in the face.” Rudd, elected to power in late 2007, promised voters to take firm action on climate change. He has also promised to introduce carbon trading from July 2010 to help curb greenhouse gas emissions, with the laws to hit parliament in May. Brian Fisher, a leading climate policy analyst and economist, said it was crucial for Australia to try to influence the world’s top emitters to rein in greenhouse gas pollution. “The key issue is what we can persuade others to do in concert with Australia. That determines what will happen to the world’s climate,” said Fisher, an author for the UN Climate Panel’s Second, Third and Fourth Assessment Reports. Bushfires and tropical floods are a normal part of Australian life, and can be crucial to help natural ecology. More than 250 people have died from bushfires in the past 40 years, making fires the most dangerous natural hazards in Australia. But after years of drought, and with record high temperatures in Victoria over the weekend, fuelled by hot north winds blowing down from Australia’s arid centre, the conditions were set for a major disaster. “I have never seen weather and other conditions as extreme as they were on Saturday. The fire weather was unprecedented,” said Sydney University bushfire analyst Professor Mark Adams. “We do not have all the evidence yet to fully explain this day in terms of climate change. However, all the science to date shows that we can expect more extreme weather in the years to come — that includes hotter days and drier landscapes across southern Australia.” ——– (Additional reporting by David Fogarty; Editing by Jeremy Laurence) From: http://www.truthout.org/020909EA
