Swine Flu....The Global Pandemic

All Countries in the world moved quickly to protect themselves as Swine Flu spread throughout the world. Here are some reactions and responses to the growing outbreak all over the world:

- WHO officials said that the health body had been informed on about April 9 of unusual cases of suspicious influenza from Mexico that had begun in late March 2009.

- The first death occurred in southern Oaxaca state Mexico on April 13, 2009.

- Dr Miguel Angel Lezana, Mexico's chief epidemiologist, alerted Pan American Health Organizations on April 16 about alarming occurrence of flu and a typical pneumonia in Mexico.

- US and Canadians laboratories identified the virus on april 24. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak of the never-bfore-seen virus has pandemic potential. But she said that it is still too early to tell if it would become a pandemic.

- Officials believe that Edgar Hernandez, 5 years old, of La Gloria in Mexico's Veracruz state, may have been the first person in Mexico to become infected with the disease.

- South Korea reported on April 28 its first probable case of swine flu after positive preliminary tests on a woman who has just returned from a trip to Mexico

- Mexico ordered restaurants to limit service to takeout as part of a citywide shut down to help contain the spread of swine flu.

- Pakistan has taken precautionary measures at airports and sea ports to monitor the swine flu virus. No case has been reported in any part of the country.

- The Argentine National Migration office decided that all employees in international airports in Argentina must wear facemasks meanwhile the government canceled all inbound flights from Mexico until May 4 among other measures to prevent swine flu from spreading in Argentina.

- Mexico's government kept the country's public venues locked down as it grappled with the new strain of swine flu that is suspected to have killed more than 150 people.

- Three cases of swine flu have now been confirmed in Germany, the latest European country to be hit by the increasingly global outbreak.

- Peru began monitoring passengers on flights from Mexico with swine flu symptoms.

- Countries worldwide have ramped up their border and airport checks and many are advising against non-essential travel to areas where the virus has been found, especially Mexico on April 30, 2009.

- On May 1, 2009 WHO announcement that it was raising the Swine Flu alert to Stage 5, or Pandemic status, is meant as a serious warning that we need to mobilize resources to confront this threat.

Until now Swine Flu is suspected of killing more than people and sickening more than 2400 in Mexico. And US health officials have confirmed 91 cases in 10 states.

Quote from: - The Huffington Post
- FT.com

Picture from: The Huffington Post