Rumours Of Swine Flu Causing A Global Pandemic As Public Health Emergency is Declared

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) April 26, 2009 -- Leading a worldwide rush, the Unites States has declared a Public Health Emergency to keep under control the impact of the never before encountered virus, swine flu. In the US there have been 20 cases reported in five states. The cases have been mild, with people recovering from the virus.

Mexico has up to 80 deaths reported, with approximately 1,324 people reported having contracted the virus since April 13th. There are young and healthy people between the ages of 20-40 years of age dying. The Mexican government it appears may have been long-winded in responding to the outbreak in March and early April. Several schools and all public meetings have been cancelled.

The US will move twelve million doses of the drug Tamiflu from a federal stockpile, to where it will be readily available, if required. The five states reporting cases of the virus will be given priority: California, New York, Ohio, Texas and Kansas.

“People need to think of it as a declaration of emergency preparedness,” says Director of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano. Countries around the globe are on high alert for any symptoms that could be construed to be related to the swine flu. It would appear there is evidence of an efficient human-to-human spread of the virus. People are falling victim without having had any contact with pigs.

“The virus has clearly a pandemic potential,” says WHO Director General. Margaret Chan. Pandemics happen when there is a radical mutation of a virus, to which people have no immunity.
Acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Richard Besser, says "The situation is uncertain and unpredictable and likely to be a marathon more than a sprint”.

New viruses are formed when a minimum of two viruses merge. Pigs are known to be especially efficient ‘mixing vessels’. The new swine virus has gene segments of the bird flu, one gene segment from a human flu and two gene segments from a pig virus.

The Avian bird flu is believed to have killed approximately 157 people, while infecting over 335 people. Around 150 million birds are reported to have been affected flu and experts say it could take several years to control the disease in poultry. Southern Asia, Turkey, and Nigeria, have all reported infected poultry. Britain, Austria, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, France and Germany also have confirmed cases. Humans catch the bird flu through contact with live infected birds. Many experts believe the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was Avian flu virus, which killed approximately 40 million people.

The pandemics of 1957 and 1968 in Hong Kong, originated from flu viruses in birds. The threat of a global pandemic was contained in 1976, with some 40 million Americans inoculated in a controversial nation-wide inoculation program. This was brought to a halt when serious, inoculation related neurological conditions were confirmed in several hundred people.

pandemic     swine flu