Influenza A (H1N1) flu cases top 1,000, says WHO
Posted: 05 May 2009 0414 hrs

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UNITED NATIONS: The number of Influenza A (H1N1) flu victims topped the 1,000 mark on Monday as the United Nations' most senior health official warned a second wave of the virus could be far worse.

As Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak, prepared for the reopening on Wednesday of restaurants and businesses shuttered by the A(H1N1) virus, the number of affected countries climbed once again.

Mexico raised its confirmed swine flu toll to 26 deaths on Monday, but said the epidemic appeared to be slowing. The previous toll, given late Sunday, was 22 people dead and 568 infected.

The sense of alarm however grew in Britain when it emerged that another seven people who had not been to Mexico had the virus, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) and US President Barack Obama urged people to remain vigilant.

Acting WHO director-general Keiji Fukuda said there were now 1,025 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, including 26 deaths, spread across 20 countries. One person has also died in the United States.

"In this situation, it's critical that we continue to maintain and strengthen our alert and surveillance," he said.

But WHO chief Margaret Chan told UN officials in New York that despite the continued spread it was not yet time to declare a pandemic.

"We don't know how long we have till we move to phase six. Six indicates we are in a pandemic. We are not there yet."

Chan said the end of the flu season in the northern hemisphere meant that while any initial outbreak could be milder, a second wave could be more lethal, reflecting a pattern seen with the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed up to 50 million people.

Its re-emergence "would be the biggest of all outbreaks the world has faced in the 21st century", she told the Financial Times.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon said the epidemic, which has left the country's tourism industry on its knees, had been contained as officials pledged to re-open businesses this week.

"We have been able to hold or at least reduce the rate of propagation of the virus to contain the epidemic," he said.

Experts, however, cautioned the virus was far from defeated and could yet return with "a vengeance."

UN chief Ban Ki-moon echoed appeals for caution, saying at the UN talks: "There is still much that is not known about this new strain and the dangers it poses.

"We should not allow intense media coverage to alarm us. At the same time, we should avoid a false sense of security if such coverage declines.

"In the face of uncertainty, we must be vigilant."

And Obama also pleaded for vigilance as the United States recorded 286 cases of swine flu in 36 out of the nation's 50 states.

"Certainly you're always hopeful that what you plan for may never come to fruition. But the key is to prepare for any outcome and be prepared to address it," the US leader said.

Such vigilance was also in evidence in Britain, where health officials announced nine new cases, including seven people who had not travelled to Mexico.

Portugal was the latest country to record a case of swine flu, while France announced two new confirmed cases as did Italy, doubling their previous caseloads.

In China, centre of the 2003 SARS outbreak, authorities have been accused of discriminating against Mexicans in a bid to keep out the virus.

Although no case of swine flu has been reported on mainland China, one Mexican who stayed in a hotel in Hong Kong has tested positive.

China sent a chartered plane Monday to pick up 200 stranded citizens from flu-hit Mexico after the two countries reached a repatriation deal.

A Mexican embassy official in Beijing said nearly 70 Mexicans had been quarantined across China including in Beijing, Shanghai and the southern city of Guangzhou even though they had no flu symptoms.

Canadian broadcaster CBC also reported that 25 Canadian students had been quarantined on arrival in northeastern Changchun, even though they showed no signs of the virus.

Canada has recorded 103 cases of swine flu - the third highest number of cases after the United States and Mexico.

Among questions that experts are seeking to answer is why influenza A(H1N1) has led to diarrhoea, which is not commonly reported in typical flu.

In addition, experts are trying to understand why the disease had led to severe pneumonia and death in some young people. - AFP/de