No swine flu cases reported in EU as world readies for pandemic
Fears that the world may be on the brink of a swine flu pandemic grew over the weekend as the number of suspected fatalities in Mexico surpassed the 100 mark. Meanwhile, Brussels is reporting that no cases of the illness have yet been reported within the European Union.
Mexican health secretary Jose Angel Cordova said on Sunday (26 April) the number of suspected cases of people with the flu strain in his country had risen to 1614 with 20 confirmed deaths so far.
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The United States declared its own emergency over the weekend with at least 20 people identified with the virus while cases were also reported in Canada.
On Saturday, the World Health Organisation declared a "public health emergency of international concern" as the new flu strain – a mixture of swine, bird and human viruses – spread in the region.
The European Commission said no cases of the flu have been confirmed in Europe so far.
"We are following very closely the situation as it evolves," said a spokeswoman for the EU executive.
In France however, officials are still monitoring one individual after three other suspected cases turned out to be false alarms.
French health minister Roselyne Bachelot sought to downplay concerns of a global spread, saying: "We cannot confirm that we are facing a pandemic," reports Le Figaro.
In Spain, three people displaying flu-like symptoms are under observation after they arrived in on a flight from Mexico.
China and Russia have put in place quarantine measures at airports to isolate anyone suspected as having the virus.
WHO alert system
In 1997, avian flu killed several hundred people in Asia while in 1968, the "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed 1 million people globally.
The newly detected strain contains genetic material from others that usually affect birds and pigs, and for which there is currently no vaccine, with experts saying one will take several months to develop.
The WHO has currently placed its pandemic crisis alert system on level three and says it needs more information before raising it to level four. Such a move would follow if the virus appears to transfer from human to human in the coming days.
Level five signifies a global pandemic is imminent while level six is a declaration that one is already under way.
Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's assistant director general for health security, said: "We have asked all countries to increase their surveillance."
WHO experts will meet on Tuesday to decide whether to raise the pandemic alert.
As well as the human toll, concerns are growing in Mexico over the economic consequences of the outbreak. Many businesses have temporarily closed, with Mexican tourism and exports also likely to be affected.
The World Bank has already pledged $200 million (€152m) to the country to help it deal with the outbreakH