Swine flu update WHO level 4 alert

The World Health Organisation ( WHO ) yesterday raised its pandemic threat alert level from level 3 to level 4 as a result of more countries reporting confirmed cases of Mexican Swine flu and evidence that the infection is now passing from human to human in other countries.

In another significant development today a WHO official confirmed that the current assessment was that it was now to late to prevent further spread of swine flu and that the infection can not now be contained.

Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's assistant director general for health security and environment said that "A pandemic is not considered inevitable at this time. The situation is fluid, and the situation continues to evolve."

In the UK a number of travel firms have cancelled trips to Mexico in a further tightening of international travel.

The Scottish honeymoon couple who returned from Cancoun a week ago are reportedly responding well to treatment in isolation. The staff treating the couple who have been named as Dawn and Iain Askham are also being given anti-viral drugs. 22 contacts of the couple have been traced and there are reports that some of these have shown symptoms.

Elsewhere in the in the UK seven suspected cases of swine flu have been reported in Wiltshire and a "handful" are being investigated in Wales.

Authorities in the UK are reporting that they are well prepared for a pandemic outbreak with enough doses of anti-virals such as Tamiflu to treat half the population. This contrasts starkly with poorer countries such as India which have very much lower stocks of anti-virals in relation to the size of their populations.

While reports of confirmed cases continue to emerge from countries around the world there have as yet been no reported deaths from swine flu other than in Mexico. This is a significant and positive factor in what is an increasingly concerning and developing health crisis.

Swine Flu Outbreak Latest Reports

As the death toll from Swine Flu in Mexico rises to over 80 people more and more countries are putting their systems on alert.

With a crisis rapidly developing the World Health Organisation on Sunday described the outbreak of a multi strain variant of Swine Flu as a Public Health issue of international concern. This is a thinly coded way of saying that in their assessment this has the potential to become a worldwide pandemic.

Much remains uncertain at this point. just how virulent and infectious is this strain of swine flu and how deadly is it? Will it lose some of it's power as it transmits from person to person?

Following the initial Mexican swine flu outbreak there have now been reports of possible outbreaks in four US states. On Saturday there were thought to be 20 suspected or confirmed cases with the latest figures on Sunday suggesting 11 actual confirmed cases. Confirmed cases were reported from California ( 7) Texas (2) and Kansas ( 2).

On Saturday Texas health officials confirmed they were to close Steele High School in the San Antonio suburb of Cibolo to reduce the risk “to students, staff and the community.” At the time of writing two students have confirmed swine flu with a third is listed as a probable case of swine flu.

By Sunday it was confirmed that eight schoolchildren from a group that had returned to New York from a vacation in Mexico were infected with swine flu.

In Europe a British Airways cabin crew staff member who showed "flu-like symptoms" is being treated in a London hospital with after arriving on a flight from Mexico City on Saturday.

In Argentina a health alert has been declared that requires anyone arriving on flights from Mexico to advise if they had flu-like symptoms.

Across Asia Governments have urged the public, and especially travellers, to be on guard for symptoms of the new multi-strain of swine fever. Asian governments have some recent experience with potential pandemics given their recent experience with SARS and avain flu.

In New Zealand, a 25-strong school group has been quarantined pending the results of medical tests. They returned from Mexico showing flu-like symptoms according to local health sources.

In Japan, airports have tightened checks on passengers who arrive from Mexico. Quarantine officials have been giving out face masks and also using thermography imaging cameras to screen for passengers with a fever.