Flu ( incl Swine, Bird etc ) 01 (Apr 09 - Sep 12)

[winston]

Buy just 1 N95 mask and try wearing it for 1 day. I doubt U can get past 1 day.
During SARS, I tried it and could not get past 2 hours. Surgical marks are more bearable and comfortable.

During SARS, I recalled reading that those hard mask are not really useful as there are gaps between the mask and the face. Also, moisture tend to condense inside those hard masks raising the chances of infection..

Surgical masks are supposedly better..

Ha Ha... During SARS, I was right in the middle of it in Taipei. I nearly got quarantined. Thereafter, I was in Shanghai and I nearly got quarantined again ...

[LenaHuat]

Hi Winston

No. Surgical masks are inferior to N95 masks. N95 masks meet the most stringent standards.
They are very tight-fitting so much so that most leave deep 'railroad tracks' on the face.
Ladies dislike this immensely. But they provide the highest level of security and safety.

[millionairemind]

First death in the US... jialat...

Swine Flu Kills U.S. Child, Extending Spread Outside Mexico
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By Tom Randall

April 29 (Bloomberg) -- A 23-month-old Texas child became the first to die in the U.S. from swine flu, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said hundreds of students in the city are suspected to be infected.

The new cases, including the death that was confirmed today by U.S. health officials, show the disease is taking root outside Mexico. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion in new funding to brace for an outbreak, a White House spokesman said. New York accounts for 45 of the 65 confirmed U.S. cases in six states.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... refer=home

[millionairemind]

More suspected swine flu cases hit Asia
Posted: 29 April 2009 1514 hrs

HONG KONG: New Zealand and South Korea said they are investigating more suspected cases of swine flu, as hastily arranged measures designed to contain the disease's spread in Asia are put to the test.

The region, which has had no deaths so far, has tightened already stringent screening at airports and transport hubs since the beginning of the week after the virus first showed up in Mexico before spreading to Europe and beyond.

With the World Health Organisation warning of a significant increase in the risk of pandemic and Mexico reporting a confirmed death toll of seven - there have been no deaths elsewhere - Asia, like the rest of the world, is on full alert.

New Zealand, the only country in the region with confirmed cases, announced three more likely ones on Wednesday, taking the country's total of probable and confirmed infections to 14.

With dozens of others in isolation or under investigation, New Zealand's health ministry said all three new cases were people who had travelled to Mexico or North America recently.

"Because of their travel history... we need to assume that this is swine flu," said Julia Peters, of the regional public health service in Auckland.

In Seoul, the health ministry said Wednesday it was investigating five suspected swine flu infections in addition to a "probable" case announced the previous day.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the people with suspected infections had recently returned from trips to Mexico or the United States and showed flu-like symptoms such as coughing and fever.

South Korea Tuesday designated Mexico as a "travel restricted area," urging its citizens to cancel or delay trips there.

Mindful of the increasing numbers of confirmed or suspected infections across the world, Australia introduced new powers to isolate and detain suspected sufferers, officials there said Wednesday.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said that the new measures, ranging from extreme steps such as detaining or isolating for surveillance suspected carriers to disinfecting aircraft after they arrive from overseas, were so far purely precautionary.

"It means that we can act nationally, we can act quickly," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday.

Some 91 people displaying flu symptoms were being tested for the potentially deadly virus in Australia, but there are no confirmed cases of swine flu so far, Roxon's office said.

Australian Olympic diving champion Matthew Mitcham, 21, is among those caught up the panic sweeping through worst-hit Mexico.

Holed up in a Mexican coastal resort town, he and diving partner Alexandra Croak, who took part in a diving event in Mexico City last weekend, have been ordered home by Australian sports authorities.

Six nations other than Mexico and New Zealand have declared confirmed cases of swine flu, but there have been numerous scares and tests throughout Asia, which still has bitter memories of the SARS epidemic in 2003.

China, heavily criticised for initially covering up the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, went on full alert Tuesday but has no confirmed cases to date and has vowed full reporting should there be any.

There were scenes reminiscent of the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong, which killed close to 300 people, with queues forming outside pharmacies as people scrambled to stock up on medical supplies and face masks.

The southern Chinese territory, which already has some of the world's toughest health security measures as a result of SARS, has stepped up its surveillance of visitors for signs of flu.

Although there are no swine flu cases there, authorities have made the illness a "notifiable disease", meaning anyone who has come into contact with a suspected patient can now be quarantined.

Most countries in the region have increased airport checks to screen passengers arriving from affected areas and advised against non-essential travel to Mexico.

Thermal scanners, as have been set up in Singapore, have been a common feature in many Asian airports since SARS, despite suggestions they have only limited ability to catch such illnesses.

- AFP/yb

[winston]

Looks like the market is assuming the Best Case Scenario that this Swine Flu can be contained and that it would be over very quickly...

So people are either covering their short positions or Buying on Dips ..

Do you think that this would be over quickly ?

How long would it be before you can safely say that it's over ? Two weeks ? Two months ?

[winston]

How to profit from the swine flu epidemic By Dan Ferris in the S&A Digest:

Swine-flu panic is in the air. Cases are popping up all over the world. More than 150 people in Mexico are dead.

I'm supposed to fly to southern California next week and sit in a room with a few hundred other people. The prospect of breathing recycled air for two hours, then breathing next to a bunch of people who've done the same... I know the number of swine flu cases reported so far is tiny, but still... I don't like it.

Reacting to the swine flu reports [Monday], Mexican airport stocks were hit hard, down 14%-17%. Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASR), Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (PAC), and Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMAB) - Mexico's three airport stocks - enjoy large, regular cash flows. Their financial condition is excellent. PAC has more cash than debt. ASR is debt-free and has 15% of its market cap in cash. ASR goes for about 8.5 times 2008 free cash flow today.

If the human race isn't decimated by swine flu, people will continue to travel to Mexico once this is all over. The airports will continue to function normally, and, from a glance at their financials, they're pretty good businesses overall.

[millionairemind]

WHO raises flu alert to five as pandemic 'imminent'
Posted: 30 April 2009 0451 hrs

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation on Wednesday raised its flu alert to phase five out of six, WHO chief Margaret Chan said, signalling that a pandemic was "imminent" following the swine flu outbreak.

"I have decided to raise the influenza pandemic alert from phase four to phase five," the WHO director general announced after an emergency meeting of the UN health agency's pandemic experts.

"This is a signal to governments, ministries of health... to the pharmaceutical industry, that certain actions now should be undertaken with increased urgency," she told journalists.

"All countries should immediately now activate their pandemic preparedness plans," she added.

She underlined that the threat following the swine flu outbreak focused on Mexico and the United States "must be taken seriously."

Phase five, one step short of a full pandemic or phase six, is characterised as a "strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalise... the planned mitigation measures is short," according to the WHO's global emergency planning.

Chan explained that experts had decided to raise the alert as not only were there "sustained" human to human transmission cases in Mexico, but also in the United States.

"When we see two countries in one WHO region providing evidence to that effect, we are moving into phase five," she said.

A Mexican toddler became the first person to die in the United States of swine flu on Wednesday, as US health officials said the number of infections recorded reached at least 91 in 10 states.

Mexico meanwhile on the same day nearly doubled its number of confirmed swine flu cases to 49, including seven deaths from the virus.

Chan said that while it is understandable that people are "anxious," the issue needed to be managed in a calm manner.

"It's important that we do not overkill. We need to maintain a level of calmness so that we will continue to manage this in a rational manner," she said.

She stressed for instance that the WHO does not recommend the closure of borders or restricting the movement of people or goods.

"Pork can be eaten safely if cooked properly. There's no reason why people who love to eat pork should stop eating now," she said emphatically.

Thanks to preparations made following the avian flu outbreak, countries were also better placed than before to deal with a pandemic.

"Preparedness measures undertaken because of the H5N1 influenza was an investment and we are now benefiting from this investment," she said.

Chan said that while the spread was established, "the biggest question right now was how severe the pandemic might be."

Indeed, the WHO fell short of ordering production of a pandemic vaccine, a move which has been described as a significant decision as it would mean disrupting the production of seasonal flu vaccines.

"We don't have enough evidence to push the pandemic vaccine button," she said.

Meanwhile, she urged help for developing countries, warning that they faced a potentially greater threat from a flu pandemic than wealthy nations with developed health systems and funding for drugs.

"We know that influenza may cause mild disease in affluent countries, but more diseases with higher mortality in developing countries," she said.

"The international community should treat this as an opportunity to ramp up the response. After all, it is really all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic," she added.

The first three WHO pandemic alert phases are triggered by the emergence of a new flu virus that jumps from animals into humans.

But the subsequent levels are largely dictated by the geographical spread of the new virus, rather than the strength of its symptoms or mortality rates.

Under the rulebook, phase six, a pandemic, would be reached if or when the swine flu virus was found to be passing in a sustained manner among humans in towns or the wider community in at least another continent to the Americas. - AFP/de

[Poles]

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_29/en/index.html

Swine influenza - update 5

29 April 2009 -- The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 18:00 GMT, 29 April 2009, nine countries have officially reported 148 cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 infection. The United States Government has reported 91 laboratory confirmed human cases, with one death. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection including seven deaths.

The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (13), Germany (3), Israel (2), New Zealand (3), Spain (4) and the United Kingdom (5).

Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO website on a regular basis.

WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.

[winston]

100 US schools take no chances with outbreak

Some 100 schools in the United States have closed in response to the spreading flu outbreak, the US Department of Education said.

The schools that closed their doors to students were mostly in states that were more affected by the disease – California, New York, Texas and South Carolina.

Some of the institutions are set to reopen today once suspected cases are confirmed to not involve the H1N1 virus.

''The Department of Education is closely monitoring this flu outbreak and will remain a resource for all of our nation's schools,'' said the agency.

''Schools and districts should follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and be in close communication with their local public health authorities and political leadership,'' the statement said.

''What we can tell you is that, yes, about 100 schools have closed,'' spokesman Jim Bradshaw said.

The CDC confirmed that new cases in the United States leapt upward to 91, officials said. A 23-month Mexican toddler visiting relatives in Texas has also died from the virus.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, said ''schools with confirmed or suspected cases of H1N1 should strongly consider temporarily closing so that we can be as safe as possible.''

If the outbreak becomes more serious ''and we have to take more extensive steps, then parents should also think about contingencies if schools in their areas do temporarily shut down, figuring out and planning what their child-care situation would be,'' Obama said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

[winston]

Veredus Laboratories develop test-kit to detect swine flu By Zhang Tingjun, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Singapore life sciences company Veredus Laboratories said on Thursday it has developed a portable test-kit called Vereflu, which is able to identify the swine flu virus in just two hours.

According to Veredus Laboratories – which said it has received orders from at least six countries – the main difference between the Vereflu test-kit and existing tests lies in the fact that it is able to identify and differentiate all human strains of influenza in a single test.

Said Rosemary Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Veredus Laboratories: “Most of the tests are able to detect one thing at one time, they are able to give you a yes or no answer. We are able to detect in a way that can tell you not just yes and no, but we can also tell you what kind of flu a person is suffering from.”

Each Vereflu test will cost between US$100 and US$180.

Vereflu is built on a STMicroelectronics lab-on-chip platform which integrates two molecular biological applications, Polymerase Chain Reaction and a microarray.

Veredus said another advantage of Vereflu is that it is portable and can be used outside the traditional laboratory environment to perform tests.

But it added that meeting the increasing demand for swine flu tests will likely prove to be the biggest hurdle.

Other challenges include the installation of equipments which can read the chips into laboratories around the world, and the training of laboratory technicians who can conduct the tests.

Veredus said that further testing is required, but it expects the test-kits to be made available to health authorities in a matter of weeks.

Singapore's Health Ministry could not confirm if it will be using the Vereflu test-kit.

- CNA/yb