ALERT! Mexican Swine Flu Outbreak

By now, all of you must have at least heard about the swine flu outbreak which originated from Mexico. As per today, 28th April 2009, there have been cases reported in US, UK, Spain, France, Brazil, New Zealand and Israel.

Lucky for Malaysia and Russia, no cases of swine flu has been reported so far.

The WHO Director General Margaret Chan, however, warned on Sunday, that the outbreak had "pandemic potential" and urged governments to improve measures to monitor the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) believes the outbreak of swine flu, which is a respiratory disease with the same symptoms as influenza, is a new mutation of the H1N1 strain.

The H1N1 virus was responsible for the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919, which killed at least 20 million people worldwide.

Today, WHO raises pandemic alert level to 4.

Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.

To understand more about the Swine Influenza, it's signs and symptoms, preventive measures, etc, read the WHO Swine Influenza Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

How to Diagnose Swine Flu?

Acute febrile respiratory illness (fever >38°C ) with the spectrum of disease from influenza‐like illness to pneumonia.

1. A CONFIRMED CASE of swine influenza A(H1N1) virus infection is defined as an individual:
with laboratory confirmed swine influenza A(H1N1) virus infection by one or more of
the following tests*:
• real‐time RT‐PCR
• viral culture
• four‐fold rise in swine influenza A(H1N1) virus specific neutralizing antibodies.
2. A PROBABALE CASE of swine influenza A(H1N1) virus infection is defined as an individual:
with an influenza test that is positive for influenza A, but is unsubtypable by reagents used to detect seasonal influenza virus infection OR
A individual with a clinically compatible illness or who died of an unexplained acute respiratory illness who is considered to be epidemiologically linked to a probable or confirmed case.

* Note: Refer to the Interim WHO guidance for the surveillance of human infection with swine influenza A(H1N1) virus as of 27th April 2009 for the complete details in diagnosing swine flu.

All is not unwell after all, as Russian scientists claim that the swine flu vaccine may be ready in 6 months time. Read here.

Also, check out Press statements made by the Malaysian Ministry of Health.

Apparently, MALAYSIA HAS H1N1 VACCINE FOR SWINE FLU.

Let us all hope that it doesn't become a pandemic.