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As the death toll rises to 149 today in Mexico, the grip of the never-been-seen-before mutation of the Swine Flu virus stretches its deadly reach further afield.

As of today, 28/04, cases are springing up hourly, all over the world. Australia has new cases, Spain, USA, Switzerland and France. Too many now to keep up with. The virus is spreading at an alarming rate, mutating genetically as it travels.

There is a major worry now of this virus reaching Japan, but like the rest of the world, there is absolutely nothing that we can do to control it.

1, 614 people have now been affected in Mexico alone, where all major public buildings stand closed, pending further notice.

All schools have been closed until the 6th of May but the danger is now that people are taking this opportunity to book short holidays away.

Mexico are taking this health threat very seriously and are being equipped with face masks which are being handed out by the Mexican Army.

This virus appears to have claimed its first victims near Mexico City where the impact is being felt the hardest at the moment.

It is believed to have originated in Veracruz, in an area called La Gloria which is surrounded by an expanse of many pig farms.

Now would be the time to close off the country, shut down the Mexican Metro system and evaluate other ways to stop the spread of this highly virulent strain of swine influenza.

After a News Alert today from the World Health Organisation they stated that they will be holding emergency talks early next week to determine whether this virus is now to be escalated to a full blown, high alert, ‘Pandemic’ level 6. -

It now stands at level 3, but it seems obvious to me that this is already at Pandemic level with new cases surfacing from different corners of the world, by the hour.

Today the W.H.O announced at their emergency committee meeting, that they have escalated the pandemic level to 4.-

Level 4: Community level outbreaks - Person to person transmission. Pandemic not inevitable as yet they stated. A spokesperson for the W.H.O said at this stage they would not be closing the Mexican border or restricting travel to the area.

The message was very much that this was a monitoring stage and figures collation. They urged people to be proactive in preparing for the onslaught of the virus.

At a News Conference from the White House it was confirmed that these are the swine flu cases in the U.S.A at present: 28 New York - 7 California - 6 Texas - 2 Kansas - 1 Ohio. + 3 new cases.

The first person to address the press was, aide to the President, John Brennan, (Homeland Security and Terrorism).

I find it very worrying at the intense level of involvement from all major health agencies, the White House, the W.H.O, all in such a short space of time.

There was no mention of Biological warfare, though because of the strange mutation of the virus this must surely be taken into consideration when assessing the components of the variant strain.

It bears a frightening parallel to the Spanish flu of 1918, Influenza A virus strain, which came in dangerous waves of intensity, with initial outbreaks seen in Kansas and Queens, USA.

Typically more damaging to healthy 20-40 year olds, as seen in Mexico, where the average death rate is 25-45 and not the usual flu victim which would be the very young, old or a person of chronic repository disposition.

When asked where the President was, we were told he was off playing golf, as if to lighten the situation. President Obama has not himself been checked for swine flu although he has made a trip to Mexico recently.

It was a mainly passive news conference with many reassurances being made, but with no active solutions being offered. Just the normal ‘Be vigilant’ messages and how they were on top of things and not to worry unduly.

None the wiser and not really reassured, I can’t help but feel that we are on the brink of a massive, unknown influenza outbreak which is not deterred by the normal seasonal flu vaccine.

A new vaccine is being developed which will take 4-12 months to formulate. In the meantime a drug such as Tamiflu will be used on the virus, which will only serve to lessen the severity of the symptoms somewhat.

The CDC who monitor disease said that the virus has the capability to mutate and evolve with the possibility to render it a formidable and deadly wipe-out virus. They have also released the sweeping statement, that “people ‘will’ die from the virus”.

This new strain of flu virus consists of a combination of: Swine flu – Human Flu and Avian Flu, an unlikely and questionable strain of mutation which is sweeping the world at a frightening rate.

‘The director of CDC’s National Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said that the United States’ cases were found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses—

North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza A virus subtype H1N1, and swine influenza virus typically found in ‘Asia and Europe’.

Meanwhile, the group of above mentioned students from New York who have recently returned from Mexico, were taken out of class suffering from flu like symptoms.

After being tested for the virus it has now been confirmed that 28 students from St Francis Prep School, Queens, have contracted the swine flu virus, with another 17 likely to have contracted it.

Suspected cases which are being studied are in 2 French people who have just returned with flu like symptoms after a visit to Mexico, and one case in Israel. Though these are yet to be officially confirmed.

Here in the UK, a male flight attendant returning from Mexico on a B.A flight has been struck down with a virus and has been isolated for tests in Harrow. Fortunately he has now been cleared as not having the swine flu virus.

Though at this rate of infection and with people flying in daily from Mexico to Gatwick, it is only a matter of time before the virus reaches the shores of the United Kingdom.

It has now been confirmed that 2 people from Airdrie, Scotland are in fact infected by the virus after a recent trip to Mexico. People that have come into close contact with them have also been tested, and of the 22 close contacts, 7 have also been found to be carrying the virus.

A New Zealand school group from Auckland, consisting of 22 students and 3 teachers have been quarantined after feeling unwell upon arrival home from a trip to Mexico.

The Health Minister has now stated that 10 are ” highly likely” to be suffering from the new deadly strain of swine flu.

It has now been confirmed that they are suffering from type A influenza and they are awaiting official results from the W.H.O in Melbourne to confirm if it is the H1NI strain that they have contracted.

In the United States, cases of the virus have also been felt in San Diego, Texas, New York, and Kansas and today there have been 6 confirmed cases in Novia Scotia, Canada,1 in Spain and also Australia.

The virus is not being contained and the border between America and Mexico remains open. –

The World Health organisation has called for worldwide vigilance in looking out for new clusters of outbreak of the human swine flu virus.

They have called the outbreak an: “International public health scare” of “Potential Pandemic” proportions.

Human Transmission of the influenza is spreading fast and there is now cause for worry that this new lethal strain of swine flu could become a huge global threat.

It is feared that a large percentage of the world’s population could be at risk of infection, and that the influenza vaccine H1N1 strain might not provide adequate protection against this mutation of the swine flu virus.

Scientists across the world are alarmed at the death rate that has been incurred from a unknown virus which has basically only surfaced in the past week or so.

This could have massive global implications and experts are struggling to identify the exact mutation of the swine flu which can be transmitted from person to person.

It is said that people who have been given the vaccine, ‘Tamiflu’, to combat the virus, have responded well so far.

Though according to various sources, the current vaccine against the seasonal influenza strain H1N1 is thought unlikely to provide adequate protection.

The director of CDC’s National Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said that the United States’ cases were found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses—

North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza A virus subtype H1N1, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe.

On two cases, a complete genome sequence had been obtained. She said that the virus is resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, but susceptible to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza)
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