Swine Flu: Spain & UK confirm flu as Mexico say 149 are dead

by mudricky | April 26, 2009 at 11:01 pm

1644 views | 104 Recommendations | 18 comments

Swine flu got worse today with over 1600 confirmed cases in Mexico where 149 people have died.

Outbreaks have been officialy confirmed in the Mexico, United States, Canada, Spain and recently two cases confirmed in Scotland.

There are now possible outbreaks in France, Israel, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.

The BBC are reporting that airline stock is beginning to fall as a result of the flu.

Governments Around The World Race To Contain Swine Flu Outbreak

What is Swine Flu?

*this story will stop being updated at 12pm 27/04/09 (UK time)

His warning came as Spain became the first country in Europe to confirm a case of the virus after a man who returned from a trip to Mexico last week was found to have the virus.

The unnamed man returned to Spain on April 22 and was put under observation on April 25 with chest problems, Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez said

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Fears of pandemic have grown as the number believed to be infected in Mexico topped 1,600 and new confirmed cases were reported in the United States and Canada.

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Around 400 of those infected in Mexico are still in hospital, but the majority of infected patients are recovering, the country's health secretary said.

A Canadian woman has been taken to hospital as a precaution, according to a statement from the North West Area Health Authority.
Sky's North of England correspondent Mike McCarthy said: "The statement says an overseas visitor to Sale is being tested for possible swine flu and has been taken to hospital for tests as a precaution.

"The hospital is not being identified. Manchester Airport have no information about whether the woman came into the country through them."

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mudricky

at 02:00 on April 27th, 2009

There was nothing at all this morning on the front about this, so I felt I should add something. Will update these figures are the news comes in.

SamirJ

at 02:28 on April 27th, 2009

This is something serious.

I sincerely hope that things come under control.

albertacowpoke

at 02:50 on April 27th, 2009

Thank you for this update mudricky.

Rob Walker

at 03:04 on April 27th, 2009

Thanks for putting this story together ricky, lots of info floating around out there.

Vinny

at 03:26 on April 27th, 2009

Swine flu has been confirmed in Spain

mudricky

at 04:01 on April 27th, 2009

Thanks updated.

albertacowpoke

at 03:47 on April 27th, 2009

There are 2 confirmed cases in Israel. The only confirmed case in Europe is in Spain.

albertacowpoke

at 03:52 on April 27th, 2009

According to CBC Newsworld this morning. All 20 cases in the US have recovered.

mudricky

at 03:57 on April 27th, 2009

Swine flu not kosher in Israel

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Swine flu? Not in the Jewish state.

"We will call it Mexico flu. We won't call it swine flu," Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman, a black-garbed Orthodox Jew, told a news conference Monday, assuring the Israeli public that authorities were prepared to handle any cases.

Under Jewish dietary laws, pigs are considered unclean and pork is forbidden food -- although the non-kosher meat is available in some stores in Israel.

Source: uk.reuters.com

albertacowpoke

at 04:24 on April 27th, 2009

I have checked the cbc.ca website and it has nothing on the two cases in Israel. It is something that was reported on cbc newsworld. They might post it later Ricky. Here is the the website for CBC info:

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/27/swine-flu042709.html

AlvarezGalloso

at 04:29 on April 27th, 2009

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/04/27/1821s479049.htm

Portugal is also on Swine Flu Alert.

AlvarezGalloso

at 04:54 on April 27th, 2009

EU Health Commissioner advises against non-essential travel to areas affected by swine flu.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8020222.stm

Vinny

at 05:12 on April 27th, 2009

Sky News are reporting a suspected case in Manchester, England.

AlvarezGalloso

at 05:25 on April 27th, 2009

http://my.nowpublic.com/health/eu-health-commissioner-advises-against-travel-swine-flu-areas

Here is another updated link about Swine Flu. This includes the case in Manchester, England.

bonzo (not verified)

at 05:42 on April 27th, 2009

All diseases which were previously known to affect animals only, and which have recently been seen to affect human beings, do so, because of the experimentation by humans into various viruses, and the interference by humans into the workings of nature, such as is seen in the field of genetically modified foods, whereby animal genes are "intermixed" with genes of plants, and other aspects of biololgy...there will come a time, when it will be too late to tuen back from these futile experiments, and there will be a deluge of horrors affecting the human race......and all because of the GREED of those engaging in such "research" in order to aquire "PROFIT"..at whatever cost to all of us.

jazzyzazzy

at 06:07 on April 27th, 2009

This is like storm chase mudricky well done for keeping us posted.

hidflect

at 06:57 on April 27th, 2009

One complaint (amongst many!) of capitalism and the global economy is the disastrous descent into vast swaythes of monoculture. The cheapest area for a particular product's output becomes an intensive field of produce all being of the few types that maximizes production in the pursuit of profits.

So we have ended up with acres and acres of intensive agro-biz farms with the narrow range of optimal pig species creating an explosive hotspot for disease. The profit motive has no memory and cannot factor in lessons from the past like the Irish Potato Famine that killed millions when blight hit that single strain of food being mass grown.

Lax enforcement of regulations and political corruption in Mexico are just the symptom of the naked greed of Corpo-Companies bribing or cajoling the turning of a blind eye to safe practices in the demand for cheap resources (here - pork).

Once again the mantra is privatize the profits and socialize the losses. I'm sure some hapless pig farmer in Mexico will be held up as the scapegoat. I pre-empt by acknowledging pork doesn't spread the disease, but the industrial farms surely did. So the blame, I suggest, lies with the feckless politicians on both sides of the border who rammed the whole NAFTA deal and other corporate friendly policies for their global hegemony.

nukegingrich

at 07:28 on April 27th, 2009

Outbreak linked to Smithfield farms?

" Mexican health agency IMSS has acknowledged that the orginal carrier for the flu could be the “clouds of flies” that multiply in the Smithfield subsidiary’s manure lagoons."

EdayMex

at 07:57 on April 27th, 2009

Almost normal? this is what a group of policeman look like in Mexico City performing their regular dutyes on a swine Sunday.

EdayMex has contributed a photo to this story.

hidflect

at 08:13 on April 27th, 2009

I notice one fat pig doesn't have his mask on!

nukegingrich

at 13:57 on April 27th, 2009

South Carolina school closed, students tested.

An independent Newberry County school could be closed a second day after 13 students and three chaperones returned from a trip to Cancun, Mexico with flu-like symptoms.

South Carolina’s state epidemiologist Jerry Gibson said this afternoon he believes it’s “fairly likely” that the suspected cases confirmed by test results as swine flu later today.