Swine Flu Summit in Cancun, Mexico

[indigo girl]

Some Remarks from Director General Margaret Chan

http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2009/influenza_h1n1_lessons_20090702/en/index.html

The fact that we are gathered here in Cancun, Mexico, reaffirms a statement consistently made by WHO since the new H1N1 virus was first detected. Recommendations to avoid travel to Mexico, or to any other country or area with confirmed cases, serve no purpose.

They do not protect the public. They do not contain the outbreak. And they do not prevent further international spread.

We are in phase 6 - that is, we are in the early days of the 2009 influenza pandemic. As we see today, with well over 100 countries reporting cases, once a fully fit pandemic virus emerges, its further international spread is unstoppable.

Influenza pandemics are remarkable events because they spread throughout a world population that is either largely or entirely susceptible to infection. They tend to hit a given area in the epidemiological equivalent of a tidal wave.

In densely populated areas, we see a steep increase in the number of cases, with a sharp peak, followed by a steep decline. Once the virus has swept through a susceptible population, transmission may continue, but at a much lower intensity.

In more sporificely populated areas, the peak may be flatter. Aggressive control measures can also flatten the epidemiological peak somewhat, but only for a while.

When a new infectious agent causes an outbreak, it is nearly always the first country affected that suffers the most. New diseases are, by definition, poorly understood as they emerge.

The first country affected will, quite literally, not know what hit it in the early days of an outbreak. Decisions, from the doctor at the hospital bed to the head of state, have to be made quickly and decisively in an emergency situation characterized by considerable scientific uncertainty.

Mexico was the first country to experience a widespread outbreak. Mexico bore the brunt of these consequences at a time when the new virus had not yet been identified and nothing was known about the disease it causes.

Mexico gave the world an early warning, and it also gave the world a model of rapid and transparent reporting, aggressive control measures, and generous sharing of data and samples.

Canada and the United States supported the early control measures in Mexico, and then followed this model of transparent reporting and generous collaboration as their own outbreaks began to spread.

WHO and the international community have much to thank these three countries for setting a precedent that, up to now, nearly every country has followed.

Thanks to this collaboration, we have some answers that can help us greatly right now, as countries do everything possible to protect their populations, mitigate the health effects, and prepare for whatever might lie ahead.

[indigo girl]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/03/content_11645075.htm

Similiar to H5N1 how? I think that he must be referring to its ability to proliferate deep in the lungs noted in the recently published research.

Most of the infected are young people and schools and homes are the places where people are most likely to be infected, WHO's Deputy Director-General Keiji Fukuda told a meeting on the A/H1N1 flu in Mexico's southeastern resort town of Cancun.

He said the virus is more similar to H5N1 avian flu rather than the seasonal flu and the future of the disease is uncertain due to the mutations that the virus could present, he added.

According to Fukuda, the existing anti-viral medication remains the most effective means of tackling the disease.

He also echoed WHO Director-General Margaret Chan's remarks that the transparency of information and solidarity among governments are essential to tackling the first pandemic of the 21st century.

The meeting has attracted ministers and health experts from 43 nations.