Scientists from Saudi Arabia are assessing the risks posed by the annual hajj, pilgrimage, in the spread of the A/H1N1 swine flu virus along with experts from the World Health Organization, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2009, more than 2,5 million pilgrims are expected in Saudi Arabia from 160 countries around the world for the five-day religious observance between 25-29 November, the height of the flu season. The risks are that so many people packed together in such a short time will act like a giant incubator to transmit the disease worldwide.
Saudi authorities have asked people at risk – pregnant women, young children, the elderly – not to come this year, and recommend people come vaccinated. The airports have been equipped with thermal scanners and other scanning equipment. People are encouraged to wear masks, wash hands frequently and observe “cough etiquette”. New York Times, Reuters, WHO
© 2009 WHO
Geneva and Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP) recommends that people who come down with symptoms of the flu avoid contact with others to stop the spread of the disease. A humourous new advertising campaign (link below) says it quite clearly. This means staying away from work until the symptoms have gone away, or to care for sick members of the family. In a front-page article 4 August, Le Temps (Fre) asks whether this means that employers will not insist on having a medical cerificate for any absence longer than three days, as stipulated by law: to leave one’s bed to go and see a doctor defeats the purpose of the quarantine.
New Media campaign against A/H1N1
[public health video] Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The fight against the A/H1N1 virus in the French-speaking part of Switzerland is taking on a new face, a drag face.
The Federal Office of Public Health has started its swine flu awareness media campaign, “United against the flu” with a bit of humour: a comedian dressed in drag.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss government has adopted new regulations for fighting the A(H1N1) swine flu pandemic, effective Wednesday 1 July, that put a greater burden on doctors and laboratories to more rapidly report suspected cases to cantonal public health authorities.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland has adapted its laws for travelers crossing the Swiss border to reflect new needs with the A(H1N1) swine flu spreading. The new rules go into effect 1 July.
Used with permission of Novartis Vaccines, June 2007. © Novartis Vaccines, click to enlarge
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss drugs manufacturer Novartis announced 12 June that it had successfully produced an antivirus effective against the wild type of A/H1N1 swine flu virus that is at pandemic levels using new cell-based technology.
The news comes hot on the heels of the widely expected World Health Organization’s (WHO) announcement 11 June of a phase six pandemic, the highest level. The drugs maker says that its cell-based production technology will allow it to produce vaccines much more quickly than by using the traditional method of adapting the virus strain to grow in eggs. It has a production facility in Marburg, Germany that can produce millions of doses a week.
Following further testing and clinical trials on the “wild strain” antivirus, Novartis hopes to be able to produce, test and deploy an antivirus for the reassortant A/H1N1 strain provided by the US Centers for Disease Control by this autumn.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – After an emergency meeting early this afternoon the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the the A/H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic had entered its highest phase 6, denoting “sustained community-level outbreaks in at least two WHO regions.” In its latest update 10 June, WHO reported almost 28,000 confirmed cases of swine flu in 74 countries worldwide, with 141 deaths. Sudden spikes in confirmed cases in the past few days have been reported from widely-separated countries like Australia and Chile, prompting WHO concern.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Health ministers from the 194 member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) have arrived in Geneva for the World Health Assembly which opens 18 May in Geneva with an agenda overshadowed by the A/H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a 16 percent increase in 24 hours in the number of A/H1N1 (swine flu) cases worldwide, from 6,497 confirmed cases Thursday 14 May to 7,500 Friday. During the previous week, the increase was 200 percent. The statistics hide a more complex picture than the dramatic rise in numbers at first appears to show.
Geneva Airport, arrivals
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Geneva’s International Airport announced Wednesday 30 April that it has raised its own “business continuity measures” by a level, to four, in the wake of the WHO’s upgrading to alert level 5 on Tuesday. The Airport Security Service is prepared to swing into action in case passengers arrive who show symptoms of swine flu, but airport authorities stress that to date the airport is operating normally and passengers are not being inconvenienced.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The WHO (World Health Organization) held an emergency meeting Saturday 25 April after cases of swine flu in the US and Mexico were confirmed and suspicions arose in several other countries after travelers returning from Mexico fell ill. The WHO issued a statement that the “Committee . . . agreed that the current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.”
The United States has declared a public health emergency after 20 cases of swine flu were confirmed. There have been no deaths, but in Mexico 81 people have died from illnesses that could be swine flu in recent days and 20 cases of sick people have been confirmed.
