Current WHO Pandemic Alert remains at Phase 5
Influenza A (H1N1) Cases and Related Deaths by Country (as of 8 AM PST May 12th)
| WHO Regions & Country | Lab Confirmed Cases | Lab Confirmed Deaths | ||
| Cases Confirmed on May 11th | Total Cases | Deaths Confirmed on May 11th | Total Deaths | |
| AMERICAS | ||||
| Mexico | 433 | 2,059 | 8 | 56 |
| US | 0 | 2,600* | 0 | 3 |
| Canada | 46 | 330 | 0 | 1 |
| El Salvador | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Costa Rica | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| Columbia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Guatemala | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Brazil | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Panama | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Argentina | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EUROPE | ||||
| UK | 8 | 55 | 0 | 0 |
| Spain | 0 | 95 | 0 | 0 |
| Germany | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| France | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Austria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ireland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Italy | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Portugal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sweden | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Poland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Norway | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN | ||||
| Israel | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| WESTERN PACIFIC | ||||
| China (incl. Hong Kong) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Australia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Japan | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SOUTH-EAST ASIA | ||||
| Rep. of Korea | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 488 | 5,251 | 8 | 61 |
* Yesterday, the U.S. CDC temporarily published a case count of 2,618, before revising it to 2,600 later in the day.
Lab confirmed cases and deaths have been provided by the WHO’s Influenza A (H1N1) – Update #26.
- On May 11th, The Public Health Agency of Canada announced that 46 additional cases had been confirmed. Of these, 34 occurred in Ontario. Ontario now has the most cases in Canada (110), followed by British Columbia (79), Nova Scotia (57), Alberta (52), Quebec (16), Saskatchewan (10), PEI (3), New Brunswick (2), and Manitoba (1). Canada’s total case count is now at 330. PHAC
- On May 11th, the Chief Medical Health Officer for Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) confirmed that samples taken from students at Hans Helgesen Elementary School had tested negative for influenza A (H1N1). As a result, the school was to re-open on Monday, May 11th. Another school near Burns Lake, BC, was also to reopen after negative test results for H1N1. CBC News
International News
- The World Health Organization has issued a preliminary report (WHO Online) assessing the severity of the current outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1):
- Influenza A (H1N1) appears to be more contagious than seasonal influenza.
- With the exception of Mexico outbreaks (which are not yet fully understood) H1N1 tends to cause very mild illness in otherwise healthy people.
- Outside of Mexico, nearly all cases and deaths have been in people with underlying chronic conditions.
- The tendency for H1N1 to cause more severe and lethal infections in people with underlying conditions is of particular concern, as chronic diseases are far more prevalent now than in 1968, when the last pandemic occurred.
- The WHO also estimated that 85% of the burden of chronic diseases is now concentrated in low- and middle-income countries.
- Scientists are concerned about potential changes in the virus’ structure as H1N1 spreads to the southern hemisphere during the region’s annual flu season. During this time, it is possible that the H1N1 virus could encounter currently circulating human flu viruses and increase the likelihood of genetic mutation.
- A study published in the journal, Science, estimates that Mexico may actually have had 6,000 to 32,000 cases of influenza A (H1N1). The study estimates that between 0.4 percent and 1.4 percent of swine flu cases are fatal. Associated Press
- China says it has tracked down and quarantined most passengers who were on flights with the mainland's first case of swine flu. The health of the man sickened with swine flu is also said to be improving. Associated Press
- The European Medicines Agency, the European Union's pharmaceutical regulatory agency, on May 9th extended the shelf life of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) by two years to address potential shortages spurred by novel H1N1 flu outbreaks. The extension increases the drug's shelf life to seven years. Financial Times
Latest Guidance from the WHO, the U.S. CDC, the BCCDC and the PHAC
- Recently, the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) published guidelines for home isolations for persons with an infectious illness such as influenza. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has also recently updated their guidelines regarding the use of infection control measures when screening patients with influenza A (H1N1) in acute care facilities.
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released Interim Guidance on Case Definitions to be Used For Investigations of Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Cases. The case definitions within the guidance are for public health investigations of suspected, probable, and confirmed cases of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.
Today’s Key Question
What types of mitigation and public health measures has Mexico implemented to slow the spread of H1N1 across the country?
When the swine flu outbreak first began in Mexico, the nation’s president, Felipe Caulderón, was constitutionally required to be protected from infection. Therefore, the health secretary, José Córdova had to assume extraordinary powers to control the epidemic. Córdova’s step-by-step measures were taken from a plan devised in coordination with the World Health Organization after the earlier outbreak of SARS. Actions taken to control the outbreak included, but were not limited to:- Closing every school, first in Mexico City, and then nationwide
- Deploying troops across the capital to hand out millions of facemasks to pedestrians
- Placing posters in subways and public squares, which instructed people to wash their hands and to go to the hospital promptly if they began to experience flu symptoms
- Cancelling many public gatherings, including sports events and Sunday mass
- Scaling back of all non-essential government and commercial activity
- Giving daily televised updates regarding the outbreak and explaining the tough measures enacted to combat it
Although the measures taken seemed excessive to some and were extremely costly to the Mexican economy, residents largely abided by the regulations, and the shutdown was systematic and orderly. Furthermore, Óscar Mújica, a Senior Analyst with the Pan American Health Organization, estimates that the measures put in place by Córdova saved the lives of 8,605 people, and prevented the hospitalization of more than 30,000 people. Washington Post
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