Australians warned of swine-flu outbreak
Sydney – Australians were warned Wednesday to expect a rash of new swine-flu cases as more schools were closed after pupils tested positive and more passengers from a South Pacific cruise developed symptoms associated with the new H1N1 strain.
There are 61 cases, most of them in and around Melbourne. The majority are people who recently visited Mexico or North America.
All cases have been mild, with victims not needing hospital treatment and just being asked to stay at home to try and prevent the infection spreading.
“This disease is highly infectious and the community does have to prepare itself for there to be a significant increase in the numbers of cases that are confirmed, particularly in the coming days,” Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.
Because the disease is now present coast-to-coast and large numbers are involved, Roxon said she was no longer giving out the results of testing.
With Australia heading into the Southern Hemisphere winter and the traditional flu season, Roxon said it would be difficult to manage infections.
“No one is entirely sure what consequences that will have for the potential for those two flus to combine or one or other to be the one that dominates,” she said.
Ian Barr, deputy director of the World Health Organization’s Melbourne-based Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, said he expected swine flu to spread across the continent.
“I think we always knew that it would be difficult to fully quarantine ourselves from a major epidemic that’s spreading throughout the world,” he said.(dpa)
Source Courtesy From - DPA - ANI - earthtimes.org -
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