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Pandemic warning as flights are cancelled
28 Apr 2009
Pandemic warning as flights are cancelled
Britons were warned to avoid all but essential travel to Mexico today as world health officials said the deadly swine flu virus can no longer be contained.
The UK braced itself for further cases as officials issued new travel advice after the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its alert over the outbreak to level four, signifying a "significant increase in risk of a pandemic".
The first two British cases were confirmed yesterday and more suspected infections emerged last night.
The Foreign Office said: "We are now advising against all but essential travel to Mexico."
It added that British nationals "resident in or visiting Mexico may wish to consider whether they should remain in Mexico at this time".
The two confirmed patients, Iain and Dawn Askham, of Polmont, near Falkirk, had reportedly been on honeymoon in Mexico and were being treated today in isolation at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire.
Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday they had tested positive and seven of 22 people who had been in contact with them were showing "mild symptoms".
UK holiday company Thomson said that it was cancelling two outbound flights from the UK to the Mexican resort of Cancun today and repatriating holidaymakers already in Mexico.
The flights to Cancun had been due to leave from Manchester at 9.30am and from Gatwick at 9.15am.
Thomson said it was now making arrangements to get clients home from Mexico and that repatriation flights were expected to start today.
The company said: "While we do appreciate that the new news may be a great disappointment to customers, we hope they will also understand that their health and safety is of paramount importance to us."
It added that flights due to operate to Mexico from tomorrow onwards were under discussion and decisions would be made later today.
So far 152 people are thought to have been killed in Mexico by the virus, which is caused when the H1N1 strain associated with pigs crosses over to the human population.
Outbreaks have also been confirmed in the United States, Canada and Spain.
Suspected cases from New Zealand to Israel were raising concern that the new virus was spreading rapidly.
It was also confirmed that four people in the Republic of Ireland were being tested.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) in Dublin said the results of those tests were expected this morning.
WHO's assistant director-general Keiji Fukuda said "at this time containment is not a feasible option" as the virus has already spread to several other countries.
He added: "At this time instituting travel bans would really not be very effective as the virus has already spread to several other countries."
Commenting on the raising of the WHO's alert level to four - two lower than the maximum alert level of six - he said: "What this can really be interpreted as is a significant step towards pandemic influenza. But also, it is a phase that says we are not there yet.
"In other words, at this time we think we have taken a step in that direction, but a pandemic is not considered inevitable."
Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, the Government's Chief Medical Advisor, said: "The WHO has changed the alert to stage four. This means there are small clusters of outbreaks with limited person-to-person transmission.
"From some affected areas, it appears that early doses of antivirals such as Tamiflu are helping people to recover."
He said there were enough antivirals to treat "half the population" if they became ill.
He added: "We have been preparing for the possibility for a number of years and are among the most prepared countries in the world."
Ms Sturgeon told a press conference in Edinburgh last night: "I would reiterate that the threat to the public remains low and that the precautionary actions we have taken over the last two days have been important in allowing us to respond appropriately and give us the best prospect of disrupting the spread of the virus."
In the US, the number of cases rose to 50, the result of further testing at a New York City school, although none was fatal. Other US cases have been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California. Six cases were confirmed in Canada and a further one in Spain.
Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said the epidemic was entering an extremely dangerous phase, with the number of people infected mushrooming even as authorities were improving defences.
Reader views (18)
Right, Felicity. "Canadians started it" What nonsense! Let's see. 1600 cases with 150 deaths appearing in dirty, impoverished, 3rd world Mexico. 6 cases with no serious illness appearing subsequently in clean, wealthy, New World Canada. You do the math. Now is not the time for people to point fingers - particularly not misguided, irrational fingers. "I know - let's blame the Swiss. They're a small population of quiet and unassuming people. They're far-removed from the epicenter. They likely won't stand up for themselves either." Smarten up, Felicity and stop spreading malicious gossip.
- Mark, Vancouver, Canada, 28/04/2009 13:42
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Our government, here in the United States, has been hiding the real numbers and severity from its citizens. This is far worse than what is being said. Leadership is downplaying it because they are not prepared, in the US, to provide vaccinations to its citizens. All they have so far is a few 'seeds' from the virus to start a culture.
- Rick Huffman, Saint Joseph, Michigan, 28/04/2009 11:09
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Firstly, this is a good headline to divert people's attention to something else other than the mess Gordo and Co have made of this country. Secondly, we don't know yet whether this will develop into a pandemic. If it does, it will take hold and no-one will be able to control its spread, because there are just too many people travelling around the globe to stop it. There's no point in worrying about something that MAY happen. Maybe if our Immigration Officers were to screen arrivals to our shores, we wouldn't have increases in such things as TB (once irradicated from the UK), or Aids, but as we let anyone into the country anyway without any checks, chances are it'll be in England quite soon.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent, 28/04/2009 09:11
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The story on the ground over here is that the Canadians started it..
- Felicity, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, 28/04/2009 04:26
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It's funny, My Economics teacher told me today "For economic growth, we need a culling of the population" Very convenient timing........
- Masum, Surrey, 28/04/2009 01:53
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another overhyped health scare - more opportunity for the State to take control over our lives. Also a wonderful diversion from the theft by MP's of taxpayer's money and the dire economic situation
- Liz Brown, London, 27/04/2009 18:22
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There's no such thing as a regional ailment these days. It takes just one traveller with preclinical symptoms to come into a country and a disease can be spread before it can be locked down. Instead of panicking, what needs to be focussed on is precaution and awareness.
"Close down international flights" (and presumably trains, cars through the Chunnel, ships, etc)?
a) utterly impractical
b) financially ruinous
c) closing the gate after the horse has bolted.
When panic replaces thinking, chaos follows.
Always.
- Rogan, Irving, 27/04/2009 17:10
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@ 'Trunk - US': In 2007, 45.7 million people in the U.S. (15.3% of the population) were without health insurance for at least part of the year while anybody has access to treatment in the UK. Knife crime rates here are actually going down, not up. Overall crime is way behind US figures. The 'CCTV invasion of privacy' is very debatable as it is used not live but retrospectively to solve crime, which it successfully does. Please get the facts right before making emotional statements. I am not British by the way.
- Carsten, London, 27/04/2009 17:06
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Yet another health scare for the media to get hysterical about.
Remember avian flu a couple of years ago? when no one was dropping dead in the streets we soon forgot about it.
Keep travelling but take sensible precautions.
- Charles, Stanmore. London, 27/04/2009 16:55
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As usual it will be too little too late- stop anyone coming into the country and quarantine them-from anywhere-until they have been tested and cleared.
- Carole Lamb, Towcester England, 27/04/2009 16:54
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25, they say? That probably means more like 250.
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 27/04/2009 16:49
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i bet the government is loving the swine flu outbreak ... finally, something worse than their performance to hit the headlines!
- Marianne (Uk National And Tax-Payer), SW France, 27/04/2009 16:42
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A bit harsh, Trunk, US.
I waited with my demented wife on three days for Hospital help, in my local hospital; and I am sure they will see her before 2012.
We only returned home for food and a change of clothes, but luckily she recovered on her own, and with my help.
I will pop back in 2012; they won't know I was still not waiting, in the waiting room.
- Mickyinlondon, london, 27/04/2009 16:29
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Trunk - do you really want to go down that road after the mess Bush has left in your country - he is why my wife and I left NYC for Bermuda when W lost (sorry, won) the election.
- Nizza, Bermuda, 27/04/2009 16:26
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I agree - if this has the potential to be as serious as we understand it to be, all international flights MUST be CANCELLED. Surely it's a no brainer? Come on you soft bellied so called government - cancel all flights - none of them can be that urgent. Are all our health authorities loaded up with the anit-viral drugs? I expect not... hmmmm what was that recent programme by the BBC called? ....Survivor.....
- Julie Higgins, Leicestershire, Uk, 27/04/2009 16:19
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I think I may have Gordon Brown Flu. He's made me all sick and stuff. I phoned NHS direct, but they told me the earliest appointment to see my GP was in three weeks time. Just in case anyone else thinks they may have it too, the early symptoms are a loss of hearing and a complete empathy failure...
- Jim, London, 27/04/2009 16:17
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"US citizens warned not the travel to the UK due to increasing knife crime, government spying on private internet activity, invasive CCTV surveillance that destroys privacy, and a broken government run health care system that could leave you laying in pain and ignored in an emergency room on any given night."
See, we can play the game too...
- Trunk, US, 27/04/2009 15:46
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If this is as dangerous as we are being told, then why aren't all flights from Mexico banned? Why are hundreds of people landing at the airports straight from Mexico going unchecked?
- Roger, Surrey, 27/04/2009 14:34
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