Travel

As of 6:00 GMT, May 2, 2009, The World Health Organization (WHO) website states that 15 countries have now officially reported 615 cases of the A(H1N1) virus infections.

Mexico continues to be the "epicenter" reporting 397 confirmed cases and 16 deaths. Yet, according to a USA Today article, the Mexican Government believes the virus us not as severe or prevalent as they originally estimated.

"The attack rate is not as broad as was thought," Mexico's Health Secretary José Córdova told reporters.

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard's statement struck a hopeful tone: "The measures we have been taking are beginning to stabilize the situation," said Ebrard. But Secretary Córdova could not confirm whether the government believed they had the virus under control.

The U.S.Government reports 141 laboratory-confirmed cases. The death tole in the U.S. remains at one.

An updated tally of the reported infection cases by country is also posted on the WHO site:
Austria (1)
Canada (34)
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1)
Denmark (1)
France (1), Germany (4)
Israel (2)
Netherlands (1)
New Zealand (4)
Republic of Korea (1)
Spain (13)
Switzerland (1)
United Kingdom (13).

Reported May 1, 2009:

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control in the US have both officially stopped referring to the flu as “swine flu”, instead adopting it’s virus classification “H1N1” as the name.

As of May 1, the WHO confirms 331 human cases of virus and at least 10 deaths, nine in Mexico and one in the United States.

The WHO list of reports cases in 11 countries :
• 109 in the United States in 17 states (one death).
• 156 in Mexico (nine deaths).
• 34 confirmed cases in Canada.
• 13 in Spain.
• Eight in the United Kingdom.
• Three in Germany.
• Three in New Zealand.
• Two in Israel.
• One in Austria.
• One in the Netherlands.
• One in Switzerland.

WHO advises no travel restrictions or closure of borders, but does recommend that people who are ill delay international travel. It also requests people developing symptoms following international travel seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises U.S. travelers returning from Mexico with at least two of the 2009 N1H1 flu symptoms to stay at home and avoid public places. Symptoms of the flu can include a fever, sore throat, cough, chills, headaches and runny nose.

The CDC advices that people with no symptoms can continue their normal activities, using healthy precautions like hand washing and upon return, should monitor their health for seven days.

In Mexico, the suspected origin of the virus, Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova reports new cases and suspected deaths appear to be leveling off.

At this point, scientists say they believe the H1N1 Virus would need to mutate further before it would cause the mass deaths estimated by some.

Further analysis at the National Institute for Medical Research in the UK to determine the virus’s structure, its origin, and how quickly it could spread is underway.

Professor Jonathan Ball, an expert in molecular virology at the University of Nottingham said, "Many people suspected that H5N1 was the most likely candidate for the next pandemic strain, but now it appears that this was a mistake - but that's not to say H5N1 or another reassortment containing parts of H5N1 may not happen in the future. "That's the trouble - you can't predict."

Yet, the general public concern about the disease remains high. In San Diego County, for instance, The Public Health Lab is inundated with a backlog of about 400 untested possible H1N1 flu. The facility can processing capacity is roughly 20 tests per day.

Those interested in more scientific information about the H1N1 virus, should visit the BBC’s website at the following link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8028371.stm To read earlier reports, follow the link below. Continue reading…

Frequent flyers and shift workers could soon have a new lease of life after trial results have shown that the drug tasimelteon can reset the body's natural sleep rhythm, thus raising hope of a cure for jet lag and shift work-induced insomnia. Continue reading…

Elderly patients appear to be less likely to receive transport to trauma centers than their younger counterparts, due to a possible unconscious "age bias" among emergency medical services personnel. Continue reading…

Holidaymakers are advised to "always" seek malaria advice prior to travelling abroad, as the disease is not confined to tropical countries. Continue reading…

Traveling for more than 4 hours by air, car, bus or train is associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis. In a large study (the MEGA study) of nearly 2000 people with a first thrombosis in the Netherlands, Dr. Suzanne Cannegieter and colleagues from the Leiden University Medical Center looked at the risk factors for thrombosis compared with their partners, who did not have thrombosis. Continue reading…

Results of recent studies suggest that the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or 'Economy Class Syndrome' during a long-haul flight is extremely small. However they also show that frequent travelers, seniors, those who are overweight or obese, and women taking birth control pills are at significantly higher risk of developing the condition. Continue reading…

In an average day on earth, at least one passenger plane has to make an unscheduled landing because a passenger is taken ill. As well as being extremely expensive - every unscheduled landing costs the airline $50,000 to $100,000 - and highly inconvenient for the passengers, many unscheduled landings turn out to be unnecessary as the patients condition may not be as serious as it first seems. Continue reading…

The popular jet lag cure melatonin does not work according to results of a new study. Travellers on long-haul flights who pass through several time zones often take the hormone in an attempt to rapidly reset the body clock and prevent jet lag, however, experiments on baboons has shown that the chemical does not alter the body's circadian rhythm. Continue reading…

Going on vacation is supposed to be a time to relax and get some much needed rest, however results of a recent survey suggest that many Americans return from vacation wearier than they were before they left. The Gallup poll of 1,000 adults revealed that 54% of holidaymakers had returned from a recent break feeling tired, 19% of which saying that they were "very tired" or "exhausted. Continue reading…

As air traffic increases aeroplanes are flying higher, simultaneously increases in global business and leisure travel mean that passengers are flying more frequently. As global dependence on air travel rises, scientists are becoming increasingly worried about the exposure of regular flyers to cosmic radiation. Continue reading…