更正- 豬流感登台?! 虛驚一場

豬流感登台?!

衛生署疾管局27日傳出一起疑似國內第一起感染豬流感案例

一名32歲的男姓3天前從墨西哥回台，他是在墨西哥時就有呼吸道疾病，包括流鼻水、咳嗽等症狀，且體溫高達38度，回台後看新聞感覺毛毛的，決定通報疾管局，目前正在署立桃園醫院負壓隔離病房進行檢驗，最快6小時會確定是否感染豬流感。

一些豬流感的背景資料

在今次的豬流感疫潮中，儘管歐洲和美國皆有病例傳出，但墨西哥的情況卻是最慘重的，有逾千人感染和上百人死亡，且主要是集中侵襲健康青壯年，專家們不確定為何豬流感在當地特別猖獗，但奧臣推測，墨西哥版本的豬流感的基因，或許稍有不同，只需一個氨基酸的差異，已足以在致病性上，構成很顯著的差距。

相對於世界衛生組織估計豬流感的死亡率約為1%至4%，不少專家指出，其實有許多病況輕微的感染者，在病況演變至嚴重前，根本都不自知，也沒有被發現，所以很難確定豬流感的真正殺傷力，病例數可能不只現在所知，而是早已存在。

明尼蘇達大學傳染病研究中心主任奧斯特霍爾姆博士也說，我們不知道這次豬流感的情況會怎樣發展，它可能在4至6個星期後突然消失無蹤，也可能會持續一段更長的時間。他並警告，不可忽視豬流感有可能在春季之內消聲匿跡，然後在夏天結束前，再度出現並重新展現恐怖殺傷力，如同1918年的例子。

這位博士說的例子，即是指人類歷史上最致命的傳染－－西班牙型流行性感冒，在1918~1919年，曾經造成全世界約10億人感染，2千5百萬到4千萬人死亡（當時世界人口約17億人），其全球平均致死率約為2.5%-5%。但當時醫學界只以為是細菌感染，直到1933年，英國科學家史密斯才首次從人體分離出病毒，並命名為H1N1。

之後，1997年，美國科學家杰佛里．陶貝格爾，在《科學》周刊上發表他與同事利用遺傳學技術得出的研究成果，認為1918年的流感病毒與猪流感病毒十分相似，是一种與A型流感病毒H1N1密切相關的病毒。愛荷華大學新型傳染病中心主任基利博士也指出，科學家現在認為，在1918年導致數千萬人死亡的西班牙大流感，源頭即是豬流感。

感染防患須知 - 豬流感疫情大惡化 加拿大發現新病患

最新豬流感疫情更新

加拿大 nova scotia 今天確認4名受感染的病患
稍早, 美國 CDC 也公佈二十個病例, 分別為 加州7個, 紐約市8個, 堪薩斯州2個, 德州2個, 俄亥俄州1個.
這些消息凸顯出此豬流感疫情可能引發大流行的警訊. 目前政府建議人民勤洗手、咳嗽與打噴嚏時掩住口鼻等原則, 世界衛生組織警告，此型病毒有可能引發大流行，並將當前疫情界定為 - 國際關注的緊急公共衛生事件

Swine flu pandemic spreads north to Canada

The latest swine flu pandemic situation

In Canada 4 cases of infections were confirmed, Nova Scotia's chief public health officer, said the cases were among students who had recently traveled to Mexico.

Previously, CDC confirmed swine flu cases in the following states
California:7 Kansas:2 New York City:8 Ohio:1 and Texas:2

As part of the emergency, the Department of Homeland Security is releasing 25% of stockpiled antivirals -- Tamiflu and Relenza -- to the states.

Here's what officials want you to do: Stay home if you're sick, avoid close contact with people who are sick, wash your hands often, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

Swine Flu frequent asked questions

疫情大爆發 豬流感傳到紐西蘭

最新豬流感疫情

紐西蘭新聞報導, 威靈頓十名學生加三位教授已經由於豬流感感染嫌疑被隔離觀察



"A DEADLY swine flu that’s potentially caused more than 80 deaths in Mexico will hit Australia, says Greens Senator Bob Brown.
"The only way of not having that would be to close Australia to flights," Senator Brown said.
"We should also be looking to see how we can help neighbouring countries if it does become a pandemic."
The Senator’s comments come as New Zealand health officials reveal they are investigating an influenza-like illness amongst a group of 25 people from Rangitoto College, on Auckland’s North Shore, following the group’s return from a school trip to Mexico.
"Anyone that has returned from Mexico with influenza-like symptoms since March this year should seek advice from their general practitioner or public health unit."

quote from www.news.com.au

Big Epidemic!? Swineflu now confirmed in New Zealand!

10 New Zealand students test Positive with H1N1 earlier today.

"Three teachers and 22 senior students from North Shore's Rangitoto College have been kept in isolation following their return yesterday from a three week language trip.




More than 80 people in Mexico are believed to have died and over 1300 are sick as a result of catching swine flu. Cases have also been reported in New York, California and Kansas and a British Airways pilot has been hospitalised in London with flu symptoms after returning from Mexico.

Health Minister Tony Ryall said in a statement this evening 10 of the 13 students tested had returned positive influenza results."

some common questions and answers related to swineflu

Q. What is swine flu?
A. Swine flu is a respiratory illness in pigs caused by a virus. The swine flu virus routinely causes outbreaks in pigs but doesn't usually kill many of them.
Q. Can people get swine flu?
A. Swine flu viruses don't usually infect humans. There have been occasional cases, usually among people who've had direct contact with infected pigs, such as farm workers. "We've seen swine influenza in humans over the past several years, and in most cases, it's come from direct pig contact. This seems to be different," said Dr. Arnold Monto, a flu expert with the University of Michigan.
Q. Can it spread among humans?
A. There have been cases of the virus spreading from human to human, probably in the same way as seasonal flu, through coughing and sneezing by infected people.
Q. What are the symptoms of swine flu?
A. The symptoms are similar to those of regular flu - fever, cough, fatigue, lack of appetite.
Q. Is the same swine flu virus making people sick in Mexico and the U.S.?
A. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the Mexican virus samples match the U.S. virus. The virus is a mix of human virus, bird virus from North America and pig viruses from North America, Europe and Asia.
Q. Are there drugs to treat swine flu in humans?
A. There are four different drugs approved in the U.S. to treat the flu, but the new virus has shown resistance to the two oldest. The CDC recommends the use of the flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza.
Q. Does a regular flu shot protect against swine flu?
A. The seasonal flu vaccine used in the U.S. this year won't likely provide protection against the latest swine flu virus. There is a swine flu vaccine for pigs but not for humans.
Q. Should residents of California or Texas do anything special?
A. The CDC recommends routine precautions to prevent the spread of infectious diseases: wash your hands often, cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, avoid close contact with sick people. If you are sick, stay at home and limit contact with others.
Q. What about traveling to Mexico?
A. The CDC has not warned Americans against traveling to Mexico but advises that they be aware of the illnesses there and take precautions to protect against infections, like washing their hands.